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.

So what are some popular costumes for wanna-be wenches? Act fast, order these today and you’ll be set and sexy for Halloween:

Under the bugs/fairies heading, you can be a dragonfly or bumblebee (top, left), or flit around as a spring fairy or woodland fairy (top, right).

Some classic naughty themes include witches, devils (or angels, above left), French maids (has anyone ever seen a real French maid and do they look like this?) and nurses. Pirates (above, right) are hot this year, too.

The remainders seem to fall under two broad categories:  women who want to punish, or naughty schoolgirls/fairy tale characters.

Among the punitive ladies are corrections officers, cops or barbarian queens.

The schoolgirl gone bad look is always a bit troubling, but there’s something sweetly sexy about the Little Bo Peeps, Snow Whites and Alices in Wonderland.

Just don’t let the kids see, because all of these could be hard to explain.