What to do after the Holiday's?

Whether you celebrate Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanza, or any other Holiday from December to January, we've found a common question after the Holiday's have concluded is "what do I do with the leftovers?"  But we are not just speaking about food anymore.  Quite often people who go "all out" for the Holiday's, in costume that is have questions about how their costumes should be stored!  For those of you that take on the Holiday Season in costume, please be sure to store your costumes and accessories correctly so you and your family can enjoy the fun for many years to come.  Most children's and adult costumes these days are made decent quality fabrics they can be washed, and they should.  If they have been worm more than a few times, they should be professionally dry-cleaned, or even a machine wash would be sufficient for many items.  And don't forget those wigs and beards, the better the quality the better they will stand up to washing.  Once clean, seal them in a large zip-lock bag or a large plastic container in closet, basement or attic.  Finally, if you have that famous red suit be conscious of who's little eyes might be peeking in that closet, attic or basement.

The Costumer is sponsoring a ZOMBIE Film Festival!

Zombie Fest is October 23-25 at The Linda, a performance arts venue in Albany. Don't miss out on films, a zombie walk, zombie prom, a brain eating contest and more! Be the best Zombie you can be. For all your blood, guts, makeup, knives, costumes, wigs and more, visit us at any of our three locations (Schenectady, Central Ave or Colonie Center) or online.

For tickets and more details, check out www.thelinda.org/zombie

See you there!

The Costumer is starring in a brand new commercial!

Halloween shouldn't be the only excuse to dress up during the year. How about a staff meeting in pirate gear? Or an astronaut mowing the lawn? That's the concept behind the commercial, because at The Costumer, it's what YOU want to be. With a 30 second spot, you'll now see our commercial broadcasting year round.

Also, look for our seasonal Halloween commercial now airing locally. Be on the lookout for Vampy, The Joker, the cast of The Wizard of Oz, and much more. See the "man behind the mask" at each of our stores, as our friendly and helpful staff often star in the commercials.

Our Favorite Theatrical Productions

With the school year vastly approaching, and back-to-school shopping in full bloom, The Costumer is making way for show season. The busiest time of year is truly in the Spring, but don't let Fall fool you. We still have hundreds of shows to costume, usually within a few weeks time span. With show season prep underway, it got us thinking about our favorite plays and musicals to see. Here is a list of staff picks:

Les Miserable

My Fair Lady

Once Upon A Mattress

South Pacific

To Kill A Mockingbird

A Streetcar Named Desire

Aida (Jenn)

The Robber Bridegroom

The Merry Wives of Windsor

The Good Bye Girl

Phantom of the Opera

Music Man

Angels In America

Gigi

Metamorphosis

Mamma Mia

Avenue Q

Rent

Peter Pan

Spamalot

The Costumer can provide costumes for any one of the above productions. Remember, just because we may not have a plot for it, doesn't mean we don't have what you need. Don't hesitate to call with any questions! Now it's your turn: What's your favorite play or musical?

Renaissance Faires

August is full of Renaissance Faires around the country. We have costumes from head to toe to make you fit in. From the lowest class to the highest court, peasants, knights, maidens, gentlemen, kings and queens are available through The Costumer's rental department. Here's a sample of the many costumes available :

Stand guard and do your country proud with "amour" that will make any man (or woman) feel proud to protect their Court. Costume Includes hood, tunic, leggings, and boot tops.

Our authentic Noblemen give you the look of class and seniority. Costume is available in a variety of sizes and colors and Includes hat, doublet, breeches, and leggings.

Step back in time and feel like a Princess with a beautiful gown. The new line of dresses includes a subtle Asian flare and comes in various colors and sizes. Lacing helps adjust to any shape. Costume Includes dress and headpiece.

12 states have faires this month (California, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington), however we ship to ANYWHERE IN THE U.S.A. Reserve your costume early: you want to look THE BEST, right? Contact the rental department today, 518-374-7442.

Halloween is approching!

Halloween is just 100 days away! Do you know what you're going to be? New items have been posted on our website and are slowly creeping into our stores, and in an effort to get everything you need for your look this year, we are cleaning up and making more room! Our Schenectady location is rearranging the store for a more fluid look. Our Albany location has moved the "Scary Room" to the front of the store. Both locations are starting to get new merchandise every day: M&M's are back! Captain America is available for the entire family! The updated Optimus Prime is HOT! G.I. Joe Rise of The Cobra has a very sleek new Ninja! Tons of sexy Dreamgirl costumes are already available! Check out the Bobblehead Pumpkin in the "scary" category! So many ideas and choices! Let your fingers do the walking at www.thecostumer.com , or stop in our stores, and the possibilities are endless!

5 ways The Costumer can add fun to your summer ~ Thea Coughlin retail photographer Albany NY Capital District Business

This blog was originally posted on Thea Coughlin's Blog on July 13th, 2009.

The Costumer Schenectady NY

A list 5 ways The Costumer can add fun to your summer

1 - Harry Potter Costumes. The Harry Potter Movie is coming out on July 15th. This is bound to be another movie in the series that will become a classic for your children. What better way to make the memory special than to experience it as one of the characters, by wearing a costume!

2- Labor Day Craft – Labor day weekend is often a day where families get together for picnics and BBQ’s. How about a fun and simple labor day craft for the kids? These white masks from the costumer “is a great base for creating any number of exciting and a unique one of a kind mask for yourself. The mask a rigid is primed with a matte white finish and includes an instruction sheet with tips and ideas for the mask.” A few of these masks along with some waterbased red white and blue paint make a simple yet super fun activity for a labor day weekend craft.

3- Themed sleep overs – all kids love to dress up so why not add costumes to a wizard of oz movie sleepover, or a 50’s dance themed sleepover? There are so many costumes at the costumer that would make your child’s sleepover unique and one to remember.

4- Rainy day fun. Bring your child (ren) down to the Schenectady location of The Costumer and walk them through their costume vault and get a head start on picking an amazing and unique costume for Halloween. I was floored when I saw how many costumes The Costumer has in their vault, and their staff is full of resourceful information.

5- Add some magic to your summer. When I went to the Central avenue location of The Costumer I had so much fun looking through all the magic supplies they had. What kid doesn’t like magic and juggling? Terry is pretty good at juggling and Trey is very enthralled watching him. I will be getting Trey some of these fun magic tricks for him to start.

A few weeks ago I did a job for the Costumer of Albany/Schenectady. Amanda contacted me last fall to take some family portraits of her, Eric and their 3 beautiful girls. The session was so much fun and Amanda and Eric so interesting and wonderful to talk and laugh with. When I think of them I always remember their smiling faces and delightful laughter. That is a great way to be remembered don’t you think?

When Amanda contacted me to take some new photographs of The Costumer (there are two store locations) I had no idea the extent of the offerings available at their stores.

What does the New York City Ballet, Saratoga Performing Arts Center and The Costumer have in common?

What does the New York City Ballet, Saratoga Performing Arts Center and The Costumer have in common? A Puppy Dog and a Parrot, that's what! Confused? You won't be if you check out the ballet this coming Friday July 10 at SPAC. The Costumer has become SPAC's Official Costume Sponsor of 2009 where our costumes will be popping up throughout the summer. See if you can find them in the crowd. One can only guess what will be next!

End of Show Season

With the school year ending, we have successfully made it through our busiest time of the year: Show Season. This was our smoothest season yet, as our staff worked as a team in an efficient and knowledgeable manner, with many shows being shipped out early. Here are some interesting facts on how The Costumer played our part for you:

-Our top 10 shows were: Beauty and The Beast, Guys & Dolls, Bye Bye Birdie, Wizard of Oz, Music Man, Peter Pan, Fiddler on The Roof, Once Upon A Mattress, Into The Woods, Thoroughly Modern Millie

-Our biggest order was 189 costumes for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

-At the end of March, we shipped out 2350 costumes in one week.

Don't worry, just because our main show season is over, doesn't mean we're slacking off! We are still here for all the summer camps and theaters with both rental and sales discounts available. Let us know if you haven't received our summer discount postcard. In fact, we just shipped out MULAN JR. with 118 costumes, including 51 wigs! There are dozens more shows in the works. It's also never to early to be planning next year's shows.

Makeover At The Costumer

"The Costumer is getting a makeover! Not only are we in "spring cleaning" mode in anticipation of Halloween, but our company computer system is getting an upgrade. With the new Windows friendly system, the process of all transactions will be more efficient and eventually quicker (bear with us right now as we are all still learning its capabilities). Being that the new system is based in Windows, the flow of a transaction is visual and easier to follow. Each of our employees had various training sessions this week with a mock set up at our Central Avenue store. So far so good!

We want you to have the best experience with us, whether you purchase and rent in our stores or buy items online. Our goal in this upgrade is to continue to create a positive, efficient, technologically advanced environment for you to acquire all the costumes, wigs, makeup, props and accessories you need to transform yourself into that PERFECT character!"

A few of our Favorite Things

We here at The Costumer love what we do, what we sell, and most importantly, our customers. In doing an impromptu staff survey of our favorite sales items, the consensus is that there are quite a few pranksters working here. The most popular genre of items are the gag gifts (Fake Butts, Chicken and Nun Chuckers, Whoopie Cushions, and Doggy Dirt), which means there is nothing but fun when you enter either of our Schenectady or Colonie stores. Here's a list of more employee favorites:

Old Feet # 0775
Albino Dragon Mask # 0550
3-D Gel Special FX #0209
Antenna # 0195
Afro Clown Wig # 0025
Hamburger Hat #2993
Flower Power Child Costume #3401
Golden Buddha Adult Costume#1089

It's never too late to be thinking about Halloween!

It's almost summer already

Name three things you think of when you hear the word "SUMMER". Was The Costumer one of them? If not, it should be! Not only do we have summer discounts on theatrical rentals (see our home page at www.thecostumer.com) but we also have a summer discount on some of the most fun costumes and accessories for any party, bbq, luau or tropical getaway. For the prankster, check out our Cover Ups. For your cheesy side, check out our hawaiian shirts. Set the mood with a variety of Luau CD's. Cool off your drinks with an inflatable palm tree cooler. Perhaps start your own "band" with tambourines, maracas, and more! Heading to the beach? Don't forget your sunglasses....aviators, blues brothers, and hundreds of wacky styles are just a click or phone call away. Happy Summer!

Soft Sculpture Costumes

Have you ever heard the phrase "SOFT SCULPTURE" when it comes to costuming?  Soft Sculpture is a costume building technique to create just that: a soft sculptural costume piece or accessory.  Most often made of foam, it is soft and lightweight, durable and easy to care for, and it gives lots of depth on the stage.  Many of The Costumer's specialty costumes are made of it, including our BEAUTY AND THE BEAST enchanted objects (Madame Grande De La Bouche, Cogsworth, Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, etc.), ALICE IN WONDERLAND and WIZARD OF OZ flower head pieces, and THE JUNGLE BOOK animal hoods.  MULAN, our newest show, has The Soldier's armor and Mushu's body and headpiece made of Soft Sculpture.  Check out our website, www.thecostumer.com, to view show photos.

New Show, New Costumes - Disney's "Mulan"

Did you know that Disney has created yet another hit Broadway musical that your school is able to produce? MULAN is a heartwarming celebration of culture, honor and spirit, and The Costumer is ready with all your costuming needs. We are currently in the process of building three sets of costumes that will blend beautifully into any director's vision, over 200 costumes! Characters include Mulan, The Ancestors, Daughters, Mushu, The Emperor, The Huns, and The Soldiers. A wide range of sizes are available, from Elementary up to High School. Photos will be available this summer. Wigs are also available for your show rental, and swords are available for sale through our Catalog/Internet Department. For more information contact our Theatre Department, 518-374-7442.

Cinco de Mayo

So what is Cinco de Mayo? Easy…translated it’s the 5th of May, which is the day on which it is celebrated, but what it represents is a bit more in depth. It is a Mexican holiday that celebrates the defeat of the French Army in 1862, it celebrates Mexican heritage and pride combining traditional food, music, traditions, and dancing. In the United States it has taken on much the same status as other cultural holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day, Oktoberfest, and the Chinese New Year. 

How do you have your own celebration? Well that to is easy The Costumer carries costumes and accessories to set your own Cinco de Mayo celebration apart. We carry costumes and accessories such as serape (Mexican Ponchos), lace fans, Bandolero bullet belts, and hats of all sorts including sombreros, matador hats, and Spanish mantillas and combs. Don’t forget playtime with our inflatable cactus cooler/ring toss game, just blow up and add ice!

Leg Avenue

More and more items are being added to our website every day as we continue gearing up for Halloween 2009.  Did you know that at the time of this post there is only 192 days and 14 hours until Halloween? As with years past we expect that Leg Avenue is going to be a big seller and all the Leg Avenue items are currently being added to our website. You can view all of our Leg Avenue selection including the new costumes for 2009 by clicking here. 

Show Time!

It is show time at The Costumer we have been busy with both our spring show season and getting the show going online. We now have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and as you can see, now we also have our very own blog!

At this time we have costume rentals going on for over 50 shows and are sending out over 1200 costumes, and that is just the rest of April. Our sales department is also taking calls from directors shopping for all the additional items needed for their show such as wigs, makeup, shoes.

On the Halloween front...yes we are thinking Halloween already, and we have been since November 1st. We have already started stocking our shelves with Halloween merchandise both old and new as well as beginning to add all of the new items to our website.