BEFORE the most wonderful time of the year, first comes the spookiest time of the year: Halloween.
A celebration popularised in the US, on the 31st of October every year children and adults alike dress up in their best Halloween costumes to mark All Hallows’ Day.
It’s a day some look forward to all year, with costumes prepared months in advance, but for others, deciding what to wear can be overwhelming.
Luckily, we’ve found some of the best Halloween costumes for women so you don’t have to, from classic characters like Wonder Woman to lower-key looks and full-on scary outfits from films like IT.
Whatever you’re looking for this Halloween, we’ve got you covered.
Best Halloween costumes for women at a glance:
Sexy Pirate costume
- Spanish Lass Pirate Costume, £54.99 from francydress.com – buy here
A pirate costume is always a good choice for Halloween but this year you can spice it up with the Spanish sexy pirate costume, that will turn heads and make everyone say “hola” to you, as soon as you walk in the room.
The sultry costume includes the dress, sleeves, hat, belt and pouch so finish it off with black high knee boots and a sword, if you like.
We’re obsessed with this costume and it seems to be selling fast, so grab it before it’s too late.
Women’s Skeleton Catsuit
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- Skeleton catsuit, £14.99 from Amazon – buy here
This costume comprises a full-body catsuit printed with a cartoonish human skeleton on the front.
The neckline finishes fairly low, so use the picture above to help you recreate skeleton make-up on your décolletage for an overall deadly effect.
An ideal mix of spooky and sexy, wear it with heels to dress it up a bit or, if comfort’s more your vibe, opt for a pair of boots or trainers in black or white to keep with the monochrome theme.
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Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter Costume
- Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter, £49.99 from Amazon – buy here
Despite being a children’s story, there’s always an underlying eeriness to Alice in Wonderland that is never better exemplified than by the unpredictable character of the Mad Hatter. So what better Halloween costume?
It’s not overtly sexy but still gives a little something whilst hinting at something slightly off kilter with a huge top hat and oversized bow tie.
This set includes the hat, dress, neckwear, coat and gloves and you can finish the look off with whatever shoes you see fit, although we do like this costume with tall boots.
For just under £50, you get a lot for your money and you can be sure to stand out whether you’re trick or treating or rocking up to a Halloween party.
Sexy witch costume
- Floral lace up corset mini dress, £30 from Cider – buy here
Don’t love dressing up for Halloween but you’ve been told unequivocally that if you don’t wear a costume you can’t come to the party? We’ve all been there. So let us put to you a compromise in the form of this lace up corset mini dress from Cider.
It’s not technically a Halloween costume, but with its square neckline, flowing sleeves and corseted front, it’s the perfect centrepiece for a sexy witch costume.
Just add a wand, hat, some thigh high boots and gothic make-up and you’ll be the best-dressed witch at the party. And you’ll be able to rewear this dress again and again, even when Halloween has passed.
Red Queen Medieval Hooded Dress
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- Red Queen medieval hooded dress, from £26.99 from Amazon – buy here
This red velvet medieval-style dress isn’t officially a Game of Thrones Halloween costume, but we reckon, with the addition of a wig and a choker, you could be a dead ringer for Melisandre of Asshai – the super-evil Red Queen from the famous series.
Also available in several colours and a variety of slightly different styles, the costume has been branded one of Amazon’s number one bestsellers, for comfort, scare factor and for the vast range in sizes it’s available in (Small to 5XL).
Besides the Red Queen, with a bit of creativity, you could use the black version of this dress to transform yourself into loads of other characters too, from Morticia Adams to Jane from Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga.
Neverland Fairy Costume
- Neverland Fairy Costume, £24.95 from Amazon – buy here
Although Halloween is traditionally about dressing up in scary costumes, we all know that many people don’t follow in those footsteps which we love because it means a wider variety of costumes that fit different people.
If you’re not about freaking out your family, friends or neighbours but still want to wear a costume, then this Neverland fairy costume is a great option. Realistically, you’d be dressing up as Peter Pan’s companion, Tinkerbell which still fits into the Halloween fantasy theme without needing to reach for the fake blood.
Although if you did want add a bit of darkness to this costume, fake blood wouldn’t be a terrible idea…
Women’s Halloween Pumpkin Costume
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- Women’s Halloween pumpkin costume, £26 from Amazon – buy here
If you’re going to be hanging out with the kids on Halloween, you might be looking for a costume that’s more fun than frightening.
This neat costume comprises of a pumpkin jumpsuit and cute pumpkin hat – just add some pointy shoes, and you shall go to the ball.
Baywatch Costume
- Smiffys Officially Licensed Baywatch Beach Costume, £18.98 from Amazon – buy here
Pam and Tommy caused quite a stir this year and threw Pamela Anderson back into the public sphere.
This officially licensed Baywatch costume from Smiffys is both comfortable and a bit sexy and includes the top and shorts.
For less than £20, just pair with some heels to add a bit of glam or trainers for comfort.
Zombie Cheerleader Costume
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- Zombie Cheerleader Costume Outfit with pom poms, from £19.95 on Amazon – buy here
If trick or treating isn’t on the cards this year but a good old Halloween party is then perhaps it’s time to give the movie classic, the zombie cheerleader, costume a go.
This costume comes with pom poms and a tube of fake blood, to make your outfit (or make-up) even scarier. It is available in 6 colours and sizes range from UK6 to UK16.
The Great Gatsby Flapper Dress
- The Great Gatsby 1920s Flapper Dress, £51 from Light in the Box – buy here
If Halloween is all about partying for you, then what better costume than one that represents the ultimate party era – the 1920s.
In true Great Gatsby style, this flapper dress is beaded for all the glam and finished with (faux) feathers around the hemline.
If you want to go truly flapper then finish off the ostentatious look with a head band that sits around the forehead with a single feather in it. You’ll have people thinking they’ve travelled back in time to the glitz and glamour of 1920s New York City.
Wonder Woman Costume
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- DC Comics Dawn of Justice Wonder Woman Costume, £36.05 from Amazon – buy here
Another comic book heroine, Wonder Woman is a Halloween classic. Reinvigorated by the 2017 blockbuster film starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, this iconic costume is as easily recognised as any of the comic book stars.
Everything you see except for the shoes comes with this outfit, which at under £40 is quite the deal.
T-Rex Costume
- Inflatable T-Rex Costume, £35.99 from Amazon – buy here
Less about sexy and more about fun when it comes to dressing up? Inflatable T-Rex costumes are blowing up (no pun intended) on TikTok right now, so there’s no time like the present to join in on the hype.
For just under £36 on Amazon, you can dress up as the scariest of dinosaurs without causing too much of a fright and this one uses a fan to keep the costume inflated.
With good airflow so you don’t get too sweaty, there’s no doubt this costume will turn heads and crack a few smiles this Halloween.
Maleficent Costume
- Maleficent adult costume, £69.99 from Party Delights – buy here
Channel your inner evil Moors fairy (or alternatively, your inner Angelina Jolie) with this stunning Maleficent costume from Party Delights.
It comes complete with batwing sleeves to waft about and, of course, those all-important horns.
Easy and comfortable to wear, make sure to finish off the look with a bright red lip to channel full Maleficent energy.
Fallen Angel Costume
- Women’s Fallen Angel Halloween Costume, £29.99 from Amazon – buy here
Want to dress up as an angel but not sure how to make it edgier for Halloween? How about a fallen angel?
For £29.99 you get a corset dress with mesh sleeves, punchy black wings and a black halo headband. There’s no wig included (which we’d say is probably for the best, you can be a fallen angel with whatever your hair normally looks like) and to really get the most out of this look opt for a grungy make-up with a dark lip and smokey eye.
Ghost Ship Princess costume
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- Ghost ship princess costume, £39.99 from Amazon – buy here
The pallid greys of this delicate ghost ship princess costume will make you look as though you’ve been dredged from the seabed after hundreds of years.
You’ll love the thoughtful details too: tattered tattered sleeves, cobweb sash and a jaunty captain’s hat all add to the its spooky appeal.
Just add a grey wig, use the Ghost ship make-up kit, a cutlass and some kick-ass pirate attitude and you’ll be Halloween-ready.
IT Pennywise Costume
- IT Pennywise Clown Dress, £29.97 from Amazon – buy here
From Stephen King’s famous novel, IT, Pennywise is one of the scariest baddies out there. Playing on the evil clown trope, Pennywise is often pictured with a red balloon to add to the menacing vibe of the entire costume.
Only the dress is included here but to make sure you’re only getting treats when you go door knocking, style like the image above with a red wig, balloon and some clown-like make-up.
Supergirl Costume Set
How could we have a roundup of Halloween costumes, including Wonder Woman and Catwoman and not include Supergirl?
Making up the holy trifecta of female comic book characters, the blue and red costume is as famous as its male counterpart.
Again, no boots are included here, but you do get the officially licensed dress with a detachable cape and leg covers, so you’ll be ready to fly into your Halloween party (figuratively, of course).
Leg Avenue Moonlight Bat Costume
- Leg Avenue Moonlight Bat Costume, £38.61 from Amazon – buy here
Simple, but effective this bat costume is an easy compromise if you don’t love dressing up, but you want to do more than just drawing some whiskers on your cheeks and being a ‘cat’.
The wings are a pretty lace to match the choker and ears, however, if you’re loving the cobweb tights like we are then you’ll have to pick those up separately along with the shoes.
But that means you can style this in whatever way you like. Have some earrings that work? Ditch the choker and go for those instead. Going to be walking around trick or treating? Then pull out some flat boots rather than the stilettos pictured.
Catwoman Costume
- Womens Classic Catwoman Costume, £34.91 from Amazon – buy here
A full black jumpsuit and thigh-high boots (not included, unfortunately) can only mean one thing: Catwoman.
Played by A-listers like Halle Berry, Anne Hathaway and most recently Zoe Kravitz, the comic book heroine is a go-to for many during Halloween primarily because it’s such an easy costume to throw together.
This comes with the eye mask, belt, headpiece and, of course, the jumpsuit but we really don’t think this look is truly complete without a pair of thigh highs, so if you have some black ones at home, make sure to wear them this Halloween.
How much are Halloween costumes?
This varies dramatically depending on how in-depth you want to go with your costume. For example, you could buy some cat ears for just a few pounds, but for a full Mad Hatter’s costume, you’d be looking at £50 plus.
Where to buy Halloween costumes
Unsurprisingly, the best place to pick up a Halloween costume is Amazon. You can find outfits from a variety of sites collated here and there are a load of price points too.
Plus, there’s a good selection that comes with Prime’s next-day delivery, so if you’ve left your Halloween shopping to the last minute (no judgement), you’ll still be fully dressed up by the time the 31st rolls round.
What are the most popular Halloween costumes?
According to Costumes.com, its inflatable T-Rex costume takes the top spot this year, courtesy of TikTok. Second, is the ever-popular Wonder Woman 1984 followed by a more Christmassy Buddy The Elf in third.
Halloween costumes often come from popular films of the year just gone (think Elvis, and we’d imagine we might see a few 50s-inspired costumes from Don’t Worry Darling knocking about) as well as superheroes from comics and classic spooky-related animals like cats and bats.
Why do we wear costumes on Halloween?
Originally, Halloween costumes were worn to scare away wandering spirits which is why it’s traditional to wear something spooky on the 31st.
However, that tradition has evolved over the years, with some taking the opportunity to wear funny, sexy or realistic outfits that show creativity on a night when everyone is also dressing up.
What is the best Halloween costume?
The real answer to this question is… all of them!
Halloween is a fun night to dress up as whatever you want, which means don’t worry about trying to follow fashion trends or what others might think, just wear whatever makes you feel good and lets you have some fun.