Costume rentals let you live your fantasy

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