A Guide to Costume Shopping

As we leave behind the days of beaming suns and pollution, we welcome the days of cool breezes and free-falling leaves. Oh, and more pollution of course. The coming of Autumn means more than breaking out your coats and scarves (I’m from Miami, this is cold for me), it means Halloween is around the corner. Finding the perfect Halloween costume in Shanghai can be challenging, and options are limited, so below are a few places you can check out to make sure you’re not throwing on lingerie and animal ears last minute (I’ve been there). Check out our article on DIY Costumes if you do find yourself in need of a last minute solution! Taobao www.taobao.com If you’re not familiar with this website, it’s probably in your best interest to get familiar with it. Figuring out how exactly to use it can be a bit of a struggle at first, but it will undoubtedly become your best friend (and enemy). Taobao is basically the Chinese version of eBay or Amazon, but with infinitely more options. If you are not familiar with the website yet, ask a Chinese speaker to help you navigate the site and choose a costume to be delivered to your doorstep… dormstep. Amy’s Bedroom 160 Xiangyang Nan Lu, near Nanchang Lu 襄阳南路160号，近南昌路 The word “bedroom” should not be taken lightly, as what you will find here is not meant to leave the bedroom. If you are so inclined to have an extra creative costume, you can go here for costumes or props. JaJaJa Party House www.jajajaparty.com 158 Biyun Lu, near Baihua Lu 碧云路158号，近白桦路 Located in Pudong, this is the closest location the dorms and holds a pretty wide selection of accessories. The store also contains an online website (both Chinese and English) from which you can order from. Holiday House 4F 21 Xuhong Zhong Lu, near Kaixuan Lu 徐虹中路21号四楼，近凯旋路 The location of this shop is a bit odd, which I suppose is appropriate considering your purpose for being there. After following a trail of what seem to be untrustworthy posters, you’ll find yourself on the fourth floor of this building. The store contains most of the typical Halloween costumes you would expect and you can also find various accessories such as masks, hats, glitter, blood, etc. Ruby Party www.rubyparty.com 3333 Hong Mei Road, 2/FL 虹梅路3333号二楼 (Entrance on Hua Guang Road, Nice Year Villa) Like the others, this store also has a decently wide variety of costumes, including some larger-scale mascot-like costumes which are available for rental. Some of these costumes are a bit more expensive and frankly overpriced. 500RMB to dress up as a candlestick is a bit unreasonable (although it is a cute candlestick). Vintage Shops If you are willing to put some extra work into your costume, try any of the following vintage shops for a truly unique costume: Dreams & Flees Basement, Xintiandi Style 245 Madang Lu, near Fuxing Lu 马当路245号，近复兴路 新天地时尚地下室 Lolo Love Vintage 2 Yongfu Lu, near Wuyuan Lu 永福路2号，近五原路 Anxi Clothing Market 1335 Anshun Lu, near Kaixuan Lu 安顺路1335号，近凯旋路 Happy costume hunting! This article was written by Enrique Menendez. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Megan Graham