SIOUX CITY | Over the years, friends and family members have asked Karen Sowienski to help them transform into Beetlejuice, werewolves and Frankenstein.
Sowienski, who has been costuming for LAMB Arts Regional Theatre for more than 20 years, said the best costumes are the ones people "create out of nowhere."
Whether you want to be a ghastly ghoul, your favorite A-list celebrity or the newsmaker of the moment, Sowineski said you too can adopt her methods to create a realistic-looking Halloween costume on the cheap.
"Don't necessarily buy already-made costumes. Go with your instincts," she said. "Look at a picture of who you want to be and go to Goodwill, go to secondhand shops and see what you can find and make it work."
Costume sellers anticipate movies and TV shows to inspire many this Halloween. Expect to see dinosaurs from "Jurassic World," characters from "Frozen" and "Star Wars," as well as superheros like Batman and Catwoman from animated series.
Sowienski searches for pictures of characters online. Then she scours secondhand stores for clothing, wigs and accessories she can use to bring them to life. She's currently cobbling together the costumes for LAMB Arts' "Monster Makers," which runs through Oct. 18 at 417 Market St. theater. The musical brings three famous monster movies to the stage.
"I'm very visual. I like to see a photo -- a photo that everyone recognizes," she said.
Top costumes for Halloween 2015
Catwoman and Maleficent are on Buycostumes.com's list of the top 10 best adult costumes for 2015.
Pull some black clothing out of your closet and purchase an inexpensive set of cat ears from a store like Party City and Sowienski said you're set for hitting the streets of Gotham City as Catwoman.
Wear a black cape over a dress to mimic Maleficent's style. Her horns, Sowienski said, can be easily made with Styrofoam or paper mache.
If you want to look scary but traditional greeting trick or treaters, opt for dressing as Frankenstein. Sowineski said you'll want a suit that's too small for you or you can easily shorten arm and pant legs with a pair of scissors. Complete the look with a square hat for Frankenstein's head and some green face paint.
If you wait until the last minute to create your costume, Sowienski said you should opt to attend your Halloween party as a ghost or witch.
"Ghosts you can just throw that sheet on. Witches you can just wear a black dress and a black hat and an ugly wig," she said.
Most popular costumes 2015
Buycostumes.com's top 10 best adult costumes for 2015:
1-2. Male & Female Darth Vader -- "Star Wars"
3. Black Widow -- "Avengers: Age of Ultron"
4. Maleficent -- "Disney's Descendants"
5. Captain America -- "Avengers: Age of Ultron"
6. Catwoman -- "The Dark Knight Rises"
7. Storm troopers -- "Star Wars"
8. Batman -- "The Dark Knight Trilogy"
9. Baymax -- "Disney's Big Hero 6"
10. Harley Quinn -- "Batman: The Animated Series, Suicide Squad"
