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What To Wear At A Fancy Dress Party?

05th September 2008

Most people find it extremely difficult choosing that perfect costume for a fancy dress party. If you are going alone, the options really are endless and greatly depend on how brave you're feeling. To try and avoid turning up in the same outfit as someone else (horror of horrors!), it is probably safer not to choose a costume which people have been wearing for centuries - witch, nun, vampire, fairy tale character, etc. Whatever you do, if you happen to work in uniform (doctor, nurse, policeman, fireman, etc.), don't just arrive in your work clothes, that's just plain boring. Fancy dress parties are all about playing at being someone else for the night and behaving in a way that you wouldn't normally behave.

Try to think of modern movie stars or singers that have made a big impression on you ... For the ladies - perhaps Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft in "Tomb Raider", Olivia Newton-John in "Grease" (just make sure you have someone to stitch up your trousers!), Meryl Streep in "Out of Africa", Jennifer Garner in "Elektra", one of the Desperate Housewives, someone from Sex and the City or maybe one of the not so modern, but extremely well-known like Madonna, Jackie O, Tina Turner, Marilyn Monroe or Cher?

For the gents - Harrison Ford as "Indiana Jones", Mr Darcy from "Pride & Prejudice", Tom Hanks in "Forrest Gump", John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever" or Arnold Schwarzenegger are bound to be a hit with the ladies. Choosing costumes for a couple is even easier, as you can co-ordinate your costumes and people recognise who you are supposed to be quicker if you are in double-pack. Why not try Bonnie and Clyde, Jack and Rose (Titanic), Johnny Cash and June Carter (Walk the Line), Batman and Robin, Hansel and Gretel, Posh and Becks, Napoleon and Josephine, Katie and Andre or Antony and Cleopatra?

Hosting a fancy dress party really is a fantastic, fun idea. You get to choose the venue and make sure that only people that you like attend. The best thing about being the host though is that you have more time than anyone else to come up with a unique and spectacular costume! Should you decide to choose a theme for your party, make sure that everyone else will have time to get their costumes too, as if the theme demands complicated costumes, some people might just not bother coming.

If you are not very creative or good with a sewing machine, have a look on eBay for suitable accessories or perhaps a complete costume. Charity shops and second-hand shops are also treasure chests when it comes to looking for unusual bits, you just need to have enough time to have a good nose around. Toy shops are great for items like wands, masks, wigs as well as items of decoration, but make sure you leave the kids at home!


By MELANY KARRMICHAEL