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Say what you want about Tom Cruise, but the man makes great movies. Top Gun from 1986 is one of the best action films ever made and its follow-up Top Gun Maverick (2022) challenges the notion that sequels can never be as good as the original (it was amazing). Sorting a Top Gun costume for Halloween is pretty straightforward—and when in doubt, just chuck on a pair of Aviator sunglasses and people will get the idea.
Top Gun Maverick was finally released in 2022 after being delayed significantly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was supposed to hit cinemas in November 2021 but due to surges in the virus cases, Paramount Pictures postponed its release because the production company—and its star, Tom Cruise—believed firmly that this movie should be experienced in cinemas. When asked if the movie should, like so many other delayed releases, be sent to streaming services first, Cruise responded: “That’s not going to happen. Ever,” per Variety. “I’ve spent a lot of time with theater owners. The people that serve the popcorn, the ones who make this [happen]… I make movies for the big screen.” Part of the reason was that Maverick had been shot in IMAX format with six cameras affixed to the fighter jets. Yes, those fighter jets are actually flying and those actors are experiencing real G-forces within them. Top Gun Maverick finally hit theater screens in May 2022 with overwhelmingly positive reviews. “The action sequences are tense and exuberant, reminders that flight has been one of the great thrills of cinema almost from the beginning,” A. O. Scott wrote in his review for the New York Times. “
Sure, the flight suit is the easy choice and there are plenty to choose from, but if you want people to believe you’re the Top Gun superfan that you are (honestly, how could you not?), there are other references to pull from this duo of adrenaline-fueled, glorified navy advertisements. Some items are easily obtained and you might even have them in your closet already, things like straight-leg blue jeans, combat boots and Hawaiian shirts are all part of the iconic 80s aesthetic. Now, all you have to ask yourself is: Are you a Maverick or a Goose? Are you Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the new generation of stalwart aviators? Or are you Val Kilmer, aka Iceman? If you ask us, he’s the true hero of the story in standing up to Mav’s reckless antics. The choice is yours in this round-up of Top Gun costumes for Halloween.
The Rubie’s Store
It doesn’t get much more iconic than this—the flight suit donned by navy pilots in both films. It’s also the ultimate one-and-done outfit, as it’s a full-length body suit with multiple pockets. You’ll need a pair of black boots to complete the look and Aviator sunglasses are optional but highly encouraged. Yes, this is labeled as a men’s costume but of course, it’ll suit everyone.
Artistic Leather
Early in the first film, Maverick tries to pick up a woman in the recruit’s local bar. She turns out to be a TOPGUN instructor, Charlie Blackwood, who “doesn’t date students”, but he pursues her anyway. In the scene where Maverick rides his motorbike to her house, he’s wearing a leather bomber jacket with navy patches sewn onto it, as “Take My Breath Away” by Berlin plays over the top. It’s another iconic Top Gun scene. Charlie herself wears a pretty tough leather jacket, so you could easily turn these looks into the ultimate couple costume.
Miracle Trading
Skeleteen Store
You can’t go to a Halloween party dressed as someone from Top Gun without a pair of Aviator sunglasses. You just can’t. Just like they were after the release of the original movie in 1986, this is a highly influential piece of face wear and sales soared after the release of the Top Gun movie in 1986. Bloomberg reported that sales of the Ray-Ban RB3025 aviators
also went up significantly after Top Gun Maverick‘s release in 2022. You can pay more than $200 for the actual pair or take this budget option.
Alimens & Gentle Store
Nick “Goose” Bradshaw is Maverick’s right-hand man. Maverick’s reckless behavior gets Goose killed and Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), Goose’s son, enlists in navy flight school under the instruction of the man responsible for his dad’s death. Understandably, he’s a cautious flyer. Rooster’s costumes in this Top Gun sequel are a wonderful homage to the original film and his dad, Goose—think Hawaiian shirts, straight-leg jeans, and of course, an iconic moustache.
Free People
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