As the wise Lindsay Lohan once said, “”Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.””

While finding a Halloween costume last minute can force us to settle for calling lingerie and bunny ears a “”costume,”” it’s really not hard to come up with an impromptu outfit that’s a bit more original. With Halloween fast approaching, UA students in need of disguises need look no further than local Fourth Avenue thrift shops and their closets to throw together creative spur-of-the-moment costumes.

Desert Vintage and Costume on Fourth Avenue is fully stocked with clothes and accessories to create a DIY costume with originality and taste.

“”My advice is always get an idea, and then just find the pieces and parts and put it together yourself,”” owner Kathleen Lauth said.

Even if you don’t have much time, many costumes can be made with supplies from around the house. Girls can hack off the hemline of an old dress, add a pair of tall boots and instantly create a go-go dancer costume. Guys can show their bitterness at the Wildcats’ loss to USC with a “”Murdered Trojan”” outfit: gold boxers, a cardboard sword and shield and liberal application of fake blood.

“”You know, fashion repeats itself. You could sometimes find something in your own wardrobe that could look ‘period,'”” said Connie Lauth of How Sweet It Was, a vintage clothing and costume shop also on Fourth Avenue.

You can use other things from around the house to play with classic costumes, like using a sheet to make yourself a ghost. Some students like to be a bit more creative, though.

“”I’m going to be ‘White Trash,'”” said freshman Jo Wyckoff, who put her own costume together from items at home. “”I got this really atrocious leopard-print skirt, and then I’m going to tease my hair and get fake nails. I kind of wanted to be different. I didn’t want to go to a party and be like, ‘Oh, I’m a nurse – hey, everyone else is too!'””

Wyckoff said she plans to complete the look with pink heels and a baby doll tied to a string.

Scott Boncoskey, a political science freshman, is making his own “”Frenchman”” costume.

“”Basically, it’s just a striped shirt, a beret and a cigarette holder,”” he said, adding he found his accessories at American Apparel and vintage stores.

Between costume shops and odds and ends found at home, the possibilities are endless, Lauth said.

“”It really just depends on the imagination of the person.””