Fancy Dress Party Ideas??

frugalsar

I've left it really late and have a fancy dress party on boxing day! arrghh! Please help! I have very little money (I've been looking on ebay and even second hand outfit go for £15 or so!) Can anyone give me any ideas for outfits using things I would have already or would find cheap? I can sew a straight line just about and dont mind hard work but i'm totally blank for ideas! (also my best mate has bought a really expensive, fabulous size 8 gangster outfit and I dont want to look like the poor crummy attempt!) Thanks in advance for any ideas!!!

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lisawood78

Oooooo is there a theme?
Costumes I have done in recent years (not neccesarily cheaply)
Mystique (X-men), Corpse Bride, Bunny Girl, Devil, Lara Croft, Trinity (Matrix), Pit Girl, Simpsons (Marge or Lisa) Tiger, 'Wench' , Avril Lavigne.
Oooh, Elizabeth Swan also
I'll come back if I think of more

lisawood78

Also try here, I use this site for a lot of ideas
http://www.coolest-homemade-costumes.com/

toffee'n'tom

I made a clown outfit a few years ago at very little cost and I'm probably the worst seamstress in the world. Search out the cheapest colourful material and draw out the shape of a clown's trousers (really really wide at the waist and narrowing to the knees. cut out, sew up and thread a stiff wire through the waist. make straps to go over your shoulders and sew oversized (the cheapest again or ones you have hanging around) buttons where they meet the trousers. sew on different coloured patches, wear a bright coloured t shirt and voila. team up with a foil wig and make up.

At the same time my sister in law and hubby made a fabulous outfit out of old plastic plant pots and went as bill and ben (cut holes out of large plastic pots and joined them together to cover their arms and legs). (or look out for m & s sales - I bought about 5 different costumes last year for a fiver each!!)

jexygirl

REALLY easy one - the morning after the night before!. Get some jamas - fold them inside themselves to fit say your left hand side - so the arm goes inside the arm and the leg inside the leg (hope you get what I mean) Then pick your best black dress, half it in the same way - just folded inside itself, not cut - either tape (or ideally tack sew so that they can be used again as usual) the two different outfits together where they meet.
makeup - half your face with perfect evening makeup, obviously on the same side as your little black dress, one stocking and high heel (or whatever you choose as the night before) and the "morning after " side, smudge teh makeup, give yourself a dark circle under the eye etc ! go as far as you want with it, and its fun! Also easy to use the clothes you have with not alot of "techinical skill" needed
above all Enjoy!

You could also do even simpler - ask all your male / female friends or relatives for all their ties. Use whatever base outfit you want, make a crown, tie all the "ties" all over your arms / legs / body, and go as the queen of "tie land"
Jex

Pitlanepiglet

My friend went to a party as a snowman a few years ago. He works in a garage and he got a set of the white paper overalls that people use as protective clothing (for paint spraying - think Silent Witness as well!) and he drew bit black buttons on the front. It was very effective and very cheap!

foxgloves

Well don't go as a bunch of grapes! Someone I used to know years ago once tied red balloons all over himself, wore a green hat and went to a party as a bunch of grapes. Only everyone took great delight in popping all his balloons with cocktail sticks so he spent the rest of the evening in a teeshirt and tights!!

thriftlady_2

Saw this in an old Jane Asher book - The Last Straw - just pop a drinking straw in your top pocket, or pin it on your top somewhere.

gaily

http://www.fancydressoutfitters.co.uk - I've used it for Kids stuff before now. I had to do nativity for my 3 year olds, and one insisted on being a crocodile (don't ask me why, 3 year old logic!!) - you can't create a good crocodile for very little money, and a sever lack of time!!

Under £30 for 2 outfits - had to get the other twin something too!! They arrived the next day, with free delivery.

You can get outfits for about £10-20 for most of them - adults selction for about £10 not quite such a large selection. They deliver next day (OK, not too sure about Christmas delivery) and until the new year, it's free delivery.

Ok, it's a spend, when you're looking as cheap as you can, but this was the cheapest outfits I could find that weren't home made (wish I had the time and creativity to do homemade)

jenando999

How about if you have an nice flowery summer dress, team it up with a colourful cardie, put your hair in bunchies and do lovely bright aunt sally style make up to look like a living doll. You can even cut out a key shape from cardboard, spray it gold/silver and try to figure out a way to attach it to your back so you're like a wind up doll.

Oh I also just thought, try asking on freecycle (freegle) I got a pair of long white platform boots for going to see Abba Mania a few weeks ago.

luxor4t

Christmas tea / picnic tea;

Glue paper plates, paper cups & plastic cutlery in place settings onto a disposable rectangular table cloth. Cut a hole for your head & wear it like a poncho. You can add plates of 'food' (pictures or toy) down the middle. Use a wicker basket (picnic) or gift bag (christmas) as a handbag.