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Why some fancy dress costumes never go out of fashion

Much like the classic French mimes that can often still be spotted plying their trade on the streets of Paris, a good fancy dress costume never seems to go out of fashion. Choosing the perfect costume for a fancy dress party can often be tricky if you’re not particularly creative, but thankfully many costumes have lasted the test of time and can now be considered classic fancy dress outfits. From where they originated to how simple they are to make, here are some of the best fancy dress costume ideas and what’s made them so good.

Many costumes are so good and so instantly recognisable because they are iconic. This often applies to costumes copying Hollywood’s finest, for instance a lady in a black dress holding a cigarette holder instantly looks like Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, or a gentleman in a tuxedo and model handgun will seamlessly turn into a believable James Bond. Many costumes have become famous because the person they originate from has reached iconic status, meaning that a huge number of people will recognise the image of that person.

Similarly, fancy dress costumes that never go out of fashion are often from classic movies, or copy classic musicians or celebrities. Big-name cinema classics like Indiana Jones, Star Wars and Toy Story are all internationally loved and recognised, so dressing up as their lead characters is a sure-fire winner and also comparatively simple to do, thanks to the costumes being more readily available due to popularity. The same goes for dressing up as your favourite pop star or cultural or political icon. Marilyn Monroe is always a good one, but other popular choices range from Che Guevara to President Nixon.

It is this same wide-ranging appeal that has made many film characters incredibly popular fancy dress costumes. Something as instantly recognisable as Batman or Spiderman will immediately make you standout at a party, even though it’s a tried and tested costume. And that’s what makes them so good – everybody knows these characters as their impact on culture is so strong.

However, sometimes the simple ideas are the best. Time and money are often the enemy of fancy dressers, as pulling together an outfit from what’s just in your wardrobe can be tricky at the best of times. Thankfully though, there are many quick and cheap fancy dress options which, thanks to their convenience, have made them classics. As mentioned above, the French mime is very simple to pull-off, as all it requires is a black and white striped top, black trousers, a little face paint and ideally a beret, braces and white gloves. Simple too is a mummy, as that just requires numerous rolls of toilet paper. Or you could dress as the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz, and that’s really just regular clothes with bunches of straw coming out from the sleeves and trousers.

Of course, there are always plenty of more elaborate Halloween costumes that would be nigh on impossible to put together from your existing wardrobe. These can easily be hired, or even bought if you think you’ll be able to use them more than once. Either way, wearing a classic costume will guarantee that you’ll be a hit at any fancy dress party..

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