Hot Halloween Costumes for 2010

Men: GTL . . . H? A lot of men are going to the old standbys this Halloween, according to the NRF survey. Some of the most popular costumes include vampires, pirates, zombies, professional athletes, doctors, police officers and clowns.Pop culture is also having a big influence on men's costumes. Some superhero costumes are very popular, such as Batman and Superman. Men are also dressing up as characters from " Alice in Wonderland" and the "Star Wars" movies.Dwivedi thinks that some of the big hits this year for men will be The Situation or Pauly D from "Jersey Shore," so get ready for gym, tan, laundry. A lot of men will also be dressing up as Mario or Luigi from the Mario Brothers video games. "Iron Man 2" costumes are also popular.Naika Cadet, sales associate at Abracadabra in New York, is seeing a lot of men buy superhero costumes and scary costumes like Freddy Kreuger or Jason from the "Friday the 13th" movies."Avatar" costumes are popular at Hollywood Toys & Costumes in Los Angeles, say Steve Elowitz, store manager.

Women: Gaga for Lady Gaga

A continuing trend with women seems to be sexy costumes. "We have a lot of sexy costumes for the ladies," says Elowitz.

The NRF survey says that a lot of women plan to dress as vixens, wenches, nurses and French maids, among other things. "Alice in Wonderland" characters are also popular for women. HalloweenMart.com sells Alice, Queen of Hearts, Cheshire Cat and Mad Hatter costumes.

The popularity of pirates with men, women and kids shows that it's not just about those "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. "They're not just a theme around a movie. They're a staple in the Halloween world," says Sheerin.

"You'd think it would die down," says Cadet. "But pirates are still huge."

Flappers (women from the 1920s) also are popular at Spirit Halloween and Abracadabra.

And if you're going for an MTV-inspired look, the "Jersey Shore" costume for women is Snooki, and for Lady Gaga expect blond wigs, big glasses and sequins.

Next >

Bankrate.com is the Web's leading aggregator of information on financial products including mortgages, credit cards, new and used automobile loans, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, checking and ATM fees, home equity loans and online banking fees. Visit Bankrate.com to get the tools and information that can help you make the best financial decisions.