Fancy Dress Hats

Posted on July 17, 2012 by admin

Props & Frocks stock a huge range of fancy dress hats to either complete your fancy dress outfit or to follow a theme that has been set. Sometimes the theme may just be ‘hats’ and this gives the chance to wear a ‘normal’ hat that you may own already, or one of our fabulous fancy dress hats.

Our hats come in all themes, and are really good value for money. If you are thinking of hosting your own ‘hat’ party, it is always worth purchasing a few spares just in case some of your guests ‘forget’ that it was themed!

Rather than purchasing an entire fancy dress outfit, just be purchasing a specific hat and possibly one or two other fancy dress accessories you can put your own costume together at home very cost effectively.

Most hats are only available in 1 size. Hats can be made smaller by adding some draught excluder, or tissue to the inside rim.

So do you find fascinators fascinating? (At this point we lose a proportion of readers who haven’t the faintest idea what we’re talking about although we did briefly mention them yesterday). Depending upon your point of view, a fascinator is either an anorexic hat which, in the wrong hands, can sometimes make it look like a bird has crash-landed on your head, or a tarted-up headband with attitude. Whatever your viewpoint, fascinators are useful as they can work with your hairstyle without disturbing it, and they are normally cheaper than a fully-fledged hat. There is also a half-way point between hat and fascinator, such as the mini-top hats as seen in union-jack colours during the Jubilee, or the saucy styles used with some burlesque/saloon girl outfits.

Originally the fascinator look was most commonly seen during the Nineteen-Forties/Fifties when millinery materials were in short supply and one ‘made do’. However the style is again proving popular, especially at weddings possibly because of the austerity thing, but also because style-icon Duchess Catherine/Kate of Cambridge favours them. (Is there anything she does not look good in?). We are just counting the days until she is invited to a costume/fancy dress party so we can sell out of whatever she chooses to wear.

Fancy Dress Hats

Posted on April 13, 2012 by admin

Props & Frocks stocks a huge range of fancy dress hats and it makes an easy fancy dress theme for your next party. Most of the costume hats are relatively cheap, so even in these restricted economic times everyone should be able to participate. One piece of advice we would give, is to always make sure you have a few spare hats, for those guests who ‘forgot’ it was a theme!

Most hats are made for a standard adult sized head. Need to make the hat smaller? Add a little draught excluder to the inside rim until you get the required fit.

Costume hats tend to come in the following materials (although some hats will be mix of two):

Fabric (such as the Australian hat seen in the image)
Velour – this is normally robust and a little thicker in appearance
Felt – this gives a good finish but will be ruined if it gets wet
Satin – this is a felt hat covered with a satin look
Plastic – this is our cheapest type of hat, ideal for kids
Flock, this is similar to plastic but has a coating on the outside to make it look more realistic
Rubber – very durable, ideal for children
Straw – generally cheap and are ideal for Caribbean hats
PVC – used for some caps
Wool Felt – top quality hat, hire quality

So it’s Friday 13^th, but hopefully that’s not a problem and to end the working week (for some) we’ll continue with the topic we started yesterday – clothing control. Last time we spoke of laws designed to tell you what not to wear, but there was a flipside to the rules which actually made it obligatory to wear certain items and not necessarily the obvious stuff. For example, when cap manufacturers were suffering a bit of a downturn in demand, there was a Statute of 1571 which required everyone to wear caps instead of hats. To add to the fun, in a period of history much affected by religious division, certain groups, notably Puritans, objected to this law and were therefore fined for flouting the rules.

In these more liberal days, there are rarely occasions upon which anyone is forced to wear anything (except, perhaps uniforms). Nonetheless, although obtaining a Props & Frocks costume for hire or sale does require some financial outlay, we like to think that the quality of our costumes plus the added value of personal service makes the cost well worthwhile.

‘Get a Hat, Get a Head’ Fancy Dress Theme 1st

Posted on November 6, 2010 by admin

Today’s fancy dress theme is interesting! Not everybody likes dressing up in costumes – yeah I know, each to their own! All of us at Props n Frocks

Glitter Bowler Costume Hats

likes to make sure everyone can join in and feel comfortable at a themed party, so why not try out today’s suggested theme?

So how did we come up with today’s party theme? Well, earlier this week on November 3^rd was the National Day of Panama, so naturally we thought that this was a good time to have a canal-based event. Only joking! Of course the main thing to come out of Panama (apart from the water from the aforementioned Canal) is the eponymous hat, much loved by cricket enthusiasts and others, so how about a ‘Get a Hat, Get a Head’ headwear event?

We have a great selection of over 100 different styles of fancy dress hats for you to choose from, including serious ones such as Blues Brothers, Bowlers, Top Hats in black, gold lurex or sequin or what about a gangster Trilby available in a range of different colours. Alternatively, you might want to look at the various professions such as Traffic Warden, Chef, Cowboy, Nurse, Pilot or Teacher. Then of course there are the novelty fancy dress hats, such as the Birthday Cake or what about a Santa Hat (it may only be November but you can always start early for Christmas). There are some who might want a Tricorne, Musketeer or Pirate hat or you could always take a trip to a different country with our fabulous selection of hats from around the world.

If you decide to choose ‘hats’ as a theme for your next party, why not keep a few cheap hats by the door for those guests who think they can sneak in without the appropriate headwear? A themed party always works best when the majority of guests join in the spirit of the thing, so you are doing everyone a favour by having a few spare.

Hats are made from different materials, and although the images may look similar, the material the hats are made from will make a difference to the price paid. Plastic is the cheapest material for a hat to be made in with wooll felt the most expensive. Please do not hesitate to call one of our customer service team at Props n Frocks who will be happy to advise you.