The biggest challenge regarding fancy dress is choosing the theme for your party. With this in mind, choosing a theme based on a particular decade is a great idea, as it will give you loads of different party options. But which decade is best for fancy dress?

Well of course you might have a particular fondness for a particular decade in which case you should follow your heart! However, certainly two of the most popular decades for fancy dress themes have to be the 1980s and the 1970s – but which is better; 70′s or 80′s fancy dress themes?

The Music

Both the 1980s and the 1970s are renowned for the music; and therefore whichever decade that you choose for your template, then your assured of a fantastic soundtrack. However, if a choice had to be made regarding which is better in terms of music then it might just have to be the 70s, as not only were their great songs, but also great dance-moves – perfect for a 70′s fancy dress party.

The Food

Whilst the 80s was an age of excess, where many people dined on caviare on champagne in their lunch hour – the 70s was an age of more eccentric cuisine. Therefore the 1970s is the perfect inspiration for party food, with party staples like cheese and pineapple having their origins in the decade – making 70′s fancy dress perfect for food lovers!

The Clothes

This is one area were the 80s has the 70s beat, as the 1980s was the decade of extreme fashions, and pop idols that really pushed the boundaries of style. With this in mind, if costumes are your thing, then you won’t do much better than 80′s fancy dress!

Everyone loves fancy dress, as quite simply fancy dress parties are the only occasions where you can really let your hair down, and let your fantasies run wild – becoming that person you’ve always wanted to be for a few hours. Of course, girls in particular love to dress up – whether its for a fancy dress party or not – but why is that and what are the fancy dress options for girls?

Well for girls, fancy dress parties aren’t just fun, but they can also be a great occasion to to push the limits of style and create outfits that aren’t just sassy, but also stylish! With this in mind, why not give your fancy dress outfits a real fashion edge – perhaps with some fashion heels combined with stunning fancy dress outfit from Fancy Dress Ball.

When it comes to fancy dress costumes, girls are especially lucky, as for one thing they have all that hair to play with! With this in mind, girls can really elevate their fancy dress outfits just by elevating their hair. For example, if you were taking Madonna as inspiration, then you could perhaps teasel your hair for that immediate 80s Madonna look.

Girls are always going to be better at dressing up than boys, and therefore girls can really get creative with their costumes. However, even for fashionistas fancy dress costumes can still be a challenge, and with this in mind at Fancy Dress Ball we’re here to help – stocking loads of awesome womens fancy dress outfits!

Not many of us can remember the 70s – and that’s not just because of the great parties. However, this doesn’t mean that people don’t appreciate a great 70s fancy dress party, and in fact 70s fancy dress is still one of the most popular formats for a fancy dress party. But why is that, and how do you throw the perfect 70s fancy dress party?

Well just like the 1980s the 1970s was a decade that was renowned for its music, and therefore by opting for a 70s fancy dress theme then you’ll have the music sorted! Even better, you’ll get to pull out all of those old disco moves on the dancefloor!

Wigs are a boon to fancy dress parties, and luckily the 1970s was a decade of extreme hair! Therefore why not give your outfit that immediate 70s twist by incorporating some great 70s wigs? At Fancy Dress Ball we don’t just stock great 70s costumes, but we also have loads of fabulous 70s wigs too!

Speaking of 70s costumes, at Fancy Dress Ball you really are spoiled for choice, and we stock everything from famous 70s character costumes – such as Womble costumes – to outfits that really have got the funk!

Of course, if you want to create the perfect 70s party then wigs, costumes and music just wont be enough, and instead you could also create a 70s banquet, complete with cheese and pineapple on sticks – you don’t get more 70s than that!

There is so much potential for Halloween fancy dress parties, that deciding on fancy dress costumes and party decor can be a bit of a challenge. However, Halloween needn’t mean a headache! By opting for a theme your fancy dress party should fall neatly into place.

But What Theme Should you Choose?

Well of course that’s up to you! But at Fancy Dress Ball we think that you wont do much better than an 80′s fancy dress theme,  as quite frankly there was no era quite as scary as the 1980′s – and not just because of the fashions!

Due to the advent of videos and “video nasties” there is perhaps no better symbol of eighties horror than the zombie, and therefore if you opt for an 80s Halloween fancy dress theme, then you can’t go wrong by incorporating a few zombie elements. Of course this can mean zombie costumes, or it could mean scattering a few zombie parts around the place – at Fancy Dress Ball we even sell those (not real ones of course!)

The 1980s was also an age of horror idols! Most notably Michael Jacksons Thriller video – possibly the most famous video of all time – arrived on the scene to scare the pants off the nation! However, whilst scaring us, it also gives a great idea for a Halloween fancy dress party – not just for the costumes, but also for the horror soundtrack.

The best thing about Halloween fancy dress is probably the dressing up, however if your really want your Halloween fancy dress party to go with a bang – or should that be with a “scare” – then you should try and incorporate a few additional things guaranteed to thrill kids and grown ups alike!

At Fancy Ball, along with great fancy dress costumes, we also stock loads of great accessories to ensure that your Halloween fancy dress party is scary as it can be! For example, why not scare-ify your home with some plastic bats to give your decor a dracula twist?

Or perhaps you want to add an extra dimension to that Halloween fancy dress costume, in which case you need look no further than Fancy Dress Ball, as we stock loads and loads of great Halloween props and accessories, from fake knives to witches brooms – ideal for finishing off those scary outfits!

If you want to really push the boundaries, and create a truly spooky atmosphere this Halloween, why not incorporate some truly gory accessories into your party? For example, can you think of anything that is quite as gruesome as a decapitated face on a take-away tray?

Of course the more gruesome end of the spectrum will not be suitable for kids, however this doesn’t mean that children should be excluded from all of the fun! A few child friendly props such as brooms and bats are sure to inspire a bit of Halloween magic!

Girls have always loved fancy dress, and the opportunity fancy dress parties give you get to really dress up! Halloween in particular is a great time for girls to dress up, as quite frankly it gives them a chance to really push the style boundaries – for better or for worse!

You might assume that just because some of the best horror characters in history have been male that this means women are slightly left in the lurch when it comes to Halloween costumes. However, this definitely not the case, and Halloween can be just as fun for the girls – and probably a little more so!

So, why not take those male monsters as inspiration but give them a feminine twist. For example, at Fancy Dress Ball we stock loads of great female devil costumes, which just ooze sauciness – as well as being a little bit scary!

Of course, girls have plenty of lady-monsters to look up to! When looking for ladies halloween costumes why not look towards some classic female creatures for inspiration? For example, probably the most ubiquitous of Halloween costumes is the witch costume, which like a female devil costume can be both scary and a little bit sexy too!

If you’re struggling to find womens fancy dress costumes for Halloween or for any other fancy dress party for that matter, why not visit Fancy Dress Ball? We have a huge abundance of great costumes – for the guys and the girls!

Okay, let’s face it, men like to dress up just as much as the girls. Sadly, they don’t get nearly enough opportunities to do so! One exception has to be at Halloween, which makes mens Halloween costumes especially important!

Luckily, Halloween offers loads of opourtunites for guys to dress up, and there are plenty of great mens Halloween costume ideas out there:

The Classics

Some of the most famous monsters in history have been men, and characters such as Frankenstein and Dracula will always be the most popular mens Halloween costumes. However, why not give them a unique edge, and try, for example a comedy vampire costume – which is sure to raise both a scream and a laugh this Halloween!

Humour

Halloween can get a little too serious if your not careful, and therefore an injection of humour and high camp can be much needed; with this in mind, try giving a comic twist to some old classics, or just go all out and dress like a giant spider!

A Bit of Naughtiness

Halloween can also be a time for mischief, and why should the girls have all the fun? In this regard, at Fancy Dress Ball we stock loads of costumes that have touch of mischief about them – such as the handsome devil costume.

At Fancy Dress Ball we stock loads of mens fancy dress for Halloween and beyond, so there really is no reason to stress about that Halloween costume when you can just visit us at our website!

Although it is the scariest time of the year, kids love Halloween as let’s face it, children just love the gruesome stuff! Of course Halloween isn’t all about the gore, and it can also be a thoroughly magical time – especially if you’re hosting a horror fancy dress party.

At Fancy Dress Ball if you’re looking for a Halloween fancy dress costume for kids then there surely is no better place, ass alongside our adult costumes, we stock loads of great costumes for kids that love to scare, such as a cut throat pirate costume!

Of course, just like kids birthday, parties there’s more to kids horror fancy dress parties than great costumes. In order to give your kids and their friends a truly magical Halloween, you’re going to have to pull out all of the stops!

Food, for example, is important in kids parties, and at Halloween there is a chance to get really fun with the party food! Why not get messy with some green ice-cream or strawberry sauce that looks like blood?

In order to keep the kids entertained after they’ve consumed a whole lot of sugar, some Halloween-based party games are essential. For example, why not try a spooky version of hide and seek, or even better why not make your own haunted house for everyone to enjoy?

At Fancy Dress Ball we’ve got all the fancy dress costumes and accessories to ensure that your kids Halloween party is one to remember.

If you get it right, your Halloween fancy dress party could be the best party of the year – and definitely the spookiest! However, as with all fancy dress parties, the key to success is all in the planning. With this in mind, how do you host the perfect horror fancy dress party?

Theme

If you really want to make things easy on yourself, try matching your party to a particular theme. This way, choosing the music and even the costumes will be much easier. However, you will need to ensure that your theme is broad enough that it allows for people to dress in different costumes. A great idea for a theme would be a Halloween based 1980s fancy dress party, as arguably it was the age of horror – and there are some great 80s horror idols and music, such as Michael Jackson’s Thriller, to provide inspiration.

Food

Halloween is the perfect time to get creative with your eatables, and simply by giving your food a horror twist will you bring a smile to the face of your guests – and hopefully a few screams too! Why not try setting some fake flies into some jelly, for a real food-based scare.

The Costumes

Arguably the most important thing about Halloween parties are the costumes, and Halloween is an occasion where you can really unleash that inner monster. As previously mentioned, setting a theme could help you decide on Halloween costumes, or even better why not visit us at Fancy Dress Ball for some truly gruesome inspiration!

Halloween is one of the most exciting times of the year, and by far the best holiday period for anyone who likes to dress up! Frankly, the whole point of Halloween is Halloween fancy dress, and there are loads of great costumes available at Fancy Dress Ball to make Halloween fancy dress a hell of a lot of fun – for kids and grown ups too!

The most simple horror fancy dress is a mask, and at Fancy Dress Ball we stock loads of different costumes that incorporate masks, such as a spooky werewolf costume – a great way to transform yourself into the most monstrous of creatures!

One of the biggest thrills about fancy dress on Halloween is taking things that little bit further, and that is why alongside relatively simple costumes, we also stock some really extreme fancy dress outfits that are sure to get you noticed this Halloween season.

For example, why not impress and scare your friends with a high quality Dracula costume, who has to be one of the most famous monsters that there have ever been, and surely one of the scariest – making Dracula the perfect inspiration for an oh so spooky Halloween outfit!

The beauty of all fancy dress, and especially fancy dress on Halloween, is that it encourages people to let their hair down, and to really enjoy themselves. So why not get your freak on this Halloween with a great costume from Fancy Dress Ball?