Costume rentals let you live your fantasy

Susanna Tjokro, Contributor, Jakarta

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be Batman or Cinderella for a day? What would you do id presented with an invitation to a masquerade ball?

With the help of a costume rental, you could be Cinderella for a night without paying a fortune.

Flex Point and Costume Closet are two of the many places in Jakarta offering colorful costumes. While Costume Closet only sells costumes, Flex Point rents as well as sells them. Most of Costume Closet's buyers are children, whereas Flex Point caters to adults.

"I got into the costume business by accident. Sewing is my hobby. I'm a self-taught tailor. I started tailoring 20 years ago to support my family when I was seventeen. Initially, I didn't make costumes. I made clothes, bed covers, curtains, etc. My customers were mostly expatriates, as I live in Kemang. Then, more and more customers asked me to make costumes. In 1997, I decided to focused on costumes - I still make regular clothes though," said Ibu Harry, the owner of Costume Closet. Most of her buyers are students at international schools.

The cheapest costume for kids at Costume Closet is a unisex Bee costume which sells for Rp 75,000. The next cheapest outfits are a Snow White dress for girls (Rp 200,000) and a Prince Costume for boys (Rp 150,000).

Flex Point, which has more rentals than costumes for sale, has a big room filled with outfits. You can be Japanese, Chinese, Korean, American Indian, a cowboy or a medieval princess -- just name it. What they don't have can be made. Many customers say they have the best selection and the most variety.

"Flex Point has a big selection of costumes that gives me a wide variety of options from which to choose. And the rent charged is reasonable," said Steny Agustaf, a well-known presenter-cum-emcee who was trying on a funky orange suit with a big Afro wig plus big, retro sunglasses for a "Groovy Night" party. He paid Rp 300,000 in total.

Older costumes are the cheapest, with rental fees starting at Rp 150,000. The most expensive item is a bright red Chinese costume that will set you back Rp 1 million.

"The rental fee is determined by several factors, such as quality of the garment and materials as well as the labor involved," said Syair, the owner of Flex Point. To have a new costume made costs at least Rp 350,000.

Syair explains that it's way cheaper if you rent a costume with the accessories, from-head-to-toe. While one item rents for Rp 150,000, a complete costume rents for Rp 200,000 or Rp 300,000.

"You never have to worry about cleanliness with us; we clean our costumes after every use -- in fact, costume care is our top priority," said Syair.

Syair doesn't sew his costumes, but he and his team design the goods.

"I have a great team; we've been in the business for many years. My team -- Dody, Gito, Nah and Bowo -- are supportive and helpful," said Syair, who opened Flex Point in 1984. Just like Ibu Harry, he gets inspiration from magazines, books and movies.

"You may also bring us your ideas and we'll happily help," said Syair, who may also help with the "make-over" to transform you into your fantasy.

While Halloween and Christmas are peak periods for Costume Closet, Flex Point thrives all year round, as there are no significant differences between October, December or any other month of the year.

A costume should always be tried on before renting to ensure it has the desired effect. In fact, trying costumes off the rack, for some people, is the fun part. Surrounded by such colorful costumes, you may feel like you're in Aladdin's cave.

"Service is the most important thing, customer satisfaction is our goal. No matter how good our product, what keeps people coming back is the way they're treated. We treat each customer as if they are family. Sometimes I give a few words of encouragement to a customer. On the other hand, sometimes I advise a customer not to wear a particular dress if it doesn't fit well," said Syair.

"Character costumes, like Harry Potter, remain a popular choice for children," said Ibu Harry. As for adults, according to Syair, there is no specific major choice.

Costume Closet and Flex Point also rent out accessories, like wigs and swords. Flex Point even has an impressive Medusa snake headpiece. Lots of Halloween items are available at Costume Closet, like glow-in-the-dark-nails (Rp 35,000) and fake blood.

Costume Closet also offers colorful, pretty piqatas for children's parties, like Winnie the Pooh and Barney piqatas. When the piqata is hit hard enough, it breaks open and candies spill out -- very entertaining for kids.

Some people want to keep the fact that they rent their costumes a little secret.

"Please don't take my picture, I don't want any of my colleagues to know that I actually rent my costume. If someone asks me, I'll tell them I bought it somewhere," said one customer.

At the end of the day, you can be sexy Marilyn Monroe, Elvis or the mysterious Zorro -- the choice is yours and your imagination is the limit, especially when you have money to burn. So, what are you going to be at the next party?

The Costume Closet Jl. Kemang Utara No.34 B Jakarta Selatan Tel: 7198454, 7197245

Flex Point Jl. RS. Fatmawati 15 L Blok A Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan Tel: 7222172, 0818147994 flexpoint@hotmail.com