Last Minute Costume Ideas for Halloween

It's almost Saturday night, the de facto day of Halloween for many of us working stiffs. Wowed by the work week we're only now turning up the creativity and getting our costumes together.

Here are some tips we found helpful in getting our act together.  Maybe you will too.

CHANNEL YOUR INNER PET

Echo Parquenos are known to identify strongly with their pets. Halloween's the perfect time to let that love shine. Dogs, cats and bunnies are obvious choices. Patch colleagues in La Canada recommend going as the JPL bear. In any event, you'll have to draw on some whiskers and a nose. Make some ears and attach them to a headband. With the right color clothes, you're all set. Echo Park Patch is going as the White Dog this year. Look for us at the KCRW Masquerade Ball where we'll be in white with white ears and a big metallic choke collar. Go dogs.

BE A GHOST

The classic ghost costume still demands respect and a nostalgic tip of the hat to Charlie Brown. Take a white sheet, cut out some holes for eyes, and drape it over yourself. To help keep your ghost disguise from sliding off, tie a tie around your neck to keep it all in place and masquerade as a dead banker--it's sure to bring 99 percent more treats this year.

ZOMBIE SEE, ZOMBIE DO

Zombies are still hot. Gather some old clothes, stop by a thrift store or check out Out of the Closet for shirts, pants, and dresses you can rip and get dirty. Splatter the clothes with fake blood or red paint. Mix white and black face paint--it's at --and apply to your skin to give yourself the look of the dead - black under eye circles are a zombie's signature feature. Don't forget to mess up your hair. Of course, you'll have to perfect your own zombie walk to really bring the full effect.

PLAY ON WORDS

Everyone knows the old standby Freudian slip, but why not get creative with your own play on words? Wear all black and pin, tape or glue your way to a witty get-up. Add dinosaur figures and you're the La Brea Tarpits. Print pictures of baby chicks from the internet, cut and paste and you're a chick magnet. Cut the fronts off your cereal boxes and you're a cereal killer. The possibilities are endless.

BE YOUR MOM

Hit up a thrift store or the back of your closet for something your mother would wear. Pair a muumuu with running shoes or go for polyseter pants and a brightly patterned sweater. Don't forget the pearl necklace, oversized earrings and pantyhose. Grab a cane at and pop a tennis ball onto the bottom. When asked what your costume is, simply reply, "your mom."

Got another Halloween tip for us? Tell us in comments.