Costume Accessories Shop in Geylang: Pan-In-The-Box SG

Pan-In-The-Box is a cosplay and costume shop in a ground-floor HDB unit at 1015 Geylang East Avenue 3, #01-129, a short walk from Exit C of Paya Lebar MRT. It started in 2003 and calls itself the first cosplay store in Singapore. Two decades later it still sells the small pieces that turn clothes into a character: anime wigs, masks, ears, headwear, fake blood and scar wax, most of them priced under S$40. The shop is open every day, which makes it one of the easier costume stops in the east for a last-minute Halloween or convention outfit.

Cosplay in Singapore grew around a handful of fan events, and this shop grew with them. Its own website says it has taken part in events such as Cosplay Summit, Start-of-Year, Singapore Cosplay Club, COSFEST and End-of-Year, and that it also supplies companies and schools for dinner and dance parties, Chinese New Year, Halloween and year-end events. It ships internationally as well.

The location is part of the appeal. Instead of a mall unit, the shop sits among the HDB blocks of Geylang East, on the ground floor beside the walkways and void decks of an ordinary housing estate. Because it serves both convention cosplayers and companies dressing a whole department for a dinner and dance, the stock covers anime characters as well as party staples like ears, masks and headwear, and the staff are used to both kinds of request.

The website keeps a customer review on its homepage that praises the bespoke service and the wide variety of quality accessories, which matches what the shop is built for: small finishing pieces rather than full rental racks.

Wigs are the backbone of any cosplay, and the range here leans towards recognisable characters. The Goku Super Saiyan yellow wig costs S$25, spiked and styled so you do not need to sculpt it yourself. The Joker hair wig is S$39, for a green-haired villain look with a purple suit. For a classic Hollywood costume, the Marilyn Monroe wig costs S$18 and pairs well with a white dress and red lipstick.

Spiked character wigs keep their shape best if you carry them in a box rather than a bag. If you are travelling to a convention by MRT, keep the wig in its packaging and put it on once you arrive. A wig cap underneath stops your own hair escaping at the edges, which matters in close-up photos.

The anime masks are some of the cheapest items in the shop. The Naruto Anbu mask costs S$10, a white porcelain-style mask with red markings, and the No Face mask from Spirited Away, the Kaonashi mask, is also S$10. Both are easy wins for a group of friends who want a Japanese anime theme without full costumes.

Fantasy pieces cost little too. Plastic elf ears are S$8, and the shop describes them as suitable for dinner and dance, parties, cosplay, photo shoots, Halloween and weddings, one size fits most. The pharaoh headwear is S$18 for an Egyptian costume, and a white rabbit headband with LED lights costs S$6, a good choice for a child at a night event because it glows.

Elf ears are held by friction over your own ears, so they can feel tight after a few hours. Try them on in the shop, and bring a small tube of skin-safe adhesive if you plan to wear them all day at a convention.

For Halloween horror, the make-up section is simple and cheap. A bottle of fake vampire blood costs S$3.90, and scar wax is S$10. The shop's own description says the wax is for making a fake nose or scar for scary themes and Halloween.

To use scar wax, warm a small piece between your fingers, press it onto clean skin, smooth the edges with a little moisturiser, then cut a line through the middle with the back of a spoon handle. Add a few drops of the fake blood into the cut and dab around it with a sponge. Remove the wax with an oil-based cleanser at the end of the night, and keep fake blood away from light-coloured clothes.

The shop's own line is that costumes are for everyone and free to try, with anime and character costumes for purchase or rental at the shop. Use that. Try wigs, masks and ears together in front of the mirror before you pay, because a wig that looks right on a stand can change once it frames your face, and ears and headbands need to fit over the wig rather than under it.

If you need a full outfit and not just accessories, ask about renting a character costume at the counter and then buy the small pieces that finish it. That mix is often cheaper than buying a full costume you will wear once.

Pan-In-The-Box opens daily from 10am to 8pm, including weekends, which helps if your party is on a Sunday. Weekday afternoons are quieter than Saturday evenings in late October, so go then if you want time to try on wigs without a queue for the mirror.

The neighbourhood is worth a short wander. Sri Sivan Temple, a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, stands on Geylang East Avenue 2, a few blocks away near the MRT station. Geylang Serai Market, the Malay heart of the area, is close by, with a food centre upstairs and stalls selling spices, fabric and kueh. Paya Lebar Quarter and the malls around the MRT interchange offer air-conditioned food courts if you need to cool down after shopping.

Paya Lebar is an interchange on the East-West and Circle lines, so it is easy to reach from both the city and the east, and to carry your bags straight on to a party afterwards.

Pan-In-The-Box is at 1015 Geylang East Avenue 3, #01-129, Singapore 389730, nearest to Paya Lebar MRT Exit C. Prices quoted here come from the shop's website at paninthebox.com.sg. Ask Karpo in the Karpo APP to find a dinner spot near Geylang Serai after you shop.