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Most people will have find memories of a fancy dress party in years gone by. Perhaps it was seeing your boss dressed as an ass at the animal-themed office Christmas party, or a handsome swashbuckler dressed as the pirate you always knew him to be. The truth is, a fancy dress party requires everyone to make more of an effort than most parties, and so people often have a more enjoyable evening when everything comes good. When planning a fancy dress costume, there are a number of things to take into account, including:
Theme
What is the theme of the party? It may sound silly, but you have to ensure that your costume fits with the party host's intentions. For instance, a devil costume may be perfect for a Halloween party, but would probably look quite silly at a fancy dress wake (they do happen, apparently). Similarly, wearing a sexy nurse costume to a doctors and nurses party makes perfect sense, while wearing one to a dead rockstars party would just be silly, or require an enviable leap of the imagination.
Headwear
Starting at the top, headwear is very important. Unless you are wearing a low cut top, chances are people will mainly be talking to your face during the course of the evening, so items like a good fancy dress wig or fancy dress hat will show that you have made a real effort and will leave an impression. One of the most popular items of headgear in recent years has been the mullet wig, which gives wearers that classic 1980s 'do, as notably sported by TV's Pat Sharp. Hotels in London, Prague and Amsterdam are frequently filled with bemulleted stag nights, although this trend will not last forever.
Accessories
Many great fancy dress ideas can be aided by the addition of the right accessories. A vampire or superhero, for example, needs a cape much as a doctor requires a stethoscope and Santa requires a beard. If you are Cruella De Vil for the night, you will need her famous hairdo and a pair of mean looking costume gloves, perfect with a dalmatian coat. Accessories for children's costumes should be kept to a minimum, because there is every chance that they will be lost or misplaced during the course of a fancy dress party.
