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Chocolate Factory Owner Mens Costume hole punch

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Fox Costume Kids Costume

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Violet New Product

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18ml Snazaroo Facepaint Make up

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Roald Dahl Themed Costumes For Adults and Kids

By guest author – David Hayler

I have a confession to make. With it being Roald Dahl week  a few weeks ago, I thought it would be quite  appropriate to look at the best fancy dress costumes to wear based on characters from his books. I started to write this at the start of the week commencing 29th April but enjoyed rewatching all of the movies that were created based on Dahl’s novels so much that I watched them all over again. So my apologies that this is very late in coming.

As a child, I was addicted to reading British author Roald Dahl’s classics including Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and my personal favourite the BFG, though I never dressed as any of the characters. Thankfully most of the books written by Dahl  include some wonderful child and adult characters, which means there are plenty of options for you to  get involved with the dressing up fun as well.

Sadly we don’t sell any children’s costumes at Otley Run Fancy Dress but Props & Frocks have a great selection of Roald Dahl Costumes to choose from.

Please don’t let your kids make the same mistake I did. Leave their Harry Potter or Dora the Explorer costume in the cupboard and change it up with one of these classics.

Charlie and Willy Wonka – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie & The Chocolate Factory 1971

Some will remember the Tim Burton adaptation with Johnny Depp in 2010, many will remember the 1971 classic starring Gene Wilder and most of you should be able to pluck the characters from your imagination with help from the wonderful book illustrated by Quentin Blake. Whichever version you use as inspiration for your costume, most will instantly recognise your chosen character.

The original Willy Wonka costume comprises of a long purple velvet jacket, white ruffled shirt, beige trousers, a large green bow tie and top hat. Charlie wore a long sleeved navy jump, dark trousers and shoes.

The more recent costume worn by Johnny Depp consists of a gorgeous red velvet long coat, black vest, black trousers, a pocket watch on a chain, white goggles (optional) and purple gloves. Finish off the look with a black top hat and a cane. Cheaper alternatives can be purchased by they don’t match the one worn on screen.

Fantastic Mr Fox

With so many options coming from this book it’s a tough one to identify who would be best to dress up as. Dressing for the role of a fox could be a lot of fun but quite challenging.

For kids I’ve seen some wonderful Ash costumes including this one.

Ash Costume

For the grown-ups, a brown or mustard colour cord jacket and 3/4 length trousers, a fuzzy yellow shirt and a furry tail would look fantastic for Mr Fox while a red apple print yellow dress would make a great Mrs Fox outfit.

Props & Frocks stocks a great kids Fox costume that would work for this book character

Sophie and the BFG – BFG

BFG & Sophie Art

Easy peasy! This is probably the easiest choice to dress up as the costume designs are simple and recognisable.

If you’re going to base your costume off the outfits worn in the animated movie you’ll only need a plain white long sleeve top, green waistcoat and 3/4 length light green trousers. You could also use a pair of Spock ears and some white faux fur or cotton balls to fashion some side burns and eyebrows.

To dress as Sophia a plain yellow knee length dress and a pair of wire framed glasses will do the job.

I also found this brilliant BFG effort, which was a little different and creative.

Luke and the Grand High Witch – The Witches

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsA1L3M0y4g

Does anyone else still have nightmares about this book? Only me?

This book is a true inspiration around Halloween but if you just can’t wait for October to roll around then this is the perfect excuse to blow the dust off your black wig and dress.

Costumes are easy if you’re going for a witches theme. For children wanting to dress as Luke (before his transformation) a simple  yellow hooded top, blue jeans, white trainers and wire framed eye glasses similar to those worn by Harry Potter.

A grand high witch costume would comprise of a black V neck knee length dress, a black shoulder length wig (if you don’t already have black shoulder length hair), black opera gloves, some chunky costume rings and necklace, a pair of low black court shoes and tights. For your make up you’ll need some vibrant red lip stick and blue eye shadow.

Check out this fantastic effort by Ava:

Grand High Witch Costume

Matilda and Miss Honey or Miss Trunchbull (The Head teacher) – Matilda

Matilda – The Film

Sweet or scary? That’s the question you need to ask yourself as a parent. Do you go with the loveable Miss Honey or the terrifying Head teacher Miss Trunchbull? You could even dress as Matilda’s parents Harry and Zinnia Wormwood.

For Matilda a blue patterned dress and a headband with a red bow on it will do nicely.

If you’re going to dress as Miss Trunchbull, we strongly recommend powdering your face with some red blusher as she’s a rage filled lady! Add in a thick, dark jacket, buckle belt over the top with a white shirt and tie underneath. A pair of dark shorts, knee socks and black walking boots would finish the costume off perfectly.

Miss Honey is quite simply as she is usually seen wearing a full length floral pattern dress with a plain cardigan if you want to add something in to keep you warm. She wears a number of different outfits you could try out but this is the option I’d go for.

Matilda – The Stage Show

Author Bio

David Hayler is a blogger and the owner of costume website Otley Run Fancy Dress.

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Snow Princess - Ladies Costume

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Gingerbread Man Costume

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Robin Hood Adult Costume

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Wizard Costume

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Classic Witch Costume

£19.94

Snow White – a Shrek Character

When it comes to costumes, Shrek is rapidly becoming one of our main fancy dress themes, given that it has links with so many fairy tale characters (many of which are Disney costume characters). It is quite unusual that just one film (although it is also now a Musical and shown enough on the television to be classed as as a TV character) has enough characters to make it a fancy dress theme in itself.

Here are just some of the popular choices of characters for this particular costume theme.

• Shrek – hire costume only
• Princess Fiona
• Donkey
• Puss in Boots
• Gingerbread Man
• Snow White
• Three Little Pigs
• Pinocchio
• Three Blind Mice
• Peter Pan
• Monsieur Hood (AKA Robin Hood)
• Big Bad Wolf
• Doris The Ugly Step Sister
• Cinderella
• Sleeping Beauty
• Merlin – look at our wizard costumes & accessories
• Fairy Godmother
• Rumplestiltskin
• Prince Charming
• Jack & Jill
• Rapunzel
• Captain Hook – hire costume only
• Humpty Dumpty
• Evil Queen
• Witches – we have a huge range of witch costumes & accessories
• Sir Lancelot – wear a Knight Costume
• The Black Knight
• The Pied Piper

A Nursery Rhyme Costume theme can be quite difficult to find a costume for. The theme

can sometimes be linked in with a book, or fairytale theme which does make it easier to costume. If however, you have been told that it is strictly a Nursery Rhyme theme, do not panic as Props & Frocks can help you.

Take a look at our information page on a Nursery Rhyme Fancy Dress Ideas. You will find information regarding Bo Peep Costumes, Animal masks that can be used for various Nursery Rhymes including ‘This Little Piggy Went to Market’ and ‘The Owl & The Pussycat’ and much more.

If you have been to a fancy dress party with a Nursery Rhyme theme, what costume did you wear and what did others wear. Just drop us a line as this will help others that are stuck for a costume.

80s fancy dress parties are becoming more and more popular, and it really isn’t hard to see why. The

decade has become fashionable again, making 80s fancy dress great fun to try out.

Our latest 80s fancy dress costumes & accessories include:

• Where’s Wally & Where’s Wanda costumes
• Rambo style
• Ladies 80s Popstar
• Tutus
• Mullet Wigs
• Crimped Wigs
• Leg Warmers
• Lace hair Bands, and much more!

What would you wear to an 80s costume party? We’d love to know, and why not send us in some images of your wearing an 1980s outfit?

So, to help anyone throw the perfect 80s fancy dress party, here are just a few tips on how to make it a huge success.

•    Make sure that everyone will wear appropriate fancy dress costumes. The decade even offers scope for people who don’t normally like to dress up, as there is a huge range of 80s accessories including tutus, lace hair bands, leg warmers, lace gloves, mullets and really BIG hair,  so there’s no excuse for non-compliance.

Props & Frocks has a great new section on this website full of 80s costume ideas from films, television and current affairs. Why not share this page with your friends to get a varied selection of costumes at your party?
•    Have plenty of 80s music throughout the fancy dress party, either through a DJ (depending on the size and budget of the event) or through a mix tape – what could be more 80s?
•    There should ideally be a film room or white screen that’s available to show iconic films of the decade.
•    Cocktails became popular in the 80s, so a fully-stocked cocktail bar should always be available for guests at any 80s fancy dress party.
•    Everyone will be looking to the host for inspiration, so as such it’s essential that they put proper time and effort into their fancy dress costumes.
•    Keep a can of hairspray in all bathrooms for women to keep their hair as big as possible.

These are just a few tips on how to throw the perfect 80s fancy dress party, but the most important point to remember is to have a killer outfit. Fancy dress costumes can be found from a range of places, but for a great selection of all kinds of 80s fancy dress, customers should always check out Props & Frocks to see what can be found.

Today’s fancy dress theme is Space. It’s a chance to let your imagination run wild. This type of theme always overlaps with sci-fi, which then incorporates our superhero costumes as well.

Some of our space costume ideas…

• Star Wars Costumes - We stock a great range
• Star Trek costumes
• Astronauts
• Aliens
• Matrix Costumes
• Apollo (rocket) wear a Roman style costume
• Avatar Costumes
• Buzz Lightyear
• Hippy Costume  - wear wacky weed, smoke a fake spliff, and go as ‘spaced out’
• Space – just wear black circles and go as a Black hole, or space itself
• Morphsuits – make a great spacelike costume – we stock a huge range all year roundAnd here are some of our moon costume ideas…

• Dark Side Of The Moon – wear all black
• Eclipse – this gives a chance to wear a Twilight character costume
• Walking On The Moon – What about wearing a Police outfit (get it?)
• Werewolf costumes
• Fly Me to The Moon – wear a pilot’s costume with a ticket to the moon
• Harvest Moon
• Moonpig – wear a pig costume carrying a moon

It was fifty years ago today that the first US rocket, the Ranger IV, landed on the moon. It was, of course, a major achievement for its time, and although had a few technical issues paved the way for man to land on the moon 5 years later!

Childhood Memories is what today’s fancy dress theme is all about…

Andy Pandy & Loopy Lou

Take a look at this previous blog as it will give you some great childhood memories costume ideas

As we have mentioned in previous blogs, in these days of mass media and 24 hour TV it is difficult to remember that at one stage there was only BBC & ITV.  Today marks the day that BBC2 ran its first TV programme which was Play School (this ran from 1964 until 1982). The channel had originally intended to launch the previous evening, but a mass power failure throughout Central and West London (which included Television Centre) meant plans were scuppered.

Now we hope if you are holding an event over the next week or so, that everything will run smoothly and it is not beset with such difficulties. In honour of Play School, we thought we might mention a few characters from children’s TV of yesteryear, so today we take a look through the round window. (If you have never seen the programme, this might not mean much to you!).

From Play School itself, there was Humpty Dumpty; Jemima the Rag Doll; Big Ted and Little Ted and the much hated Doll Hamble.

Other childhood memories that could give you costume inspiration include:

• Andy Pandy
• Looby Loo
• Pink Panther
• Scooby Doo
• Bill & Ben
• Thunderbirds
• Morph. Morphsuits are the BIG thing in fancy dress at the moment

You may also remember your baby brother or sister, so why not dress up as a baby, or maybe a Scout, costumes are available, what ‘after school clubs did you participate in?

What books, or comics, were you reading? What hobbies did you have? Take a trip back down memory lane and you may be surprised what you end up being dressed up in!

What about a teacher at school, or the dreaded ‘nit’ nurse? What did you wear in school plays? When you start thinking about it, the ideas are endless.

Please let us know what you would dress up as.

Ladybird costume – ideal for a Garden Fancy Dress Theme

Today, we are promoting a Garden Party themed fancy dress party as (hopefully) the weather is just starting to improve & we can all hope that summer 2013 will be better than 2012…

Some costume Ideas for a Garden Party…

• Gnome costumes – use a dwarf or Elf costume for this
• Butterflies – mainly a ladies costume, we stock butterfly wings and costumes
• Bill & Ben
• Poison Ivy
• Bumble Bee – we stock bumble bee wings & costumes
• Ladybirds – we stock ladybug wings & costumes
• Gardner – wear an old white shirt, trousers tucked into wellies and a cap
• Fairies
• Rabbits – the bane of every gardener
• Tree – yes costumes are available!!!
• Statues – cover yourself in silver or white face/body paint

If you can think of any more great costume ideas, please let us know, it will really help others.

Every day, we are asked for costume ideas for couples and if you follow the link you will be taken to our costume themes and ideas section of this website where you will find all the

The Flintstones – ideal couple costumes

couple costumes you could ever need.

Here are a few couples fancy dress ideas to get you going…

• Scarlett O’Hara & Rhett Butler – Gone With The Wind
• Batman & Robin (or The Joker, or any other Villain)
• Morticia & Gomez Addams (or Uncle Fester or Wednesday)
• Freddy Krueger & Miss Krueger
• Hansel & Gretel
• Bill & Ben
• Noddy & Big Ears
• Doctors & Nurses
• Nun & Vicar (or other religious costumes)
• Cleopatra & Mark Antony, or Caesar
• Cowboy & Indian squaw, or saloon girl
• Gangster & Charleston (Moll)
• Robin Hood & Maid Marion
• Henry VII & one of his wives
• Santa & Mrs Christmas, or Miss Xmas or Elf
• Superman & Supergirl
• American GI Man & Lady
• Captain & Sailor Girl
• Alice & the Mad Hatter
• Andy Pandy & Loppy Loo
• Neo & Trinity
• Angel & Devil

Naval Officer Costume

Today’s fancy dress theme suggestion is based on a Nautical theme as at 23.40 on April 14^th 1912 the liner Titanic, on its maiden voyage, had its fateful encounter with an iceberg and subsequently sank with the loss of over 1500 people – there were 2227 passengers aboard.

Being one of the greatest maritime disasters of all time, there may be an obvious reluctance to make this event an occasion for celebration although  ‘What You Were Wearing When The Boat Went Down’ has, and always will be, a very popular fancy dress theme.

Popular Nautical fancy dress costumes for this theme include:

Some possible Titanic linked costumes…

• Dinner Suits & Ballgowns
• Naval Officer Costumes
• Waiters
• Musican
• Poker Player
• Pajamas
• Swimsuits
• Show Girl (from the on board Theatre show)

More traditional Nautical costumes include:

• Sailors
• Navy Officers
• Pirates
• Mermaids
• Fish
• Scuba Diver
• Popeye
• Stowaway

It may be British summertime, but the weather doesn’t know it yet! Why not start thinking about your summer holiday and today’s post gives you lots of suggestions if you want to get the fancy dress spirit while you are away.

Destinations for Fancy Dress

Fancy dress parties are popular all over the world. There are plenty of festivals, events and clubbing scenes where you will find the locals and tourists dressing up, whether there is reason to or not! Locals are likely to take part in traditional events, whether it’s to celebrate a historic day in their country’s calendar, or just for a party. In tourist resorts around Europe, clubbing provides an ideal opportunity to dress up. Whether you are on a lads’ holiday, a getaway with the girls, on tour with uni or on your stag or hen do, there’s always one person who will suggest fancy dress! Here are some of the best destinations around the world if going out in your own clothes just seems too boring:

Ibiza, Spain
The most famous side of the island is the party scene. Known as a non-stop partying destination, it is home to some of the best and most famous clubs in the world. San Antonio is the heart of the island’s party scene, and is one of the most popular and well-known resorts in the Mediterranean. During the summer months, and at the height of the party season, you are unlikely to experience a night out without seeing someone in fancy dress. From morphsuits to mankinis and school girl outfits to smurf costumes, when it comes to dressing up on a night out, there is nothing too outrageous. With fancy dress on holiday being so popular, the clubs of Ibiza host some crazy nights throughout the year, and this one is definitely up there with the biggest:

Event: Don’t Let Daddy Know

When: Every Sunday from July 8th until August 26

Where: Privilege

find out more about a holiday to Ibiza with lowcostholidays.com

Magaluf, Majorca.
A fancy dress night is compulsory for any group holiday to Magaluf. Pack your superhero outfit and your old school tie when you head to this party resort in Majorca. The excellent sandy beaches and scorching sun are perfect for relaxing during the day, before partying the night away until the early hours.  The main party strip in Magaluf is called the Punta Ballena and it’s the ideal place to have your fancy dress night out. Punta Ballene, sometimes known as the Calle de la Punta Ballena, is home to some of the biggest clubs in the resort such as BCM, Boomerang and Banana’s. Of course, let’s not forget Majorca Rocks, which has an incredible line up of artists this year including Tinie Tempah, Bastille and Example.  At any of these venues you will always find a group of people in fun fancy dress having the ultimate party.

Event: W.A.R with Example + DJ wire.

When:  Every Thursday starting the 4^th June to 5^th September (subject to change).

Where: Majorca Rocks

find out more about a Magaluf holiday, visit lowcostholidays.com.

Malia, Crete
Malia is to Crete what San Antonio is to Ibiza. Providing you the best of both worlds, it consists of two areas, the new town and the old town.. In the new town there are plenty of bars, clubs and restaurants to suit everyone’s taste, an ideal opportunity for tourists wanting to dress up on a night out. Another opportunity to dress up is at one of Malia’s biggest festivals of the year, the International Tourism Day festival. This is a perfect chance for locals and tourists to come together and enjoy fantastic Greek traditions. Greek music plays throughout the day, with dancing and tasty delicacies in abundance for everyone to enjoy.

Event: International Tourism Day

When: September 27^th

Where: Malia, Crete

for more information on Malia holidays, visit lowcostholidays.com

Tenerife, Spain

Tenerife is a fancy dress lover’s dream destination. It is warm all year round, with average temperatures still in the mid-teens even in winter months, so you don’t have to worry about getting cold in skimpy costumes. The island boasts a lively clubbing scene and, if you’re lucky enough to visit in February, you’ll be met by its Tenerife Carnaval!! The main clubbing strip is in Playa de las Americas, where you will find a mixture of bars, karaoke venues and clubs that are open until the sun comes up. If you are looking for something a bit different though, head to the capital of Santa Cruz in February where you will encounter drag queen marathons, parades of bejewelled dancers with feather headdresses and all sorts of other fancy dress spectacles. You will look out of place if you’re not dressed up! Take fancy dress wigs with you as they are easy to pack and take up next to no room.

Event: Carnaval

When: Every February

Where: Festivities are spread out all over the island, but the biggest parties are in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

find out more on holidays to Tenerife with lowcostholidays.com

Ayia Napa, Cyprus
Ayia Napa is a party capital where large groups love to dress up and make the most of a night out. A huge choice of clubs, bars, restaurants and beaches mean there’s always new fancy dress themes to embrace. Castle Club is the largest club in Cyprus and plays music that everyone will love to dance to, whether dressed as ninja turtles or in beachwear from an afternoon in the sun. If you visit in October, mix up your evening with the Ayia Napa Medieval Festival – here you’ll see a different side to dressing up, as dancers in traditional costumes perform to live folk songs. However you prepare for a night out, make sure to catch the sunrise from Nissi beach in the morning.

Event: The Ayia Napa Medieval Festival

When:Evenings from 8pm for one week in October.

Where: Ayia Napa Monastery’s Sepheris Square, Cyprus

Discover more things to do in Ayia Napa with lowcostholidays.com.