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Need a Halloween Costume? Here Are This Year's Hottest Ideas

By Irene Plagianos | October 13, 2014 8:52pm
 Characters from "Maleficent" and "Guardians of the Galaxy," are some of this year's trendiest costumes.
Locals model this year's popular costumes.
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NEW YORK CITY — Feeling spooked about not having a Halloween costume picked out yet? DNAinfo has rounded up this year’s trendiest Halloween get-ups to give you some inspiration for your own Oct. 31 ensemble.

From Disney's "Maleficent" and "Frozen" for the girls to Rocket Raccoon and "Game of Thrones" for the guys, there are plenty of fanciful characters to choose from.

For the ladies, the new top costume for Halloween— from little girls to full-grown women — is the lead character from the Angeline Jolie-helmed Disney movie, "Maleficent," many city costume-store owners told DNAinfo. Originally the villain in the animated classic, "Sleeping Beauty," Maleficent was recast in Jolie's film as a complicated, and fashion-first leading lady with an outfit perfect for Halloween: spiraling black horns, flowing black wings, and a form-fitting, leather-like dress.

“Maleficent is just smoking hot this year,” said Richard Parrott, the president of Ricky’s NYC, a beauty supply and costume store chain. “Costumes are flying off the shelves.”

Movie-inspired costumes are also the big sellers for men this year, but with more of a comic book superhero bent. Characters from the blockbuster "Guardians of the Galaxy" — including Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon — are extremely popular this year, store owners said. But some of the more classic superheroes, like Captain America and Thor, are still hot Halloween commodities.

“Since the movies like Captain America and the Avengers have been so popular recently, those characters have become very popular sellers,” said Seneca Bell, a manager at Chelsea costume shop Abracadabra.

 The Maleficent costume is particularly popular among New Yorkers this year.
The Maleficent costume is particularly popular among New Yorkers this year.
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Walt Disney Studios

Also big this year on the superhero front: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Batman, two franchises that each have a new movie in the works, shop owners said.

But it's not just men that are into the superhero gear.

Women's "sexy superhero" costumes, Parrott said, have become "sleeker and classier" in the last few years.

"And those are really popular for women — from classics like Wonder Woman to a female version of Batman's sidekick, Robin," he said.

The popularity of fantasy television shows like HBO's "Game of Thrones" lead the medieval costume collection while ABC's "Once Upon A Time" are most popular for fairy-tale costumes. 

"Kings and Queens of all types are pretty popular this year," said Abracadabra's Bell.

For kids, the biggest seller, hands down, owners said, are character costumes from the 2013 animated movie "Frozen."

“We can’t keep those 'Frozen' costumes in the stores,” said Parrott. “It’s just our biggest seller, period.”

Adult fans of the film need not worry, as shops carry "Frozen" costumes for you, too — but those are also hot commodities.

If you want to wear a costume that, perhaps surprisingly, has been a consistent top seller, go for a Power Ranger.

“For women, the pink Power Ranger remains very popular,”  Parrott said. "But Power Rangers in general have had staying power."

And if you don't want to leave out your four-legged friends, the hottest pet costume this year is a tarantula, store owners said. Check out this video, which inspired the creepy critter costume.