Fancy Dress Tips for Fun and Affordable Party Costumes

Have you been invited to a fancy dress party? Are you lost for ideas of what to wear or where to get a costume? Don't panic! Attending a fancy dress party can seem like a stressful experience but it certainly shouldn't be; choosing a fancy dress costume is fun and affordable!

The first step is to find out if there is a particular theme or dress code, usually there will be a decade to dress from or a certain party costume idea. Whether it's a Wild West party or 70s Punk Renaissance, its important to know what kind of party costume is expected.

Now, this is where the fun comes, deciding what to go as! If you have been given a theme, then obviously you need to explore the options. If it's a Wild West party, you don't have to limit yourself to dressing as a cowboy, you could go as a Native Indian or a Mexican bandit. When thinking about fancy dress it's always more fun to be a little bit different.

If you do decide to go as a cowboy, it can be a really easy and affordable fancy dress costume. Buy a cowboy hat and all you need to do is raid the closet for a chequered shirt, a pair of jeans and a tea towel for a neckerchief! It's simple, cheap, and looks the part.

If you have a talent for arts and crafts, you can even make your own accessories. For example, to make a sheriff's badge, all you need is some foil and cardboard.

If there is no designated party theme, then you really can let your imagination go wild. There are endless options to choose from, and lots of party costumes are cheap and easy to put together.

With the summer blockbuster season in full flow, you can draw inspiration from the big hits. With Jack Sparrow's latest appearance in the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie, pirates are very popular. You can find many reasonably priced pirate costumes online at websites such as Party Domain, or you can make your own.

Recent Hollywood superhero blockbusters have also made Spiderman, Batman and other superhero characters popular for fancy dress, you can browse online to see fancy dress ideas.

If you want to be more original with your fancy dress costume, you really can let your mind run wild! Almost anything can be turned into a party costume, just browsing the costumes online can inspire you.

A cardboard box and a few poster paints turn the partygoer into a walking television, you'll have everyone's attention at the party! Alternatively, wear some green clothing, blow up some purple balloons, stick them across your body and you're transformed into a bunch of grapes!

Thinking outside the box really can give you different and daring fancy dress ideas! If you get stuck for ideas, ask some friends, whom along with a lot of silly ideas might just come up with a great fancy dress idea for your party or event.

Finally, if you still haven't found a fancy dress costume for you, an easy and affordable way to create a party costume 'in an instant' is to buy a fancy dress mask.

Fancy dress masks [http://www.partydomain.co.uk/d-commerce/fancy-dress-masks.html] are available for all sorts of characters and celebrities, so buying a character facemask can make you an American President, Hollywood actor or Rock star with very little expense and give you a lot of fun!

It's probably easiest to choose a few characters, check your wardrobe for clothing appropriate for them and then buy the mask. This way you avoid buying a mask then realising you might not have the costume clothing to go with the character.

One of the major benefits of fancy dress masks is just how easy and affordable it is, along with the bonus of being instantly recognisable without spending lots of money on your party costume!