Most Important Things You Should Know About Costume Rental
Have you heard about costume parties before? It is when people need to dress up in costumes and go to a party. Halloween party is an example of costume party, one of the world’s oldest holidays and celebrated in countries around the world. In Malaysia, people do celebrate it but mostly in city areas. A cosplay event can also be considered as a costume party. Participants called cosplayers will wear a costume, wigs and make ups to represent a specific character.
So, do people actually rent costumes? Yes, costume rental is quite common even in the country that does not celebrate Halloween, because there are other occasions that people could wear a costume too. Costume rental providers especially in Malaysia have already stepped up their games to supply various looks, whether it’s a cute, creepy or somewhere in between. Follow these tips when doing your Halloween costume rental. Halloween enthusiasts might plan their costumes way before the actual date, some prefer to buy while others opt to rent instead.
If you find yourself in a situation where you can’t decide between buying or renting, here are the pros and cons of each:
Pros of Buying
We all love going shopping for clothes, right? It’s no different when it comes to buying a fancy dress costume.
There are many reasons why people often choose to buy a costume for the event rather than rent one. Let’s run through options below!
1. A very quick process
If you are a person who doesn’t like the hassle of doing a costume rental for an upcoming party or cosplay event, you may find it easier to simply buy a purchasable one. We get it, it’s convenient and you won’t end up as the boring one! People who are actually tight on their schedule might usually go for buying as it saves a lot of time as well.
2. You own the costume
If you like to keep the costume, then buying is definitely the answer for you. Maybe after wearing it once, you want to keep it for future purposes or sell it back, the choice is yours since it belongs to you. You can also keep it for your relatives, friends or even children to wear it in case they are searching for a costume. Even if you will never wear it again, it’s a memory that you’ll be able to hold onto forever. For some people, this is extremely important!
3. It’s brand new
Everybody has different tastes and some people simply don’t like to put on something they know someone else has already worn. Well buying a costume diminishes this concern. You don’t have to worry about any minor damage or small stain that rental costumes might have because a brand new one is completely in the best condition.
Cons of Buying
However, it’s not all great buying a costume. There are several disadvantages of splashing your cash on a new costume every time you’ve got an event.
1. Sometimes can be quite expensive
When you already put together your whole costume, the total amount can be quite expensive. You may think you’re going to wear the costume numerous times. However, you need to be realistic! Are you really going to wear your superhero costume again? When are you actually going to dress as a princess next? If you give it a second thought, it’s worth buying a costume if you are actually an avid cosplayer or someone who parties regularly, but if you think you’re not one of them, it’s a complete waste of money
2. Eats up your wardrobe space
Can you imagine how much space a King Kong costume could take? I’m pretty sure you already have a limited space for your wardrobe and you don’t wanna make it worse by adding a massive costume and cramp it with everything else. If you want to keep your clothes tidy, then costumes are not the choice here.
3. A different event, different costume
Every time you have a costume party event or another theatre production, you’re going to require a new costume. Each party or event will have their own separate theme and obviously you don’t wanna recycle the same costume over and over again and embarrass yourself by not following the theme
Now we’ve considered the best and worst of buying a costume, it’s time to check out the pros and cons of renting a costume.
Pros of Renting
1. Get the right costume
If you want to impress your friends or the audience at an event, you should get the right costume. It’s not realistic to buy a new costume every single time, but you can rent one for the most specific events. It’s not just the clothes either. You can get everything for your retro style party from the stunning jewellery to fancy hats, and all accessories for whatever theme you need.
2. Cheaper
You can spend hundreds of dollars on buying a costume. This can be a waste of money over time. Renting a costume is significantly cheaper than buying. If you’re on a budget, you can get a great costume much cheaper by doing costume rental
3. So much fun to rent a costume!
If you were to rent a costume, you can have much more fun. Just the act of rent shopping can be a fun afternoon with friends. Who knows, you may even walk out with a costume you never thought you would wear.
Cons of Renting
Now you know the pros of renting a costume, you’ll probably be wondering about the downside.
1. Responsibility
You may feel funny about renting a costume, because the onus is on you. If you happen to damage or dirty the costume during rental, you may have to cover the costs of cleaning and having it repaired. However, as long as you take care of the costume, you’ll be fine.
2. Sharing Clothes
The fact that doing a costume rental means it is not yours and basically you are ‘borrowing’ the item from the owner, some people just can’t accept the sharing concept. Other people might already wore the same gown you are wearing to your wedding ceremony.
3. Much longer process
Renting is very far apart from buying. You have to read the contract and abide all the rules provided. Some of the time you will also face a hard time finding the right size for your suit or gown, which can be a very annoying experience, especially when you are urgently in a need of one.
Costume Rental Tips
Follow these tips when doing your costume rental:
1. Rental period
Different stores have different policies. Some may want their costumes returned the day after your event, while others may give you a full week. Just be sure you know the date and time your costume rental shop requires you to return those costumes to avoid getting additional charge.
2. Accessories
Some costumes come with wigs, gloves or boots to help you get into character. Or you might want to complete your look with makeup or additional accessories. Knowing how to accessorize can make the look. So factor cool accessories into your fright night budget and shop for them early.
3. Modifications
The best costumes have the perfect fit, for that customized look. But avoid making adjustments that violate the costume rental store’s policies. You need to check with the store manager if you plan to do some light alterations to the costume. Ask in advance.
4. Cleaning your costumes
Many rental operations handle all cleaning themselves, while others may require you to take your costume to a professional dry cleaner. Typically, costume rental shops want to avoid accidental damage to delicate materials from home cleaning methods.
5. The cost of costume rental
Familiarize yourself with any potential fees in the rental agreement. These can include late returns, or damage such as rips, tears, stains or anything else that might occur during the rental.. Inspect the costumes at the store before renting as well. Document any existing damage when doing costume rental, just as you would when renting a car.
Conclusion
It’s not always easy to make a choice. If you have to decide whether to rent or buy a costume, think about it thoroughly. However, if you ever ask me which option is better, it is certainly more reasonable to opt for costume rental most of the time. This way you can get a decent costume and save money at the same time.
