Fancy Dress Ideas – Costumes and Themes

2009-03-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

Do you need a little help thinking of some fancy dress ideas? Perhaps you’ve been invited to a fancy dress party and you need to think of a costume or perhaps you’d like to host a party and need to think of a theme. Well this can be simple and fun with the help of a few tips, and creating a costume can be easy and affordable if you know how.

• Think of a Theme

This could be a favourite movie, television series, children’s book, cartoon, toy, fairy tale, historical era or anything that you really like. Once you’ve thought of a theme think about the possible characters within that theme.

To start with think about whether there are many different characters within a theme to make it varied? Then think about whether the costumes within the theme are easy to re-create? Will everybody know something about the theme?

If you choose a popular theme there will be lots more costumes and accessories available for people to choose from and the easier it is to dress up the more likely it is that people will make an effort with their costumes.

• Make it Affordable

Not many people want to go and spend lots of money on a fancy dress costume, as the chances are it will only get worn once, so it’s important to choose a theme that is easy to make affordable costumes for.

To make an affordable costume you don’t necessarily have to buy one, you can create your own using your own clothes, borrow certain items or have a look around the charity shops.

Alternatively have a look online for second hand costumes, or if you prefer to wear something new look for budget costumes, as there are some fantastic ones out there that don’t cost too much and are ready to wear.

• Make it Comfortable

The last thing you want to be at a party is uncomfortable so try your costume on beforehand and make sure it’s comfortable. Dance around at home as if you’re on the dance floor to check out the movement available.

If your costume includes a mask, a head piece or is slightly awkward, check whether you need to take it off to eat and drink.

Think about the venue you’re going to, where it’s situated, how you’ll get there and how warm it will be when you get there. Obviously temperature will also depend on the time of year so it’s important to think about the season before you plan your costume appropriately.

• Make it Fun

A fancy dress party should be fun so you might as well make the run up to it fun as well. If you’re going with a partner you could coordinate to wear matching costumes or if you’re going with a group of friends get together before hand and plan your costumes together.

If you don’t know anything about the theme of the party watch a movie about it as research or have a wander around a book shop and get some ideas from books or magazines.

If you enjoy being creative make your own costume and try it on home before the party to make sure you have all the right accessories. It’s always good fun to get ready with friends or family before the party so you can all travel together in your costumes.

• Accessorise, Accessorise, Accessorise

Accessories are probably the most important part of any fancy dress costume. They can help to make an affordable costume amazing and they can make you feel really in character.

You can add accessories to just about any costume and if you choose the right ones they can help you to stand out from the crowd and amazing.

Accessories really look like you’ve made an effort and paid attention to the detail of your character. You can buy pretty much any accessory online so you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own home to create a stunning costume.

If you use all these tips you should have no trouble at all coming up with fancy dress ideas and creating a fantastic costume but if you’d like some more fancy dress ideas visit www.topfancydressideas.co.uk - you’ll find ideas for all sorts of themes, from pirates to fairies, films stars to superheroes and lots more.

Buy costumes and accessories here