Forget Long John Silver. Here we’re thinking more Orlando Bloom and Penelope Cruz. The great thing about dressing up as a sexy pirate is that people will cut you a little slack: pirates may talk a little strangely but they’re prone to extravagant behaviour and have a license to be naughty! What could be more fun for a fancy dress party?!

Now don’t make the mistake of thinking sexy pirate costumes are just for men. We’ve got pirate costumes in a huge range of styles for men and women. You can choose exactly what sort of sexy pirate you want to be.
For men, how about our Buccaneer costume? It features everything you need from the hat to the shirt and trousers. Or how about our Caribbean Drunken Pirate or Deluxe Pirate Costume? For ladies we have a range of styles featuring short or longer length skirts. Our favourites include the Pirate Lady’s Costume and the Fever Pirate Costume.

We also stock an extensive range of pirate themed accessories. For men there are sexy lace-up shirts, pirate’s hook, swords, eye patches and assorted hats and wigs. For ladies we have stylish hats including the stunning Fever Marauding Hat and extensive legwear. The only real problem you’ll have is deciding what to choose!

Even if you’re not sports minded, you have to admit that the Olympics are the greatest show on earth. Even if you’re not attending any events you can still have fun. Whether you decide to host a street party or have friends round for the finals, Olympic fever is catching!

Why not push the boat out and get your Olympic glad rags on? Fancy dress has a long and noble tradition in sport. We can supply everything from face and body paints to union jack style dresses and second skin costumes.

If you’re attending the games, fancy dress is a great way to be patriotic and show your support for team GB. Take face paints. No need to stick to a traditional union jack. Let your creativity shine.

It may be a few years since the phrase “Cool Britannia” was coined, but this year if you have to be anywhere, it’s the UK. With the spotlight on London, it’s a once-in-a-red-white-and-blue-moon chance to show the rest of the world what we are made of. And even if you’re not the sporty type what a great excuse for a party!

Ladies, if you’re looking for an outfit that will see you through the Olympic games season take a look at our Fever All That Glitters Fancy Dress Costume. It’s stunning! It can easily be dressed up or down and can be worn anywhere. You’ll get tons of wear out of it during the Olympics and beyond. If you’re looking for something less sparkly we also have a Union Jack Dress that looks great with heels or flats and can be worn over leggings or jeans.

Let us explain….

Who doesn’t love 50’s themed parties? Or even fancy dress parties based on a Film theme? The great thing about both these options is that they offer guests a wide range of options. Of course when it comes to movies some work better than others for fancy dress. But one of the most popular films of the last 40 years, Grease, is one of the very best.

Why not let Grease inspire your Rock n’ Roll or 50s or Film theme party? Who didn’t want to be Sandy? Or Danny? Everyone remembers the final scenes and the song: “You’re the one that I want o, o, oo, honey…”. Film gold.

A fancy dress costume is an even better investment when you can get some wear out of it. In other words, is something you can adapt for other parties or hen nights.

Remember the Pink Ladies? Can you remember their names? Of course you can! It’s Rizzo, Marty, Frenchy and Jan. Everyone has their favourite.
We think Rizzo has some of the best lines in the movie. When Marty asks if her new glasses make her look smarter, Rizzo says, “Nah, I can still see your face”.

Why don’t you join the Pink Ladies?

Our fantastic Grease Pink Ladies jacket is just the ticket. It’s just so wearable. You can team it up with just about anything. Thoughtfully, it’s also available in a wide range of sizes from X small to X large. Our Pink Ladies jacket will “make” your outfit. It’s made for teaming up with black leggings or trousers but also works well with a skirt. Especially if you can get your hands on a skirt with a big sweep. A case of, “We go together like rama lama lama ke ding a de dinga a dong” if ever there was one!

Let’s take a couple of examples to show what we mean. Let’s suppose you’re sci-fi mad. So you opt for an ‘aliens’ theme.  Well this is probably too specific for most people who will be left stumped for homemade options or even a shop bought range. Why not opt for a film and TV theme or even a colour theme such as silver and white? A thoughtful host makes it easy for guests to find options that fit in with the party theme.

You might have arty friends or friends who have the time to put together a costume. But most fancy dress party guests rely on shop bought costumes and / or accessories. Before finalising your choice of theme you may want to search what’s available. A tip: search online rather than on the high street. Online fancy dress stores have huge ranges because space isn’t an issue. Remember keep your guests in mind. For example, Cowboys and Indians work well as a theme for a kids or adults party. Likewise Fairies and Fairy tales. Colour themes work well too.

Remember, as a host, you want your party to be a talking point for the right reasons. You can help guests further by making sure they know homemade costumes are fine but suggesting stockists of fancy dress costumes and accessories can help fire their imagination and help those likely to sort a costume out at the last minute. We all know someone like that! Perhaps even encourage guests to be a bit competitive. Awarding prizes for best/silliest /best female/ best male costume might be just thing to get people to make an extra effort.

Nearly everyone who takes the plunge into the realm of fancy dress whether they’re tall or short, skinny or curvy reports that sexy clothes give them a huge confidence boost. And this is particularly true of fancy dress, where the clothes you wear can bring out another side of you. After all, fancy dress is supposed to be fun. Taking it too seriously is missing the point.

Men love nothing more than a confident women. Even if you’re not confident by nature, sexy fancy dress will help you bring out your inner diva.

It’s also a myth that sexy fancy dress has to be revealing. This isn’t the case. Of course some costumes will have skirts so short they’ll show off your pants or will have neckline that plunge lower than you’d like. Have you not looked at today’s range of costumes? They can take their inspiration from fairy tales or movies. Or you could be a nurse or burlesque performer. You can even find sexy costumes that’ll cover your legs – if you really must.

You can also customise any costume if you feel the need. One trick people use is to team their choice of costume with an eye mask. This lets you keep an air of mystery all the while your hiding your nerves. But don’t worry you won’t be nervous for long.

Remember. Fancy dress parties are always more fun – because the costumes act like an instant icebreaker. The more effort you make, the more you’ll fit in. Experiment with sexy fancy dress until you find a look you’re comfortable with. There’s bound to be one.

Browsing around our website is by far the best way to get the best fancy dress theme ideas, we do our best to help you out by grouping our products into specific themes and types, but sometimes by just looking around you can come up with a really great idea which is really unusual!

Stag and Hen parties are classic excuses to dress up and popular themes for the girls include cops and robbers, nurses and sexy sailors. The lads tend to stick with funny costumes like second skin suits of gravity grannies!

What ever the party or occasion, if it’s co-originated so that you all match if your hitting the town or if you are throwing a party which you want everyone to surprise each other with their best attempts at something fab, choosing the best theme is extremely important.

Three top tips to consider when trying choosing your fancy dress theme:

1. How many people are going to attend the event? If there were going to be a lot then it would probably be best to choose a theme like TV, film and music so that you have little chance everyone will turn up in a similar outfit!

2. Are you heading out on the town? If so, you will probably want to attract as much attention to yourselves as possible! Bright coloured costumes or super sexy outfits for a group of girls out on the pull perhaps? Just bear in mind that you will still want to get into pubs and clubs, so make sure your not offensive, or have accessories like fake guns if you think that the bouncers might not let you in.

3. Third and final top tip would be, and this is from experience, if you throw a themed party at home, choose one where you can have themed games! It really gets everyone involved. I’ve been to school themed party where we played conkers and had a piñata and a twenties themed shindig where we were all gangsters and flappers playing poker all night and had our mug shots taken inform of one of those height boards on the way in. Trust me, it adds another depth to your party and will make it all the more memorable!

Anyway, I hope in this article I gave you a few good ideas to get the juices flowing and inspire you to shop around our store to find your next fancy dress theme!

Bye for now

Originally going back to Roman times, variations on St Valentine’s day are found in many parts of the world. An excuse to be romantic, or silly, fancy dress fits in perfectly with the celebration of love.

Traditionally men spend about twice as much as women on St Valentine’s day. But here’s the thing ladies. If you want to guarantee you have the St Valentine’s day you deserve, you need to take matters into your own hands!

Planning for a romantic evening at home with your partner? You need to set the scene by getting the decor right.  There are simple ways you can decorate your home or just a room in your house. Think candles, hearts, petals, roses, scents. When it comes to dressing up, how sexy you dare to go is up to you. Are you more of a naughty nurse or catsuit diva?

A surprising number of single women send themselves flowers on St Valentine’s day. Ladies, there is another way. It’s not just couples who are covered for St Valentine’s day. Singles can mix things up with a St Valentine’s day themed fancy dress party. No need to take lurve too seriously.

Encourage your friends to let their hair down with guidance on costume ideas. There’s really no better ice breaker than guests dressed up to the nines. For good measure, throw in some party games. Twister can be relied on to bring the house down. Hey presto – you’ll have the best night you’ve had in ages.

St Valentine’s day fancy dress works for couples and singles alike. You just need to let your imagination go.

January is a funny month, it can feel like you’re on a slow moving train,  and despite all the intentions in the world, you just can’t get the motivation to move at a fast pace. How can you get over January blues and face the New Year head on?  …. By making plans!

We all need something to look forward to, goals to achieve and mountains to climb. Despite our over protesting for a quiet simple life, most people will agree that they need something to make them tick and focus their attention on.

Before the first month of the year passes you by and you let the mood over take you, take a few moments to grab a pen and paper and jot down some important dates in 2012. Your list of important dates should include a few birthdays, whether it’s your children’s, your partners or even your own, whatever happens during 2012, these birthday dates won’t change so make these events your focus.

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine all your loved ones dressed up in cartoon character fancy dress!!…..did you see them? Now with that smile on your face the New Year doesn’t look so blue.

Throwing a party is a fantastic way of bringing people together and taking a few hours out of hectic life to enjoy some fun times.  You may feel all ‘partied out’ after the festive period but a party with a fancy dress theme is so rewarding.  At themed parties everybody gets to let their hair down and ‘characters’ (excuse the pun), start to shine through.  We all get wrapped up in everyday life, we dress for work, and dress for dinner and our own personalities can take a back seat.  Any opportunity to take a break for reality will give us a real boost and some happy memories.

Whilst you are reflecting back on the last few days, laughing over the wacky socks your auntie Rose brought you AGAIN for the tenth year running, or all gathering around to watch the Queens speech, its time to get yourself planning for the best night in the social calendar. It is that time of year again people to get excited about. It is the New Years Eve party. Every year in some way or form, it beats your New Years Eve from the previous years.

I have been to a real variety of New Years Eve shindig celebrations over the years ranging from a house party with a school uniform themed Mexican buffet ( the buffet was cancelled due to our house mate buying frying steak instead of mince for chilli) to Ministry of Sound at the Millennium Dome London until 7 in the morning dressed as a gold cowboy, which resulted in me getting frost bite and being being treated by the red cross wrapping me up in a foil blanket……………. I am so glad I could not find photographic evidence.

Whether you are going to a house party, pub or night club, everyone loves to dress up in fancy dress. Whether the theme is super heroes, geeks and freaks or just a choose what you like.

After doing a bit of research, asking friends what they are up to and what they are dressing up as this New Years Eve, the theme still seems to be retro and vintage. This gives you such a great choice to choose from with no pressure to match a particular theme. Some of my friends are attending a vintage party at La Raza Cambridge for New Years Eve with a dress code from 1920s to 1990s which sounds fantastic. I cannot wait to see the photos. I can image the club ranging from girls dressed in 1920s flapper costumes to men dressed as gangster pimps!

Out of all the places I have been to celebrate new years eve, in my opinion, you cannot beat a good house gathering with friends and family. Choose the themes, stock up on food, drink, music and there you go its time to have fun and party. There is no stress with tickets, door fees or expensive travel!

Mind you if someone treated me to a flight to New York to celebrate at Times Square I don’t think I would decline!!

Happy New Year everyone.

NASAs first manned space program was launched on 12th April 1961, and a short while later in 1969 man first took a step onto the moon.  Ever since these events scientists have been forever looking for evidence of life on the planets we knew about but never did we have the technology to discover even more increasing the chances of inhabitable planets. Its an exciting development and i’m sure the first of many more to come.  However, the new planet Kepler-22b is a mere 600 lightyears away, so unlikley we’ll be applying for our Visas just yet!

So if your thinking about having a party for the new year or any time soon, consider making it space expedition themed party, maybe get some alien and spaceman costumes on the go to celebrate the exciting news!