Prince & Princess Fancy Dress Theme

Posted on May 31, 2012 by admin

In the lead up to the Jubilee, many schools are having a Prince & Princess costume day.

This costume theme is always easier for the girls than the boys. We also stock a great range of crowns and royalty robes for an easy option. It may also be worth looking at our historical costumes for other princess costume ideas.

Here are some of our Prince & Princess costume ideas:

Prince Charming – our Renaissance Prince costume is great for this
The Frog Prince – wear a frog mask with a Georgian style costume
Princess Leia – we stock a good range of Star Wars Costumes
The Prince of Darkness – AKA Satan, look at our Devil costumes & accessories
Robin Hood – Prince of Thieves
Prince Caspian
Cinderella
Jasmine
Aladdin
The Beast
Rapunzel
Snow White
Aurora
Ariel
Jasmine
Belle
Pocahontas
Mulan
Tiana

Tomorrow sees the official launch of that ‘other’ eagerly awaited Snow White film, ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’. Many found the earlier rendition of Mirror Mirror, released in April 2012, a bit too sugary sweet for their liking, and the casting of Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen (despite some fascinating costume creations) a tad unbelievable. But isn’t that what fairy stories are all about?

This latest offering on the Snow White story has an altogether different feel to it, being very much darker and ‘dirtier’ and we will be interested to see how the two compare. Here at Props & Frocks, we are often called upon for characters from the classic fairy tales, with Snow White and Cinderella, being our two most popular ‘princess’ requests. This weekend, we have several children donning their princess outfits to join in the jubilee fun. The boys might not be so keen to be princes, but swords, capes and crowns are still proving popular. Pirates also seem to be moving fast. If you are planning to go to an event over the next few days and need any props or frocks, you know where to come.

Wear Whatever Suits – Fancy Dress Theme

Posted on May 30, 2012 by admin

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Our costume theme of ‘Made to Measure’ yesterday started us thinking about all the characters for whom a suit is important. Now, one might assume that, in the real world, most males have got their own suits, but increasingly we are finding this is no longer the case. There was a time when those going to an Eighties party, and wanting to recreate the Blues Brothers’ look, only needed the porkpie hat, skinny tie and dark glasses, but now we are finding black suits are also required. Some males (and females for that matter) are not happy about the concept of fancy dress and will often don an ‘outfit’ they are comfortable in, which reflects their personality. In two days time, on June 1^st, it will be the 75^th birthday of the well-known and respected actor Morgan Freeman, noted for his distinguished use of suits and uniforms in many of his films – he has made almost one hundred. Whilst there are only a few instances where a suit costume is central to the action of a film – ‘The Man in the White Suit’ is an obvious one, ‘Austin Powers’ and ‘The Men in Black’ perhaps less so, there is still something to be said for a well-fitted suit. Was it not the distinctively-styled rock-combo ZZ Top who said that ‘every girl’s crazy ‘bout a sharp dressed man’? Given that females in suits can also create an interesting look, today’s theme is ‘Wear Whatever Suits’.

Costumes that require a suit…

Gangsters – lot of gangster accessories for men and women
Austin Powers
James Bond – Tuxedo or military
Dr. No or Dr. Evil
Austin Powers
Santa Claus – we stock a great range of Father Christmas suits
Army
RAF
Naval
Air Hostess
Blues Brothers
The Andrews Sisters
Secretary
Power Suit – 80′s style big shoulder pads
The Mask
Politicians
Groom – why not look at our Zombie, or dead groom costumes?
70′s Disco suit

Weather Fancy Dress Theme

Posted on May 29, 2012 by admin

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As we head in to summertime, the weather over the last few months have proved to be anything but typical for the time of the year, and us Brits love nothing better than discussing our erratic weather, so why not have a ‘Weather’ Fancy dress party?

Here are some of our weather costume ideas…

Twister – yes, there is a Twister costume (the game though) on the market, here it is on the right
Sun burnt – using a blusher, or Snazaroo facepaint cover your face, but leave a sunglasses ‘white spot’. This could be taken further (if you want)!
Snowman costume – and you thought you wouldn’t see it again until next Christmas
Ski Wear
Umbrella with pictures of cats and dogs hanging down from it
As above, but with stair rods hanging down
Whoppee Cushion costume for ‘Windy’
Jack Frost – wear all white with snowflakes hanging down
Bathing costume
Indian Summer – wear an Indian costume and hold a fan to show heat
Halo – appears around the moon and the sun – wear an angel costume
Rainbow – wear a costume from the kids TV series
Dust Devil – wear a Devil costume holding a duster
Storm – Superhero character
Apollo – God of the sun – wear a Roman costume

Today in 1826, Ebenezer Butterick was born. The name may not be familiar to most people, but it is he who is credited with inventing tissue paper patterns. Although not as widely used as they once were, these are the basic means by which clothes (and therefore, obviously, costumes) can be made. If you have never had the pleasure of dealing with these pattern things, they are a bit like a jigsaw. It’s not so much a question of fitting pieces together at once, as getting the pieces to fit the materials you are working with to start with (having regard to matters such as the nap, weave and ‘hang’ of the fabric). Messing around with patterns nowadays may seem a bit pointless, particularly considering the mechanised manufacturing process for mass-produced clothing. Some clothes, and for that matter costumes, can be seemingly priced at less than the cost of the materials (let alone the labour), that is unless, of course, you are creating something out-of-the ordinary, for example such as you might find here at Props & Frocks. If you need thematic inspiration for the day, how about ‘Made To Measure’?

Bond Fancy Dress Theme

Posted on May 28, 2012 by admin

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It’s time to be shaken, not stirred by our Bond Costume theme.

Because it is the anniversary of Ian Fleming’s birth today, in 1908, we thought we would look at themes related to his work. Most obviously, of course, we have James Bond, a theme which regularly crops up as a seemingly glamorous option, until the guys find that tuxedos are not as easy to come by as they thought (but check out the tuxedo Morphsuit!), and the girls feel they would like to be something a little better than arm-candy in a cocktail dress. Here at Props & Frocks, we have solved this problem with a helpful information page within this site, which gives a range of Bond-related costume suggestions to suit almost all tastes. Of course there is a new Bond film, Skyfall, scheduled for the end of this year, but it would be fair to say that the recent films have offered fewer costuming opportunities, than their predecessors of the 1960s & 70s. On the other hand, Fleming’s more specialist fantasy work ‘Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang’ about a flying racing car offers some interesting characters, from the devious Child Catcher to the many guises of the heroine Truly Scrumptious.

Queen’s Jubilee Party Ideas

Posted on May 27, 2012 by admin

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Stock up on your Union Jack flags as next Sunday it’s the Big Jubilee Lunch and time to break out the festive bunting up and down the land, as neighbourhoods, streets and the general public join together, not only celebrating the Big Lunch (which is now in its fourth year) but also the 60 years of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. We were mentioning a few days ago about the longevity of some TV programmes, some of which were first seen in the decade when the Queen ascended the throne. The length of the Queen’s reign is certainly something to be celebrated, whether you are a royalist or a republican, so find out what’s going on in your area and get involved, after all isn’t this supposed to be what localism is all about?

Props & Frocks has a large union jack range of costumes, wigs, hats & party accessories including flags and bunting.

Eurovision Fancy Dress

Posted on May 26, 2012 by admin

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We have been contacted by many people who are having an Eurovision fancy dress party tonight, is it because this year’s entry has had quite a lot of air play that has got more of us behind it?

If you are local to our fancy dress shop in Battlesbridge, Essex pop in to get your union jack flags to join in the patriotic spirit, or if you want to dress up in a country costume, then pop in to have a look at our huge range of costumes & accessories.

Some of our accessory/ costume Eurovision ideas include:

French Berets
French Maids
Union Jack Top Hats
Irish Hats
German Hats, or plaited wigs
Abba costumes – Sweden
Finland – Father Christmas
Greece – Ancient Greek costume
Israel – Jesus costume
Italy – Gangster costumes
Russia – Cossack Costumes
Spain – Spanish Dancers / Matador
Turkey – Turkey costume

In the normal course of affairs we would be embarking on a bank holiday weekend today but this year we live in interesting and different times and instead we have Eurovision tonight and the BAFTA Television Awards tomorrow night. We have already spent a little time on Eurovision, so let’s take a look at the Awards. These are for the television programmes themselves, rather than honouring the ‘back-stage/behind screen people such as costumiers, make-up artists and sound & light wizards who have their own Technical Awards. Nonetheless, many were surprised when arguably the greatest costume drama of recent months, Downton Abbey, was overlooked in the nominations, but then some of the awards are based on the populist vote. Many people are happier watching ‘Adventures in Talent Spotting with Ant & Dec’ or the more recent ‘Anything You Can Sing, I Can Sing Different’ rather than immerse themselves in historical drama (unless it’s about midwives, in which case you risk losing half the viewers’ interest, and so that apparently doesn’t merit a nomination).

Towel Fancy Dress Theme

Posted on May 25, 2012 by admin

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Yes, you may look at today’s fancy dress theme as being a bit weird, & to be honest, we do agree, but thought it could be a laugh, so why not!

Basically think of when you would need a towel, or what you could use the towel for (in a costume)? Ideal if the weather is hot, & really suitable for groups who know each other well, not really the theme to meet your new boss!

Before you ‘throw in the towel’ on this fancy dress theme, read our costume suggestions below…

Boxers
Hitch Hiker Costumes – see text below…
Runners
Swimmers
The Beach
Togas
Towelling Robes
Wash Your Hair – a chance to wear a mad fancy dress wig underneath as you ‘reveal’ your new colour!
Bubbles from Little Britain

May 25^th and it is Towel Day for some. Today the world-wide fans of Douglas Adams, best known as creator of the ‘The Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’, carry towels around for reasons which are complex but well–known to Hitch-hiker aficionados. Up the road in Cambridge, for example, where Adams spent much of his student years, there are several celebratory events (details of these and other relevant celebrations can be found at towelday.org). Whilst the towel is undoubtedly a most useful item for intergalactic travellers and others, in the pantheon of costuming, it is a little too minimalist for most. Admittedly it can, at a stretch, be used as a James Bond ‘outfit’ – Sean Connery and his successors having spent many a scene wrapped in one – and towels and towelling robes arguably can have a place in a sporting theme context. For most people the main costuming purpose of a towel is as an accessory to beach and swimwear in anticipation of some hot weather and a good summer. In that respect we currently seem to be far from home and dry!