WOW Factor Costumes

Posted on January 6, 2013 by admin

Are you looking for a costume with the WOW factor? If yes, then pop along to Props & Frocks fancy dress. Yes, we stock many costumes, and fancy dress accessories, that you can purchase but we also stock a huge range of unique hire fancy dress costumes.If you want to hire a costume, please bring some proof of address with you. If you require mail order,just drop us a line and we can advise what we have available

On this day in 1925 John DeLorean was born. He was best known for the gull-wing DeLorean car which, although not a commercial success, was, of course the centrepiece of the Back to the Future series of films. The problem wasn’t so much that the car was ahead of its time (even without the help of Marty McFly) but that aside from its price, it was, in many respects, impractical. On the other hand, it had a unique look and a WOW factor and when it comes down to it, by a tenuous link, this is the same ethos that guides us here at Props & Frocks: Whilst we have a superb range of conventional outfits and accessories for sale and hire, when it comes to making that extra effort, going that extra mile and doing something different and unique, even if it seems a bit off the wall and impractical, we are here to help you shine.

Props & Frocks Fancy Dress closes at 6pm today

Posted on December 31, 2012 by admin

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Last costume orders for 2012!

We thought we would just slip in a quick final blog for 2012.

When it comes to costume parties, looking back over the year we have had a fantastic array of different events that people have attended. Many have taken the James Bond 50^th anniversary initiative, with tuxedos and evening dresses being the order of the day. The masked ball scenario is another type of event that has been popular this year. Don’t forget that we do stock a fantastic array of masquerade masks for both males and females, in many different styles and colours.

Then of course there are the general fancy dress parties, some of which have themes, whilst for others it’s a case of anything goes. For us, the decades of the twentieth century are still one theme area that continues to receive the most requests. Whether you are looking for Gangsters and Molls from the 1920s, rock ‘n’ roll outfits from the 1950s, mini dresses from the sixties, glam rockers from the 1970s, etc, we have them all. If you are stuck for ideas and going to a party tonight, why not pop into our shop and join in our ‘mini’ party with the others of the lastminute.com generation? We are open until 6pm today

If we don’t see you today – enjoy the last of 2012, and we look forward to seeing you in 2013.

Props & Frocks 2012 – a great year all round!

Posted on December 29, 2012 by admin

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Thank You and Goodbye 2012

Well, we thought it would be busy and you certainly are proving that you are up for a reason to celebrate. The days leading up to the end of any given year are often a time for reflection on what has happened during the course of that particular one. You might have noticed that 2012 was exceptional in terms of reasons for celebration, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the Olympics and Paralympics and the number of 50^th anniversaries which occurred, most notably in the last few months of the year. By comparison 2013 is going to find it hard to compete (although it is the Chinese Year of the Snake, so there may be some surprises in store).

But what about us, here at Props & Frocks?

It doesn’t seem possible, but it was only in February this year that we first appeared on TV, the culmination of several months of disruption and reorganisation required to bring the first part of the Grand Plan to fruition. More about that later.

In July we had our Charity ‘Fun’ Day – The fun is in inverted commas because if you were one of those brave souls who came along, you will remember that the weather let us down in a VERY BIG WAY. Nonetheless, in true British fashion, we made the best of the situation and many thanks to those of you who, despite everything, turned out to be a Star and model costumes for us.

We also took delivery of our mobile shop, which you may have seen out and about on the roads of Essex (and beyond).

In December we filmed the TOWIE Christmas special complete with a marquee full of snow! It was a fantastic party with many of our guests dressed up in Christmas costumes

And so we look to the New Year, where we have a few other new projects up our sleeves. Stay tuned for details…

27th December 21012

Posted on December 27, 2012 by admin

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Move over Christmas it is now time for New Year Costumes!

These merry gentlemen who are supposedly resting? Who and where are they? With the honourable exception of Santa, most of the rest of us who have been run off our feet preparing for Christmas, find that once the festivities of Christmas Day are over, we are either up early for the Sales or off to some sort of sporting event.

Here at Props n Frocks, although we have had a day or two off ourselves, we are back ready for the fray. Our experience is that whilst there are a few forward planners who work out what they are doing party-wise for New Year before Christmas, most people are too busy with presents and organising social arrangements for the Big Day. Hence, planning the New Year costume outfits after Christmas (or, in some cases, also once they have seen the short-term weather forecasts) only starts to happen now. It also comes of a bit of a shock to those who think “I’ve got plenty of time as New Year’s Eve is next week”, not appreciating the fact that it may be next week, but this year it is on a Monday!

Whether you are a merry gentleman (missus or maiden), we here at Props & Frocks will be on hand to help with your requirements – rest assured.

And don’t forget if you need something for next Monday evening and want it delivered, delivery can only be guaranteed by Friday 11am

Merry Christmas from Props & Frocks

Posted on December 24, 2012 by admin

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All of us at Props & Frocks would like to wish our customers (old & new) a very Happy Christmas.

We are open today until 5pm, and then re-open 27th right through until New Year’s Eve.

Costume Practicalites

Posted on December 14, 2012 by admin

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If you are wearing a fancy dress costume this Christmas, today’s post will help you

Gingerbread Man – not the easiest costume to wear serving behind a bar!

choose the most appropriate costumes to wear.

There has been an increasing trend to ally some aspect of dressing up (or down) to various charities in the course of the year. Be that as it may, it is probably true to say that this period leading up to Christmas is a potentially fertile period for opportunities to dress up, from the special outfit saved to stun your work colleagues at the office ‘do’ to the potentially hazardous decision to dress up as Festive Characters in the run-up to Christmas. Whilst we cannot help on the minutiae of work-place politics, we do know our subject when it comes to costume (evening-wear, perhaps not so much, but we’ll give it a go if necessary). Here are a few pointers to help in your costume choice:

a) If you are working in an outfit, ensure it is fit for purpose: Whilst the newer foam-based novelty costumes are an improvement on the older-style costumes, make sure you can reach, bend and do all you need to do, without damage to either yourself or your outfit. Also, short and skimpy might work well for club-wear, but it might not be practical (or warm) in a work environment.

b) Overhead Masks might ‘make’ many a costume, but they are not always practical, if only for reasons of health and safety if your vision or hearing is impaired by the mask. Explore the possibilities of fancy dress make-up as an alternative.

c) Note that not all costume outfits have pockets or means of storing essentials. Look to an alternative which either works within the spirit of the outfit – Bo-Peep and a ‘Lamb-bag’, for example, or some other method of storage which can be concealed about your person, without compromising the costume.

d) It might seem obvious, but it helps to forsee potential glitches beforehand: How are you getting to the venue?: Are there facilities for sorting out final preparations such as make-up at the event?; Are you able to ditch and store any accessories which are great for the Grand Entrance but become a potential liability thereafter?

Props & Frocks Snow Castle

Posted on December 12, 2012 by admin

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If you are based near us in Essex, you may want to pop in to the shop and have a look at

A sneak preview of part of our Ice Castle

our ice castle. Kids will look it, especially once it gets dark as it is all lit up and looks really Christmassy.

We are open 7 days a week, Monday – Thursday 12 noon until 8pm, Friday 12 noon until 6pm, Saturday 10am until 5pm, Sunday 10am until 5pm

Peter Jackson’s long awaited film prequel to Lord of the Rings is finally out on general release today. Hobbits, dwarves, elves, wizards and dragons, are just some of the fantasy creatures that will dominate screens in this rendering of the classic book by J R R Tolkein. We say dominate screens, but often we find that ideas for parties can be led by what’s happening in the public arena. When Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring was first released back in 2001 (over 10 years ago – can you believe it?), our business was still relatively new. We found we had a few odd requests for characters (particularly Gandalf, Saruman and Frodo), but this gradually increased as each episode was released. We also noted that children became more interested once the DVDs were released – easier to watch in ‘chunks’ rather than end-to-end in the cinema! Whether The Hobbit will have the same appeal, remains to be seen. However, as always we will be keeping an eye on costuming trends and look forward to helping you out, whether it’s with Fantasy costumes or something more down to earth (Middle Earth included). Remember-when it’s about Hobbits, it’s good to give us a Ring!