From Gargoyles to Dolly Parton: The Halloween Costumes Set to Dominate 2026
Gargoyles, reality-TV hosts and a late pop icon’s rhinestone-studded wardrobe are all shaping up to be the costumes of choice as Halloween 2026 approaches, according to costume designers, shop owners and fancy-dress influencers.
“People don’t necessarily want to look frightening – they want to look extraordinary,” says London costume designer Tamar Zaig, who describes a current mood of “escapism, glamour and a bit of dark humour.” As always, the year’s biggest TV and film releases are steering a lot of choices.
TV and film favourites
The Traitors remains an easy go-to, built around host Claudia Winkleman’s fringe, tartan and heavy eyeliner look — “a classic that we see every year,” according to the anonymous creator behind the Love of Huns Instagram account, who expects her to return given “all the Traitors love.” Ice-hockey romance Off Campus is inspiring couples’ costumes based on characters Dean and Allie, while Emmy-winning drama Widow’s Bay has horror fan Maria Nichol, 35, from Ely, recreating Kate O’Flynn’s character Patricia, antlers and taxidermy fox included, using foam clay, foil and fur.
Indie horror hit Obsession is driving particularly strong demand, with its lead character Nikki’s red-and-black zebra-print top having gone viral and reportedly racked up a 27,000-person waitlist before restocking. “We’ve had customers asking for Nikki,” says Muhammad Rai of Fancy Dress Town in London, though stock remains short. Special effects artist Meg, in Liverpool, says she has also fielded requests to recreate the character’s make-up.
Nineties and 2000s nostalgia is expected too, with Nichol predicting a wave of Buffy, Hilary Duff and Practical Magic looks following that film’s recent sequel. Other releases feeding into outfit choices include the Michael Jackson biopic, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey and gothic-tinged productions like Wuthering Heights and The Bride!, which Zaig says are reviving “elaborate period gowns and Greek mythology to 1930s glamour” alongside Peaky Blinders-style tailoring. Horror sequels Scream 7 and Scary Movie 6 are also keeping classic franchises relevant — shop manager Ben Cook reports that ghost-face masks alone now account for a fifth of everything Hollywood Fancy Dress in Bournemouth sells, and adds that Oscar-winning animation KPop Demon Hunters is this year’s top children’s seller alongside Wednesday and Bridgerton looks.
Real people and internet jokes
Zaig expects plenty of real-world figures too, “from the iconic Dolly Parton with her extravagant wigs and rhinestones to political figures such as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.” Rai reports a surge in demand for blonde wigs, cowboy waistcoats and microphones since Parton’s death in August, aged 80. Love of Huns suggests pop stars Charli XCX and Madonna as a duo costume following their Danceteria Afterhours collaboration, while a cheekier option — Mariah Carey posing with Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, after her viral Milan selfie — needs only “a blonde wig and an A3 piece of card,” making it, in their words, “low effort, high impact.” A Buzzballz cocktail costume is another suggestion for a laugh.
A whimsical aesthetic built around gargoyles, moths, mushrooms, woodland fairies and 17th-century Pierrot clowns has also taken over social media this year. Leeds creator Lauren Sidebottom, 23, is building a weeping-angel look from body paint, grey tights and a grey wig, saying women her age want “to look cool, different, not like every other girl.” West Sussex’s Tiggy Bellinger, 21, favours home-made outfits — a mime, the Very Hungry Caterpillar, a ladybird — using clothes she already owns rather than fast fashion. Cambridge-based Sophia, 25, is repurposing a blonde wig and pink dress for a Hannah Montana costume to mark the show’s anniversary, reflecting on how old wardrobe items can spark costume ideas.
Source: BBC News