When it comes to choosing a fancy dress costume, practicality can sometimes fly out the window in the face of a good idea. This can be particularly true when it comes to some of our novelty costumes and those with overhead masks, where perhaps people have really not thought through the concept of eating, drinking, dancing and perhaps just sitting down in their chosen costume. A few days ago we spoke about getting to and from the venue, but what about the number of costumes that go out to inappropriate venues which are really not designed to take them?

For some costume businesses this year’s “big thing” has been the Wedding Dress, or to be precise the big fat gypsy wedding dress.  Here at P&F we are not really in the market for bridal hire, but from time to time we do get the odd request for large frilly gowns and dresses. This time of year, these types of requests are often for Victorian style events or characters from pantomime productions such as Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother, the Pantomime Dame, etc. These dresses can often have crinolines or frames underneath to pad them out. But those who are thinking about this type of dress for a party should also consider the venue. A house party, even ones with a marquee are probably not going to be appropriate, unless it happens to be a large house where this type of outfit would fit in well.  However, most of us do not have spacious homes in which to host a party, such as the one featured in the 1939 epic film ‘Gone with the Wind’, which today celebrates the anniversary of its premier in Atlanta over 70 years ago.

Key points to consider when choosing a fancy dress costume:

• Is there a theme to follow? Your host should guide you on this. It is good manners to follow the costume as much as you can, but at the same time, some dressing up themes are a bit obscure and can make it difficult to find a suitable costume
• Do you need to speak? A costume with an overhead mask just will not be suitable
• What type of costume party is it? If it is an office do, you may decide to wear a more conservative fancy dress outfit. If it to wear during work hours, what sort of job do you do? It is no good wearing something very short and sexy if you are going to be going up and down steps,or stacking shelves.
• How many people will you know? You will probably dress more outrageously if you know a lot of people and feel more comfortable with the other guests
• Is it inside or outside? If it is outside at this time of year, make sure you can add a cape, or have a costume large enough to get more clothes on underneath
• Are you planning to go as a couple or group? The more people you add in will make this more difficult. If you are trying to go as a couple (or group) make a note of the largest, and smallest people to make sure that whatever you decide on is suitable for the entire group. checkout some of our great couple costume ideas
• Do you have to be on your feet very much? Okay, we hope you are going to dance the night away, but if you are going to be walking, or running, choose a costume that is able to be worn with flatter shoes.
• What time of the year is it? You don’t want to be wearing a heavy costume in the middle of a heatwave.
• Do you have a particular area of your body that you want to cover up? For example, if you want to keep the top of your arms covered, why not add a feather boa to your saloon girl outfit?
• Are you going to purchase, or hire your costume? Some fancy dress shops not only offer quality hire costumes, but many also now offer a range to purchase as well. Pop in to your local shop (or come and see us!) so you can actually try the item on. If you are going to purchase on-line, please leave enough time for us to process your order and get it to you in plenty of time for your dressing up event, this is especially important if the size is not what you were expecting.