What not to wear (until the distant future)

We've been totally geeking out lately, Doctor Who and Torchwood being the main culprits. So when it came time to consider Hallowe'en-wear, I was thinking ahead--to the future (and beyond!).

Which led to this morning's trip to the Garment District (it's a store). Hallowe'en is the District's Christmas--they're open until midnight through the end of October, and the place becomes increasingly crowded and frantic and heaving with students the closer one gets to the 31st.

So we were smart and went early, in the knowledge that the store's core clientele would still be sleeping off last night's kegstands. Good move: it was calm and peaceful. And they were playing the Kings of the Wild Frontier album, which made me feel 12 again.

The first floor of the store is now Boston Costume (formerly of Chinatown), so the range of outfits and accessories is huge: everything from vintage '50s dresses to authentic '80s suits to pirate/doctor/Elvis/vampire/gorilla-wear. (Though not all at once, unless you went as a pirate vampire gorilla-doctor who did Elvis impressions on the side.)

We realized certain costumes would make for great shorthand if you were trying to figure out whom to talk to at a party; if a guy is dressed as a Revolutionary officer, or Sherlock Holmes, or this rather fetching chef, he's probably cool. (The last one may only apply to me.)

If he's wearing a Whoopie cushion, or a condom machine, or ... well, this sophisticated outfit, it's time to check out the bar.

Anyway, back to the future. I came away with this:



The future's gonna be cool ... as long as the Flight of the Conchords's prediction does not come to pass.