Students show off spooky, skimpy costumes

The ghosts and goblins came out a little early this year.

Although Halloween doesn’t… The ghosts and goblins came out a little early this year.

Although Halloween doesn’t officially start until today, students celebrated early, taking to the Oakland streets in costumes that ranged from scary to skimpy.

On Saturday night, Lothrop desk attendant Phyllis Harris got a front row seat to the parade of costumed students waiting to be swiped into their dorm.

“I love this time of year. It gives me a good laugh seeing the kids dressed up,” Harris said.

She said that Halloween weekend always brings in a strange yet entertaining crowd of guests. Popularly known to the students as Ms. Phyllis, Harris has seen a wide array of costumes over the past six years, but one theme remains the same.

“The girls usually dress provocatively while the boys get funnier,” Harris said, smiling when she saw junior Derrick Brown walk into the dorm dressed as Elmo.

Brown, a political science major, toyed with a number of costume ideas before settling on Elmo. He considered being Mario, a gorilla or a psychiatric patient in a straight jacket, but after getting some advice, he decided to go with the furry red monster.

Nick Wolfe, a freshman neuroscience major, also took into consideration his friends’ advice when deciding on his Native American Halloween costume.

“A buddy of mine told me that I could pass as a Native American, so I took that and made it into a costume,” Wolfe said Saturday night as he waited in Lothrop Hall for his friends.

Hinging on red face paint and a black mohawk, Wolfe’s costume included leaves, a faux animal-skin outfit and a tomahawk. The freshman said his two favorite costumes he saw were Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart.

Whereas Brown and Wolfe took the advice of others, some students chose their outfits based on price.

Freshman Matt Steward already had a trumpet and poncho for his one-man mariachi band costume. After the purchase of a sombrero, his outfit cost him a meager total of $6.

Pitt students, along with the rest of the nation, are expected to spend a combined total of $2.5 billion on Halloween costumes this year, according to the National Retail Federation.

“Halloween isn’t just for kids anymore, as adults are just as likely to get in on the fun with clever, unique costumes,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.

Libby Ellman spent $15 on her Snow White costume. The junior was one of many students waiting for the bus on Bigelow Boulevard to head to North Oakland, but she wasn’t impressed with student enthusiasm for the holiday.

“We feel like people copped out this year,” Ellman said of some other student costumes. “They didn’t go all-out.”

The girls said they had seen a lot of typical superhero and animal costumes throughout the night. According to a recent survey done by the National Retail Federation, the top Halloween costumes are witches, pirates and vampires.

Back at Lothrop Hall, Harris was enjoying the end of the night as more residents in crazy ensembles came home to their dorm.

“Sometimes I go home and I’m tired from laughing so much,” Harris said. “It’s good though because it’s a stress reliever for the kids.”