While trends for parties come and go, the fancy dress party is a constant when it comes to having a fun time with friends. There are hundreds of ideas for an adult fancy dress party, but occasionally we can get stuck when it comes to inspiration for what to wear. One of the most popular themes is the Eighties party, so if you like the idea of dressing up like Adam Ant or Boy George for the night, there is only one place to go to find the perfect outfit. Fancy Dress Ball have a great reputation for supplying top quality outfits for parties, including sexy fancy dress costumes, 80s outfits and if you really want to go wild, there is a great range of 70s fancy dress ideas on our website.

Sexy fancy dress costumes are really popular, and one of the reasons for this is they allow you to dress in a way you perhaps normally wouldn’t. When you wear these outfits in a fancy dress environment, it’s a fun thing, but you can be sure to draw some admiring glances from the men who are at the party! The same thing applies to the guys as well, so why not think about something you normally wouldn’t wear, such as a uniform based on the military or the police? Whatever you are looking for when it comes to fancy dress, you are sure to find it on the website, and once you’ve made your choice , your costumes can be delivered to you as early as the following day.

When you’re getting ready for a great night out, it’s always a problem knowing what to wear. How dressy will everyone else be? Will they all be wearing black?

With fancy dress parties, though, there’s no problem – you’ve probably already been given a theme, and you could be looking for fancy dress outfits to go along with that, or you might just have a free hand to be whoever you want to be for the evening.

We stock a wide range of adult fancy dress costumes and Halloween costumes, including 70s fancy dress and 80s costumes – and even sexy fancy dress costumes!

But we also have a wide range of fancy dress accessories, including masks of all kinds. These range from cartoon characters such as Disney’s seven dwarfs, to scary monster masks, pirate patches, Dr Who’s cyberman and gorillas. But we also have glamour models such as our baroque mask in blue and gold for those elegant masked balls where you can be very secretive and subtle!

We keep our range of fancy dress costumes well up to date – at the moment, we have a full range of Wallace and Gromit outfits, as well as South Park costumes and naughty fancy dress girl soldier outfits.

You’ll be impressed at our prices – far less than buying a normal outfit for a night out – and you can get ready for the ball knowing you’ll be completely in keeping with whatever the theme of the night is.  Have a great time!

There’s no better feeling than getting your hands on the perfect fancy dress outfit. You’ll have been thinking about it for weeks but actually finding that elusive costume can be tricky, with a lot of the options you’ll come across simply not being quite right. You want your costume to perfectly match the picture that you’ve got in your head (or even exceed it), and if you’re looking for the best in women’s or men’s fancy dress costumes, you need to come to us.

We’ve got plenty of different options whether you want something classic or a bit off the wall, and with both men’s and women’s fancy dress you’re certainly not short of options. We can help you unleash your inner wild child or step back to the disco era with 70s fancy dress, and with all themes covered as well as all the accessories you could need to complete the look you’ll have no trouble looking the part.

Of course, it always helps if you’ve got some idea of the type of outfit that you’re looking for, but if not then that needn’t be an issue – simply browse through our site to get some inspiration, and we’re confident that you’ll find something to appeal. It’ll jump out at you from nowhere and you’ll instantly realise that it’s the one for you, so if you want to make sure you’ll get the fancy dress outfits that you want, make sure to come to us and see what you can find.

There’s nothing quite like planning your fancy dress outfit when a party is imminent. It can be great fun trying to decide what to go as, and with so many options available there’s no end to the possibilities. But, if you really want to make the most of your outfit you need to remember the importance of accessorising, because it can make the world of difference to the final result.

Accessories really can transform your outfit from being plain and generic to something that’s truly unique, allowing you to inject your own personality into the costume. There are plenty of options you could go for, with things like wigs, hats and costume jewellery being ideal, and lots of them are perfect for specific themes or eras.

If you’re opting for 70s fancy dress, for example, then think lots of bling and glitz, or if you’ve got a soldier theme to stick to then don’t forget the gun and bullet belt for added authenticity. The choices are endless, and with the right accessories you really can bring your costume to life.

We know how important accessories can be, and that’s why we offer a fantastic range of everything you could need to add some personality into your costume. You’ll soon notice the difference and will really be able to make the most of your outfit, so whether you’re looking for men’s or ladies fancy dress costumes remember the added accessories and you can’t fail to be a hit at that party.

Remember the days of making witch fancy dress costumes out of bin liners and superhero costumes out of painted old cardboard boxes? We shudder to remember such dark days! Providing great value, creative, diverse kids and adult fancy dress costumes was our dream for years… and now it’s come true! It’s almost like a real life pantomime genie granted our wish (and we didn’t ruin it by being the type of person who said “I wish for three more wishes”!)

Anyway, we understand that you might not get much of a chance to wear those 70s fancy dress flares, dirty costumes, ladies 80’s legwarmers etc, so we do our best to keep cost to a minimum. By including accessories with an outfit we aim to save a few pennies on your behalf too (and man hours trailing the market for neon leg warmers!)

If you’re not really up for investing in an entire outfit, the thrifty option of just buying a few telling accessories, wigs, masks or face paint is always an option. Check out the relevant areas (you can find them on the left-hand menu near the bottom) and see if you can’t spot the ideal frugal solution to all your fancy dress woes.

Fancy dress should be fun, creative, exciting and accessible to all, so don’t panic about your budget, just browse our website for the perfect cheap solution.

Our top tip of the day – a red hooded tracksuit top, plus jeans, plus E.T mask equals the easiest fancy dress costume ever!

Never far from our minds here in the office is the fact that not everyone is as fancy dress savvy as are. We’ve got our Red Riding Hoods, Autobots, pirates and superhero fans all squared away here at HQ, but here are a few tips to help the fancy dress novice choose the best possible fancy dress outfits!

•    Is there a theme? We’ve organised our website into easily navigable areas (80s fancy dress, 70s fancy dress, Superhero Costumes etc) to help you stick to your theme with as little trouble as possible.
•    Silly or sexy? Or both? In some cases, naughty costumes may be inappropriate… or ideal! Be sure you’re clear about the tone of the party before rocking up dressed as a pregnant nun or sexy Snow White.

•    What kind of mobility do you need? Reggae Man Costume = easy mobility. Inflatable South Park Chef Costume = not so much! Don’t waste money on a costume you won’t actually be able to wear during the part of the event where you have to help with cooking/chaperone the kids/hang party decorations etc.
•    What’s your budget? Of course we have high end costumes, but we also have some terrific budget options because fancy dress isn’t about who spent the most, it’s about having stack of ridiculous fun!
•    Who have you always wanted to be? He-Man? She-Ra? Sonic? Harry Potter? An Indian princess? A burlesque dancer? A Rubik’s Cube? A donkey? Enjoy!

Halloween as we know it is a relatively recent festival, but, like most of our yearly celebrations, it has ancient roots. The word was first used in the 16th Century but most scholars agree that the origins lie with the much older Celtic feast of Samhain. This harvest festival marked the end of summer and the beginning of the descent into winter.

The carving of pumpkins wasn’t a part of Halloween til much later. That part of the tradition evolved from the practice of carving turnips into lanterns as a way of remembering the dead. Many people think that lantern carving was an American contribution to Halloween, but that is not strictly true – the Americans added the pumpkins, but not the idea of carving. That was already well-established.

Trick or treating is still practiced in an older form in some parts of Scotland. When ‘guising’, children go door to door and earn sweets, money, or fruit by singing or telling a story. Sometimes they wear Halloween costumes but the focus is less on what is worn and more on the act. Poorer adults also used to receive food and money from their neighbours at this time of year, not with elaborate Halloween outfits but with prayers for the souls of the dead.

Although it began as one of the most sombre festivals in the annual calendar and is now one of the most light-hearted (the idea of a 70s fancy dress party is hard to reconcile with a 10th Century Samhain celebration) it still retains many elements from history. It’s certainly much more than an American tradition imported to keep children amused- as some people maintain- so celebrate Halloween and be proud!

Throwing a 70’s fancy dress party is Kool and The Gang!  If you want to get down and funky in your platform shoes while swinging those bell bottom flairs then the 70’s is the way to go. To make sure your evening back in time is as groovy as it can be, make sure your tunes and decorations complement the super-fly costumes.

Tunes

Next to the fancy dress outfits, the music is the most important ingredient of a swinging 70s theme party. Get yourself on your PC the weekend before your party and create a load of different play lists, preferably on CD as well as MP3 format (just in case). 70’s artists that you absolutely must include are The Bee Gees, Donna Summer, ABBA, The Village People, and Queen. You should also make sure you have the Grease and Saturday Night Fever soundtracks ready to go as well.

Decorations

For your funked-up 70’s guests to feel really at home in your party-pad you will need to get some decorations to give it an authentic 70’s vibe. A very easy way to do this is to put up some famous 70’s film posters as well as some CND peace flags. You could also get some lava lamps (switch them on early) and throw some bean bags in to the mix too. Some beaded curtains over the kitchen door would be a nice touch and of course, the sparkly ceiling disco ball will top it all off to perfection.

So you told everyone that your next party was going to be fancy dress. OK, that was the easy part. But what exactly is the theme going to be? Don’t worry if your brain has gone in to overload; here are a few popular ideas to help narrow your choices.

Angels and Demons

This theme is always a winner as it gives your guests the chance to indulge either the naughty or nice side of their character. People who want to be angels can wear adult fairy costumes or angel costumes with wands, wings and halos, while demon costumes can range from a sexy little devil outfit right through to an all-evil Darth Maul costume.

Films

Film themed parties offer so many options that you may want to break it down in to a more specific genre. You could have a sci-fi themed party where classic outfits from Star Wars, The Matrix or Star Trek would be the order of the day. Or maybe you could indulge your guests taste for sophistication and throw a James Bond themed party that requires gadget-packed tuxedos, jumpsuits and femme-fatale hot pants.

Retro

80’s fancy dress parties are all the rage at the moment with more big hair wigs, lycra pants and massive shoulder pads than you could shake a day-glo headband at! However, 70’s fancy dress parties always remain a popular choice as fellas love to dress up as 70’s pimps while the ladies get to strut their stuff in Abba costumes. Groovy!

You may love hosting dinner parties. Such events are a great way to sit down to some lovely food, lively conversation and tasty tipples. And of course, you also get to catch up with friends and family and showcase your culinary prowess.

However, if you have a long tradition of such catering, you may find that the events become a little samey, and you might long for an injection of something new and exciting.

Well, one way of achieving this is to get your guests to don fancy dress for the meals.

This may sound a little outlandish at first but when you think about it, it is just a bit of fun, and fancy dress outfits can help people to relax.

Also, you can theme the clothing around the food you prepare. For example, you could combine 70s costumes with classic dishes from the era, such as prawn cocktails and trifle.

By encouraging your guests to get involved in such fun and games, you will ensure you create a night to remember.

Of course, the clothing is not the only thing you should focus on. The food and drink are still the most important things, so it is vital you pay enough attention to them.

Also, you could add decorations to your table and elsewhere around your house that match the theme of the dress code. This will mean you create even more of an impact with your unusual dinner parties.

In order to make such events a success, you must also give the people you invite plenty of notice so they have time to source their clothes, otherwise you may find you are the only one wearing fancy dress.