Yesterday, we were speaking about comic book hero fancy dress ideas and 1960s TV, so today we thought we would draw your attention to some of our most popular requests for costumes, namely those of the 20th century decades. Now you might think that the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s would be the costumes most people might want, but you might be surprised to learn that at certain times of the year, other decades feature heavily. For example, last month with the commemoration of the Sinking of the Titanic on April 15th, the requests for Edwardian and 20th century Georgian outfits were quite prolific.
Similarly, this month we have the anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) day on 8th May, which of course took place in 1945. With many 1940s events scheduled around the country, demand is set to be quite high, particularly for uniforms of the period. Here at Props & Frocks we not only have some great costumes, but we also provide lots of back-up material, not only in these blogs, but also in the form of newsletters, costume and party ideas. So, if you want additional information on any twentieth century decades, particularly if you are holding a decades party, why not get in touch?
The Merchant of Venice – Venetian costumes, or what about a 1lb of flesh (take a 1lb of lard in a carrier bag!)
Othello – Venetian costumes
A Midsummer’s Night Dream – Fairy and Mythical costumes
Romeo & Juliet – Medieval / Tudor Costumes. Also why not wear 50′s costumes for the more modern version of West Side Story?
Executioner – Measure For Measure
Romans – Titus Adronicus, Julius Caesar, Antony & Cleopatra
Knight Costumes – Twelfth Night
Henry VIII and his wives – Henry VIII – Tudor Costumes
Joan of Arc – Henry VI, part 1
Fool (Jester) appears in various plays
Titus Abdronicus – Roman costumes, Queen of The Goths (wear gothic costume with a crown
Twelfth Night – for an ‘out of the box’ costume idea, why not wear black with moons and the no. 12 on it?
April 23rd and it is St George’s Day, Patron Saint of England. The coming few months should see his services (and costume) much in demand, as we enter the twin sporting cauldrons of the Euro 2012 Football and the Olympics (okay, in the latter case, it’s team GB, and the red George Cross element does seem to be missing from the flag motif on the official GB kit, but hopefully that is not a bad omen). Meanwhile today is also said to be the anniversary of the birth and death of William Shakespeare, although in fact no-one is exactly sure of his true birth date, due to lack of church records. Similarly whereas it seems a nice coincidence that he apparently died on St George’s Day, the change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in the eighteenth century, where this country ‘jumped’ eleven days to put its dates in synch with the Continent, rather undermines that idea.
Reggae music will help set the laid back atmosphere and complete the theming with the following food:
Jerk Chicken
Beef Patties
Chicken Curry
And wash it all down with a Jamaican rum punch!
As you no doubt know, here at Props & Frocks we like to keep an eye on what’s going on in the world outside and we are delighted to see that the film documentary on Bob Marley’s life, yesterday hit the UK cinemas (well some of them anyway). This legendary reggae singer, who tragically died of cancer, aged just 36, in May 1984, has been a steady favourite when it comes to costumes (and/or wigs) over many years. Although the Bob Marley look has been wanted for all different types of events, the most popular requests by far are 1970s, Dead Icons or Pop Stars.
Although we featured Music Icons as our costume theme a few days ago, today we thought we’d concentrate on Musicals as this gives such a wide range of costume ideas…
This theme can also give you a wide range of costumes that are suitable for a group of friends, or family to attend.
Musical Costume Ideas:
Carousel
Bombay Dreams – Bollywood extravaganza
The Lion King
Mama Mia – Abba costumes
The Phantom Of The Opera
We Will Rock You – Freddy Mercury Costume
Wicked
Beauty & the Beast
Sweeney Todd
Dreamboats & Petticoats – wear your 50s/60s costumes with pride
It was on this day in 1945 that the musical Carousel first opened in New York. Even if you are not familiar with the show (which is not as well known as, say, The Sound of Music), the title gives a bit of a clue that it might be based around a fairground. That said, there is one element of Carousel that makes it special to many, even if they are unaware of its origins – the song ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, now adopted as a football anthem. From the 8th June-1st July it will be the turn of Euro 2012 to be dominating the sporting headlines (with a side order of the 70 day continuing tour of the Olympic flame which starts 19th May and finishes at the Olympic Stadium on 27th July)).
Here at Props & Frocks you know we do costumes, but do you also know we have a fantastic selection of red, white and blue merchandise? Whether you are looking for wigs, flags, accessories or even full costumes for any 2012 sporting event or perhaps going all patriotic next Monday for St George’s Day, check out our fantastic selection of products.
Musical Icons is today’s fancy dress theme. This costume theme does give a broad range of costumes, you could even look at West End shows to get your costume inspiration from.
Madness – wear black suits, Pork Pie hats and dark glasses (don’t forget the white socks!)
A day of mixed musical styles today, as we celebrate the anniversaries of three musicians, each leaders in their field. Henry Mancini (born 1924) was a renowned composer and conductor, probably best known for his ‘easy listening’ music and film themes such as ‘The Pink Panther’ and the award winning ‘Moonriver’ from ‘Breakfast at Tiffanys’. The singer Bobby Vinton (born 1936) was a master of the romantic song in the 1960s and on into the 1970s. ‘Roses Are Red’ and ‘Sealed With a Kiss’ were major hits for him and David Lynch is said to have named his film ‘Blue Velvet’ after Vinton’s song of the same name. Possibly our most famous star of the day, though, is Dusty Springfield (born in 1939 as Mary O’Brien). Her work as a respected singer and solo artist who helped develop ‘white soul’ music in this country influenced many singers, most recently Adele. She was also amongst the first to adopt a trademark ‘look’ – heavy eye-make-up and beehive hairdo – which, of course, was echoed in the persona adopted by the late lamented Amy Winehouse. Definitely a day to celebrate musical icons.
Today’s costume theme gives lots of choices for your guests. Whether they decide to wear ‘normal’ clothing but in contrasting colours, or they go the ‘whole hog’ and dress up in a multi coloured costume is really up to them.
It’s a great theme for party decorations as you can use all odds and ends to create a vision of colour in your function room
Clowns make a great costume choice as do 80s outfits with all it’s neon colours, but really any costume will suffice, as long as it is multi coloured.
Last week we mentioned the start of the new financial tax year, tax being one way of earning the State extra income. Some taxes are compulsory and apply to all (eg VAT), others are voluntary – you don’t have to drink and smoke but there’s tax if you choose to do so. Although there are some tax aspects to clothing (such as no VAT on children’s wear), there was a time when there were actually laws as to what you could wear: Clothing defined status and it was important that no-one dressed ‘above their station’ so ‘sumptuary laws’ of medieval and Tudor times defined the rules and imposed fines and punishments (such as a period in the stocks) if you got it wrong. Some of the measures were designed to help protect against foreign imports, but mostly they were there to keep people in their place and earn the State money. Now there’s an idea which could prevent a few frocky horror crimes against fashion nowadays!
Today, we take a look at Victorian costumes. At one time, Victorian costumes were only requested in the lead up to Christmas, or to celebrate a Charles Dickens anniversary, but nowadays, with schools including the Victorian era as part of the school curriculum, Victorian is one of our fastest growing markets.
Ladies Victorian Costumes
Ladies fashion changed considerably during the Victorian era. After 1830 the fashion changed and the waistline dropped to its natural position. Corsets were worn again to emphasise a small waist and to support the bust. Skirts became fuller but also shorter, stopping at ankle length. Ladies wore elaborate boots and the shorter skirt length showed these off very nicely. Necklines were wide and the shoulders were sloped. A single hoop was worn and with the help of numerous petticoats, gave the skirts its full look.
Ladies would have worn many undergarments to get the desired look of the day. A typical lady would have worn long bloomers, a chemise, a starched petticoat, a crinoline (see next paragraph), a flounced petticoat, a muslin petticoat and finally the gown itself.
Crinolines were introduced around 1840. Initially they were two petticoats with a layer of horsehair sandwiched between to get the desired stiffness. By 1850, the crinoline cage became available. Made from steel or bamboo hoops, it made sitting down very difficult.
Issac Singer patented the mechanical sewing machine in 1851 making it possible for people on a lower income to create copies of their favourite styles.
By 1862 the crinoline had been flattened out at the front, first by only having half a cage (to the rear) and then becoming the bustle, a pad or small cage positioned to emphasis the bottom of the lady. Skirts became more elaborate and were drawn up at the back to reveal the petticoats underneath.
By the end of the century bustles had been replace by a padded roll.
No woman would go out in the summer without a parasol or to a function without a fan. Gloves were worn throughout the century.
Ladies Victorian fancy dress costumes are available to purchase, normally for a wealthier look. We also stock short gloves and parasols to help you to complete your Victorian outfit.
Ladies Victorian fancy dress suggestions:
Queen Victoria
Florence Nightingale
Anne, Emily & Charlotte Bronte
Scarlett O’Hara
Girls Victorian Costumes
Girls are required to dress up as a Victorian for school dress up days.
There are quite a few choices of girls Victorian costume that we stock, from the wealthier looking ‘Scarlett O’Hara’ costume to the poorer looking dress with pinny and mop cap. From our professional experience, most children tend to go in the poorer style of costume as this is more practical for a day at school, or out visiting a local museum etc.
We also now stock pinny and mop caps which are sold as a costume kit. This will help to reduce the cost and will create the Victorian look over a dark skirt and top.
Male Victorian Costumes
By mid century menswear had settled into what would be acceptable wear for the next century, namely a jacket, trousers, shirt and waistcoat. The colours were normally sombre and the fabric rich (if they could afford it!). Loosely knotted and bow ties were replacing the cravat. The tailcoat jacket was used for evening wear. In the earlier part of the century men would wear Top Hats (Stovepipe Top Hat) these begun to be replaced by bowler hats by mid 1800s. Straw boaters and panama hats were used in the summer and softer hats were in fashion for informal occasions.
Men wore their hair longer than in the early part of the century with a centre parting. After 1850 a moustache and large sideburns (muttonchops) became popular.
A well dressed man would wear short, lace up boots during the day and carry a walking stick. For the evening he would wear patent leather shoes and gloves.
Mens Victorian fancy dress suggestions:
Charles Dickens
Prince Albert
Alexander Graham Bell
Isabard Kingdom Brunell
Lewis Carroll
Charles Darwin
Thomas Edison
William Gladstone
WG Grace
David Livingstone
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Peel
Rhett Butler
Jack The Ripper
Boys Victorian Costumes
Boys are required to dress up as a Victorian for school dress up days.
From our professional experience, most children tend to go in the poorer style of costume as this is more practical for a day at school, or out visiting a local museum etc. The boys Victorian costume includes a shirt, waistcoat, shorts, scarf and cap. A waistcoat and cap version is also available to purchase to help you make up your own costume at home.
The Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born today in 1806. His most famous portrait has him in a resolute pose against a background of large industrial chains, and this symbolises the scale of his vision and numerous projects. Possibly best known for the Great Western Railway, he also built giant steel ships, bridged wide chasms (notably the Avon gorge at Bristol) and dug tunnels, including a couple under Thames. He typifies the Victorian spirit of innovation and enterprise and whilst ‘normal’ Victorian wear continues to be in regular demand here at Props & Frocks, we are also aware of the developing trend of ‘Steampunk’ styles. Here Victorian/Edwardian fashion mixes with the Sci-Fi visions of Jules Verne and HG Wells to create a ‘retro-futuristic’ look (most recently seen in the Oscar-winning ‘Hugo’ film but also ‘channelled in everything from Van Helsing to The Wild Wild West) with certain defining costume elements such as corsets and petticoats for women, waistcoats and tail-suits for men and, most symbolic of all, goggles!
draw your attention to some of our most popular requests for costumes, namely those of the 20th century decades. Now you might think that the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s would be the costumes most people might want, but you might be surprised to learn that at certain times of the year, other decades feature heavily. For example, last month with the commemoration of the Sinking of the Titanic on April 15th, the requests for Edwardian and 20th century Georgian outfits were quite prolific.
