Pirate costumes hottest Halloween look

NEW YORK — Pirates will be storming your neighborhood soon, whether you live near the high seas or not.

Thanks in no small part to this summer's box-office success of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," pirate costumes are the hottest look for Halloween, according to retailers. Expect to see both girls and boys with eye patches, and women and men with bandanas around their heads.

"Pirates is one category that really has been genderless and ageless," reports Deborah Radman, public relations manager for national chain Party City. "It has a lot to do with the popularity of the movie. Kids think it's cool, and adults can dress up fairly easily."

In a pinch, a procrastinator could throw on a white shirt, grab a bandanna, eye patch and plastic sword — all easy to find this time of year — and be ready to go, she suggests.

Pirate costumes also lend themselves to activities such as scavenger hunts, which fit in with the trend of more Halloween parties and community events instead of or in addition to door-to-door trick-or-treating.

"Halloween used to be something kids would do on their own, but parents are pushing for a more controlled environment. They're looking for more parties or events, and then they're forced to get in on the action, so parents are dressing up, inviting their friends," adds Alycea Ungaro, Party City's party pro.

Halloween in American continues to get bigger and bigger.

Brand Keys, a consumer loyalty research consultancy, predicts that Halloween sales, including costumes, candy and decorations, will approach $5 billion this year, nearly 50 percent higher than last year. The company attributes the surge in spending to an increase in the number of people who plan to celebrate the holiday, nearly 70 percent across all demographic groups.

Plus, marketers have made a conscious effort to promote the holiday beginning with the back-to-school season, says Robert Passikoff, Brand Keys president.

"Parents are always doing Halloween with their kids but they're doing it more so, and adults also are doing it on their own," he says.

This puts Halloween as the sixth-largest spending holiday, following Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa, Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day and Father's Day.

Items such a pirate costumes are actually good year-round sellers, says Amy Hauk, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of Disney Store, as children seek inspiration and entertainment in their dress-up bins.