Purrrr! Toddler's Catarina Costume from Costume SuperCenter: Review

Now that I'm a mom, many of the simple joys that excited me as a child are reemerging through the  eyes of our daughter S - a beautiful butterfly, reading a favourite book over and over (and over) again, and feeding the imagination through pretend play. On this note, there's no holiday more exciting to a young child than Halloween - ghosts and jack-o-lanterns everywhere, eerie music, gobs of candy, and, of course, getting to dress up as someone (or something) else for an entire day!

Last Halloween, S was only 11 months old so she didn't really know what everything was all about - though we still "converted" her into an adorable cuddly lion and hauled her around with her older cousins for the night. Now that she's almost 2 and growing into quite the creative, observant li'l thang, my husband and I are stoked - this year, she's going to have a ball! Therefore, when I was offered the opportunity to review a costume from Costume SuperCenter, I jumped at the chance!

Costume SuperCenter's motto is Super Costume Selections at Super Low Prices, and they're certainly right on both accounts. As I began browsing their site, I was immediately blown away by the variety of options available for adults and children of all ages. All the classics are there (such as witches, clowns and pirates), but if you or your child feel like venturing off the beaten path, there are many more whimsical options. Want to be a garden gnome, UPS guy, chili pepper or Heinz ketchup package? No problem! Prices and shipping charges are very reasonable (especially if you shop the Clearance section!) and you can search by keyword and/or narrow by category in order to hone in on that perfect costume. The company also offers accessories & makeup to complete any look, and decorations & props to give your home that perfectly creepy Halloween atmosphere.

Of course I had to let S pick her own costume, so I plunked her in my lap and began browsing the numerous infant/toddler categories. She was particularly enamored with the kitty costumes, though the one that excited her the most was the Toddler's Catarina Costume:

Product Description:

If you think your little girl is the cat's meow, this Toddler's Catarina Costume is purr-fect! The costume includes a dress, headband, tail and mitts. The black and pink dress features a tutu skirt and sheer chiffon-like sleeves. The black bodice is embellished with satiny, hot pink ribbon that crisscrosses across the front like a laced up corset. The coordinating headband features feisty feline ears. Add the black tail to the back and let your little one slip on the black with pink ribbon mitts and she'll be purring in no time. She may be a black cat but she be far from unlucky because your little kitten will look so cute, people will want to give her some extra treats this Halloween. Your toddler will be purr-dy in this Toddler's Catarina Costume!

C'mon - how adorable is this?! My husband wasn't so sure - "Isn't that a little saucy?" he asked. (Ahh, fathers - never too early to start getting uppity about these things!) I told him not to worry - she'd be wearing something on her arms (at the very least) to contend with our brisk mid-fall Ontarian weather. This seemed to appease him. :)

Our daughter will be 2 at the end of November, so we ordered the 2T size. The costume arrived a mere two business days after the order went through - very impressive! I tore into the package right away to make sure everything was there and no damage was evident. Aside from a bit of wonkiness in the tutu (probably unavoidable given it had been squished into a flat package), everything was in order!

As per the instructions, I hand washed all the pieces in warm water using a mild, scent-free detergent and then hung / lay them flat. Everything dried fully within 24 hours, and hanging the dress helped the tutu settle back into its proper shape.

And now the fun part! "Do you want to try on your kitty costume?" I asked S, and she nodded emphatically. We started her off in a pink comfy shirt and black pants, and then layered the outfit on top.

Ta-daaaaaaa! Hello Kitty!

"Yup, I am pretty much 10/10 on the cuteness scale!"

And a view from the back - check out that adorable li'l kitty tail!

For the "dry run" we went without makeup, though we'll throw on a simple black nose and some whiskers to complete the look on the Big Day itself. Although the whole thing's certainly on the puffy side, we should be able to work a hoodie or jacket on top (if necessary) to keep her toasty, and the ears could go on top of a fitted hat too. Fit-wise, the top part is quite loose on her at this point so she wouldn't be able to properly wear it undershirt-free without the sleeves coming down her arms, but this isn't surprising giving she's on the low end of the weight spectrum and has a couple months to go before turning 2. So all in all I'd say the sizing is pretty accurate. The nice thing for S is that she'll be able to play dress-up in it for at least another few months after Halloween!

All in all, my daughter and I are both very happy with the Toddler's Catarina Costume from Costume SuperCenter. It's ultra-cute, fun and yes - just a li'l saucy. :) And while I probably wouldn't just throw it in a box and let her go at it willy-nilly, it feels like it'll be durable enough to hold up through both Halloween itself and a number of subsequent dress-up sessions. And at the low price point of $23.99, that's a pretty sweet deal!

Buy it:

Visit CostumeSupercenter.com to purchase a "Catarina" costume of your own (note: it also comes in child's size) or search/browse through hundreds of other selections to find that perfect outfit for yourself or a loved one. Thanks to the site's quick shipping, there's still time to place an order and receive your costume(s) before Halloween - but don't wait too long as the Big Day's just a month away! Happy shopping!


Disclosure:  I received no financial compensation for writing my review, although I did receive the sample item free of charge.  This is my completely honest opinion above and may be different from yours.