Never is the expression "dress to impress" more literally meant than on Halloween.

The holiday is less than a week away, but exams, homework and projects leave most students searching for their ensembles at the 11th hour. No need to fret, though: Local stores are offering endless dress-up possibilities with authentic costumes, accessories and immense variety. Whether you choose to be creepy, sexy, quirky or kinky, a walk downtown or a short drive is all that's needed to put together a complete outfit.

Jezebel's Boutique, 366 College Ave.

This is Jezebel's first Halloween in State College, and the store has decided to participate in the festive holiday. Storeowner Patty Stover said there are about 50 costumes by the brand Elegant Moments, which is a sexy women's line with prices ranging from $45 to $60.

Stover said there are plenty of costumes including a witch, a chef, schoolgirls and even a "dream team" outfit that entails a cropped top, short shorts, knee and elbow pads and an inflatable football.

There are also two couples costumes: a matching pirate costume and a prisoner couple. Stover added that if there is a costume a customer wishes to purchase but it isn't in the store or it isn't the right size, it can be ordered from Elegant Moments' catalogue and shipped to the store in two days.

As for accessories, Stover said most costumes are complete and need few embellishments, but Jezebel's does have a few finishing touches for Halloween apparel.

"We brought in fishnets to go with [the costumes] and we have just a couple of boas and some lacey gloves that go up to your elbows," she said. She added that some shoppers are purchasing spanks to go underneath their skimpier costumes.

Rag and Bone, 240 E. Calder Way

For someone who wants to sport a certain era, Rag and Bone features vintage clothing and accessories divided by decades.

Storeowner Shelley Banker said vintage clothing provides for authentic and fun costumes.

"My stuff is for people who want to go with different decades, so it's like '80s prom queen, a '60s go-go dancer," she said. "People can do really cool stuff with accessories and can go really over the top."

Banker said the majority of items in her store are fewer than $50, but renting clothing is another option that costs, on average, about $20. More elaborate items like leisure suits and poodle skirts are by rent only.

"I've seen people do really interesting concept ideas," she said. "They might take a real cool flowery print gown and be a season like spring or summer or things like that. A girl bought a vintage slip, and she pinned a picture of Freud to it, and she was a Freudian slip."

Danny Brumbaugh, a sales associate, said Banker had a unique costume idea last Halloween.

"She was cotton candy. She wore this huge fluffy pink dress and a huge beehive wig -- everything was pink," he said.

Brumbaugh said Halloween ideas are infinite within the store's selection.

"We have so much stuff to choose from. Some people seem a little bummed out when they come in because we don't have ape suits or Power Ranger costumes," he said. "If you have a little bit of imagination, it's not hard to put something together. It's fun and there's a lot to choose from."

Target, 315 Colonnade Blvd.

Target has hundreds of costume options for both men and women a mere five-minute drive away. For women, they vary from a sexy "deck hand darling" to Penny Pingleton from Hairspray. For men, Chewbacca ... or a deviled egg?

Currently, the selection, which averages $30 to $50, has taken a beating, but executive team leader Erik Dill said new shipments are coming soon.

"I was in the Halloween costumes yesterday and I saw the Daphne [from Scooby-Doo] and was looking for a Fred or Shaggy, but if we had them, they're gone," he said.

As for popular items, Dill said animal, superhero and movie-inspired costumes are selling well.
"We had some animal costumes; chicken costumes are very popular," he said, adding that Halloween basics such as vampires and witches are always a hit. "I had somebody who got a chicken costume and someone else was an egg, so they were the chicken and the egg."

Goodwill, 424 Westerly Parkway

Goodwill is a gold mine for Halloween outfits and has everything you need: chunky sweaters, old suits, floral dresses, your Grandma's old pumps, wide-brimmed hats, sweatsuits and outdated jewelry.

Some ideas for Goodwill-inspired costumes include a senior citizen, a nerd and a hobo, all for low prices.

Spirit Halloween, 2121 S. Atherton St.

Spirit Halloween is the only exclusively "Halloween" store in State College, so the focus is on selection and quality.

"We love Halloween so we're going to be able to tell you what's hot and what's not," said Daniel Tanner, a full-time associate.

Turner said the store carries everything you could want for Halloween: accessories, decorations, and of course, costumes, which range from $20 to $200 with an average of $40 to $50.

For women's costumes, the store carries the Dream Girl, Playboy and Leg Avenue, a line that features men's costumes to match the women's, an option for couples who wish to dress up together.

"We haven't been able to keep the firewoman on the shelves," he said. "The whole Dream Girl line is very good. The big sellers are the corrections officer and the prisoner."

This year's men's Halloween costumes have been selling the standards, as well as a few outliers.

"I have seen a lot of men coming in for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, which we only have in kids' [sizes], but they buy it anyway," he said. "A lot of people have been coming in and wanting the full-body gorilla costumes."

Spirit Halloween offers a large selection of wigs, shoes and other accessories to complete any costume, Tanner said. Decorations ranging from animatronics to streamers and fake cobwebs are also available at the store.

If you don't feel like driving down Atherton Street, you can purchase a costume online at www.spirithalloween.com.

"You can order stuff off of the Web site, but the nice thing about the store is we have the dressing room facilities," he said.

Gift Adventures, 137 E. Beaver Ave.

The Halloween hot spot for costume shopping in the downtown area has an even larger selection for women's costumes than years prior, manager Gary Filkins said.

"We probably expanded our costume line for the women by at least double the selection this year," he said. The store originally only carried Leg Avenue costumes, but now also supply Dream Girl and Secret Wishes lines.

Filkins said the store has a couple of "gorgeous" female pirate costumes as well as women gangster outfits that have been selling well. Sexed-up Wizard of Oz character costumes, which includes the likes of the Tinman, the Lion, the Scarecrow and Dorothy, have also been popular this Halloween season.

Filkins also said the gold digger costume, which entails a gold tube dress and a miner's helmet, is a great costume with a matching "sugar daddy" outfit for guys.

Price-wise, women's costumes range anywhere from $30 to $60, with a few higher end outfits reaching into the hundreds. Filkins said there are only a few of these pricier items, including two Marie Antoinette getups.

As for men's costumes, which Filkins said range up to $60, gladiators have been extremely popular, perhaps because of the recent film 300. The store also carries police shirts and Western wear, which have been trendy this season.

The store also offers masks, but not as many as in previous years because of comfort reasons, Filkins said.

"The ones we find are popular are three-quarters masks, where the mouth and chin are open," he said. This year, the store offers the three-quarters Geico caveman mask, which Filkins said they chose because of the popular funny commercials.

Wigs, hosiery, jewelry, go-go and spiked shoes and fangs are just some of the accessories available at the store.