Tropical Theme Costumes

We were mentioning yesterday about the possibility of a Caribbean themed event.

Grass skirts

Hawaiian Shirt – Ideal for a Tropical themed event

It may not have been a great summer so far, but there are some people who with the slightest hint of sun will be out there with the barbecue and throwing a party for all and sundry. These are usually informal events, but occasionally the host may really go overboard and encourage people to dress for a tropical event. In the UK this does not usually mean getting out the swimsuit and having a pool party, more’s the pity. More often than not it means people will be requesting Hawaiian accessories such as grass skirts, lei (the floral necklace, bracelet, or anklet ) and the odd Hawaiian shirt, shorts or dress.  The 1940s Brazilian Carmen Miranda can be a popular choice particularly amongst the slightly older generation, whilst the Pineapple dress from My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding is becoming a sought after item amongst our younger clientele.

Hawaiian Accessories

Summertime is a great time to host a Hawaiian fancy dress party, with plenty of affordable Hawaiian Fancy Dressgrass skirts, and flower garlands, an Hawaiian costume party is always a winner.

In normal years, inland towns and cities see a mass exodus during August, with people travelling to seaside resorts, Europe, or even further afield, for their summer holidays. This year, we know several families who chose to take their annual vacation earlier in the year, rather than leaving it until this month. From our point of view, this has meant that there are a few more parties around in August than would normally be the case.

With over 6,000 costumes in stock here at Props & Frocks (not to mention the thousands of accessories), it can sometimes be daunting for those who are faced with choosing a specific one, especially if you are attending a fancy dress party, which has no theme. This is why we try and help guide you with our selection of theme information and ideas for those hosting or participating in such events. So, if you need some inspiration why not check out our great selection of Theme and Costume Ideas?

Hawaiian Fancy Dress Party

Today, with a view to summer just around the corner, we propose an Hawaiian Costume Party.Hawaiian Fancy Dress

When you hear the date 1812, what does it mean to you?  Well, our immediate reaction was Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture, which was commissioned to commemorate Russia’s defence against Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Borodino. But in our ceaseless search for unusual and quirky information with which to astound your friends, did you know that 200 years ago today on April 30th 1812, Louisiana (Eastern) and the territory of Orleans, became the 18th state of the United States of America? 82 years later also on this day in 1900, Hawaii became the 50th and final state. America has had a profound effect on the British way of life, particularly over the past century. New Orleans may have given us Jazz during the 1920s & 1930s, but Hawaii gave us highly colourful shirts, lei, and popular TV programmes such as the 1970s Hawaii Five-O and the 1980s Magnum PI.  As we head towards the summer months, the Hawaiian look is a popular one for those outdoor barbecues, beach parties, etc., so why not check out the excellent range of grass skirts, shirts, lei and other accessories and props?

Hawaiian Accessory Ideas:

  • Shell Bras
  • Coconut Bras
  • Hawaiian skirts, all lengths and various colours
  • Hawaiian Flower Garlands (called leis)
  • Hawaiian Garland sets, includes a garland for your head, and either ankles, or wrists, as well as a main garland to hang around your neck
  • Hawaiian Shirts
  • Cocktail Glasses
  • Flowers for your hair

Hawaiian Costumes

It’s summertime & it’s time for a Hawaiian themed fancy dress party…Hawaiian Fancy Dress Accessories

Props n Frocks stocks a huge range of Hawaiian accessories including flower garlands, grass skirts, shell bras, and even a Tacky Tourist costume (see image right which I have to admit that I have worn before to much laughter!)

Finish off your costume with a straw or Caribbean hat, flower hair clips or a pair of our wacky pineapple glasses!

If you are local to our shop in Essex, don’t forget we are open 7 days a week, with 4 late weekday openings for your convenience.

Hawaiian Fancy Dress Theme

What better way to get over the coldness of the weather than have an Hawaiian themed fancy dress party?Hawaiian Costumes & Accessories

Due to the placement of Christmas this year, today December 28th is an extra Bank Holiday day. So what better day than to celebrate the opening of Britain’s first National Park in 1950? Perhaps a costumed ramble or Treasure Hunt, to help blow away the cobwebs might work. Of course, the weather might not be entirely suitable for a walk and getting Out and About generally  (unless, of course, you have some brand-new sporting kit you’ve been dying to try), but we thought we’d embrace the theme of The Great Outdoors today. If it’s too cold to be out and you would rather be staying indoors, then why not pretend that it’s warm outside and check out our Hawaiian costumes and accessories - Just make sure the heating is turned up nice and high!

Alternatively, if that is too much a stretch of the imagination, you might choose to be well wrapped up in one of our fantastic jungle, farmyard, or pet animal costumes.

Fancy Dress Party – Update

Yeah, I am a day late with the Hawaiian Fancy dress party update, and no it wasn’t due to a hangover, but a wedding! But what a great party it was with everyone making an effort to keep to the Hawaiian beach theme.

The marquees had all been themed with scene setters – these are great if you have never seen them and instantly transform a plain room, or in this case a marquee, into a tropical paradise. We even had an indoor beach, and it stopped raining for the entire evening.

Most people wore colourful tops with added flower garlands and flowers in their hair, some brave souls just wore a coconut bra or shell bra with a grass skirt (and we are not just talking about the ladies here if you get what I mean!).

As I wrote in the blog on Friday, we wore Tacky Tourist costumes, which were so funny, especially as we added severe sunburn to our faces – complete with sunglass white patches (this was easy and we just used a pink Snazaroo facepaint to get the effect), we wore socks with sandals, and to complete the look, we had some key phrases that the English would need abroad in French, Spanish and German, and when people didn’t understand what on earth we were talking about, we just shouted it louder!

There were some great costumes with other guests thinking outside the box a bit. some of the best ones were a Scuba Diver Costume, a lifeguard costume, a surfing gorilla (interesting!) and quite a few men in Hawaiian shirts and shorts. What a laugh we all had.

If you also want to extend the summer theme, why not have an Hawaiian Beach party? Props n Frocks holds stock all year round with next working day delivery.

Hawaiian Fancy Dress

I am going to an Hawaiian themed fancy dress tonight -and it is raining! I feel really sorry for the people putting on the party, they have set up a large marquee that is complete with an indoor beach and everything. Every year they do a huge fancy dress party with donations going towards the charity of their choice – they are brilliant parties. Luckily, they do have a large marquee, so apart from a mercy dash to the toilet, we should all stay dry!!!

It is getting towards the end of the Hawaiian season (and the rain has probably made it shorter this year) , but we do find that we sell Hawaiian costumes and accessories including flower garlands, grass skirts, and novelty cocktail glasses all year round.

I am wearing a Tacky Tourist costume with a few additions to make it even more funny – it will be a great couples fancy dress idea whatever the time of the year. I am not going to give all my secrets away today, but I will fill you in with the details and all the best fancy dress costumes in my blog tomorrow.