Halloween offers parade of masquerades

There's one time of year when you can dress up like a wench and no one is going to think a thing about it - unless that velvet corset is laced a little too tight. It's called Halloween and it's a time for festive fun when tricksters of all ages treat themselves to a little bit of fashion fantasy.

Every year the haunted holiday seems to become more and more popular, with costume shops springing up on every street corner and Internet sites offering an increasing number of "extreme" opportunities to impersonate your favorite ghoul or goblin.

But it's time to come down off those broomsticks. Those haggard old witches and blood-sucking vampires are soooo yesterday.
Kids these days would rather get into the spirit of dressing up as their favorite character from popular movies, and chances are you'll see lots of swashbuckling pirates - and perhaps a few wenches - seeking treasure at your door Oct. 31.

"This year we are taking theatrical authenticity to the next level," said Amy Hauk, senior vice president and general merchandising manager for the Disney Store. "Classic character costumes such as princesses have been redesigned to more closely match the Disney film characters that kids love."

Disney has revamped Cinderella and Belle with elegant brocade gowns and given Ariel a glittered organza mermaid's tail.

"And this year's pirates look like they jumped straight out of the theater screen," Hauk added. In response to the popularity of this summer's blockbuster sequel "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," Disney is offering its first "deluxe" costume for boys based on the Davy Jones character, who morphs into a sea monster in the movie complete with tentacle beard, a right-hand claw, textured barnacles and a garment-washed jacket, all for only $79.50. You have to buy the eye patch and spyglass separately, of course.

But all this fashion fantasizing isn't just for kids. Grown-ups are getting into the ultimate treasure hunt for Halloween costumes. Whether it's for a party at the office or just to spook the little kids next door, adults are dressing up for some swashbuckling fun, too.

To come up with your unique Halloween concoction, you can delve into a costume warehouse or thrift shop, or you can browse the Internet, especially if you've got seafaring marauders on the brain. Best-sellers at www.Halloweenmart.com include Caribbean pirates with vinyl vests and vixen wenches with red velvet corset dresses.

Of course, you can also scare good in the neighborhood as a sinister minister, a geisha girl or a Gothic black fairy. My favorite: the "chick magnet" - a foam-filled horseshoe-shaped magnet with tiny chicks attached to it.

I'm partial to the new Marie Antoinette look that's sure to appear at some more "interesting" Halloween costume parties this year due to the publicity generated by Sofia Coppola's new movie based on the 18th-century French queen. You don't have to be Kirsten Dunst on the cover of Vogue to star in your own theatrical production.

There's just something about those crowns, the royal ball gowns, the exquisite jewels. And, of course, the poufy pompadour wigs - all available, by the way, at www.ExtremeHalloween.com.

Don't forget to throw a little vial of latex blood into that lovely little embroidered purse just in case. You never know what will befall a queen on Halloween.

Go ahead, and let Jack Sparrow eat cake.