HALLOWEEN GET-UP GUIDE : Full Halloween

Finding that smart, crafty, winning costume isn’t easy. It takes creativity and planning. This year, you can expect to see lots of Sarah Palins and plenty of Heath Ledger-style Jokers from “The Dark Knight.” But there are plenty of other options. Here’s a quick and easy guide to some possibilities for Halloween 2008. —- Mike Benzie

FREDDIE MAC/FANNIE MAE

A timely and high-concept costume, designed by Bauder College fashion student Lacy Tapp. If you have the suit and shoes, building the rest would cost about $30.

HOW TO: Masks were made with two boxes, which Tapp covered in pattern paper students use for designing. The “house” structure was built with Bristol Board, which Tapp colored. The inner tube was key, said Tapp. After an unsuccessful search for an actual inner tube, she decided to make one. She went to Michaels and bought a wreath, wrapped it in tissue and red and blue ribbon.

‘NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN’

Anton Chigurh, the memorable hit man played by Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men,” could be a sleeper costume this year. The award-winning movie was released last November, so it won’t be on the top of most minds.

HOW TO: The hair is key. We used a wig from Golden Beauty in Decatur. It cost about $30. (For the perfectionist, a lot of salons will cut wigs.) Our model owned a jean jacket and jeans. Don’t use designer stuff; the movie was set in 1980. You should find the clothes at a thrift store for less than $20. Boots are helpful, as is a good Texas-style belt buckle.

DESIGNED AND MODELED BY: Michael Bentley from Sharpsburg

Bita Honarvar/bhonarvar@ajc.com

THE GEORGIA ‘BIGFOOT’

You may remember the hoax this past summer when two Georgia men “punk’d” the world with a bogus Bigfoot discovery. They claimed to have found a Sasquatch carcass in the North Georgia mountains. Instead, it was basically a Halloween costume embedded in ice.

HOW TO: Get the basic costume at any retailer. We used Junkman’s Daughter in Little Five Points, where it costs $111. Add some Georgia touches. We used a UGA ballcap, a cooler and a state flag.

SARAH PALIN

Just a hunch, but Republican vice-presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin will likely be a popular costume this year.

HOW TO: The costume wasn’t very difficult. Any “business-y” type jacket, paired with slacks or skirt will work, said Eryn Bentley, who designed and modeled this costume. Lots of accessories, such as an American flag lapel pin or small flag to wave. And, of course, the glasses. They can be purchased in the pharmacy section of grocery or big-box stores, so you won’t have to spend too much. Figure about $10. “Don’t forget the classic hair twist and lipstick,” reminds Bentley.

MODELED AND DESIGNED BY: Eryn Bentley of Sharpsburg

‘MAD MEN’

Darlene Yuris loves period fashion, so “Mad Men,” the Emmy Award-winning AMC series about advertising execs in the early 1960s, seemed a good fit for a costume. Wearing clothing from @Stefan’s Vintage, Yuris channels head secretary Joan Holloway and Jeff Livingston takes on top ad man Don Draper.

HOW TO: A pastel pink eyelet sheath dress, $65. Pearl earrings, $25, with a necklace and embellished cat’s-eye glasses. Gloves ($16), a hanky ($8) and a leather handbag ($28) complete the look. Livingston wears a glen plaid jacket ($45) and tapered pants ($35). The jacket should have a lapel no wider than 3 inches. Pants should be flat-front with a small cuff and narrow cut. Skinny tie ($10) is no more than 2 1/2 inches wide. A pocket square ($12), stingy brim hat ($45) and plastic frame glasses are pure ’60s. Add wing-tipped shoes and a clean shave.

MICHAEL PHELPS

We tried to go for the uber-Olympian’s “out of the pool” look, using a parka, iPod headphones and, of course, his eight gold medals.

HOW TO: We found a black $120 Speedo parka from Kast-A-Way Swimwear, an Ohio-based retailer with stores in Alpharetta, Chamblee, Lawrenceville and Marietta. We also bought a Phelps latex swimcap for $5 at Kast-A-Way. Goggles are key. You’ll need eight medals (images found online can be copied). DESIGNED BY: Staff

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Camelia (left) and Andrea Rivera, 10-year-old twins from Dacula, pretend to fight as presidential candidates Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain. The masks cost $20 each.

HOW TO: The Riveras’ mom, Ana Toro, bought candidate pins for $3 each when she was in Washington. Toro also copied campaign stickers off Web sites and put them on the girls’ T-shirts. She added a small American flag for patriotic panache.

MODELED BY: Camelia (left) and Andrea Rivera.

ON AJC.COM

> For more ideas or to submit your own, see our Online Costume Guide at www.ajc.com