Print

Mail

wiki links

Scary in a hurry

VIEW THIS PAGE

Boo! Halloween is around the corner and you’ve left costume shopping until the last minute. But fret not. A cluster of well-stocked costume rental shops near Red House Theater in Ximending will save you from being reduced to wearing a sheet over your head.

The stores on Hanzhong Street (漢中街) between Chengdu Road (成都路) and Zhangsha Street (長沙街) carry similar selections of merchandise, including cheerleading outfits, ballet tutus, Chinese opera costumes, baroque gowns that would not look out of place in a school production of Shakespeare, and plush costumes for the furries among us.

Rental prices vary little in the neighborhood and are reasonable — most costumes are between NT$400 to NT$800 per day. Some stores, however, stand out for the upkeep of their merchandise and their service. These include the newly-opened Quanguo (全國) at 168 Hanzhong St (漢中街168號), tel: (02) 2388-7198, and Qinglong (青龍) at 137 Hanzhong St (漢中街137號), tel: (02) 2331-4989, across the street. Quanguo’s two floors of costumes are neatly hung on easily accessibly racks and there are dressing rooms in the back with a decent amount of privacy. The service staff is friendly and attentive, while the outfits themselves are clean and well maintained. Standouts include a cream-colored evening gown made out of layers of chiffon that looked ready to waltz into an episode of Mad Men, several Korean hanboks in shimmery pastel hues and a goofy plush ear of corn.

Qinglong’s costume selection is similar, but the store’s showroom is less well stocked than Quanguo’s (most of the costume shops on Hanzhong Street have binders full of photos that you select costumes from), making browsing a little less pleasurable. Qinglong seems especially popular with families (giddy children were tearing up and down the aisles last Sunday) and has a notable selection of mascot costumes, including Doraemon, Hello Kitty, a penguin and a somewhat creepy looking dolphin.

Xinfeng (薪豐) at 146 Hanzhong St (漢中街146號), tel: (02) 2389-4680, is tiny, but differentiates itself from its neighbors with beautiful hanfu and other traditional Chinese clothing. A short and simple brocade qipao is just NT$350 to rent. Lianfong’s fancier items, including a gorgeous silk robe with lush embroidery, are NT$850 and up.

Bour Dance (寶琦華) at 130 Hanzhong St (漢中街130號), tel: (02) 2312-1910, is another standout on the block. The spacious, well-appointed dancewear store sells high-quality leotards, tights, dance skirts and footwear for ballet, ballroom and flamenco dancers, as well as Chacott stage makeup. Smaller dance stores on the block include Xinchao (欣潮) at 167 Hanzhong St (漢中街167號), tel: (02) 2382-5454; its neighbor Youyang Shenghuo (有氧生活) at 169 Hanzhong St (漢中街169號), tel: (02) 2312-1123; and Ting Ting (婷婷) at 158 Hanzhong St (漢中街158號), tel: (02) 2388-2993.

Want to impress other revelers with a realistic, oozing gash on your neck or drench yourself in stage blood? Then walk a few blocks over to Ben Nye Taiwan (花莉) at 40, Hankou St, Sec 2 (漢口街二段40號), tel: (02) 2381-3220 (call 0963-007-211 for English service), which has sold stage makeup for more than 30 years. As the name implies, the store specializes in Ben Nye cosmetics from the US, but it also sells a variety of other special effects makeup. Halloween kits (including vampire, cat and old age makeup) are NT$700 each. Other ghoulish staples include wax for building up your nose or creating scars, spirit gum and crepe wool hair.

FYI: Most costume stores on Hanzhong Street are open from 9:30am to 8pm on weekdays. Dancewear stores close an hour earlier. Quanguo is closed on Sundays.

VIEW THIS PAGE