Weekender | The Daily guide to cheap, creative costumes

The spirit of Halloween will descend upon us yet again this weekend, bringing wickedness and monsters back to the campus for round two. Still, in the midst of the Halloweekend blowout, there is a distinct chance that your creative juices have been exhausted. Whether you’re looking for your first, second, third or fourth costume this weekend, or if you’re just trying to find the perfectly festive ugly sweater a bit early, the Daily has compiled a helpful guide to some of the better costuming locales near campus.

Artifaktori

When most people rush out to get a last minute Halloween costume, they head straight to a costume shop, prepared to fork over a fistful of dollars for some generic, overpriced getup they’ll only be able to wear once a year. They think about dressing up as the most popular movie character from the past year, or possibly as last month’s biggest pop-culture faux pas. They think about the latest trends and current events, and the day after Halloween, they soon regret such thoughts.

Artifaktori wants you to think something else: vintage.

Located right in Davis Square at 22a College Ave, with another location at 121 Charles Street in the Beacon Hill district of Boston, Artifaktori provides what every college student needs, whether they know it or not, selling the perfect mix of dress-up and legitimate style. Offering an extensive, diverse line of clothing handpicked by store owner Amy Berkowitz, including ’20s flapper outfits, ’50s business suits and everything in between, Artifaktori is as chic as it gets.

What’s perfect about the store is that it doesn’t matter if you’re searching for a costume or a new look — you’ll find either one there. Pick a historical period and there’s bound to be some piece of clothing inspired by that era at Artifakori. What’s more, after you’re through with Halloween, you can simply turn your “costume” into your own unique style, mixing and matching articles of clothing with the latest Artifaktori accessories.

Perhaps one of the store’s largest draws, in terms of dressing up, is that Artifaktori outfits aren’t catered to Halloween. Are you hosting a “Mad Men” party? Maybe attending a “Great Gatsby” (1925) get-together? Still looking for a cute dress to impress your next date? Artifaktori has you covered. With shoes, hats and random accessories that include such oddities as old cameras and classic records, Artifaktori is a chic, vintage gold mine.

As the store attests on its website, “You never quite know what you’ll find when you walk through the doors of this cozy little shop.”

Goodwill

At Goodwill, the adage that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure holds true, especially around Halloween. With rack after rack of old clothes, shoes and other items, Goodwill is a costume goldmine.

Because Goodwill garments are all pre-owned, shopping there can be hit or miss. Still, this makes finding a gem all the more worthwhile.

Tufts students flock to the Goodwill Store in Davis Square on 230 Elm Street, attracted by low prices and the store’s extensive assortment of clothes. Junior Marie Schow found her Halloween lion suit in the children’s section of the store.

“I bought my Halloween costume from Goodwill after being inspired by Macklemore’s hit song ‘Thrift Shop,’” she said. “While Goodwill’s costumes require a little more creativity, there are a wide range of themes and sizes at bargain prices.”

Junior Sara Hanneman, who dressed as Tinker Bell last weekend, found herself at Goodwill for different reasons.

“[I went there] because I waited until the last minute,” she said. “I just needed some basic staples I could craft into my costume.”

Hanneman also noted the store’s layout and proximity to campus as reasons for its popularity among Tufts students. Another useful aspect is that Goodwill sorts its clothes by item type and color. For example, sections for winter jackets are separated from dresses and shirts. Each of these clusters is then visibly divided into groups by various shades and colors.

“It’s helpful that they sort by color,” Hanneman said. “I knew I needed green for my costume, so I just went straight to that section.”