Fancy Dress Costumes
Fancy Dress Costumes
If you're going to a costume party – or a fancy dress party, if you prefer – you're going to need a costume. Fancy dress costumes don't have to be elaborate or expensive, but the better the costumes are, the more fun everyone will have, as a rule.There's a lot to choose from these days. In addition to the old standbys of nurse costumes, gorilla suits, french maid costumes and old school pirate costumes, there are a plethora of superhero costumes, Hollywood costumes (where you dress up like a movie character) and of course, the newer kind of pirate costume (the ones that look like a certain Johnny Depp character).
Choosing a costume can and should be a lot of fun to do. Whether you're looking at costumes online or in a fancy dress shop, whether you plan to hire a costume or buy one, picking one out can be as much fun as the actual party.
The nature of the party you're attending will go a long way towards determining the kind of party costume you'll want. While many fancy dress parties are non-specific, simply asking you to wear whatever you want, others are themed in one way or another. Halloween parties, for example, usually require a scary costume of some sort, while bad taste parties often seek to recreate the worst fashions of years gone by – 70s costumes are great for those.
A costume party can also be a great opportunity to play with a little cross-dressing fun. There's something special about a dude in a bridal costume, for example (and guys, wearing a dress might make you look a little less macho, but it also tends to garner favourable attention from the female of the species. Especially if you include the high heels).
But the biggest decision you need to make is whether to buy a costume or hire a costume. There are advantages and disadvantages to both options.
If you buy a costume, you have a warranty and a shiny new costume that no one else has ever worn before. On the other hand, unless you plan to wear it a lot, you may decide that the cost is too great. This might not be that big a problem for a fun sexy costume though – you and your partner might get more use from it privately than at parties. And there are cheap costumes to buy if you're prepared to hunt for them. Finally, if you happen to be a cosplayer, well, owning your own costume is always much better than hiring one.
Hiring a costume is cheaper (at least, it is if you don't blow your security deposit), but the costume will be older. It may be faded or worn, and depending on how well it's been cleaned, well... enough said. But you won't be stuck with the one costume forever and ever, either, which means you won't always be wearing the same costume to each new fancy dress party.
Of course, it isn't always necessary to go the whole hog with costumes. You'd be amazed at how effective a well-chosen costume wig, combined with glasses or a mask, can be. You can wear clothes you already own and save a lot of money. Most people, when doing this, will either where the mask with formal wear, or mix and match their existing clothes to create truly horrific clashes of colour and style. Both of these are fun, but you might also consider swapping clothes with your partner, or borrowing the uniform of a friend who works in an appropriate field. (If borrowing the uniform of a cop, be very, VERY careful in your interactions with any real police you happen to encounter.)
