We all experience moments when we pine for the past. It may be that you suddenly hear one of your favourite songs from your younger years, or you see a re-run of a classic TV programme from decades gone by.

This kind of nostalgia can leave your feeling sad about the time that has passed and make you think about all the people you used to know and the things you used to do.

Often, it can leave you feeling a sense of loss about the freedom you used to have and have now relinquished because of family and work responsibilities.

While it may not be advisable to quit your job and leave your partner and children because of these feelings, there is one way in which you can relive your youth.

You can organise a fancy dress event. This is the perfect way to enjoy a light-hearted evening reminiscing about all things past.

For example, you could opt to base the party on 80s fancy dress, or, if you fancy heading back further in time, go for 70s costumes.

Not only is this a great way of spending time with your friends, but it can also help you get over your melancholy about how much your life has changed over the years.

Although we all have to grow up at some point, it doesn’t hurt to celebrate our less responsible times every now and then.

So, next time you hear your favourite 70s or 80s tune on the radio, why not plan an event in homage to the era?

In all the excitement of choosing your 80’s costumes, did you forget about decorations? No worries, we can’t come to your home and kit-out your living room ourselves (although we’d love to come to your fancy dress party!), but we can offer you some fantastically authentic, frugal tips on creating a bona fide 1980’s atmosphere!

Decoration

Ah balloons – the bread and butter of the 80’s fancy dress party! Balloons are cheap, easy to use, easy to recycle and more fun than your Aunty Jean that time she drank too much at cousin Sheila’s wedding! We recommend pumping your venue FULL of bright balloons and ribbons! Party streamers, eighties film posters, silly string – remember how fun they were too!

Music and Entertainment

If you want to go all-out, it might be time to get in an 80’s cover band. If you’re not quite in the market for a real life band, splash out on a bunch of 80’s mix CD’s to make sure your guests stay “Footloose” (get it!) all night long!

We love the idea of playing 80’s movies like Top Gun, The Carebears, The Breakfast Club and Karate Kid in the background. Careful though – they’re such awesome movies your guests might be distracted!

Food

Where to begin! Cheese and pineapple on sticks, mini-sausage rolls, lots and lots of retro sweets (think mini packets and pick and mix) Once you’ve chosen the perfect 80’s fancy dress costume from our website, have a poke around on the rest of the lovely internet for some authentic 80’s sweets – Ring Pops and candy necklaces are a must!

Fancy dress isn’t all about looking good, but that doesn’t mean that your sense of style has to completely fall by the wayside. Whilst the 1980′s has given us some truly ridiculous looks, it also gave us some really great fashions. Therefore, by choosing 80′s fancy dress costumes it really is possible to have fun – and look good doing it!

First things first, your eighties costumes aren’t going to cut the mustard if your hair and makeup isn’t up to scratch, and with this in mind you should take your inspiration from some of the most stylish people of the decade. For example, if you are planning on donning a Madonna costume then you owe it to the queen of pop to get the hair right – whether your going for that “Holiday” Madonna look with some teaseled hair, or your going for a sleeker look based on a later period.

Whilst by getting your eighties hair right you’re well on the way to great 80′s fancy dress costumes, achieving an 80′s look that you’ll actually look good in can be a real challenge – or so you’d think. In fact, there are plenty of ways to make an eighties outfit look great.

For example, rather than going completely 80′s why not incorporate some 80′s features into a contemporary outfit. For example, some leg warmers can be enough to create some great 80′s fancy dress costumes without making you look too ridiculous!

Whilst there are plenty of great options for 80′s costumes – from dressing like your favourite board game to dressing like an 80′s guitar – there is flaw in many of these great 80′s looks, i.e. they’re not so great on the dancefloor! Luckily, however, the 1980′s truly was a decade that loved to dance, and therefore creating 80′s fancy dress costumes that are comfortable to dance in is not only easy, but a whole lot of fun too.

Less is More

If you are attending an 80′s fancy dress party in a club for example, then some 80′s looks just wont be practical – not unless you like overheating! With this in mind the old idiom ‘less is more’ comes to mind. Luckily the 80′s fancy dress look can be achieved without having to over-dress, and oversize t-shirts and leggings can create a great 80′s look without any of the comfort issues.

Accessorise!

On a similar note, the 1980′s was a decade that loved its accessories and therefore there is no need to go overboard with your 80′s fancy dress costumes, when just a few well thought out accessories can do the trick! With this in mind some large “bangle” style earrings can really add a touch of the eighties to your 1980′s fancy dress costume, without compromising on your comfort.

80′s Colour

If done right, rather than impede your dancing, a 1980′s fancy dress outfit can really add to the dance floor experience. By embellishing your costume with bright day-glo colours, you are sure to set the dance floor on fire – whether you’re at an 80′s fancy dress party or not!

The 80′s was a decade of iconic individuals and groups from music, fashion and even sport, although it was TV and film that provided the decade’s most iconic influences. These icons offer some great ideas for mens 80′s fancy dress costumes, so, if you have been invited to an eighties fancy dress party, you may want to consider the following.

Tom Cruise – Top Gun

As Maverick, Tom Cruise was a super-cool fighter pilot who showed his vulnerable side when his best pal Goose tragically died. Men liked Maverick because he was arrogant, whereas the ladies loved him because he cried in his underwear. This film cemented the white naval uniform’s iconic status, and any guy who wears it to an 80′s fancy dress party with some aviator shades and a cheeky smile shouldn’t be lonely for very long.

Mr T – The A-Team

Mr T, as ‘B.A. Baracus’ was the A-Team. He didn’t like airplanes, pitied a lot fools and drank a lot of milk. It is a classic 80′s fancy dress costumes, needing just military clothes, plenty of gold chains and a Mohican hair cut. Now, repeat; “quit your jibber-jabber!”

Patrick Swayze – Dirty Dancing

Swayze became a heart-throb to ladies the world over after gyrating in a black leotard all through the 80′s smash-hit, Dirty Dancing. Of course, this fancy dress costume is not for the faint-hearted as it will require you to live up to your character’s dancing credentials. Still, there should be no shortage of dance partners.

If you are a manly type of guy with an invite to an 80′s fancy dress party, but aren’t thrilled at the thought of dressing up in 80′s costumes such as Boy George or Adam Ant, then help is at hand.  Back in the 80′s, heavy metal music was massive and bands like Iron Maiden, AC/DC and Metallica were worshipped. With their rough look and macho pomp, these bands revolutionised the way that musicians performed.  No other metal icon of the 80’s encapsulated this image better than the legend that was Guns N’ Roses front man, Axl Rose.

Axl is a great choice when it comes to 1980′s costumes as his look is simple to imitate. First off, you will need a brown coloured 80′s wig that is long and straight. You will also need to get hold of a bandana which must be tied around your head with some shades on top of it. Combine this small effort with a black leather jacket, some tight black jeans and bouts of spontaneous havoc and your transformation into Metal God is complete.

Another 80′s fancy dress option is that of GNR’s super-cool guitarist, Slash. All that’s needed are black leather pants, a long black curly wig, some mirrored shades and the trademark top hat. Throw in a blow-up guitar and this look will guarantee that you have instant recognition as an 80′s rock star in your fancy dress costumes.

Madonna’s success straddles a few decades, and she is perhaps one of the most versatile artists that have ever graced the airwaves, which makes her arguably one the best templates for a musical fancy dress theme.

Why? Well probably the main reason why Madonna lends herself so perfectly to fancy dress is because of the wealth of looks she has sported; from the eighties right through to today. So, what are the options for an aspiring Madonna costume?

Well such is the diversity of Madonna looks that are available, that there are loads of ways to give an outfit that Madonna edge. For example Madonna has sported some of the most  recognisable 80s outfits of any 80s icon – perhaps apart from Jacko – and to achieve that 80s Madonna costume look, you don’t have to break the bank.

Madonna’s 80s outfits in particular were often fairly simple, and were characterised by basic accessories such as earrings and bangles, as well as easily achieved hairstyles such as teaselled hair – which means that achieving that Madonna costume look is a great affordable fancy dress solution.

Of course by going down the Madonna route, you immediately solve the problem of choosing fancy dress party anthems, as Madonna as had enough hits to keep a party going long into the night!

So, rather than overcomplicate your fancy dress theme, by choosing Madonna as your template you not only get access to a whole pantheon of great looks, but you also get the music too.

Everybody knows that there’s no better theme for a fancy dress party than an 80’s fancy dress theme! But why exactly do we love fancy dress, and what makes the 1980s such a perfect fancy dress theme?

Fancy dress is such a popular format for parties for a variety of reasons. Firstly it allows a partygoer to really inhabit a whole new character, which makes it much easier for them to break the ice and lose those inhibitions! Also it affords the party planner (and partygoer) with a whole load of party possibilities, whether it’s choosing the music, based on perhaps a specific 80’s fancy dress party theme, or its deciding exactly what your going to wear – a fancy dress party makes it easy!

So, fancy dress parties are a idea for a variety of reasons – but how do you go about hosting one? Well if you want to make things easier on yourself as well as your guests, it is a good idea to choose a specific theme for your party. For example an 80’s fancy dress theme will be pretty easy to organise, as not only will you most likely have plenty of 80’s anthems on your iPod, but you guests will also be able to embellish their 80s costumes with items from their own wardrobe – whether its Mr T style gold chains, or an oversize 80s jacket.

Planning a party can be a stressful occasion, and unless you engage in a thorough logistical exercise you could find it difficult to keep your head above water. However, fancy dress parties need not be like this, and by setting a theme for your bash, you will find that organising our party is not only easy, but a whole lot of fun.

Let’s say you chose an 80s fancy dress theme. Immediately this affords you with a whole pantheon of potential party options. For example, 80s fancy dress immediately gives you plenty of options for 80s costumes, such as leg warmers or shoulder pads. In fact the 80s was so synonymous with fashion that the possibilities are endless!

Keeping with the 80s fancy dress theme, you will be able to draw upon a rich catalogue of 80s music. What fancy dress party would be complete without some great tunes! Whether you want to play music all from one iconic star, or whether you want to play a mixture of 80s party anthems.

On a similar note, if you want to host a really unique 80s party, then you could focus your theme on a specific icon – it just so happens that the 1980s is full of them. For example, you could host a Michael Jackson theme or a Madonna theme, which not only gives you access to some great 80s costumes options, but all a fantastic back catalogue of awesome party songs.

Michael Jackson – another icon of the 80s that is very easy to impersonate, with the guarantee that people will definitely know who you are at your eighties fancy dress bash. Michael Jackson’s style in the 80s was defined by his music videos and appearances, including “Bad”; which involved red leather jackets and tight trousers. Equally a white glove, glittery jacket, half-mast trousers and aviators will be just as effective.

Adam Ant – who can forget this swashbuckling, stylish man who oozed sex appeal and practically initiated the romantic post-punk movement? Casting aside the denim of the sixties, Adam Ant took on a whole new role for fashion in the 80s. Bearing his trade-mark white face paint across the nose in any setting, you may find yourself repeatedly mistaken for impersonating this 80s icon in fancy dress.

Bon Jovi – hair may be the most appropriate fashion tool to employ here, as Jon Bon Jovi himself made many fashion statements with his big hair – ironically, his music was defined as hair-metal. Using mousse to create volume or a purchasing a wig and a bit of glitter and you’re good to rock up to the party as Bon Jovi. For the 80s costume, there is no such thing as too much denim – denim jeans and a denim jacket should set you well on your way.

Once you’ve chosen your 80s style icon, you’re ready to wow your family and friends at your 80s fancy dress party with your outrageous, sensational 80s fancy dress costume! Fancy Dress Ball have a fantastic range of 80s fancy dress costumes perfect for your fancy dress party.