The official arrival of fall means the Halloween season is in full swing, and searches for Halloween costumes have grown 813% since July, according to data from Lyst. The fashion search platform analyzed the behavior of more than 104 million shoppers across 12,000 fashion brands and retailers, including social media mentions and engagement statistics, to determine this year’s top costumes.
Movies have had, perhaps unsurprisingly, the largest overall effect on fashion searches. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood caused a 71% increase in searches for the keyword “60s,” while Aladdin created a collective 168% spike in searches for Genie-inspired chain necklaces, chunky cuffs and bangles. Additionally, the Elton John biopic Rocketman boosted searches for large square-shaped spectacles by 25%.
Even unreleased features are expected to impact Halloween trends: searches for “Addams” have risen since August, with searches for Wednesday Addams in particular up 120%. The upcoming adaption of Little Women has caused searches for “basket” and “woven” bags to grow 60%.
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The Netflix show Stranger Things demonstrates the power of streaming media to influence costume choices: searches for “sailor suits” rose 250% over the past three months. The Scoops Ahoy sailor uniforms worn by two of the show’s characters are the likely inspiration for this trend.
Pop politics also is a major trend in both the U.S. and the UK. Searches for “the Squad Congresswoman” are up 70% from the beginning of September, while page views of clothing, shoes and bags with the British flag are up 138% year-over-year in the UK.
Music is also influence: Lizzo’s MTV VMA performance caused a 160% spike in searches for yellow one-piece swimsuits the following week, and mentions of her name grew 717% on social media. Additionally, Lil Nas X’s song “Old Town Road” may herald a resurgence for cowboy costumes, with searches for cowboy hats up 250% year-over-year and fringed jackets up 371% since August.
Finally, fans of designer Karl Lagerfeld, who died in February, are expected to pay tribute to his iconic look this Halloween. Classic all-black suits were searched for 4,000 times in September alone, while demand for high-collar white shirts is up 67% since July.
