Dressing up in a fantastic costume is one of the most popular ways to celebrate the Halloween holiday. Halloween costumes are often required at parties around this time of year, and may also be allowed to be worn to work or school on Halloween day.

Planning a truly unique Halloween costume takes time and ingenuity - but it doesn't have to be difficult. Costume trends change from year to year and often reflect current pop culture. In 2009 for example, hot costumes included First Lady Michelle Obama, Michael Jackson and Kate Gosselin.http://www.nbcnewyork.com/blogs/threadny/Halloween-2009-Best-Costumes-63978872.html

Last minute costumes may have to be thrown together fast, but that doesn't mean that there aren't original ideas out there when it comes to creating a high quality outfit.

Old umbrellas can be used to create bat wings. If umbrellas can be found or purchased at the last minute, they can be cut up and refolded in order to create a customized and unique bat costume.http://inventorspot.com/articles/9_fun_last_minute_halloween_cost_7761

Another idea: become a stuffed animal! If a large, old stuffed animal is available, the stuffing can be removed in order to make it wearable. Voila - a giant stuffed bear costume is now created (or panda, or cat, dog, hamster).http://inventorspot.com/articles/9_fun_last_minute_halloween_cost_7761?page=0%2C0

In any given year, the more popular costumes are often inspired by pop culture. Costumes that reflect this trend may include:

1. Michelle Obama costumes
2. Michael Jackson
3. Indiana Jones
4. Hannah Montana | Miley Cyrus
5. Iron Man
6. The Hulk
7. The Joker
8. Batman
9. Pirates from Pirates of the Caribbean
10. Princess from Enchanted
11. Star Wars