It is two days before the pumpkins are carved and candy is given away. And based on what customers are buying at the costume store this year, Halloween is bringing sexy back.

Lineups to get into these costume stores grow increasingly longer as the days get closer to Oct. 31. There are a variety of costumes to choose from – everything from superheroes to movie stars. What is hot this year when it comes to playing dress-up? It seems that anything revealing is the adult choice.

The various costume stores in Toronto say that the risque and voluptuous clothing are selling the most. In particular, the most popular is the provocative and domineering police outfit.

“We usually have four to five different styles of cops,�? said Shawn Hamilton, manager of Amazing Party Store. “One of the most popular is called ‘Miss Demeanor.’�?

As for the reason behind the desire to dress up as law enforcement, Brian Yu of Laughing Stuff says people – especially women – want to role-play in an authoritative role during Halloween. Katherine Poole of Arizona Tan says cops and civil service-related outfits such as the nurse have been popular with the store as well.

Jon Walmsley of Seduction Boutique says the increased tolerance for naughty clothing is also why sales have gone up.

“A lot of people have been buying fetish gear,�? Walmsley said. “The BDSM is becoming more accepted in society.�?

Besides the sexy outfits, the events of this year have also influenced costume choices. While the pandemic of the H1N1 virus has parents concerned about their children trick-or-treating, others are parodying the outbreak by comically wearing pig masks. They have been selling well, Yu said.

The death of musician Michael Jackson has costume stores swamped with requests for attire similar to what the King of Pop wore.

“A lot of people have been asking for M.J. gloves,�? said Melissa Lopez of It’s My Party.

“People have taken liberties and all sorts of things with his costume,�? Hamilton said.

Despite the recession that’s affected Canada and encouraging customers to save, there is nothing stopping Torontonians from spending money to celebrate Halloween. Sales are identical from last year and if anything, recession has had a reverse effect, said Walmsley, commenting on how the economy is not affecting Halloween costume sales.

“Halloween itself is getting bigger,�? said Yu. “Competition is a factor too,�? he added, noting that Laughing Stuff has been around for 17 years and only the costume stores nearby are lowering the sales.

Department stores such as Zellers have been unaffected by the recession. Greg Clutton, assistant manager of Zellers at East York Town Centre, said children’s costumes are what’s hot athis store, as well as cop and nurse outfits.

“We sell a bunch of kids’ costumes, the stuff that’s little,�? Clutton said. “We’ll get a lot of customers in the last two days.�?