Mad men and minions

Halloween is less than a month away, which means for most of us it’s time to start searching for a costume. But the real Halloween fanatics probably already have their outfit picked out.

“We usually start getting requests around the first of September,” said Laura Ozanich, owner/operator of Uniquely Yours Costume Rental & Tailoring.

The 24-year-old shop, which moved last year into Maurer’s Sanitary Cleaners near Frandor, offers an alternative to the mass produced costumes found in big box stores and pop-up shops.

“You’re going to get a costume from us that you won’t see anywhere else,” Ozanich said, adding that the shop’s costumes are of higher quality than most off-the-shelf costumes.

“Our clientele looks for that, for top notch costumes,” she said.

Over at the Costume Shop managed by Riverwalk Theatre, shop manager Katie Doyle is transitioning from renaissance fair season to the Halloween season. Michigan Renaissance Festival, which runs for seven consecutive weekends, just wrapped up Sunday.

“The last few weeks of the Michigan Renaissance Festival are themed, so people come in looking for something to fit the theme,” Doyle said.

Doyle has seen an uptick in televisionrelated costumes this year, including ‘50s outfits reminiscent of “Mad Men” and “Game of Thrones”-inspired looks. But if you’re looking to dress as the protagonists of “Batman v Superman,” you may need to look somewhere else.

“If you want something that’s trademarked, we don’t do that,” Doyle said. “But if you want a period piece — ‘The Great Gatsby’ or something like that — that’s the type of costume we specialize in.”

For Ozanich, her shop’s children’s costumes are the most fun. She offers costumes based on characters from popular movies like “Minions” and “Zootopia.”

“We have a lot of fun with those,” she said. “We make these characters that the kids love to see.”

But cartoon character costumes are not limited to children.

“You’d be surprised how many adults want to dress as Chip ‘n’ Dale,” Ozanich said.

Uniquely Yours Costume Rental & Tailoring

10 a.m.-noon, 2-7 p.m. Monday-Friday; Saturday by appointment (Inside Maurer’s Sanitary Cleaners) 2815 E. Saginaw St., Lansing (517) 485-6670, uniquelyyourscostumes.weebly.com

The Costume Shop managed by Riverwalk Theatre

Expanded hours through Nov. 5: 2-7 p.m. Tuesday- Thursday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday 1131 May St., Lansing (517) 484-9199, rwtcostumeshop.com