Yesterday, we were talking about some of the films which can engender costume requests, and we mentioned a couple from last year’s award ceremonies. This got us thinking about other films that came out in 2011, which directly resulted in requests for costumes. Unlike other years, 2011 was not a great year for generating additional costume and accessory requests, for characters people had seen in the movies. The Green Hornet came out in January, but was not particularly mentioned when it came to the Heroes and Villains parties that occur throughout the year. We did see a small outbreak of adult Red Riding Hood requests in Spring of 2011, but that might not have been related to the film at all, as World Book Day and National Book Days and Weeks often initiate requests for this character.
As our requests for film costumes for a film themed fancy dress party remains constant, we are always looking at the new films to see what is going to be available.
Many of the large budget films will have associated costumes that have been licensed. Apart from licensed costumes costing quite a lot more than a standard generic costume, the main problem is that the film normally comes out way before the new costumes are available. It is quite usual for us to get quite a few requests for the ‘new’ film on the block, but actually by the time the costumes arrives for us to sell / hire, the requests have dried up and people have moved on to something new.
It is quite unusual now for a new film to have the lasting impact of say Superman has had through the years. So at Props & Frocks, we have to make sure that we think long and hard over which new costume ranges to get in, will it be a major success, or a damp squib? The joys of running a fancy dress shop and online business!
Following on from our brief discussion on the distinction between fancy-dressing and cosplay yesterday we come to the problem of what to do if there is not actually a choice – the costume you want, simply does not exist! This is especially true when it comes to licensed costume characters relating to a new film. In theory the production of ‘official’ costumes is part of the merchandising back-up, in practice those firms wanting to make those official costumes may ‘cherry-pick’ the outfits they think will work best. Even then, the outfits may not be available at the same time the film is released, and very occasionally the film itself may not generate sufficient ‘box office’ to create a demand for the costumes, even though the manufacturers have made them. It is a gamble which means that there are fewer costumes from new films coming to the market.
Unfortunately, a lot of these ‘official’ costumes are only available in 1, or limited sizes, so even if an ‘official’ costume is available it may not be suitable for you anyway. Another common complaint that we have regarding the licensed costumes is that, although they tend to be more expensive than generic costumes (to help re-coup the license fee the manufacture has already paid out), quality can let these costumes down. It is not always the case, but a good picture with good lighting can make you believe that you are getting something that looks superb, when the reality can be a bit disappointing.
So many fancy dress shops are trapped as they are not allowed to breach the licensing laws by producing a ‘copy’ costume even though it may be far superior than what is available on the open market.
Whilst remembering that anything you purchase from us here at Props n Frocks carries our satisfaction guarantee, we can sometimes see why people decide to ‘do their own thing’ and create their own costume. Even if you are doing-it-yourself, the key to success is a little forward planning, and in this we can perhaps be useful by helping to source those unusual accessories and prop elements, which are so difficult to find on the average High Street.
Props & Frocks are theme advisors, so if you do have a costume query, either pop into our store, in Battlesbridge, Essex, or give us a call. We may not always be able to help, but we may be able to point you in the right direction.
We often have customers contact us either in the fancy dress shop, on the phone, or by email enquiring about certain film costumes. Because films, DVDs, etc., are subject to copyright laws, the costumes for these have to be licensed, which means we have to buy in the official costumes. The problem is that these costumes are often not available at the same time as the film, or even months later when the DVD is released. Where you have a film which is part of a series, in theory costumes that have become available since the first film should be good to go. This may not be always the case, as some films change the look of the costume every time there is a new film.
Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon went on general release earlier this week. As you know we love a challenge at Props n Frocks but finding appropriate costumes for some of these current films can sometimes be extremely difficult. We source our fancy dress from many countries, and also make some costumes in-house. But for Transformers we currently have in stock the children’s costumes Optimus Prime and Bumble Bee available for sale.
So, if you need a replica costume from a film, you may not be able to get exactly what you are looking for. sometimes, even the licensed costumes that are available are only available in 1 size only which is not going to be suitable for everyone. Licensed costumes are also a lot more expensive than a generic one (as the companies who win a ‘license’ pay a lot of money for the privilege, this means that a % is added to every costume that they sell, to re-coup monies paid out). Why not see if you can adapt a standard costume to suit the character you are trying to go as? Always ask Props n Frocks, we are the experts when it comes to fancy dress and we will do our best to try and get you fitted out.
out in 2011, which directly resulted in requests for costumes. Unlike other years, 2011 was not a great year for generating additional costume and accessory requests, for characters people had seen in the movies. The Green Hornet came out in January, but was not particularly mentioned when it came to the Heroes and Villains parties that occur throughout the year. We did see a small outbreak of adult Red Riding Hood requests in Spring of 2011, but that might not have been related to the film at all, as World Book Day and National Book Days and Weeks often initiate requests for this character.
