By Blaine Davidson
Everyone likes to dress up, a few hours pretending to be someone else is great fun but the hard part is choosing what to wear or who to be. A firm favourite of couples or groups of friends is ABBA or Sonny and Cher because, let's be honest, dressing up like the 70s is great fun! Bright colours combined with flowers and flares can't be worn ever day, but at a party, anything goes!
The 70's was a great time for music, TV and sporting legends alike so there are many different characters to use as inspiration; for example the disco diva Dona Summer or even ABBA. For Glam Rock try styles worn by the likes of Slade and T-Rex. Of course there is always the heavy rock bands like Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper to draw on and the classic 70s fancy dress glitz of Elvis.
Children's fancy dress can also be based on the 70's with wigs and shades for the boys and hippie print dresses for the girls. Outfits based on Star Wars are also a big hit with the younger generation, with many a creature costume to try on and enjoy.
What can say 70's like very little else is the full diamante, big belt and high collar of an Elvis costume. You might need a wig and a southern accent and a wiggle of the hip to go with it but if you have the confidence to go for it you are guaranteed to raise, at the very least, a smile from your fellow party-goers.
Maybe the 70's weren't your thing, but there's many a decade to choose from. 80s fancy dress can be great fun too; from Top Gun to Ghostbusters the 80's had some great films that have achieved cult status today and there's plenty to take inspiration from. In fact the 80's works really well when it comes to childrens fancy dress too, who better to be than Karate Kid?
Music was a big part of the 80's with the rise of the 'New Romantics'. Bands like Culture Club and Adam and the Ants were both really popular and offer a perfect blend of colour and style for a fancy dress party. The 80's also saw the rise of poodle-haired rock bands like Bon Jovi and Def Leppard. There really is no better excuse to recreate such wild styles than for a fancy dress party.
Add to these ideas by thinking back to TV in the 80's and cult programmes such as Knight Rider, the A-Team and Red Dwarf, all providing a range of curious and exciting characters for a party. Cagney and Lacey was a huge hit in this decade and along with Magnum PI provides further ideas and interesting styles based on the 80's cop show. You may not manage the Ferrari but an extremely large moustache and a Hawaiian shirt would do the trick!
There really are hundreds of childrens 70's, 80's ideas to choose from. All you really need is a little imagination. The key is to have fun. Have fun with fabrics, colours and styles and you will find something just right. Don't hold back, go for it and be the best dressed character at the party!
The 70's was a great time for music, TV and sporting legends alike so there are many different characters to use as inspiration; for example the disco diva Dona Summer or even ABBA. For Glam Rock try styles worn by the likes of Slade and T-Rex. Of course there is always the heavy rock bands like Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper to draw on and the classic 70s fancy dress glitz of Elvis.
Children's fancy dress can also be based on the 70's with wigs and shades for the boys and hippie print dresses for the girls. Outfits based on Star Wars are also a big hit with the younger generation, with many a creature costume to try on and enjoy.
What can say 70's like very little else is the full diamante, big belt and high collar of an Elvis costume. You might need a wig and a southern accent and a wiggle of the hip to go with it but if you have the confidence to go for it you are guaranteed to raise, at the very least, a smile from your fellow party-goers.
Maybe the 70's weren't your thing, but there's many a decade to choose from. 80s fancy dress can be great fun too; from Top Gun to Ghostbusters the 80's had some great films that have achieved cult status today and there's plenty to take inspiration from. In fact the 80's works really well when it comes to childrens fancy dress too, who better to be than Karate Kid?
Music was a big part of the 80's with the rise of the 'New Romantics'. Bands like Culture Club and Adam and the Ants were both really popular and offer a perfect blend of colour and style for a fancy dress party. The 80's also saw the rise of poodle-haired rock bands like Bon Jovi and Def Leppard. There really is no better excuse to recreate such wild styles than for a fancy dress party.
Add to these ideas by thinking back to TV in the 80's and cult programmes such as Knight Rider, the A-Team and Red Dwarf, all providing a range of curious and exciting characters for a party. Cagney and Lacey was a huge hit in this decade and along with Magnum PI provides further ideas and interesting styles based on the 80's cop show. You may not manage the Ferrari but an extremely large moustache and a Hawaiian shirt would do the trick!
There really are hundreds of childrens 70's, 80's ideas to choose from. All you really need is a little imagination. The key is to have fun. Have fun with fabrics, colours and styles and you will find something just right. Don't hold back, go for it and be the best dressed character at the party!
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For all your childrens fancy dress costumes needs, have a look around Fancy Dress Ball, surpise yourself and others with cool outfits and superhero outfits!