Halloween Goes Custom
The Costume: Creative Costume Company
Established 30 years ago by friends and former fashion design students Linda Carcaci and Susan Handler, Creative Costume Company works with clients by appointment only to create one-off costumes in their New York City workshop. A full consultation is similar to getting fit for a tailored suit: First comes fabric selection, then flourishes (such as Swarovski crystals), and finally up to three fittings to get the look just right. Carcaci and Handler are best known for theatrical period pieces—think Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI—but they can bring just about any idea to life. Together, they work alongside a handworker, a finisher, and a machine worker; production can take anywhere from several hours to four weeks, depending on the design. If you’d rather just rent, the company has a collection of some 10,000 handmade costumes available at the Beyond Costumes warehouse in Yonkers.
The Pumpkin: Maniac Pumpkin Carvers
Childhood friends Marc Evan and Chris Soria have been making art together since age 12, but they’ve recently shifted their medium from painting to pumpkins. Maniac Pumpkin Carvers is their Brooklyn–based carving studio. The duo designs custom Jack-o’-lanterns with exquisitely nuanced, multi-layered depictions of everything from political figures to classic book covers to iconic works of art (Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss,” for instance). Their work was featured at MoMA last year, and this year the museum is showing their version of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.” If you’ve got a design in mind, send them an image and get a quote. You’ll have a custom Jack-o’-lantern made in a matter of days.
Creative Costume Company: Contact 212.564.5552 or costume@creativecostume.com; rentals at Beyond Costumes: 530 Nepperhan Avenue, Yonkers, 914.963.1333
Maniac Pumpkin Carvers: Contact maniacpumpkincarvers@gmail.com
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