The class week has already started -- did you forget you've got an H-day party to attend this Friday? Luckily, a thrift store can be your quick one-stop-shop for an original costume -- a cheap costume, might I add. The SF Chronicle brought a group of costume designers to a Goodwill to prove it. 

Their most important tip is to "make it your own:" 

So you want to be a female bridge officer from the original Star Trek series. But where in a thrift store are you going to find a dress with that exact cut, that slanted neckline and that arrow-shaped badge? "If it brings the image to mind, that's good enough," said [Julie Bertucci, pictured right], who made it work with a donated 60s style loose-sleeved dress, shiny red boot tops and a piece of paper cut into the shape of the franchise's familiar icon. And if something doesn't work one way, try it another. Bertucci found a red jacket for our Michael Jackson costume, but the outside didn't have the right sheen. So she turned it inside-out. And there was the King of Pop. 

They also make a good point about wigs: "If there's one new item that'll take your costume from dress-up to change-up, it's a wig..." A wig is probably worth buying new and making the extra stop for. 

Check out all of their tips at the article from last week, but don't miss the gallery of their crew's thrift store combos for a little inspiration.