Although students may no longer be trick-or-treating on Halloween night, their desire to find the perfect costume hasn’t waned.

The Bark rated Halloween costume stores in Marin on variety, uniqueness, price, and accessory selection.

Spirit Halloween: Located conveniently in the north end of the Town Center, Spirit is a typical Halloween store. It boasts a wide variety of costumes, ranging from complete sets, such as a mad hatter outfit with lime-green printed leggings and multi-colored top hat, to obscure accessories, like a bloody clown-themed axe. Spirit also offers a sizable supply of makeup, plastic jewelry, and other add-ons.

Most of the costumes however, are fairly typical, with endless variations on witches and fairies and more sexy [insert profession here] costume than need to exist. A bagged costume, which usually includes the main “clothes” for the costume, runs from $40-$60. For those who want something fast and easy, and don’t mind that others might be donning the same outfit come the 3lst, Spirit is a decent option.

Party City: The Novato location devotes about half the retail space to Halloween-related items. Unlike other stores, which typically hang the costumes on racks on the main floor, Party City displays pictures and descriptions of each costume on the back wall. After selecting a potential costume, the shopper must ask a store attendant to get it from the back room in order to try it on. The result: much less clutter and easier viewing of the entire selection at once.

Where Party City really shines is in the accessories department—it houses an incredible variety of accessories such as wigs, masks, and plastic jewelry galore. The prices are reasonable, ranging from $30-$50 for a complete bagged costume.

Although they have a large selection, many of the more unique options fall flat. Who is Ghoulia Yelps and how do red polka-dotted Bermuda shorts help one dress like her? Outfits like these are a bit too out there and break a cardinal rule: if you have to explain the costume, then it isn’t very good.

With the widest selection of costumes and sensible prices, Party City is a top choice.

The Belrose: Across the street from the San Rafael Public Library stands this bright pink building with stained glass windows. The costume shop’s entrance is hidden on the far left side of building and would be completely invisible be it not for the giant banner on the front that advertises the store.

Inside, the store resembles a grandmother’s closet—clothes from all decades and styles suffocated in plastic and tightly stuffed onto racks. To fit the massive collection in the small space, the aisles are miniscule and customers is asked to leave their bags at the front desk while they browse.

The store focuses mainly on period costumes, ranging from the Renaissance to the 1980’s, including a large selection of military wear. Unlike other stores, the costumes at the Belrose are only for rent. Because of this they are of much higher quality and feature more intricate details.

However, the outfits at the Belrose won’t do the work for you. Many of its clothes have a definite costume-y feel but aren’t immediately recognizable as a particular character. It is up to the customer to turn the beautiful wigs and vintage dresses available into a stunning costume.

They leave to the wearer to turn their beautiful vintage dresses and jackets into bona fide outfit. They have a wide range of prices, from $30 to $80 depending on the piece.

The store does have some accessories, including wigs for rent, but they are scattered all over the store and hard to view and compare. One downside is their limited store hours, officially open 12-4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, though the sign on the door mentions that it will close at 3p.m. if the store is empty. This makes it difficult for the student whose day ends at 3:10pm to find a convenient time to visit.

Overall, the Belrose is a great option for someone who wants to put their creativity and wallet to use in order to stand out in the 31st.