Who Do You Want to Be Today?
by Cathy Belben
Note:
English playwright William Congreve wrote that “to go naked is the best disguise.” Jean Larue Lussier has a better idea. In fact, she has thousands of them. Lussier is the proprietor of LaRue Costume Rental and Sales at 2502 Cornwall Avenue the only full-time costume shop in Bellingham—indeed, the only one from Everett to Vancouver, B.C. that operates regardless of the season.
Locals are familiar with Lussier’s shop because of the storefront, a large picture window overlooking Gossage Plaza at the north end of Cornwall Avenue. Lussier and her assistant, Malia, change the window monthly, and past exhibits have featured vintage holiday clothing (think Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol), twenties flapper outfits, the cast of Gilligan’s Island, mannequins in 80s-style neon wigs and fishnet stockings (think Cyndi Lauper), and an elaborate display of swashbuckling, sword-wielding pirates. Although she can’t recall the window ever creating controversy or generating complaints, Lussier says it does attract plenty of business and numerous comments. “When we did Moulin Rouge,” she says, recalling a display featuring burlesque attire, “The little old ladies across the street said, ‘What are you girls up to now?’”
Lussier opened shop here about four years ago, after returning to the Pacific Northwest following thirty years in Los Angeles, where she worked in a vintage clothing store in North Hollywood. As music videos became increasingly popular following the 1981 launch of MTV, the demand for quality used clothing increased. Lussier began collecting vintage clothes, some of which now comprise the inventory at her current Bellingham store. In addition, she learned how to create magnificent costumes on her own. “When Madonna hit the scene with her Vogue video, people wanted that gown,” she recalls. “I decided I had to learn to sew.”
Because of her vintage clothing background, LaRue’s specializes in elaborate period costumes, many of which are sewn in just 3-4 days by Lussier, a self-taught seamstress. “A friend in L.A. said, ‘You can make these!” she recalls, “And I began to dabble with doily tops and patchwork jeans.” Few would consider her creations the works of a dabbler, with their intricate beadwork and detailed designs. Lussier’s elegant ballroom gowns are encrusted with rhinestones and trimmed with gold bric-a-brac, her pirate costumes feature hand-stitched leather boots, and her masks and headpieces are adorned with colorful sequins and feathers.
Patrons aren’t limited to vintage or period costumes, however. Hundreds of other possibilities are available, including lacy-petticoated gowns of the Antebellum South, Elvis Presley polyester jumpsuits, licensed characters such as Betty Boop (with or without the head), and, for minimalist Tarzan types, faux-leopard-skin loincloths (jungle vines not included). Sean Farnand and his wife rented Halloween outfits from LaRue Costumes, and he says he was impressed by the selection. “The inventory is amazing,” he says. “I felt like I was on a drama set. Like she could get us—or anyone—onstage as anything.” The Farnands ended up renting pirate costumes, and both were satisfied with the selection and the price. Typical costumes rent for about $40-$50, and a rare few cost as much as $125, such as extremely fancy ballroom gowns and a Braveheart costume with an authentic kilt and handmade leather boots. Costumes come complete head-to-toe, fully accessorized with jewelry, belts, shoes, hats, and wigs as needed to create a particular character. “We’re really generous with what we include,” Lussier says.
The store doesn’t make special order costumes to sell, or rent costumes by the piece, but they will work with clients to put together outfits from existing inventory, although occasionally there’s a request they can’t fulfill. “Once someone wanted to be a slug,” Lussier’s assistant Malia recalls. “We couldn’t do it. We didn’t know how we’d do the slime.” But the store sells a large variety of accoutrements for do-it-yourselfers. “We have the largest selection of fine plumes in town,” Lussier says. In addition to decorative feathers, clients will find a rainbow assortment of boas, wigs, stockings, body glitter, jewelry, and face paint. You can even buy a plastic snake for $2.50 to complement your Egyptian get-up. Bellingham resident Anna Johnson stopped in to purchase a pair of striped tights to go with an elf outfit she was assembling. “I was amazed at the choices,” she says. “The next time I need neon green fishnet tights, I know where to go.” Props such as walking sticks, giant sunglasses, crowns and tiaras, and phony hypodermic needles are also for sale. For more extreme disguises, you can paint your face, attach an array of fake mustaches and beards, add large, lifelike, rubbery elf ears, or disguise all that expensive orthodontic work your parents bought you with Billy Bob or Betty Bob teeth (“You don’t have to be smart if yer good lookin’” the package claims).
Joan Lussier herself says she doesn’t wear the garments she makes. “I’m too busy to dress up,” she laughs, adding that prior to a busy holiday like Halloween or Mardi Gras, she’ll work thirty days without a break, attending to the storefront during the day and returning home to sew during the evenings. “Every day off I’m sewing,” she says, noting that popular period movies predict an increase in a particular rental for the coming Halloween. Pirates—especially Johnny Depp’s character, Jack Sparrow—were popular following the hit film Pirates of the Caribbean, and Lussier worked non-stop from July through October following its release to prepare for anticipated requests. In previous years, clients have clamored for Moulin Rouge (burlesque) outfits and Chicago-style flapper costumes.
If you are unsure of how you want to disguise yourself for whatever holiday or event you plan to attend, a trip to LaRue can be inspiring. In addition to the storefront and in-store displays, Lussier has three thick binders full of models showing off hundreds of her creations for customers to browse, organized by time period (1400s-1700s and 1800’s-1980’s) and theme (fantasy, Egyptian, Latin, licensed, etc). She also maintains a small library of books about costuming, among them The Historical Encyclopedia of Costumes, Fashions in the Groove: 60’s and 70’s and several books about Hollywood and Disney characters. And if those options fail to inspire you, she and Malia are happy to help patrons select suitable garb.
Although she doesn’t carry costumes specifically for children, Lussier is willing to modify existing adult outfits, if possible. “We try to work with school kids,” she says. Students come in frequently to rent outfits or purchase props for school assignments such as book reports, and Lussier offers them a discount. “We try to help the community,” she says, adding that she likes to see people support local businesses. Although she doesn’t specifically supply ensembles for high school theater performances, Lussier has helped out occasionally with a hard-to-find prop or piece of clothing. High school students are most interested in renting fancy ballroom gowns and purchasing small accessories, such as gloves and hats, for proms and other dances.
Whether your desire is to be Tinkerbell or Father Guido Sarducci, LaRue Costume Rentals and Sales offers year-round professional costuming services and a staff dedicated to making your disguise convincing and your event memorable. “I’m a perfectionist,” Lussier says of her craft. “I never want anyone to leave here without looking good.” The best part of the job, she adds, is pleasing customers. “People always feel good when they’re dressed up,” she says, smiling. “And I love to see people happy.”