Halloween tights 2026: which pair for the costumes everyone wants this year

KPop Demon Hunters, Toy Story, horror and Y2K lead Spirit Halloween's 2026 trend report. Which tights each costume needs: stripes, cobwebs, fishnets, rips and solid colour.

Published on 16 October 20268 min read

Illustration: at night, legs in mismatched black and white striped tights, one leg with vertical stripes and the other horizontal, with black pumps under a black witch's dress, next to a cobweb, a spider and a pumpkin, with a photo of Snag's Betelwitch striped tights

A woman seen from behind on a wooden footbridge among autumn reeds, in a witch's hat, black tutu dress and black opaque tights with a silver glitter cobweb running up the back of each leg, holding a lantern — Photo: Snag, Weaver tights, product page

The short answer: pick the tights by the costume, not the other way round. Black and white stripes for witches and Beetlejuice, a cobweb or a fishnet for horror, ripped tights for zombies, solid colour for cartoon and pop characters, a sheer nude under anything short and Greek. Below, the costumes Spirit Halloween expects to lead 2026 and the pair that goes with each.

What people are dressing up as in 2026

Spirit Halloween, the American chain of seasonal costume stores, published its annual trend report on 1 October. According to Scripps News, it points to costumes from Toy Story, KPop Demon Hunters, Spider-Man, the Backrooms and Fortnite, alongside staples such as mythological monsters, slasher villains, and knights and dragons. "People often ask how we predict Halloween trends. The reality is we're watching them develop all year long," said Kym Sarkos, the company's executive vice president. Scripps also reports about 1,500 pop-up stores across North America and more than 52,000 seasonal hires.

The Haunted Attraction Network lists the report's 11 trends one by one: Off Campus, the Prime Video hockey romance, with varsity jackets, Toy Story, KPop Demon Hunters (Rumi, Mira, Zoey and Saja Boy), Spider-Man and the Power Rangers, the "Certified 'IT Girl'" with Y2K glam and the Powerpuff Girls, Greek mythology, fantasy with Fourth Wing, "Hardcore Horror" with Pennywise, Saw and the yellow Backrooms hazmat suit, video games, inflatables, and cosy horror sweatshirts. Google searches tell a slightly different story: according to Time Out, Google's Frightgeist list is led by Buddy the Unicorn, NeeDoh and Nikki from Obsession.

None of this mentions tights. But almost every one of these costumes has a short skirt, shorts or bare legs, and that is where the right pair makes the difference.

Witches and Beetlejuice: black and white stripes

Witches don't appear in Spirit's 2026 list, but they don't need to: they are the costume that never leaves. The stripes are their uniform. Snag, the British tights brand, has a classic 80 denier black and white striped pair, Witch, and for 2026 a version with a twist: Betelwitch, with one leg in the vertical stripes of its Betelgeuse tights and the other in the horizontal stripes of Witch. They cost £14.99 on Snag's UK site.

A woman with black and red hair, a black hat and a black lace dress sitting on a red velvet throw in the grass, in tights with one leg in vertical and the other in horizontal black and white stripes, with black lace-up boots, next to white pumpkins and orange flowers

Mismatched stripes: vertical on one leg, horizontal on the other. Photo: Snag, Betelwitch tights in Snowball.

For a softer witch, or a Wednesday-style look, Swedish Stockings makes Siri, semi-sheer ivory tights with vertical stripes in 30/50 denier. With stripes, keep the rest plain: a black dress and black boots or pumps.

Cobwebs: the spooky detail you see from behind

If you want something more grown-up than stripes, put the Halloween motif on the back of the leg. Snag's Weaver tights are 80 denier opaque black with a delicate silver glitter cobweb running up the back of each leg (£14.99). It's the trick of the photo at the top: from the front, black tights; from behind, a witch. They work with a witch's hat, a black widow or a spider costume, and after Halloween they are still just black tights with a detail.

Snag launched its Halloween collection on 28 August with "7 brand-new pairs of Halloween tights", in its own words. Here is how a creator styled them for the brand:

Horror and slashers: fishnets

According to the Haunted Attraction Network, Spirit describes its horror trend as "viral internet horrors, blood-curdling new-school cinema, and relentless slashers". For a horror, punk or vampire costume, fishnets are the natural choice. This year Snag has In Pieces, black fishnet tights that look like a patchwork of different laces, with floral lace, pinstripes, polka dots and diamonds pieced together asymmetrically. For something more discreet, Swedish Stockings' Vera has a classic micro-net in recycled yarn, and Calzedonia's Micronet a fine mesh that is sheer to the waist.

Legs in black fishnet tights with a patchwork of different patterns, polka dots, diamonds and geometric lace, with black lace-up boots, on a white fur rug scattered with orange and black sprinkles

A patchwork of laces in one pair. Photo: Snag, In Pieces Halloween fishnet tights.

The night of 31 October is cold in much of Europe and North America: under a wide mesh, wear sheer tights in your skin tone or in black. It's the trick from our guide to fishnet tights, and at Halloween it is also a matter of comfort.

Zombies and survivors: ripped tights

A zombie, a slasher victim, a Backrooms survivor: here the tights have to look destroyed. There are two ways. The first is a pair made to look torn: Snag's Torn tights create the illusion of ripped 80 denier layered over sheer hosiery, and unlike real rips they don't keep unravelling through the night (£22.99).

Legs in black torn-effect tights under a short black pleated skirt with a belt, with chunky black lace-up boots, on a pavement with yellow lines

The ripped look, built into the tights. Photo: Snag, Torn mixed denier tights.

The second is to ladder an old pair on purpose. The runs will keep going all evening unless you stop them: a drop of clear nail polish at the end of each ladder holds them, at least for a night, as we explain in how to stop tights laddering.

KPop Demon Hunters, Powerpuff Girls and pop characters: solid colour

KPop Demon Hunters is one of the three franchises Spirit expects to lead the season. Its costumes, in Spirit's own photos, have white shorts and skirts, sequinned jackets and knee-high boots, and each character has a colour: Rumi's purple braid, Mira's pink hair.

For a cartoon or pop costume, opaque coloured tights are the quickest way to make the look read from a distance, the same idea behind the fun tights comeback. Calzedonia's Soft Comfort 50 denier opaques ($17 in the US) come in Purple and Fuchsia for Rumi and Mira, Red Lacquer for Spider-Man and the red Power Ranger, and Blu Royal, Forest Green and Fuchsia again for the three Powerpuff Girls, Bubbles, Buttercup and Blossom, from the Y2K "It girl" trend. White works under Rumi's white shorts if you want the legs to disappear into the costume.

Three pairs of legs in Calzedonia opaque tights: red with black strappy sandals, purple with black chunky ankle boots, fuchsia with black pointed pumps

Red Lacquer, Purple and Fuchsia. Photo: Calzedonia, Opaque Matte Soft Comfort 50 Denier Tights.

At 50 denier the colour is full and solid. For more on weights, see our denier guide.

Greek gods, Toy Story and the rest

Greek mythology (Zeus, Athena, Apollo in Spirit's list): short tunics and sandals. A sheer nude tight keeps you warm without changing the look; if you wear sandals, choose one with an invisible toe.
Toy Story: Jessie's chaps and Woody's jeans cover the legs; for a short dress version, plain colour tights in the character's tones.
Off Campus and varsity: a short skirt with a varsity jacket goes well with sheer black or opaque tights.
Children: a 50 to 80 denier opaque under a costume with shorts is warmth that nobody notices.

Five practical tips

Buy your tights with the costume, not on the night: colours and sizes sell out.
Bring a spare pair in your bag, especially sheers and fishnets.
Match the shoes: black boots or pumps go with stripes, cobwebs and fishnets; with coloured tights, black shoes or the same colour.
One statement at a time: if the tights are patterned, keep the dress plain.
Think about the cold: a costume is worn for hours, often outdoors; denier is warmth.

The photos

The photo at the top and those of the Betelwitch, In Pieces and Torn tights come from Snag's product pages. The coloured opaques are from Calzedonia's product page for Opaque Matte Soft Comfort 50 Denier Tights. The two embedded posts are from Spirit Halloween's and Snag's official Instagram accounts. The circle on the cover shows Snag's Betelwitch tights.

Frequently asked questions

What tights go with a witch costume?

Black and white striped tights are the classic; for something less expected, black opaque tights with a cobweb on the back, like Snag's Weaver, or a mismatched pair with one vertically and one horizontally striped leg.

What tights should I wear with a KPop Demon Hunters costume?

The costumes have short skirts or shorts and knee-high boots. Sheer black or nude tights keep the look as it is; opaque tights in purple or fuchsia pick up Rumi's and Mira's hair colours.

How do you get ripped tights for a zombie costume?

Either buy a pair made to look torn, like Snag's Torn tights, which layer a ripped-effect 80 denier over a sheer base and do not keep unravelling, or ladder an old pair on purpose and stop the runs where you want them with clear nail polish.

Are fishnets warm enough for Halloween night?

Not on their own. Wear a sheer or flesh-tone tight underneath, or choose a fine micro-net: you keep the pattern and lose less heat.