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Shopping: An outfit for Halloween
Mark Brereton28/10/2005
FANCY dress shops in the city have been taking Halloween orders
since April to ensure no party-going witch is left without a broom,
and no neck-seeking Dracula is without those obligatory, blood
soaked fangs.
An indication of modern times, though, is that there are also
gentlemen requesting the scariest Pat Sharp outfit, to look like
the television personality.
Jackie Haynes, owner of House of Haynes, on Oldham Street said:
"Halloween is our busiest time of year for sure but fancy dress is
now getting more and more popular all year round.
"It is not just the usual outfits either; people are now looking
for the most outrageous outfits they can find.
"A lot of theme parties require an outfit beginning with a P. I
don't know why, but that makes my parsnip outfit really
popular."
The price for a three-day costume hire at Haynes is £30 including a
wig and an extra £5 for shoes, although Jackie added that sometimes
the cost could actually be your dignity.
"One guy was on the way to a party, his car broke down and he
had to thumb a lift dressed as a comedy chicken," she said.
"Fathers for Justice have tried to get free outfits from me, but if
they get arrested I might not see the costumes again for a while so
I don't risk it."
And Margaret Fitzpatrick, owner of Attic Fancy Dress in Affleck's
Palace, agrees that fancy dress has never been more popular.
"Between big corporate dos, cruise ships, hen parties, stag dos,
New Year's Eve and murder mystery parties there is always an
opportunity to dress up. I have regular customers in Tenerife and
Iceland. "I always get asked for gangster and showgirl costumes but
movies really affect the choice of outfit too. John Travolta's
white suit used to be my most popular outfit for hire, but now it
is Johnny Depp's Pirate outfit that all guys are asking for."
House of Haynes Fancy Dress Hire is at 32 Oldham Street, in
the city centre. 0161 237 3775 and Attic Fancy Dress is at the top
floor of Afflecks Palace, Church Street, in the city centre. 0161
832 3839
Picking a perfect pumpkin
Most people only buy a pumpkin once a year at most, carve it
into the classic Halloween head, and discard it.
Steve Murphy, who runs his fruit and veg store outside Kendals,
sells the bright orange vegetables to party goers eager to
celebrate Samhain in style.
He says the most important thing to look out for are bruises, as
they tend to bump against each other in transit.
They can also go off quickly, so it is important to give them a
good inspection to make sure the skin is nice and firm.
Most buyers only want to make sure the pumpkins are a good shape
and colour for their Halloween decoration.
Steve sells 16lb pumpkins for £2.99 - which he says is cheaper than
the supermarkets - and provides many for shops and pubs which want
decorations, as well as to a nurseries.
But surprisingly, the vegetables have another purpose - you can
also eat them. They are good in soups, stews and curries as well as
desserts.
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