pvccorsets

Wondering what's fashionable, hot and new for Halloween '92? Well, if you're a real kid, think Catwoman, Batman and Penguin, Beauty and the Beast and 101 Dalmatians. Don't think plastic. It's cheap. You don't like it.
If you're a grownup kid, think Catwoman, Batman, Penguin. Skip the Dalmatians, try a black-and-white cow with nipples. Do think plastic. The kind that pays for things.
Making an impression on Halloween night doesn't come cheap!
Masquerading as Catwoman in a rented stretch vinyl catsuit will set you back $ 150, whip included. Doing a Batman or Penguin turn will cost you $ 125 and parading as members of the Simpson or Addams families $ 100. By contrast, preening as Marie Antoinette is a bargain at $ 60.
"People are willing to spend the money because they want to surprise their friends and impress other people," said Therese Caissie, a dresser at Ponton, which has more than 10,000 rental costumes crammed into its three-storey quarters on St. Francois Xavier St. in Old Montreal.
"Some dress up and go to bars but mostly there are parties or balls involved. And this year we know of two weddings taking place on Halloween with everyone wearing period dress latex gloves."
Adults are the biggest kids
Ponton has a few costumes to rent to children but most of their clientele is adult.
"We find adults are the biggest kids and Halloween is our biggest time of the year," Caissie said.
At the House of Costumes on Ontario St. E., the 2,000 rental costumes include the current favorites but "the first to go are doll and baby costumes for women," said costume-maker Marie-Josee Savoie.
The newest selections at Decor Festa are Uncle George, a clown character on French-language television, and the ubiquitous black- and-white cow costume.
"All our 800 costumes are made of fabric. You get plastic at Jean Coutu," salesgirl Paulette Gariepy said.
The young set can buy fabric costumes at Toys R Us in the Bazaar Shopping Centre on Cote Vertu for $ 14 to $ 29.95, including the Batman gang, 101 Dalmatians, Beauty and the Beast and Star Trek characters.
"We have a few plastic costumes but the kids want the newest things and they like having a 'real' costume," a salesgirl said.
Raiding is out of fashion
At Oink Oink on Greene Ave. in Westmount, fabric costumes for children aged 2 to 14 include a Dalmatian dog for $ 19.95, a satin clown suit for $ 70 and Little Bo Peep and Cinderella for about $ 36.
Raiding parents' closets or family costume boxes for Halloween getups seems to have gone out of fashion with most children, but Oink Oink still offers them the opportunity to create their own costumes from tutus, capes, pirate hats and patches.
"A lot of younger kids still like to create their own costumes. Teenagers prefer to buy a complete package, although they may individualize it with accessories," Gano said.
Oink Oink also stocks Halloween costumes for adults, the newest being the nippled black-and-white cow for $ 36.
At Johnny Brown's on Peel St., the newest costumes for sale include the Three Musketeers, $ 79.95, and a cardinal's outfit for $ 89.95. Superman is yours for $ 74.95, Superwoman for $ 69.50, and the new Batman for $ 106.95. Catwoman-type catsuits in lightweight fabric cost $ 49.95.
Whips are extra. But like the costumes, they're yours to keep forever.