Vampires continue to be a popular fancy dress choice throughout the year, not just at Halloween.
Due to the numerous films, you now have the choice to go as a modern day vampire, which basically means you can wear your own ‘normal’ clothing with the addition of some vampire fangs. All you need to do is add a couple of red dots, on one side of the neck (as if you have been bitten), and a pale face can also be an option.
If you want to go down a more traditional Vampire outfit, look no further than Dracula, or a more gothic costume which are especially popular with ladies, which can look very sexy.
And, the most modern way of becoming a vampire is to wear a vampire Morphsuit!
Today we say happy birthday to Sarah Michelle Geller, born 1977. Her main claim to fame, before she went to the darkside and became involved in Scooby-Doo movies, was to be Buffy the vampire-slayer. Back then, in the late 1990s, ‘new school’ vampires were a bit of a novelty (and even the ‘ancients’ who turned up on the programme didn’t go in for all that melodramatic ‘swirly cape and East European accent’ nonsense) and Buffy and her companions saved the world from netherworld ne’rdowells many times, up until the series finished in 2007. Since then, of course, everyone’s got in on the act: Publicity for the recent Muppet movie showed Kermit in a whole new light as a Vamphibian (now there’s an idea to be working on for next Halloween) and in the summer we will see a different side to one of the founding fathers of America when, in ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’, the president discovers that vampires are planning to take over the United States. It’s worth mentioning that although vampire attacks are rare, here at Props & Frocks we do stock vampire-slayer kits (sort of anti-blood-thirst aid).
Taking the fact that today is the anniversary of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ in1983, and that we have a full moon coming up next week, on February 7th, we thought we’d look at Werewolf costume options for those feeling the need for change. Aside from the standard werewolf outfits, of which there are several varieties in varying degrees of quality, there is actually an official Jackson Thriller werewolf outfit based on a red jacket (featuring a large M initial) with yellow sleeves, but we find you can just as well mix the classic black/red jacket seen in the video with a separate mask and hands and look equally as good. Other famous film werewolves include the basket-ball playing Teen Wolf, a Michael J Fox film of the 80s, and the wolf that inspired the Thriller video, the American Werewolf in London. Although there are no official costumes for this, as with the Jackson film, a strategically torn t-shirt and jeans, plus the mask and hands can work wonders. The one thing which does interest us is the distinct lack of female werewolf outfits on the market. (If you find a mask too cumbersome, there are also werewolf kits available for the ‘in-between’ look). Nothing to stop a girl donning any of the above outfits of course, but they seem to be sized for males – the nearest thing we can find for females is an outfit that could be mistaken for a cosy Cossack or sexy Viking.
Props & Frocks stocks a great range of werewolf accessories & we do find that the majority of our customers like to improvise with some accessories & put their own werewolf costumes together at home.
Make Your Own Werewolf Costume
The easiest way to create a werewolf inspired outfit is to first of all decide on some old clothes that you are willing to sacrifice. Rip these clothes as if they have been torn, but maintaining your decency! Using some of our theatrical hair attach the hair as if it is coming out of the rips in your clothes. You can sew, or glue, this in place.
Either use a werewolf facial hair costume kit to create hair on your face, or more theatrical hair, or just wear a werewolf wig, or mask. some people really do not like wearing masks, so we do stock a mask that leaves your lower face uncovered, or of course, you could just wear some fancy dress make up
Liquid latex is ideal to help you to attach the facial hair, and to create some peeling effects on the skin, add some werewolf teeth to complete the effect.
You can easily create a sexy werewolf look by ripping up your clothes but using the theatrical hair carefully around the face etc.
No real need to come up with an excuse to celebrate with a fancy dress party today as it is Guy Fawkes Night. Although this ‘festival’ has been losing out to Halloween in recent years, for various reasons, mostly to do with half-term dates and the safety and cost aspects of fireworks, for all you Guys and Ghouls combining firework festivities and Halloween this evening, we hope you have a great time.
So, you could either dress up as a traditional guy (that would be put on a bonfire), or dress up as any man that you want to.
Ghouls, bring our those Halloween costumes (again!- See we told you we’d have lots more uses for them) – ghosts, ghostly bride and groom outfits, the choice is down to you.
Despite the name, the Day of the Dead costume theme continues today in some countries (mere mortal hours mean nothing on the Other Side), and looking for a different angle on this theme, we got to thinking about Beetlejuice, Tim Burton’s breakthrough film. Although many people will be familiar with the film, we will not spoil things, but just say that Beetlejuice is a self-styled bio-exorcist hired by a couple of ghosts to help rid their house of humans. By the nature of the film, there are scenes set in ‘the After-Life’ and hence apart from a few standard dead people (like members of an American football team) we meet a road accident victim (tyre tracks down his suit), Miss Argentina, the beauty-queen receptionist who killed herself and a really smokin’ ex-smoker. Throw in a few devil girls at Dante’s Inferno night-club, a Baron-Samedi-style witch-doctor and a corpse bride and groom (an idea Burton would develop in a later film) and you have some good ingredients for life after Halloween!
Yes, we are open today! In fact Props n Frocks Fancy Dress which is situated in Battlesbridge, (near Wickford & South Woodham Ferrers) Essex is open every Sunday (except bank holidays). Come and visit us for your last minute costumes and accessories. The shop is open until 4pm – if you want to hire a costume, please bring some proof of your address with you.
We still have in stock Halloween costumes for sale and hire, plus wigs, props and accessories for your last minute requirements. These include capes for adults and children, make-up products, weapons, gothic jewellery, some fantastic coloured contact lenses and so much more.
Many people are holding their Halloween fancy dress parties tonight & everyone at Props & Frocks has been very busy over the last week advising our customers on the best Halloween costumes & accessories that we have in stock. Not only that, but the shop re-fit has been completed and the cameras are still rolling for the BBC2 programme that is going out in the New Year.
Although the Halloween costumes and Halloween accessories we have featured over the past few weeks have proved popular, we still have many scary and not-so-scary costumes and accessories, both for hire and sale. So, whatever type of event you are going to over the next few days, come along to our shop and see how we can help. We are open until 5pm today.
For instance for girls who don’t want to do gruesome, our Midnight Fairy costume ticks all the right boxes. Admittedly the thing about ‘a little black dress’ is a little overdone around Halloween – most of the outfits available are black (with the possible exception of Devils) and a good number of them are on the short and skimpy side, but with the Midnight Fairy you’ve got a costume in which you can shine, in a dark sort of way.
Wings are a somewhat necessary feature of any fairy (without wings, a Fly is merely a Walk) and those of the Midnight Fairy do not disappoint. Not unduly large (in fairyland and parties in confined spaces impressive wingspan is not always a plus-point), they are nonetheless in a distinctively curvy gothic style with a slight glitter sheen.
The main body of the outfit is in a black polyester velvet material and is essentially sleeveless, although there are some tasteful ‘tattering’ shoulder pieces also provided. This tatter motif is continued with an additional tie-on chiffon mesh apron, and the outfit is completed with a belt
and a wand.
The mid-thigh length of the outfit may not be suitable for some wearers, but if you want to ‘volumise’, there should be no problem adding a small net petticoat or tutu to the ensemble, which can be completed with fishnet tights and heeled shoes.
Talking of fairies, if you are starting to think about the Christmas and party season (for some strange reason Halloween week is also when people’s thoughts start turning to their New Year’s Eve requirements) and do not want a costume immediately, why not spend some time browsing through our website, to see what we have available? We would not recommend you visiting our shop today, as we probably will not be able to give you as much attention as you might like.
For those having parties tonight, we hope your event goes well and look forward to seeing you for any last minute decorations, accessories or last minute requirements.
Having got your Halloween costumes all sorted, are you & the kids getting ready to go out trick or treating? Traditionally, Halloween itself, October 31st (next Monday) is the correct day for knocking on the neighbours’ doors. However, because this is a school night, we know several families who are starting Halloween early and will be trick or treating tonight or over the weekend. We would like to know that all our customers and their families will be enjoying themselves, so we thought we should take the opportunity to focus on everybody having a safe Halloween. Here are our top ten tips for a safe Halloween.
Top Ten Trick or Trick Safety Tips
If you’re going to trick or treat, at least make an effort. Throwing on a cheap cape and a mask just to do some door-to-door begging doesn’t always get brownie points or treats.
Make sure your costume is warm and easy to wear (i.e. not so long you, or others, can trip over it), wear sensible shoes (you’re walking a lot) and if you must carry a weapon prop (not always a good idea these days), make sure it’s harmless and ‘bendy’.
Make sure that if you are wearing a mask you can actually see out of it. You may need to make the eye holes a bit bigger.
Never trick or treat on your own – even ghouls and little monsters are allowed to have friends.
Trick or treating children should always take an adult with them – it gets them out of the house and gives them something to do besides watch television (It’s only ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, ‘Downton Abbey’, ‘Spooks’ or ‘Doc Martin’ anyway)
Respect the fact that not everyone (especially the elderly) likes the concept of Trick or Treat – avoid any household which displays a ‘No Trick or Treat’ notice in their window. Look for houses with a pumpkin or other Halloween decorations on show as a sign of ‘Trick or Treat’ friendly territory.
Define your route and make sure you stick to it – try to keep to well-lit streets and avoid having to cross major roads – driving at night can be scary enough without having to deal with unexpected Undead and the like – and it’s not a good idea to try trick or treating motorists anyway.
Always carry a working torch with you. Not only is it useful for making sure you can see where you’re going in dark areas, it also creates a great spooky effect if you hold it under your chin to light your face.
Have a good meal before you go out to trick or treat. Despite the fact that you’re picking up ‘goodies’ on your travels, it’s safest not to eat what you get in the dark: You can’t always read the contents and ingredients labels, and it’s best to wait until you get home to check out it’s all safe to eat.
Never talk to strangers or accept invitations into their houses. Admittedly Halloween is the night to see strange people wandering the streets but not the time for home visits.
Despite the name, always thank people for treats and don’t play tricks – angry people can have a way of turning nasty.
If you still do not have your Halloween costumes sorted out, remember Props & Frocks is open all over the weekend for your last minute Halloween costumes & accessories
