Introduction

Even though other ‘competing’ dates on the calendar may carry greater historical, religious, cultural, national or social weight, Halloween is the best celebration for many Americans who see it as their favorite holiday.

Going house to house trick-or-treating, getting lots of free candy and delicious snacks, carving pumpkins into beautiful jack-o’-lanterns, preparing other marvelous decorations, horror movie marathons, the costumes and going to amazing Halloween themed parties are only some of the reasons why so many people from so many different walks of life love this unique holiday.

In comparison to other major occasions widely celebrated in the U.S., Halloween is traditionally the one that best embodies the spirit of fun, creativity and community.

Getting a Costume

It’s the one night a year when children and adults get a legitimate opportunity to express their creativity, imagination, artistic skills, ingenuity and personality, become anything they wish to be with no judgment from others and actually get rewarded for it with fistfuls of tasty sweets.

This process includes preparing a costume or purchasing a ready-made one with matching accessories, hair color and makeup; however, everything starts with getting the initial idea for the outfit and with so many options around, making a choice can be a little bit confusing and overwhelming.

There are plenty of generic, classic or original styles to choose from and the end result can be either sexy, scary, funny or reflect a different, totally individual tone.

Since no one is too old to dress up as their favorite character, even grown-ups can take a much needed break from the stresses of day to day life responsibilities and feel like a kid again with a great outfit of their choice.

Paying close attention to important aspects, such as the costume’s actual size, the materials it is made of, what type of event the shoppers (or their children) are attending and the expected weather conditions during All Hallows’ Eve, will help ensuring the user’s comfort and warmth.

In legal terms, all Halloween costumes that are distributed and marketed in the U.S., whether manufactured domestically or abroad, must meet federal flammability standards.
In order to ensure the user’s safety, consumers are always advised to purchase these products from reputable vendors and make sure they carry “flame retardant” or “flame resistant” text on the item’s label.

Popular Costumes

The following list includes some the most popular, best-selling costume themes that can be found in any typical costume shop on the web:

• 1920s – 1990s
• Alice in Wonderland
• Angels & Devils
• Animals
• Career & Professions
• Classics
• Cowboys / Western
• Disney Characters
• Food
• Funny
• Historical Figures
• Military
• Monsters
• Pirates
• Princesses
• Renaissance & Medieval
• Roman & Greek
• Scary / Horror
• Sci-Fi
• Sports
• Star Wars
• Storybook & Fairytale
• Superhero
• TV / Movies
• Uniform
• Vampires
• Video Games
• Warriors & Knights
• Witches
• Zombies

Common Accessories

The right props help make the costume look more authentic, create a one-of-a-kind look and add an exciting finishing touch or edge, so accessorizing is just as important as buying the costume itself.
Here are some of the popular accessories that can be ordered from any costume shopping site:

• Masks
• Wigs
• Hats
• Makeup, Fake Nails & Temporary Tattoo
• Beards, Mustaches & Facial Hair
• Capes
• Gloves
• Animal Tails, Ears & Noses
• Swords, Armor & Toy Weapons
• Wands
• Shoes & Boots
• Belts
• Glasses
• Wings

What Do Costume Websites Offer?

Online retailers offer a broad range of ready-to-wear Halloween costumes, mascots, props, accessories and holiday decorations for people of all ages.
Adult costumes include products for men, women, plus size products and sexy outfits.
Children’s costumes for boys and girls are offered in a variety of sizes for babies, infants, toddlers, kids and teens.

In addition, many stores offer other types of costumes that are designed for specific audiences such as pregnant women, pets (like dogs and cats), couples or entire groups.

Browsing a virtual catalog of any major costume site can be a great source for inspiration which can easily provide hundreds of creative and unique ideas for anyone.
Most shops offer the ability to search and find items by various criteria, such as the user’s gender, age, size, desired character, category / theme, brand and others.

Customers can explore the latest trends, see which costumes are the most popular this season and which are offered inexpensively on sale, discount or special promotion.

Paying for Halloween Costumes with PayPal

Many popular costume ecommerce sites in the market accept PayPal and take a variety of other payment methods such as credit cards, debit cards, wire transfers, gift cards and more.