It doesn’t seem like five minutes since the last one, but the 2012 Virgin London Marathon will take place this Sunday to the delight of fundraisers and fancy dress fans all over the world.
It’s one of the biggest and most outrageously popular marathons on the planet, attracting runners from practically every continent. There are thousands of serious runners, of course, and that has to be commended, but what we really watch it for is the fancy dress!
We’re treated to some excellent costumes every year, like Lloyd Scott’s famous diving suit costume (which was so heavy he had to walk the entire course over more than five days!). The race organisers have since rewritten the rules to state that participants must complete the course within a day, which sadly means that he won’t be able to bid farewell and retire on a high this year.
The costumes will come thick and fast through that finish line on Sunday – the charitable efforts of the fancy dress runners really are the highlight of the day.
All the preparation and training is done and the pasta parties are about to begin – it’s almost time for one of the biggest fancy dress extravaganzas of the year!
The Halo series is without doubt one of the most successful video game franchises in the world. Exclusive to the Xbox since 2001, the Bungie creation Halo has become something of a cult sensation and has raked in billions for its creators and Microsoft.
It’s one of those things that take the gaming world by storm when a new one is released, in development or even just rumoured. Suffice to say, it packs as big a punch in the gaming industry as the Spartan Laser does in Halo 3.
The Halo Master Chief costume is a head turner, a conversation starter and a computer geek’s fancy dress competition winner rolled into one. Complete with gauntlets and a half-helmet, this costume does the legendary Halo series serious justice.
The Halo hype has been going on for over a decade now and it certainly doesn’t look like stopping any time soon. To kick off a second trilogy, Halo 4 is currently in development – in case the Halo fans amongst you hadn’t heard yet – and it is due to be released in autumn this year.
There has even been talk of a blockbuster movie adaptation of the epic Halo story. First mentioned back in 2005, Halo: The Movie still seems like it will never happen. However, in 2010, Frank O’Connor, the Franchise Development Director at 343 Industries, stated that the Halo movie project will go ahead at some point, we could be in for a treat.
Just take a look at this explosive video for a taster of what could be in store:
The legendary Star Wars franchise has brought us many awesome fancy dress costumes over the years, from the Phantom Menace through to the Return of the Jedi. So, since they are all getting the 3D treatment now, we thought we’d pick out five of the best for you to don, should you find yourself in a lightsaber battle or two this summer.
Stormtrooper
One of the most recognisable of all Star Wars costumes, the Stormtrooper is the epitome of the sci-fi warrior. It’s perfect for stag weekends in particular, so if your soon-to-be-to-married mate is on the lookout for a costume, this is sure to go down a storm.
Darth Vader
If anybody can lay claim to being the face of Star Wars, it’s Darth Vader. We’re not into the business of spoiling movies for our readers, so if you (somehow) haven’t seen Star Wars, it is a must watch for this character’s arc alone. This costume comes complete with the mask, the cape and even the belt (the lightsaber is sold separately).
Princess Leia
If you’re looking for a little something for a hen night, Princess Leia will steal the show as much as she lit up the big screen in the original movies. This costume certainly comes with her famous wig, so you won’t even have to do your hair on the night!
Jabba the Hutt
This one might not be so great in a lightsaber battle, but it will certainly make the night of anybody that sees it. It’s inflatable, so you can make your presence known at any party in any club.
Han Solo
Harrison Ford’s Han Solo has the costume of choice if you want to keep cooler than Jabs, D-Vade and the Stormers this summer. You can even recreate that famous “I love you” moment if your partner dresses up as Leia…
The ‘festival’ is very much alive amongst music fans the world over – tickets are still selling out year after year and people are putting ever more effort into standing out from the sweaty masses. Likewise, festival fancy dress is very much alive and since festival season is now upon us, it’s time to start planning the fancy dress costume that’ll get on the big screen!
Here, we take a look at some festivals that you might be heading off to this summer (and some that we wish we were going to!). If you plan on enjoying some musical muddiness this summer, tweet us @fancydressball and tell us what you’ll be dressing up as!
Download – 8th-10th June
Download is only a matter of a few weeks away now, so it’s time to don the long hair and tight leather trousers for an all-out session of hard moshing. The bill includes the likes of heavy metal icons Metallica and the incredible Prodigy, so you can pay tribute to Mr Flint with the Prodigy costume.
Isle of Wight – 22nd-24th June
A couple more icons of the rock world will be shaking the ground on the Isle of Wight later in June. Pearl Jam and Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band will be playing on the Saturday and Sunday respectively and will be joined by the likes of Tom Petty, Elbow and Noel Gallagher’s new band, High Flying Birds.
Reading and Leeds – 24th-26th August
The world famous festivals of Reading and, more recently, Leeds will take place in the August Bank Holiday weekend, with the Foo Fighters, The Cure and Kasabian topping the bill. An eccentric black wig wouldn’t go amiss if you’re going to watch The Cure.
Bestival – 6th-9th September
This has truly become one of the biggest festivals on the British calendar. Some highlights of this year’s festival include Stevie Wonder, New Order and Justice, so there is, as always, plenty of choice! It’s one of the most diverse festivals around, so you can be as adventurous as you like with the fancy dress…
Such is the diversity of these festivals that you won’t look out of place in any costume, but fitting into place is not the point of dressing up now is it?! Whatever you decide to dress up as this festival season, be sure to send us your pictures on Facebook and Twitter – we’d love to see them!
We all know about the hundreds of movies that have inspired us to put on the fancy dress, but we thought we’d take a look at a few of those infamous movie characters that were inspired to dress up themselves – and all for very different reasons…
The Dark Knight
With all the excitement surrounding the new Batman movie at the moment, it only seems fitting to begin this list with the clown masks featured in the heart-pumping bank robbery scene that kicked off the last one.
The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger, and his posse stormed a bank in clown masks in the opening scene of the Dark Knight to great effect. We won’t spoil what happens in case you haven’t seen it, but all the clowning around comes to a rather surprising conclusion.
Point Break
The infamous ex-presidents are amongst the most memorable heisters in Hollywood history. Point Break saw Reagan, Nixon, Carter and Johnson conduct a series of bank robberies and get subsequently investigated by the FBI. No spoilers here, either.
Looking for Eric
Eric Cantona, one of the most famous French footballers of all time, was the subject of a now-cult film called Looking for Eric. Writer Paul Laverty penned the story of a postman looking for answers. The ever-philosophical Cantona comes to the fore and saves the day, much like he often did for Manchester United. A gang of fans conduct Operation Cantona and storm a gangster’s house for a reason we will not share for the same reasons as above!
Kick Ass
Kick Ass is, shall we say, a lot more tongue-in-cheek. An outcast comic book fan one day decides to become a superhero. Need we say any more? OK, his exploits are side-splittingly funny and his costumes are enough to inspire the rest of us to become superheroes (but, of course, we’re not encouraging anybody to go out and try to save the day in one of our superhero costumes!)
A crime spree spanning the majority of last year’s summer featured a myriad of disguises sported by armed robber Martin Reilly. He has now become notorious for his Elvis Presley costume after being sentenced to 12 years in jail.
Thankfully there was no physical injury caused by the robberies, except maybe some split sides of CCTV staff watching the fancy dress thief in action. Other disguises used included a medley of beards, hats and moustaches, most of which were to hide or deter from the criminal’s discerning facial features.
The 53-year-old was sentenced to 12 years of ‘Jail House Rock’ for armed robberies aimed mainly at betting shops.
A net accumulation of nearly £20,000 made Reilly a prolific criminal, but his decision to commit crimes in fancy dress has, however, gained him the most fame.
From this fame Reilly can claim his place in crime history along with such figure heads as ‘The Duck Tape Bandit’ who attempted to rob liquor stores in Kentucky USA back in 2007, and famous 1900s’, Brooklyn bank robber, ‘Slick Willie’, who dressed cunningly and somewhat more inconspicuously than our most recent Hound Dog, in civil servant attire.
All joking aside, at Fancy Dress Ball, we do ask that our costumes are used purely for the purposes of fun.
But if you do fancy a game of Cops and Robbers, we’ve got a lot more imagination than those infamous historical hooligans!
Easter is almost here, which means that mums, dads, children and students are getting ready to forget about work, school, college and university for a nice long weekend. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it will be a long weekend in the sun, but the (inexplicable) snow is bound to make the Easter egg hunt in the garden that little bit more fun for the kids.
There’s a whole range of different costumes you can don for the weekend. If you’re planning a weekend with the kids (or if you have no other choice because they’re on holiday), you could create the second coming yourself and dress up as Jesus and Mary for a great way to teach them the real meaning of Easter.
If you don’t fancy dressing up yourself but you want your kids to have a bit more fun, why not create your own Humpty Dumpty costume with a little help from our fancy dress accessories? Creating a costume with your kids is a great way to spend the Easter holidays.
If you’re a grown-up kid yourself and you’re planning a university party or pub run with your mates, there’s no limit on what costumes you can wear. Have a gander around the site for a whole host of funny fancy dress costumes for men and women that are perfect for student pub runs and, of course, perfect to take your mind off your exams!
There’s one last Easter fancy dress suggestion from us, but it’s not suitable for a child’s eyes…we also have a saucy range of sultry costumes for you to heat things up this weekend. If the kids are spending Easter with their grandparents or, indeed, you don’t have any children, our Pin Up Bunny costume might be perfect for you. Just an idea…
Whatever you get up to this weekend, we all hope you have as much fun as is humanly possible. Happy Easter from Fancy Dress Ball!
It is almost exactly 100 years since the world’s most famous ship, the RMS Titanic, set off from Southampton on a fateful and never-completed voyage to New York City.
The tragic story has been told countless times over the last century, perhaps most famously when Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslett starred in James Cameron’s epic romance movie. The film has been re-released in 3D this year, so that film fanatics can once again re-live the unforgettable tale of a seemingly unsinkable vessel that foundered on its maiden voyage.
The cinema is not the only place to catch a glimpse of wonderfully accurate historical costumes from 100 years ago. At The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent, Costumes of the Gilded Age are being put on display on Sunday April 1st, offering a “unique presentation of historical costumes, documents and survivor testimonies”.
In Belfast, the city where the Titanic was built, a state-of-the-art interactive visitor centre is set to open on the eve of the centenary of the Titanic’s first and only voyage. Set over six storeys in the Titanic Quarter district of the city, the centre will take visitors on an immersive journey back to 1912, through pictures, videos and remarkable reconstructions.
It is wonderful to see the fabulous fashions of the Titanic era being revisited and recreated so faithfully 100 years on, and we hope everyone enjoys the 3D experience of such an unforgettable story.
The weather’s really taken a turn for the better, hasn’t it now? Perfect fancy dress weather if you ask us! If you’re planning a few trips to the beach, the beer garden, or both in the near future, here are a few funny costumes you might like to enjoy this delightful weather in:
Gone Golfing Ladies Costume
There’s no doubt that this is perfect golfing weather so, if you love life on the links, why not don the attire in the beer garden as well? You can even make it a couple’s costume with the men’s Gone Golfing Costume, complete with a visor and a bow tie.
90s Raver Costume
The children of the 90s are bringing the decade’s fashion back with a bang and this raver costume fits in perfectly with that. You even get a hat to keep the rays off your head while you kick back in the beer garden and enjoy the British summer. Mad for it!
Deluxe 50s Summer Dress Costume
If 90s fashion is not your thing, hit the 50s with this V-neck summer dress. The sleeveless design is sure to keep you cool and, what’s more, you can even bolt on some Polkadot Specs to complete the outfit. With all the hype surrounding US hit show Mad Men this month, it’s the perfect time to get the Betty look.
Hawaiian Hulu Leaf Skirt
On our ‘coming soon’ list is this brilliant piece of Hawaiian attire, perfect for a summer on the beach. We can’t supply the booze, but you’ll certainly look the part drinking a Hurricane cocktail in this. If the heat persists and you need a breeze, only your birthday suit will give you better ventilation!
Hippy Chick Costume
This hippy costume is fit for another groovy time-warp. It’s light enough to enjoy the hot weather and loud enough to stand out from the crowd, so there’s no denying that you’ll make the most of a hot summer day in this. Peace out!
The slopes of Switzerland saw a lively fancy dress night out at the weekend, with Holly Branson, daughter of business tycoon Richard Branson, rocking an impressive costume to join Princess Beatrice in Verbier, the Daily Mail reports.
The recently married Holly revelled in a Buzz Lightyear costume in the top-notch resort and joined nearly 20 more of Princess Beatrice’s friends in the posh Farinet Bar in the town centre. Princess Beatrice herself didn’t hit the fancy dress, but she reportedly let her hair down and enjoyed a drink or two on the night.
One of her friends and fellow party-goers donned a Dalmatian costume, but it was Holly Branson who stole the show as the children’s Toy Story favourite, Buzz Lightyear. We’re not sure how much Jaegermeister Buzz himself could handle, but he certainly seemed to enjoy himself at the weekend! (There was no flying but we hear there was dancing on tables…).
The stars mixed with the locals and fellow holidaymakers and seemed to have a thoroughly good time in their costumes – well deserved after a tough session on the slopes, we say!
A Virgin spokesman told the Daily Mail that the night was “just a fun night out with friends” and that there was no particular reasoning behind the costumes, which just goes to show that fancy dress is perfect for everybody and every occasion, famous or not from Switzerland to Swinton!
