When is sexy back? On Friday. Suggestive, sexy ladies’ Halloween costumes have been a hot and heavy trend for years, and it just keeps getting hotter.

“Really, it’s for the woman who wants to feel beautiful and confident,” says Heather Golin. She should know. Her company, Spirit Halloween, is one of the largest and oldest Halloween retailers.  Why are ladies looking for some nice but naughty looks? These days, just about everyone needs a little escapist fantasy.

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Barack Obama and John McCain masks are hot for Halloween, but by far the most popular political look roaming the streets Friday will be Sarah Palin, McCain’s high-profile running mate.

Big mask-makers missed the time window to produce Palin masks - her selection came too late. There are a few masks, such as this molded Sarah mask ($30, left), or you can go the more economic paper mask with Sarah’s photographic likeness ($1).

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Hannah Montana hangs out here, and Bob the Builder, too - both sharing space with brides and hippies, rock stars and tourists, doctors and nurses. They’re all a dime a dozen on the racks of Goodwill stores.

“October is our busiest month at Goodwill stores,” said Lauren Lawson, representative of Goodwill Industries International. Not only do the stores carry new, packaged costumes for around $13, the rows and rows of clothing, shoes and boots, hats, belts, bags, linens and kiddie stuff need nothing but a bit of creativity to turn them into the coolest costumes on the street.

“With the economy this year, the state it’s in, no one wants to go out and spend $40 or $50 on something they’re going to wear exactly once,” said Juli Lundberg, a regional Goodwill representative. Plus, you’ll give to Goodwill’s good cause: job training programs for those who need help.

Need ideas? Try a few of these:

• Old prom gown? Make a gold cardboard Oscar statuette, pile your hair on top of your head and go as a red carpet winner. Or cut the dress down for a little girl’s princess costume.
• Argyle vest? White button-down shirt? Go prep!

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Forget Marilyn Manson. Goth is now mainstream. The “pretty Goth” look ruled the runways at London Fashion Week recently (above), and the cheerful child-friendly site Kidzworld tells kids how to dress Goth. Anyone with a trendy teenager in the family has probably seen way too much kohl around the eyes and dark lipstick and nails a la the adorable singer Avril Lavigne.

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Dogs shouldn’t have all of the fun this Halloween. With a little prowling around, costumes can be found for those felines willing to put up with being dressed up. Of course, the very act of attempting to dress a cat could be just as scary as going through a haunted house. If you’re not afraid of claws or yowls or dirty looks from Fluffy, then go for it!

Bat Cat from The Gilded Paw, above left, is a mere $5, on sale. Wacky Planet’s princess outfit is $13 (above right.)

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Show us a little girl and odds are good that at some point in her childhood, she will want to be a fairy for Halloween.

Enter Costumes Fairy, a small business in Ashland, Ore., where the most beautiful fairy costumes are hand-made by a couple (Richard and Robin Reno, who goes by the alias Earth Star). The costumes are made from sturdy but ethereal fabrics that are “non-itchy”

Recently, Town and Country magazine asked Earth Star to provide costumes for Brooke Shields’ daughters to wear during a photo shoot.  

Among their offerings are the fairy moon princess, (above left), which features two layers of soft tulle, trimmed in satin. Without wings, the costume is $65, and with wings it’s $95. The Cinderella fairy dress (above right) is another wonderous costume at $55 (without wings).

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With all of those much-too-cute dog togs out there, Fido may be even more fashionable than his (or her) owner this Halloween. According to the American Pet Products Association, Americans will spend $43.4 billion (yes, as in nine zeroes!) on their pets this year. Among the big trends is playing dress-up with our dogs. So it should come as no surprise that we’re about to unleash the hounds of Halloween with our hand-picked assortment of dynamic duo “dogstumes”: Dog With the Wind: Rhett Butler ($36) and Scarlett ($48) - above

The Dark K-9ght: The Batman ($19) and Joker ($13)

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Trick out your littlest treater in one of the most upscale Halloween costumes around. Photographer Tom Arma has been called the “Armani of the Kiddy costume world” by the Wall Street Journal, and once you take a look at these oh-so adorable costumes, you’ll see why. Each costume in the Tom Arma Signature Collection is available in infant and toddler sizes and sold exclusively through Halloween Express. Be warned: Tom Arma produces a limited number of costumes each year, and like Beanie Babies, once they’re gone, they’re gone, so order now.

Flower ($50 infant, $60 toddler)

Pumpkin ($50)

Snowbaby ($60)

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