by Karen Bledsoe

Created on: October 10, 2010

As Halloween approaches, many adults go for the costumes with all the enthusiasm of kids. And why not? It's all in good fun. As you're planning your costume, you may feel like jumping on one of the current trends, and according to CNBC.com, these are among the trendiest women's costumes of 2010:

ALICE IN WONDERLAND: Whether you go for Alice's blue satin number, the Red Queen's velvet and crown look, or do up a female Mad Hatter, anything from Tim Burton's slightly steampunk Alice in Wonderland movie is hot. Check the fabric shops for patterns or buy ready-made.

JERSEY SHORE: Fake tan makeup, a big hair wig, and a leopard-print mini-dress can transform you into Snooki from the Jersey Shore reality show. Dress your guy in a Situation costume - he can don fake six-pack abs if he hasn't put in the requisite hours in the gym.

AVATAR: Pull on a blue bodysuit, paint on darker blue stripes, add a faux-suede loincloth and you've got the makings of a Na'vi costume. One leg of an old pair of blue tights can become a tail, the other half of the tights can be stitched into a headband with pointy ears. Add blue face makeup and chunky jewelry and you're set. Or, if that's way too much work, there are ready-made versions as well.

LADY GAGA: The pop singer has given her fans an enormous range of costume choices, from the red cowl to the infamous "meat dress." Costume shops have ready-made outfits based on her most popular videos, but if you're in a do-it-yourself mood, go wild. Anything crazy with a long white-blonde wig just might do. If it's not something she's worn as a costume yet, it probably will be.

ZOMBIES: Halloween shops provide endless choices in the way of fake decaying flesh for zombie costumes. For a super-trendy look, go for a "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" theme with an empire-waisted dress paired with a zombie mask. Or mix themes for pirate zombies, ninja zombies, or Star Wars zombies. 

TOY STORY: Toy Story 3 may be the best yet in the series, and it has adults and kids alike clamoring for Woody, Jesse, and Buzz Lightyear costumes. With all the characters in the movie, there's great potential for a family theme.

VAMPIRES: The Twilight trend continues as rampant as ever, and any vampire costume, from the classic Dracula look to the tousled and sparkly Edward, continues to be hot. Vary the theme and try a goth or a steampunk vampire for cross-trend costuming.

SESAME STREET: Seriously? Yep, seriously, there are girlish costumes out there based on Grover, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird from Sesame Street. Cute!

As always, costume shops are ready to supply you with the hottest costumes of the season, but many of these trendy costumes are in the do-it-yourself range, too. No matter what your budget, there's a trendy costume just right for you.

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