Fancy dress costumes are seen on men, women and couples at Halloween parties, large sporting events and at local festivities across the world. Different outfits are popular in various countries offering a terrific blend of styles and designs when residents from multiple nations come together. Germany, for example, is famous for Lederhosen and the Japanese are recognised for the Kimono. Thanks to a number of cultural differences, we aren't short on dressing up ideas from around the globe and beyond with astronauts and aliens cornering a section of the market. Below we look at a small number of ideas that might help you decide on your next costume choice.
Guys Fancy Dress - Gentleman, you are truly blessed with an outrageous number of ideas that are hot picks regardless of the occasion. Hot property right now are the massively successful superhero characters from the Marvel and DC Universes. These include Iron Man, Batman, Thor, Spiderman, Captain America, Superman, the Green Lantern, not to mention the villains that oppose them such as the Red Skull, Loki and the Joker. Uniforms are another common choice for men as they are very smart, look incredibly appealing to women and generally show off all of their best assets.
Ladies Fancy Dress - Triumphing over your friends and the other attendees at an event is the aim of most women's fancy dress costumes. They should be very sexy, a little revealing and easy to recognise or identify. Let's face it, a tight white nurses uniform with a red cross on it would be easy to spot by even the most sheltered members of society. For anyone wanting to spice up their choice, why not choose a French maid outfit with a white feather duster and fish net stockings, ooh la la! A kinky PVC Catwoman catsuit with bull whip would guarantee all attention would be fixated upon you.
Kids Fancy Dress - Children have wild imaginations so feed their creativity with suitable fancy dress costumes. Knights of the round table, army men and Hogwarts cloaks from Harry Potter will have them rushing about at a million miles an hour having a great time. Little ladies on the other hand prefer elegant and pretty dressing up clothing such as a princess dress, animals like ladybirds and bumble bees, fairies and characters from their favourite television shows.
Where's the best place to pick up fancy dress costumes?
It used to be customary to make your own fancy dress costumes from old clothing, a pair of scissors and a bottle of fabric glue. Those days seem to be long behind some of us as we purchase ready-made outfits on the internet from major retailers. Some consider this to be cheating but it saves a ton of time planning and building a garment only for it to be a complete mess in the end. With the cost of many costumes down to a very affordable price and party packs even available to cloth the full family it seems crazy to consider doing anything else.
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The most well known type of Irish fancy dress is the Leprechaun costume, which is not surprising when you consider the place that the Leprechaun has in Irish folklore. The first mention of a Leprechaun was in an old medieval tale known as the Adventure of Fergus son of Léti. Since then there have been many, many legends and tales about the "little people".
The Leprechaun is supposed to be a solitary creature who makes and mends shoes for a living. The Leprechaun enjoys practical jokes and likes to horde treasure troves. He is usually depicted as a mischievous old man and indeed most types of male Leprechaun costume reflect this. However, the female equivalent of these Irish fancy dress costumes are altogether different in appearance.
The female Leprechaun costume is almost always a sexy type of Irish fancy dress outfit and could not be further in appearance from the little men with beards hunting for their pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Instead the sexy female Leprechaun costume usually centres around a green mini-dress with some sort of shamrock motif.
There are certainly some good looking examples of these kind of Irish fancy dress costumes available in specialist online shops, but if you want your sexy Leprechaun costume to look particularly hot then you are going to need to purchase some cool accessories.
Wearing a hat
There are a number of great female Leprechaun hats available to add that little something to your costume, from a simple green felt bowler hat to a glittery emerald green top hat with veil.
Wearing a wig
If you do not fancy wearing a hat with your costume then why not try to recreate that lovely Irish look by purchasing an auburn wig. The Carmen Wig, for example, is a beautiful looking wavy red head wig with blonde streaks, which would look wonderful with a sexy Leprechaun costume.
Wearing a layered tulle petticoat
As well as adding fullness and movement to your skirt or mini-dress, a layered tulle petticoat is also a great way to spare your blushes if your outfit is a little bit too short and revealing.
Wearing the right footwear
As with many types of fancy dress outfits, your female Leprechaun costume is definitely going to benefit from wearing the appropriate footwear. A pair of adult Green Glitter Clover Shoes, which are green glitter peep-toe shoes with clover bow detailing and 4 inch heels will complete your sexy Irish fancy dress costume perfectly.
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A few years ago the 1980s were a decade that people tried hard to forget. In the early nineties, had you suggested the idea of hosting an 80s party, you would have been laughed at. But now, years later, we look back on the 80s with a sense of nostalgia. 80s fashions have made a comeback. 80s trends are influencing today's clothes, music and styles. As a result, the 80s are cool again, and 80s fancy dress costume parties are becoming increasingly popular.
The 1980's is a great choice as a theme for a costume party because the 80s styles and fashions were so vibrant and bold, the music was so varied and the movies so memorable. When you are deciding on your 80s fancy dress costume, you will be spoilt for choice. Whether you decide to go for an 80s costume inspired by the music or movies of the time, or whether you go for a costume based on 80s trends, you should have no trouble putting together an eye-catching and original costume.
Here are some 80s costume ideas for you to think about before you decide which outfit to choose.
You could decide to go for one of the 80s fancy dress costumes inspired by the music of the period. The 80s was well known for its megastars, but it also gave rise to the birth of some interesting genres of music. The big stars, such as Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, would certainly lead to great 80s costumes, but there are other options. How about a new romantics (think Duran Duran, Adam Ant and Spandau Ballet) 80s fancy dress costume, or a costume inspired by the heavy metal bands of the 80s (Guns 'N' Roses, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake)?
The movies of the 80s could also inspire your 80's costume. How about a Karate Kid costume, or a Ghostbusters outfit, or Back to the Future fancy dress? Think carefully about the movies you enjoyed in the 80s - there are a lot of great ones that people seem to forget about. I've seen some fantastic Goonies fancy dress costumes and some brilliant Teen Wolf outfits, but these aren't the movies that first come to mind.
These ideas are just a starting point. Before you decide on your 80s costume, think really carefully. You want to end up with a costume that is both original and recognisable. Luckily, there is an almost endless list of great 80s fancy dress costumes to choose from.
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Have you been invited to a fancy dress party? Are you lost for ideas of what to wear or where to get a costume? Don't panic! Attending a fancy dress party can seem like a stressful experience but it certainly shouldn't be; choosing a fancy dress costume is fun and affordable!
The first step is to find out if there is a particular theme or dress code, usually there will be a decade to dress from or a certain party costume idea. Whether it's a Wild West party or 70s Punk Renaissance, its important to know what kind of party costume is expected.
Now, this is where the fun comes, deciding what to go as! If you have been given a theme, then obviously you need to explore the options. If it's a Wild West party, you don't have to limit yourself to dressing as a cowboy, you could go as a Native Indian or a Mexican bandit. When thinking about fancy dress it's always more fun to be a little bit different.
If you do decide to go as a cowboy, it can be a really easy and affordable fancy dress costume. Buy a cowboy hat and all you need to do is raid the closet for a chequered shirt, a pair of jeans and a tea towel for a neckerchief! It's simple, cheap, and looks the part.
If you have a talent for arts and crafts, you can even make your own accessories. For example, to make a sheriff's badge, all you need is some foil and cardboard.
If there is no designated party theme, then you really can let your imagination go wild. There are endless options to choose from, and lots of party costumes are cheap and easy to put together.
With the summer blockbuster season in full flow, you can draw inspiration from the big hits. With Jack Sparrow's latest appearance in the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie, pirates are very popular. You can find many reasonably priced pirate costumes online at websites such as Party Domain, or you can make your own.
Recent Hollywood superhero blockbusters have also made Spiderman, Batman and other superhero characters popular for fancy dress, you can browse online to see fancy dress ideas.
If you want to be more original with your fancy dress costume, you really can let your mind run wild! Almost anything can be turned into a party costume, just browsing the costumes online can inspire you.
A cardboard box and a few poster paints turn the partygoer into a walking television, you'll have everyone's attention at the party! Alternatively, wear some green clothing, blow up some purple balloons, stick them across your body and you're transformed into a bunch of grapes!
Thinking outside the box really can give you different and daring fancy dress ideas! If you get stuck for ideas, ask some friends, whom along with a lot of silly ideas might just come up with a great fancy dress idea for your party or event.
Finally, if you still haven't found a fancy dress costume for you, an easy and affordable way to create a party costume 'in an instant' is to buy a fancy dress mask.
Fancy dress masks [http://www.partydomain.co.uk/d-commerce/fancy-dress-masks.html] are available for all sorts of characters and celebrities, so buying a character facemask can make you an American President, Hollywood actor or Rock star with very little expense and give you a lot of fun!
It's probably easiest to choose a few characters, check your wardrobe for clothing appropriate for them and then buy the mask. This way you avoid buying a mask then realising you might not have the costume clothing to go with the character.
One of the major benefits of fancy dress masks is just how easy and affordable it is, along with the bonus of being instantly recognisable without spending lots of money on your party costume!
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There really are some great 60s fancy dress outfits available nowadays, which are perfect for any retro costume party or even as groovy night club gear. However, although your basic sixties outfit should look good on its own, if you really want to create an authentic looking costume you are going to have to purchase some accessories.
Below are my top accessory tips to turn your basic 60s fancy dress costume into something really believable and, above all, totally groovy.
Accessory Tip 1: Buy a sixties wig
Next to getting the correct sort of footwear, I consider getting the right type of headgear the most important addition to your costume. A sixties wig really will give your outfit that little extra something, you just need to decide which one to go for.
There are a number of great looking sixties wigs to choose from, including 1960s style flick wigs, Cilla wigs, Gamine wigs and, for the really adventurous amongst you, Beehive wigs. Whatever type of wig you decide upon, just make sure it is one that compliments your outfit.
Accessory Tip 2: Get a sixties hat
If you do not fancy getting a wig, then the next best thing is to get a sixties hat. PVC disco hats the same colour as your outfit are always a good idea, or perhaps a Carnaby hat if you are going for the 60's Mod look. You may also want to consider getting a hat/wig combo, which is a cheaper alternative to paying out on a hat and a wig separately.
Accessory Tip 3: Cover up
The mini-dress plays a big part in the fashion of the sixties and some of you might consider 60s fancy dress costumes to be a little bit too revealing. If you are one of those that would be happier showing just a little bit less flesh, then do not worry there are some great accessories out there to help cover you up, without taking away the sex appeal.
Cute white tanga shorts are great for making sure that your outfit is not too "cheeky", while white fishnet tights are a sexy way to cover up legs. You may also want to look at getting some long white gloves, which were a popular fashion accessory at the time.
Accessory Tip 4: Make up
It is always a good idea to do a little bit of research and copy the make-up from the time. Most specialist 60's fancy dress websites will stock the types of lipstick colours worn during the period, as well as supplying large black false eyelashes, which were extremely popular throughout the decade.
Accessory Tip 5: Go-Go Boots
In my opinion, the must-have accessory for any 60s fancy dress costume is a pair of Go-Go boots. These come in a range of bright colours to match your outfit, but personally I would choose a white pair, which will usually go with pretty much any sixties outfit.
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