2B — Thursday, October 31, 2019
b-side
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

There’s nothing quite like Halloween on a college campus. In 
most people’s minds, Halloween is one day, Oct. 31, where all 
the ghouls and black cats come out to play. But in a college town, 
the spirit of the season goes on for weeks, if not all year round. 
There’s a reason we all refer to the general timeline between 
Oct. 15 and Nov. 5 as “Halloweek.” This is especially true of 
the costume culture in Ann Arbor, which serves as a healthy 
reminder of both the brilliance and the stupidity of everyone in 
their early twenties. You might see the best costume to ever walk 
this earth, but you will also inevitably witness a parade of sexy 
black cats marching to various frat parties. Who’s to say which 
is empirically better — the point is, Ann Arbor is no stranger to 
dressing up. 
In the past three years that I’ve lived in our magical city, 
Halloween has always been an event to anticipate eagerly. I’ll be 
honest: It is my favorite holiday and always has been, so it wouldn’t 
take much to get me excited about that special day anyway. But 
there’s something even more whimsical and fun about the energy 
of an entire city dressing up for weeks on end, the joy on the faces 
of everyone who lives here, from students to children to those 
who hand out candy and host parties. Regardless of what you’re 
disguised as this year, the brilliance of Halloween in Ann Arbor 
is worth noting, even if it’s just listening to the laughter on our 
streets or catching a stray glimpse of a cape as someone walks 
past. 
This seasonal spirit is most present at special events on 
campus, such as the annual showing of cult film “The Rocky 
Horror Picture Show” at the Michigan Theater.
“‘Rocky Horror’ has just been something that we’ve been doing 
in our theater forever,” said Ariel Wan, Director of Programs and 
Marketing for the State Theater in an interview with The Daily 
last week. The showing of “Rocky Horror” is something myself 
and my friends look forward to annually, notwithstanding the 
excuse to go out in basically nothing and scream at a screen for 
two hours. It isn’t truly Halloween in Ann Arbor, or even 
fall for that matter, without seeing that line of leather-clad 
students and film geeks alike wrap all the way around the 
block. 
“They always did it at the State Theater,” Wan continued, 
“you know, the State Theater used to be really divey and 
kind of gross, like perfect for people to throw stuff, you 
know?” (For anyone who has, in fact, attended a showing 
of the film around Halloween, they would know that this is 
an absolutely perfect setting for a very dirty time, in more 
ways than one.) “When they closed the State Theater for 
renovations, we were like, well, we still need to do ‘Rocky 
Horror,’ but we can’t do it at the State, let’s just put it up 
the Michigan . . . And it sold out. 1700 seats.” The sheer 
scale of the main theater she was referring to is a sight to 
behold, especially compared to the pre-renovation State’s 
mere 400 seats. “You can’t hear the movie at all,” Wan said, 
laughing. “But it doesn’t matter, because someone next to 
you is screaming all the lines.”
The energy around “Rocky Horror” is a perfect example 
of what can happen when you put one crazy event and an 
entire city of equally crazy people together for one night 
of the year.
“A lot of people are dressed up as the characters. So 
there’s just a lot of thongs and fishnet stockings,” Wan 
said. “We again sold out this year, and we encountered a 
few problems where there were some people not wearing 
shoes and shirts, and we were like, you have to at least 
wear shoes.” We both laughed as she explained the camera 
footage that State Theater’s employees watched that night, 
but I couldn’t help but imagine some of the things I have 
seen myself. This no-shoes, no-shirt, no-nothing concept 
really checks out. There’s nothing like seeing someone 
stand in line for hours in nothing but a bustier and face 
paint. 
Wan said much of the enthusiasm around cult film 
showings like that of “Rocky Horror” is due to the student 
population on campus, notably in terms of the turnout for 
each event.
“Yeah, I mean, the reason why we’re able to sell out 1700 seats 
and still turn away like tens and tens of people is because of the 
students,” Wan explained. “‘Rocky Horror’ is one of those films 
that we don’t spend much, if any marketing dollars on promoting, 
it’s usually just social media and flyering . . . I was looking at the 
number of student tickets versus adult versus our member tickets. 
And students by far were, like, almost 1100 tickets or something 
like that. So we know they’re all still there.” It’s easy to see why 
events like these are so alluring to the students of Ann Arbor 
specifically. I mean, hey, during midterm season, who doesn’t 
enjoy yelling at things with 1700 other people, clad in sequins and 
stars and fake blood all night?
Though “Rocky Horror” is probably the best example of 
costume culture as it pertains to film events in the city, the movie 
isn’t alone in its thousand-person draw to the theater. In addition 
to annual events like a showing of the famously bad movie “The 
Room” starring Tommy Wiseau, the theater also makes sure to 
put on seasonal series that appeal to a larger audience. This month 
specifically saw audiences clamoring to both the Michigan and 
State Theaters to see movies like “Night of the Living Dead” and 
a special late-night feature of “The Blair Witch Project” in light 

of Halloween. Each movie 
is chosen from a different 
decade for every weekend in 
October: “They’re all really 
just 
really 
great 
horror 
movies,” Wan said, “some of 
it is funny, but it’s because 
it’s older. ‘Blair Witch’ still 
scares the shit out of me,” 
she laughed. I couldn’t agree 
with her more.
According 
to 
Wan, 
events like this are what 
keep theaters alive in an 
age of home entertainment 
and 
streaming 
services. 
“People still go to the movie 
theater for the experience 
of watching a movie with 
other people,” Wan said. “No 
screen is bigger than the 
screens here.” 
The 
Michigan 
Theater 
is decidedly the place to go 
to celebrate the Halloween 
season in style, but where do 
you even start with a costume, 
or for fun dressing in general? Go no further than The Getup 
Vintage, a purple-painted secret hidden amongst the shopfronts 
of State Street. Sandwiched in between Totoro and Taste of India 
and just a stone’s throw from Urban Outfitters, the vintage store 
is a nugget of color and happiness on the chilly streets of Ann 
Arbor.
“We’re very fortunate with the foot traffic here on State 
Street,” said co-owner of The Getup Vintage Lindsey Leyland in 
an interview with The Daily. “People (will be) eating at Sava’s and 
something will catch their eye. You know, we’re small. That’s why 
we painted the front purple.” In addition to the purple, they also 

decorate for every season — trust me, the Halloween window is 
something everyone needs to see. 
The Getup has a strong history in Ann Arbor, having served 
the town and students in particular for almost 15 years. The store 
was opened in 2005 by couple Kelly and Paul McLeod in the attic 
of their current space, then sold to Leyland and Mitchell in 2015, 
who expanded downstairs. “It was like a slow and steady climb 
to this place, like, I knew as like a 13-year-old I wanted to have 
a vintage clothing store,” Leyland said. “You know, gotta put in 
your dues and work for a bunch of other people first and a bunch 
of other jobs and figure out what the best fit is. And I love Ann 
Arbor, all of my best friends live here. So it was like an easy place 
to want to settle in. Michigan is one of the most beautiful places 
I’ve ever been.” 
The Getup has always been a favorite of fashionistas in the city 
and also lends itself to costume in whatever form they may desire. 
For Leyland, this line between the costume and the every-day is 
thin, all depending on the day. “To me, costumes start with just 
kind of the quality of the clothing,” she explained. “Like, for me, 
costuming is made to look like the real thing, but not as good. You 
know, unless it’s like an actual theater performance where they’re 
like constructing the things, but like, we have a little costuming 

section over there . . . I guess it just depends on your personality.”
Leyland sat across the front desk from me, clad in an olive-
green military jumpsuit and long ’70s-style hair. “So it really 
just depends on like the personality of the shopper and how 
adventurous they kind of are, with their wardrobe. Like this is 
a neutral color. But some people don’t feel comfortable in, like, 
jumpsuits,” she gestured to her own getup, laughing. Leyland is 
almost a personification of her and co-owner Kaylan Mitchell’s 
technicolor store, a great example of what Ann Arbor brings to 
the realm of adventurous dressing.
Surrounded by the racks and decorations of the store, I couldn’t 
help but notice all the beautiful garments from years past. 
Sure, some of them could be used for a costume, an ’80s 
cruise, ripped apart and remade into modern styles, but 
they are also surprisingly wearable in a contemporary 
wardrobe.
“I always say, you don’t have to replace your whole 
entire modern closet with vintage things. But like, find a 
sweater cut you really like or (like) a little. I feel like the 
’70s clothing fits me best,” Leyland continued. “And then 
try a piece here and there with the stuff you already have. 
Like most of those ’70s dresses, you throw like a modern 
sweater over top of it. I mean, they’re remaking all of those 
styles anyway.” The place of The Getup is not to cater to 
Halloweeners only, who would be better suited to stores 
like Ragstock, which sits farther down Liberty St. The 
Getup is more about fostering a culture of appreciation for 
the clothes we wear and seeing the value in things once 
worn. 
“Some people know what (vintage clothing) is, some 
people still don’t, some people are still confused by a 
secondhand store,” Leyland explained. “That’s why I 
really really try to educate about like, yes this clothing 
has been worn before but I wash it, repair it. Pick only the 
coolest stuff out of Nancy’s basement,” she said. Wearing 
secondhand clothing from The Getup, whether it’s for a 
costume or not, also gives Ann Arbor the chance to see 
itself from the future.
“I think it’s great when people care about (the past of 
their clothing), you know, not everybody cares about the 
history of where you’re from, or where you live and who 
occupied it before you and that’s kind of what we do is, you 
know, meet those people go through their barns, attics, 
basements, closets, and see what type of stuff they have . . . 
I love hearing people talk about, like, why they got this or 
why they got that.” 
Seeing the letterman jackets and vintage Michigan gear 
dotting the walls of the store drives this sentiment home 
as well. It’s a beautiful thing to imagine the original owner 
of a garment screaming in the same Big House stands as you are, 
50 years later. This also goes for any black dress you might buy at 
the store, which according to Leyland, comes with a free witch 
hat during the month of October. “Yeah, like maybe you could 
work this into your costume, but also, like, wear again . . . Really 
you just put a black dress on, a little witch makeup. And then you 
would hopefully wear that black dress again and it wouldn’t be 
like something that sits in your closet forever,” she laughed.
Between The Getup and Ann Arbor’s various theaters, those 
in search of costume need not look far to get their fix, especially 
during this time of year. The climate of a campus filled with the 
excitement of students and the warmth of townies is perfect for 
businesses like Wan’s and Leyland’s to flourish. You don’t have to 
dress up to be a part of the magic, but it always helps.
“It’s a place where they are embraced, you know, that they can 
feel very comfortable, very safe, and they’re among other people 
who are as excited, if not more,” Wan said. Our town is one of 
the only places where not wearing shoes or shirts every day is 
completely permissible. Despite the chill of waiting in line for 
“Rocky Horror” or the brash statement of walking around in a 
shimmering ’70s jumpsuit, the people of Ann Arbor will always 
make you feel warm.

All dressed up and ready to go: Costumes in Ann Arbor

CLARA SCOTT
Senior Arts Editor

B-SIDE: LEAD

COURTESY OF CLARA SCOTT

COURTESY OF CLARA SCOTT

It’s a beautiful thing to imagine 
the original owner of a garment 
screaming in the same Big House 
stands as you are, 50 years later. 
This also goes for any black dress 
you might buy at the store, which 
according to Leyland, comes 
with a free witch hat during the 
month of October.

Between The Getup and Ann Arbor’s 
various theaters, those in search of 
costume need not look far to get their 
fix, especially during this time of 
year. The climate of a campus filled 
with the excitement of students and 
the warmth of townies is perfect for 
businesses like Wan’s and Leyland’s 
to flourish.

