When it comes to costuming, Peter Pan is a classic cross-dressing role, so that typically, a couple can go as Peter and his arch-enemy, Captain Hook, although ‘Tink’ impressions are also popular. That said, we’ve noticed a falling off in the popularity of Captain Hook in recent years (We know he’s a villain, but you get our gist) and some might assume that he has been replaced in our affections as ‘Most Popular Pirate’ by one Captain Jack Sparrow. Anyway, if we’re looking for a celebratory theme for today, it has to be Heroes and Villains. 

Here are some great Hero & Villain Costume Ideas:

Firstly here are some of our Hero costume ideas…

• James Bond
• Captain Jack Sparrow – he is a ‘sort of’ hero
• Harry Potter
• Lara Croft
• Superman
• Batman
• Obi Wan Kenobi
• Princess Leia
• Lawrence of Arabia – an Arab Costume is quite easy to put together at home, if you do not have the time, take a look at our Arab costumes
• Spartacus
• Mahatma Ghandi
• Robin Hood
• Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne)
• William Wallace
• Zorro
• Bat Girl
• Ben Hur
• T-800 – Terminator
• Captain James T Kirk
• Rambo
• Neo & Trinity – The Matrix
• Silk Spectre – Watchmen

• Terminator
• Tarzan
• John Mclaine (Die Hard)
• Jackie Chan
• Indiana Jones – we stock a good range of Indiana Jones costumes & accessories
• Ellen Ripley (Alien)
• Frodo Baggins
• Luke Skywalker
• Robin – why not take a look at all of our superhero costumes?
• Wonder Woman
• Spiderman
• Iron Man
• Wolverine
• Princess Leia
• Mad Max
• Clint Eastwood
• Ethan Hunt – Mission Impossible
• Maverick – Top Gun

And what about some real life heros

• Doctors & Nurses Costumes
• Naval Costumes, including Sailors, Captains
• 1940s war uniforms
• Military personnel including sexy ladies army costumes
• Fireman

And now let’s have a look at some villain costume ideas…

Costume Ideas  for Film villains:

• Voldermort – Harry Potter
• Darth Vader
• Darth Maul, both from Star Wars
• Cruella de Vil – 101 Dalmations
• Dr. Hannibal Lector
• Wicked Queen – Snow White
• Al Pacino
• Captain Hook
• Ugly Sisters
• Count Dracula
• Snow Queen
• Queen of Hearts
• Wicked Witch of The West – Wizard of Oz
• The Joker – Batman
• Freddy Krueger - A Nightmare On Elm Street
• Jason – Friday 13th
• Scream
• Jigsaw – Saw movies
• Dr. No – James Bond

Or Real Life villains, including:

• Convicts
• Terrorists
• Adolf Hitler
• Gangsters
• Various Politicians – depends on who you support

Or Fantasy…

• Devils
• Bad Fairies / Angels
• Vampires
• Werewolves
• Witches

Some other 50s Costume Ideas:

• Marilyn Monroe
• Grease Costumes
• Elvis Presley
• Teddy Boys
• Teddy Girls

Some 50s films with some great dressing up opportunities

• Alice in Wonderland (1951)
• The African Queen (1951)
• The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1957)
• Ben Hur (1959)
• Carry On… films started in the 50s
• Cinderella
• The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
• Dracula (1958)
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956)
• Julius Caesar (1953)
• Peter Pan (1953)
• Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1953)

Some 1950s Television Costume Ideas:

• Adventures of Superman
• The Invisible Man
• Flash Gordon
• Rawhide
• Robin Hood
• Sgt. Bilko
• This Is Your Life
• Zorro
• Andy Pandy
• Bill & Ben
• Blue Peter
• Noddy

Meanwhile, back on the twin planets of Props & Frocks, déjà vu often seems to occur at this time of the year as we look to see what new costuming trends are in prospect. It seems that ‘back to the future’ is very much the way forward (or back) as 2012 sees attempts to revive tried and tested TV programmes and also create films based on TV shows. We don’t envisage any major merchandising opportunities from the fact that they’re redoing ‘The Sweeney’ but the plans to revive The Munsters, Bewitched and The Flintstones sound a little ominous, especially when you look at the past track-record in this field, notably ‘The New Addams Family’, which was not a success.

We also have the Olympics & the Queens Jubilee giving us lots of possible costume themes for the coming year, and if the Royal wedding of last year was anything to go by, we are certainly going to have lots of Royal themed fancy dress parties. If you need any help, or advice check out our various fancy dress theme ideas (to the right of this blog) or give one of our team a call , or email.

I appreciate it was a case of blink and you will miss it, but it does give a taster of what it probably yet to come!

I had this image sent to me this morning with the caption ‘If I get ONE more problem today… Someone WILL die!!!’

Can you do better? Send in your caption suggestions for a bit of fun

What did you think of the first in the series, we’d love to know your thoughts?

Our remark about the lack of female werewolf outfits yesterday returns to a point we were making last year:  There is not always a level playing field when it comes to costumes. One example is that there seem to be more superhero outfits available than there are superheroines, so it can be a bit tricky when it comes to a superhero/villains theme event. Others would also observe that, of the female superhero outfits that are available, some tend to be in the skimpy crop-top style which doesn’t suit everyone’s requirements. The same sort of thing happens with Halloween outfits: Whilst we know that there’s a school of thought that says ‘Girls don’t do gruesome’, it is, of course, their right to do so if they wish, but they then find that in many cases all the Market has to offer is female (and sexy!) versions of male icons of horror such as Jason and Chucky. We know the female is supposedly more deadly than the male, so where are the outfits from ‘Resident Evil’, ‘Alien’ or the Selene (of Underworld) combat suits?

Suffice it  to say, here at Props n Frocks, once we’re aware of a problem, we do our best to deal with it. Stay tuned for further developments!

Of course, in our vast range of ladies hire costumes, we stock ladies fancy dress costumes in all themes and ranges. If you are local to our retail / hire shop in Battlesbridge, it is well worth a visit to see our complete range of top quality hire costumes.

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.

This is a really great costume theme as you can do as much or as little as you want to. For example, if you are not keen on dressing up (yes, we understand that there are some of you who actually do not like wearing a fancy dress costume!) why not just wear some flowers in your hair? A bit more adventurous? Add a long wig and some glasses.

There are so many hippy accessories that you can purchase that you do not actually need to purchase, or hire a flower power hippy costume

And, of course, Props & Frocks stocks a wide range of Hippy costumes for all the family to suit all budgets. Our budget male hippy (right image) is our best selling male hippy costume

But you do not need to go down the traditional 60s hippy look. Why not wear ‘normal’ clothes with a flower print? Or what about dressing up as a flower, or an insect that pollinates flowers such as a bumble bee?

The start of another working week (or at least it was working last time we looked). Anyway. today names are much on our minds: Apparently on this date in 1847 in California, Yerba Buena (‘Good Herb’ – a settlement named after an abundance of mint-like plants which grew in the area) changed its name to the much more catchy San Francisco – probably explains the enthusiasm for Flower Power in the Sixties.

The thing about names comes from the fact that at this time of the year we’re looking to be bringing in new stock for the coming season and whilst we do create a lot of costume magic here at Battlesbridge ourselves, we sometimes have to rely on other suppliers whose ingenuity in naming costumes so as not to infringe copyright can be quite entertaining. ‘Dog Lovin’ Diva’ is a rather weird way of describing one of the many Cruella-like costumes, and in a more general arena, what the heck is a ‘Midnight Acolyte’ (and what does he/she/it do as a day-job?). Actually it sounds better than just ‘Priest/Priestess’, which is probably the whole point, and when it comes to working with (and cataloguing) costumes, names work better than numbers. So pop along to Props & Frocks and we’ll make the introductions – bringing the costume to life is up to you.

When teaching history, children can often find it a very dull and dreary subject, especially as it does not relate to the here and now.  Understanding the concept of any historical period can be difficult to grasp at the best of times. This is why many schools nowadays will have dress-up days where history is effectively brought to life and children can ‘become’ a character from a particular ‘moment in time’.

With our modern lifestyle of ‘off the peg’ and mass produced clothing, it may be difficult to understand that at one stage, everybody did not dress the same and the clothing that was worn identified one’s position in life.  The first element of dressing up as a Victorian is to determine whether you are a poor or rich Victorian. Young boys, whether poor or rich, would often wear shirt and breeches. The difference between the types of classes would be identified by the materials used, and the fact that as far as the poor child was concerned, they would often be dressed in ill fitting, shabby clothing, which were effectively hand-me-downs from older siblings. The poor Victorian child is much easier to improvise at home although a few key essentials may be required, such as a mob cap and over-apron for girls and a neckerchief, waistcoat and cap for boys. The rich Victorian child is more difficult to cobble together, as they were often miniaturised versions of their parents, with bonnets, top hats and walking sticks all playing their part.  At PNF we have costumes and accessories for both types of Victorian and we look forward to helping you out.

Ladies fashion changed considerably during the Victorian era. After 1830 the fashion changed and the waistline dropped to its natural position. Corsets were worn again to emphasise a small waist and to support the bust. Skirts became fuller but also shorter, stopping at ankle length. Ladies wore elaborate boots and the shorter skirt length showed these off very nicely. Necklines were wide and the shoulders were sloped. A single hoop was worn and with the help of numerous petticoats, gave the skirts its full look.

Ladies would have worn many undergarments to get the desired look of the day. A typical lady would have worn long bloomers, a chemise, a starched petticoat, a crinoline (see next paragraph), a flounced petticoat, a muslin petticoat and finally the gown itself.

Crinolines were introduced around 1840. Initially they were two petticoats with a layer of horsehair sandwiched between to get the desired stiffness. By 1850, the crinoline cage became available. Made from steel or bamboo hoops, it made sitting down very difficult.

Issac Singer patented the mechanical sewing machine in 1851 making it possible for people on a lower income to create copies of their favourite styles.

By 1862 the crinoline had been flattened out at the front, first by only having half a cage (to the rear) and then becoming the bustle, a pad or small cage positioned to emphasis the bottom of the lady. Skirts became more elaborate and were drawn up at the back to reveal the petticoats underneath.

By the end of the century bustles had been replace by a padded roll.

No woman would go out in the summer without a parasol or to a function without a fan. Gloves were worn throughout the century.

Ladies Victorian fancy dress costumes are available to purchase, normally for a wealthier look. We also stock short gloves and parasols to help you to complete your Victorian outfit.

Ladies Victorian fancy dress suggestions:
Queen Victoria
Florence Nightingale
Anne, Emily & Charlotte Bronte
Scarlett O’Hara

Girls Victorian Costumes
Girls are required to dress up as a Victorian for school dress up days.

There are quite a few choices of girls Victorian costume that we stock, from the wealthier looking ‘Scarlett O’Hara’ costume to the poorer looking dress with pinny and mop cap. From our professional experience, most children tend to go in the poorer style of costume as this is more practical for a day at school, or out visiting a local museum etc.

All of our childrens Victorian Fancy Dress Costumes are made to the current EU certification.

We also now stock pinny and mop caps which are sold as a costume kit. This will help to reduce the cost and will create the Victorian look over a dark skirt and top.

Men Victorian Costumes

By mid century menswear had settled into what would be acceptable wear for the next century, namely a jacket, trousers, shirt and waistcoat. The colours were normally sombre and the fabric rich (if they could afford it!). Loosely knotted and bow ties were replacing the cravat. The tailcoat jacket was used for evening wear. In the earlier part of the century men would wear Top Hats (Stovepipe Top Hat) these begun to be replaced by bowler hats by mid 1800s. Straw boaters and panama hats were used in the summer and softer hats were in fashion for informal occasions.

Men wore their hair longer than in the early part of the century with a centre parting. After 1850 a moustache and large sideburns (muttonchops) became popular.

A well dressed man would wear short, lace up boots during the day and carry a walking stick. For the evening he would wear patent leather shoes and gloves.

Mens Victorian fancy dress suggestions:
Charles Dickens
Prince Albert
Alexander Graham Bell
Isabard Kingdom Brunell
Lewis Carroll
Charles Darwin
Thomas Edison
William Gladstone
WG Grace
David Livingstone
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Peel
Rhett Butler
Jack The Ripper

We always carry Victorian costumes in stock all year round, so take a look at our range. We have everything you need for all the family. If in doubt, why not give one of our team a call, or drop us an email. we can answer your Victorian costume questions.

It seems that Victorians are currently proving more popular than in previous years, but this could be attributed to the fact that next month, February 7^th sees the bi-centennial birthday of the writer Charles Dickens. Fortunately, most of the requests we have for Victorians (at present) have been for general Victorian costumes, rather than specific characters from either the novels or the Victorian period.  However, with a whole year in which to celebrate the bi-centenary, this could be subject to change.

By the way, do you know the difference between the clothing of a rich and poor Victorian?  Tune in tomorrow to find out.

Anyway, I digress because for once, we think the Americans have got this right! The end of the week and the Americans are apparently having a Fun at Work day today (although some calendars also show it on Jan 25^th). Why? Well possibly, in one of those ‘You don’t have to be mad to work here, but any hint of enthusiasm will do’ moments, they are taking the anniversary of the birth of Lewis Carroll in 1832 as an excuse with the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in mind.. Here at Props & Frocks, of course, every day is fun at work (and we even try and take some of that work home with us) and although things can occasionally get a little surreal, we are getting quite good at imagining six impossible things, if not before breakfast (there are limits to our dedication), then at least by elevenses – we even get some of them done!. The image (right) shows Rhys & Ellis having a standard work day at Props & Frocks!

Anyway, we love the idea of a ‘Fun At Work’ day! Why don’t we all try and liven up boring old January and get this going in this country. Just think of all the fun you could have dressing up in costumes, wearing fancy dress wigs, or whatever you want to do on this day. Got any ideas as to how we can get this going, drop us a line…