1960s Fancy Dress Costumes

Posted on September 16, 2010 by admin

We really do not need any excuse to have a 160s fancy dress party, the music is great and the fashions even better but the September 18th 2010 marks the fortieth anniversary of the death of legendary left-hand guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Aged just 27, he died of a drug overdose, but his music lives on – he was one of the first to experiment with stereo phasing and he incorporated guitar amp feedback howl (which most try to avoid) as an extra musical effect. He was also noted for his unique sense of fashion and his pioneering ‘militaristic’ look became a trademark. Here, at Props n Frocks we love any event that takes us back to the psychedelic sixties, where peace, love, harmony and funky fashion was all the rage. We have a huge range of 60s costumes, from hippy costumes for both men and women to trendy mod costumes.

We also have the chance to celebrate two other timeless trendsetters of the 60s, as two icons of the catwalk were born on this date. Zandra Rhodes was born in 1940 and Lesley Hornby (aka Twiggy) was born 1949. Zandra is highly regarded as helping start the whole punk revolution, so why not look at our range of punk costumes and accessories? Zandra continues to create and show innovative designs on the catwalk at the various Fashion Weeks around the world and Twiggy, although moving on from modelling dolly-bird styles in the 60s to helping M&S shift its various seasonal ranges, has retained her position as a respected commentator at the heart of the fashion scene. Our theme for today is Fantasy or Freaky Fashion where you can create your own style of costume hair and make-up and cause a sensation. On the other hand Lady Gaga is setting the bar pretty high in this field, so we’ll be fascinated to see what you come up with.

1960s Fancy Dress Costume Ideas

Posted on August 25, 2010 by admin

It’s nearly the Bank Holiday weekend, and a great weekend to have a 60s fancy dress party! We’re almost at the end of a summer season which has been jam packed with Festivals of all shapes and sizes. So we thought we’d go retro once again and take you back to August 29th 1966, when the Beatles played their last live concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Pedantics might mention that their final live performance was actually on the rooftop of the Apple Corps building in Savile Row, London, on 30 January 1969. (This was undertaken with keyboardist Billy Preston and it lasted for less than an hour, as the police arrived after complaints about the noise from the neighbours!)

Well here at Props n Frocks we are always in a party mood particularly when it comes to the Swinging Sixties, so whatever your take on retro fashion we’ve probably got the right 1960s outfits and accessories for you.

The 60s is such a great theme for a fancy dress party as it covers all sorts of costumes including hippy costumes, Mary Quant style Mod costumes, pop stars including Beatle style costumes, and let’s not forget Austin Powers (first film was set in 1969) with a whole range of official Austin Powers costumes which make a great couples fancy dress idea. There are costumes to suit all budgets and size ranges, you are sure to find the right costume for you!

1960s Hippy Costumes

Posted on August 4, 2010 by admin

Let us take you back to the summer of love…
August 15th to the 18th sees the 41st anniversary of the famous original Woodstock festival, held in 1969 on a farm in the hamlet of White Lake (some 43 miles from Woodstock itself). You could of course be celebrating this event by heading to a festival, such as the Vintage at Goodwood Festival or the British Body Painting festival in Mersham, Kent. Alternatively, if you are celebrating closer to home, then a 1960s fancy dress party is the next best thing.

At Props n Frocks we have a fantastic range of Sixties outfits to help get you in the mood. From the early Teddy Boys which dominated the scene at the end of the 50s to the early 60s, the Austin Powers ‘Groovy Baby’ costumes and the Mary Quant style mini-dresses or Mod outfits, through to the psychedelic and floral creations of the hippy generation (take a look at our hippy costumes - they make a great couples fancy dress option). Naturally, we also have a wide range of additional accessories, such as peace medallions, hippy kits, wigs, glasses, even wacky weed and giant spliffs.

The 1960s is a great theme for all ages and budgets. There is such a range of possible 60s costumes to choose from, your only problem will be deciding on which costumes to wear.

Goodwood Costumes

Posted on July 22, 2010 by admin

We mentioned Goodwood in connection with our 1940s blog. New this year is the Vintage at Goodwood festival, which is happening from August 13th-15th. Aside from being a music event featuring ‘vintage’ artists such as Sandie Shaw, Earth Wind & Fire and Kid Creole & The Coconuts (plus quite a few more modern performers), it promises to offer a complete ‘retro experience’: Not only will it take in the culture of the 1940s, but it will also be exploring the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, up to the present day, with a ‘High Street’ of retro and vintage clothing and accessory outlets. So, if you want to be part of that event, we will be pleased to help kit you out in a fancy dress costume of the era of your choice. Props n Frocks stocks a huge range of 1950s costumes, 1960s & 70′s costumes, and of course, we stock 1980s costumes as well.

Also ‘Of the 40s’ is the Twinwood Festival, held over the late August Bank Holiday (August 28th-30th), which dedicates itself to jazz, swing and Big Band music, and also incorporates a Glenn Miller celebrational event. The festival is held at the Twinwood airfield, Bedfordshire. Festival goers are encouraged to get into the spirit by dressing up in 1940s costume.

I actually attended The Goodwood Revival a couple of years ago. My group of friends all dressed up in 1950s costumes and 1940s uniforms. The weather was terrible, which did ruin the weekend a bit, to be honest, but, we thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and dressing up in costume made the entire weekend so much fun. All the people who had dressed up seemed to get more out of this terrific event, which looks like will be even better this year with the addition of ‘vintage’. Please let us know how you enjoy the weekend if you go this year.

6th July 2010

Posted on June 25, 2010 by admin

July 6th
Rock and Roll is the order of the day today, as we celebrate the 85th anniversary of the birth of legendary performer Bill Haley, who was born this day in 1925. (He died February 9th, 1981. He was most famous during the mid fifties and early sixties, when he and the Comets produced classic hits such as ‘Rock around the Clock’, ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ and ‘See You Later Alligator’. Our Teddy Boy costumes are on special offer at the moment and we have a large selection of ladies 1950s costumes to suit all sizes and budgets.

If the Rock and Roll era does not rock your boat and you prefer something a bit more ‘mod-ern’ this was also the day that in 1962, Pop Art came of age, when Andy Warhol’s Campbell Soup tin exhibition opened in Los Angeles. If that’s not enough of a reason, on July 7th in 1940, legendary Beatles drummer Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey) was born. So what better excuse than to celebrate the Sixties, with all its fashion and foibles?
Of course, Props n Frocks has a large range of 60 costumes for men and women, the music is great, and we all know the words, so what’s stopping you?