It is the 23rd of October, which means two things are true at once. Anyone who has not sorted a costume is now looking for a Halloween outfit without a costume, and anyone who orders something online this week wants a straight answer about whether it turns up before the 31st. This post gives you both, and then does the thing we have been doing all month, which is gently steering you towards the part of the year we are actually built for.
First, the honest bit about delivery
Most of what we sell is catalogue stock, and the product page tells you what to expect: typically four to eight days, tracked, sometimes six to ten. Ordered today, that lands somewhere between the 27th of October and the first few days of November. So it might make Halloween night, and we are not going to promise that it will. If you need it for a party on the Saturday, treat anything you order now as a maybe and have a plan B in the wardrobe.
Our made-to-order pieces, the embroidered caps, totes, beanies and the Christmas crewnecks, are printed for you in the USA and take two to four weeks. They will not arrive for Halloween. We would rather tell you that here than let you find out at the tracking page, which is why every one of those listings says “Made to order” right under the price and why none of them are sold as Halloween anything.
The Halloween outfit without a costume: black, with one thing on it
The oldest trick in the book is still the best one. Wear black from the neck down, add a single thing that reads as effort, and you have answered the “what are you?” question with “someone who turned up”. A black top and black trousers you already own do most of the work. What makes it an outfit rather than a Tuesday is the one piece on top.
For jewellery, go for something with a bit of weight. The Heart Charm Choker Necklace comes in black and red among its eight colours and sits right at the throat, which is where a Halloween outfit wants its one detail. The 925 Sterling Silver Charm Bracelet does the same job on the wrist and will still get worn in March, which is the test we apply to everything in the jewellery section. Both are catalogue stock at $18.99 to $20.99, so they are in the “might make it” delivery window above.
If you are hosting rather than going out
Lighting does more for a Halloween room than anything you can hang on a wall, and it keeps working after the pumpkins have gone soft. Our Lighting & Novelty section is ambient lighting rather than task lighting, which is exactly what you want on the night: the Sunset Projector Lamp ($33.99) throws a single warm disc onto a wall and turns an ordinary living room orange, and the Galaxy and Aurora Star Projector ($21.99 to $29.99) does a moving ceiling that children will not stop looking at. A couple of the Rechargeable Dimmable Touch Lights ($27.99 to $44.99) inside carved pumpkins is safer than a tealight and you can dim them down to a glow.
All three are catalogue stock listed at four to eight days tracked, so the same delivery honesty applies: order today and it is likely but not guaranteed for the 31st. If it arrives on the 1st of November you have a projector lamp for winter, which is not the worst outcome.
The four black crewnecks, sold honestly
We have twelve Christmas crewneck designs this year, and four of them have been doing the rounds on our Instagram this week for people whose Halloween commitment is “person wearing black, thanks for asking”. Fuelled by Mince Pies and Spite, Slow December, Home for Christmas and Retro Snow Globe all come on black, and the artwork is light enough to carry on a dark garment.
They are not Halloween pieces, and we are not going to pretend they are. They are made to order, two to four weeks tracked from the USA, XS to XXXL, $58.99 to $68.99 depending on size. What they are is the thing you will want in the second week of November when the clocks have gone back and the sofa has become a lifestyle. Order one now and it arrives in time for that.
The handover
Here is the whole seasonal plan, in three dates. Catalogue stock ordered this week might make Halloween. Anything made to order needs ordering by the 23rd of November to be safe for Christmas. Catalogue stock for Christmas needs ordering by the 10th of December. That is it. Everything we post between now and the end of the year is one of those three sentences dressed up.
Our Women’s Fashion and Jewellery sections are the place to start, the returns page explains the 30-day window on catalogue stock and the 14-day one on made-to-order pieces, and delivery across the UK is free on every order. The Christmas gift guide follows next week.
