March 28, 2024

2015 Halloween Costume Trends

Oct. 23, 2015

With an election year fast approaching, you’re sure to see plenty of President Obamas, Bernie Sanders, Jeb Bushes and toupeewearing Donald Trumps wandering around this Halloween, but there are lots of other costumes filling up the shops this October, inspired by movies, TV, comics and outer space. Here are some trends to check out if you’re looking for ideas to make, rent or buy.

SUPER SUPERHEROES

Always a hit — perhaps even more so now with so many movies and TV shows revolving around superhero and anti-hero antics — are the leotard-armor-mask-cape ensembles worn by these characters. Easy to find in stores, pretty simple to assemble from regular clothing and fun to wear, you’ll feel like you’re ready to fight crime at your Halloween party (or at least fend off whoever tries to take the last Rice Krispies Treat®). Some costumes spotted in the shops include the title character from the brand new Supergirl (debuting on ABC-TV a few days before Halloween); all of the Avengers, including Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk and Black Widow; and throwback costumes that cover pretty much every version of Batman to date.

GET IT TOGETHER

Costumes for couples are in ample supply this year, from recognizable pairs to just darned cute ideas. Costumes revolving around food seem particularly popular, whether you and your significant other are big fans of hot dogs or go together as well as peanut butter and jelly. Copy-able couples, romantic and platonic, are everywhere in movies and on TV, from Glee to Game of Thrones, Pitch Perfect 2 to the awesomely retro looks of Mad Men. Got a brother? Hit the Halloween parties as Sam and Dean. Got sisters or best gal-pals? Be Bianca, Jess and Casey from The Duff. Like Mission Impossible? Team up as Ethan Hunt and Ilsa Faust. Even more fun, tackle a group costume. There are endless Minions to copy and you’ll have the perfect excuse for making up gibberish all night long. Get inside each other’s heads with the characters from the latest Pixar movie Inside Out; there’s bound to be a Joy, Anger and Disgust in every group of friends, and these are costumes that are fairly easy to make, as well as easy to find in stores or online.

SCI FI STANDOUTS

The debut of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is right around the corner, making this a perfect year to revisit old Star Wars characters for your costume choice or daring to represent one of the new crew. Costumes are already available for some of the most intriguing new Star Wars characters, including Kylo Ren, Poe Dameron, Rey and the metal-armor-clad Captain Phasma. Star Wars isn’t the only thing influencing Halloween costumes from the cosmos. Dress up as famed astronomer Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Grab a striped sweater and show up as Wil Wheaton. Choose from either the classic or reboot versions of Captain Kirk, Lieutenant Uhura, Spock or a Klingon from Star Trek. Be the cleaning-girl-turned-royalty Jupiter Jones from Jupiter Ascending in search of her Caine (another good costume option for guys). Or you can take on the persona of one of the characters from Guardians of the Galaxy, whether you’re a Gamora, a Drax or a Rocket Raccoon.

POP CULTURE

Similar to our first category, anything pulling looks from pop culture is big every year. This year’s likely candidates include characters from the brand new The Muppets (the best Kermit costume shows him dressed in a tux), the fun inflatable costume for Baymax (from Big Hero 6) or the dusty, tough characters from Mad Max: Fury Road. If you’re a loyal Frozen fan, you’ll still be able to find plenty of versions of Elsa and Anna this year, along with companion costumes for Olaf and Hans. If you want to make your own, many fabric stores still carry shimmering fabrics perfect for the icy gowns from the film. And finally, the hit zombie TV show The Walking Dead is perhaps one of the easiest to emulate (and one of the scariest) by shredding some old clothes and copying the makeup and glassy stare of a zombified citizen. Feel free to insert your own presidential candidate joke here.

Photos courtesy of costumeexpress.com, orientaltrading.com, costumecraze.com and halloweenexpress.com

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