RSS Feed

Posts Tagged ‘costume’

  1. Costumes: Disney

    April 17, 2009 by Amy Hansford

    This week’s costume query is for a Disney themed party. There are so many Disney films out there, making this a really fun party to dress up for, not least because of all the bright comic colours. Also, it’s a great opportunity to go as? pair, with many of the costume standing up in their own right.
    Below are various characters and their film. Will you be the goodie or the baddie?

    Aladdin – Aladdin
    Alice – Alice in Wonderland
    Anamaria – voodoo witch from Pirates of the Caribbean
    Ariel – The Little Mermaid
    Beast – Beauty & the Beast
    Belle – Beauty & the Beast
    Bert the Chimney Sweep – Mary Poppins
    Boo – Monsters Inc.
    Buzz Lightyear – Toy Story
    Captain Hook – Peter Pan
    Cheerleader – High School Musical
    Cheshire Cat – Alice in Wonderland
    Christopher Robin – Winnie the Pooh
    Cinderella – Cinderella
    Cruella De Ville – 101 Dalmations
    Davy Crockett – Davy Crockett
    Donald Duck – general Disney
    Dwarf (Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Sleepy, Sneezy and the other one) – Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
    Edna Mode – The Incredibles
    Eeyore – Winnie the Pooh
    Elizabeth Swann – Pirates of the Caribbean
    Eve – Wall~E
    Evil Queen – Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
    Gabriella – High School Musical
    Gaston – Beauty & the Beast
    Genie – Aladdin
    Gepetto – Pinocchio
    Goofy – general Disney
    Greek Chorus – Hercules
    Hercules – Hercules
    Hocus Pocus witch – Hocus Pocus
    The Incredibles – The Incredibles
    Jack Sparrow – Pirates of the Caribbean
    Jessie – Toy Story 2
    King Trident – The Little Mermaid
    Mad Hatter – Alice in Wonderland
    Mary Poppins – Mary Poppins
    Mickey Mouse – general Disney
    Milleficent – Evil witch from Sleeping Beauty
    Minnie Mouse – general Disney
    Mowgli – The Jungle Book
    Mr Potato Head – Toy Story
    Peter Pan – Peter Pan
    Piglet – Winnie the Pooh
    Pinocchio – Pinocchio
    Pocahontas – Pocahontas
    Pongo – 101 Dalmations
    Prince Charming – Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
    Princess Jasmin – Aladdin
    Queen of Hearts – Alice in Wonderland
    Sebastian the Crab – The Little Mermaid
    Simba – the Lion King
    Sleeping Beauty – Sleeping Beauty
    Smee – Peter Pan
    Snow White – Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
    Suit of armour – Bedknobs and Broomsticks
    Sully – Monsters Inc.
    Tarzan – Tarzan
    Tigger – Winnie the Pooh
    Tinkerbell – Peter Pan
    Troy – High School Musical
    Tweedledum & Tweedledee – Alice in Wonderland
    Ursula – The Little Mermaid
    Walle – Wall~E
    Wendy – Peter Pan
    White Rabbit – Alice in Wonderland
    Winnie the Pooh – Winnie the Pooh
    Woody – Toy Story

    Not generally associated with Disney, they also made the live action version of Popeye, so there’s him, Olive Oil and Bluto to choose from too.

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: ,,, | No Comments

  2. Costumes: World Book Day

    February 27, 2009 by Amy Hansford

    The time has rolled around once again for another year celebrating World Book Day and Book Week. A chance for schools to celebrate creativity, make-believe and fun! People get into a right old tiz trying to find a costumes for a dressing up day like this. When working in As If By Magic, we would always advise a good rummage through the costumes to find something you like, then we’d all think up books to match it. So if you find yourself in a bind, try that!

    Here’s a mix of characters and titles that might spark some ideas.

    Aladdin – Traditional (Aladdin, the Princess, Genie)
    Alice In Wonderland – Lewis Carroll (Alice, Mad Hatter, Tweedledum/Tweedledee, the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, Cheshire Cat)
    Aliens Love Underpants – an alien in some underpants, obviously! **new!**
    Angelina Ballerina – Helen Craig and Katherine Holabird
    Asterix – Asterix, Obelisk **new!**
    The BFG – Roald Dahl (a giant or Sophie? or even The Queen?)
    Bob the Builder
    The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas – John Boyne (thanks Beccy!)
    Burglar Bill – Allan Ahlberg
    The Cat In the Hat – The Cat, the children, Thing 1, Thing 2
    Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl (Charlie, Willy Wonka, Grandpa or an Oompa Loompa?)
    Dictionary – wear all one colour and stick words/definitions over yourself?
    Fantastic Mr Fox – Roald Dahl
    Funny Bones
    Gansta Granny –     Granny! 
    Goldilocks –     Goldie, a bear
    The Gruffalo – The Gruffalo, his child, the fox, the owl, the snake, the mouse, the BIG bad mouse! **new!**
    Harry Potter and the … – Harry, Hermione, Ron, Snape, Dumbledore, Voldemort, Hagrid, Luna Lovegood, Professor Lupin
    His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman (Take a cuddly toy animal as your Daemon)
    Horrid Henry – Francesca Simon
    Jack and the Beanstalk – Jack, Daisy the cow, the Giant, the beanstalk itself
    James and the Giant Peach – James, the Peach, the Centipede and numerous others
    The Jolly Postman – Allen Ahlberg (Why not go as someone on his round?)
    The Jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling
    The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - one of the children, Aslan, the White Queen, Mr Tumnus
    Little Miss… – Sunshine, Naughty, Trouble, Chatterbox
    Little Red Riding Hood – Traditional. (Little Red, the Wolf, or Grandma?)
    Lord of the Rings – JR Tolkien (Where to start! Frodo, Bilbo, Legolas, Gollum, Gandalf)
    Mary Poppins – Mary herself, Jane, Michael, Burt the Chimney Sweep
    Meg and Mog – Helen Nicoll
    Mr Men – Happy, Tickle, Topsy Turvy, Tall, Loud
    Noddy – Enid Blyton (Noddy, Big Ears)
    Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens (Oliver, Nancy, Fagin, the Artful Dodger)
    Percy the Park Keeper – Nick Butterworth (thanks Sarah!)
    Peter Pan – JM Barrie (Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook, Smee, Tinkerbell)
    Peter Rabbit – Beatrix Potter
    Pinocchio - Pinocchio, Gepetto, Jiminy Cricket
    Pippi Longstocking
    Pocahontas –     Joseph Bruchac
    Puss In Boots – Traditional
    Robin Hood
    Room On The Broom – The Witch and the others!
    Snow White and the Seven Dwarves – Snow White, dwarf, wicked queen
    The Snow Dog - The Snowman, the boy, the dog
    The Snowman – The Snowman, the boy
    Spot – Eric Carle
    There’s a Viking In My Bed – Jeremy Strong
    Thomas the Tank Engine – The Fat Controller, plus cardboar dboxes to make yourself into an engine **new!**
    The Three Mustakeers – Alexandre Dumas
    Tin Tin – Herge
    Tracey Beaker – Jacqueline Wilson
    The Twits – Roald Dahl
    The Very Hungry Caterpillar – A caterpillar, a butterfly, a leaf, a piece of fruit, a piece of junk food!
    Twilight – Stephanie Meyer (Pale up, fang up and look a little off kilt!)
    Watership Down – Richard Adams (Here’s some inspiration!)
    Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak (I saw the best Max costume from a paper-thin all in one boiler suit and some card claws and ears!)
    Where’s Wally – Martin Handford (Wally or Waldorf?)
    The Wind In the Willows – (Moley, Ratty, Badger, Mr Toad)?
    Winnie The Witch
    Where’s Wally     – not just Wally! There’s Waldo, and the Wizard and lots of other recurring characters!
    Winnie The Pooh – Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Owl and the rest!
    The Wizard of Oz – Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Professor Marvel, the Wicked Witch, Glinda the Good Witch
    101 Dalmations – Dodie Smith (Cruella, a dalmation)? **updated!**

    Category Costumes | Tags: ,,,,, | No Comments

  3. Costumes: Kids’ TV

    January 22, 2009 by Amy Hansford

    A good friend of mine needs a Kids’ TV themed costume for this weekend. Remembering that I’m a Londoner, these are all characters from UK based tv shows, old and new. It’s up to you how you interpret the costume; this is just a handy list of some notable mentions.

    Andy Pandy
    Animaniacs – Yakko, Wacko or Dot?
    Art Attack
    Astrix / Oblix
    Bagpuss
    Basil Brush
    Bertha
    Bill and Ben plus Little Weed
     Bugs Bunny
    Byker Grove
    Care Bears
    Chip and Dale? **new**
    Daffy Duck
    Dangermouse? **new**
    Dogtanian
    Duck Tales – Huey, Louis, Duey or Scroodge McDuck?? **new**
    Dungeons and Dragons? **new**
    Ed the Duck
    Elmer Fudd
    Fireman Sam
    Fraggle Rock
    Fun House contestant / Pat Sharp
    Gordon the Gopher
    Grange Hill pupil
    Grotbags
    He-Man / She-Ra
    Henry’s Cat? **new**
    In the Night Garden
    Inspector Gadget
    Knightmare (This would be my choice)
    Maid Marion / Sheriff of Nottingham
    Marvin the Martian
    Paddington Bear
    Penny Crayon
    Phantom Flan Flinger
    Pink Panther
    Pob
    Poddington Peas
    Pokemon (I didn’t want to include this but Alex said I had to)
    Postman Pat / Jess
    Rainbow Brite
    Rentaghost
    Rod Hull and Emu (get yer puppet for only ?20 in the shops!)
    Roland Rat
    Sesame Street – Yip Yip Yips, Oscar the Grouch, Bert and Ernie
    Shoe People
    Spit the Dog
    Spongebob Squarepants *new 22/1
    Taz the Tasmanian Devil
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
    Teletubbies
    The Raccoons
    Thomas the Tank Engine
    Thunderbirds / Lady Penelope / Parker
    Timmy Mallett
    Tin Tin / Snowy
    Transformers? **new**
    Tweenies
    Wizbit
    Worzel Hummidge /Aunt Sally
    Yogi Bear

    Category Costumes | Tags: ,,, | 1 Comment

  4. Costumes: Tube stations

    January 5, 2009 by Amy Hansford

    One of the up and coming costume party themes at the moment is that of Tube Stations. As bizarre as it sounds, there are just over 200 tube stations (including DLR) and they bring up all sorts of costume ideas.

    Below are many costume suggestions, less the stations for the DLR as they’re not (as far as I’m aware) included for the purpose of the party for which this list was originally made. Which is a shame as that’s where some of the names get really inventive.

    Angel Islington – angel (did you really need to ask? really?)
    Arsenal – lots of weaponry / an Arsenal fan
    Baker Street – Baker / Sherlock Holmes
    Bank – Banker
    Barbican – Barbie (in a can if you can manage it)
    Barking – Dog
    Barons Court – Panto style baron (i.e. Baron Hardup)
    Becontree – Chrimble tree with a beaconesque light
    Belsize Park – Bellboy
    Blackfriars – Friar all in black / Burned food in a giant frying pan
    Blackhorse Road – Panto horse
    Bond Street – James Bond
    Bounds Green – Green bondage
    Bow Church – Prest/Nun/Monk covered in bows
    Bow Road – Generally lots of bows
    Brent Cross – Brent Spiner from Star Trek looking annoyed
    Burnt Oak – Singed
    Canada Water – Bottle of water / Canadian
    Canary Wharf – Yellow bird
    Chalk Farm – Farm animal drawn on a blackboard
    Chesham – Chess piece
    Cockfosters – Cockeral and can of Fosters
    Colindale – Colin Farrell / Colin McRae (rally driver) / Colin Firth
    Colliers Wood – Shaggy dog
    Covent Garden – Priest/Monk/Nun with a flower
    Dagenham East – Dagger
    Dollis Hill – Dolly
    Ealing Broadway/Fulham Broadway – ANY Broadway show character with a London twist
    Earls Court – Jolly jolly posh. What ho.
    East Ham/West Ham – Pig
    Elephant and Castle – Elephant (and a castle if you can arrange it)
    Euston – astronaut (as in ‘Houston, we have a problem’…)
    Euston Square/Leicester Square – Cube/Square
    Fairlop – Fairground person/freakshow
    Finchley Central/Road – Finch
    Gloucester Road – Dr Foster
    Golders Green – All in gold and green / Goldmember
    Goldhawk Road – Golden hawk/bird
    Grange Hill – Grange Hill uniform / Dinner Lady / School Nurse / Teacher
    Green Park/Greenford – All in green
    Greenwich – Green witch
    Gunnersbury – Lots of guns
    Hammersmith – Giant hammer / MC Hammer
    Hampstead – George Michael
    Hanger Lane – Noose / Pilot / Air Hostess / covered in hangers
    Harrow and Wealdstone – sign: Hello – I have a stone and know how to use it.
    Harrow on the Hill – sign: Hello – I have a stone and I live on a hill.
    Hatton Cross – Ricky Hatton
    Heathrow – Pilot / Air Hostess
    Hendon Central – Police trainee
    High Barnet – Tall wig
    Holland Park – Dutch outfit with clogs
    Hornchurch – Priest/Nun/Monk wearing a hat with horns
    Hyde Park Corner – Jekyll and Hyde
    Kew Gardens/Ruislip Gardens – Botanist / Flower / Weed / Bill and Ben
    Kilburn/Kilburn Park – Singed
    Kings Cross – Angry king
    St Pancreas – operation patient halfway through
    Kingsbury – King fresh from the grave
    Knightsbridge – Knight
    Lambeth North – Pearly queen/king
    Marble Arch – Giant marble
    Mornington Crescent – sleepy pyjama wearer who’s just woken up
    Neasden – cut out knees
    Northolt – RAF person
    Northwood – Lumberjack
    Notting Hill Gate – Hugh Grant / Julia Roberts
    Old Street – OAP
    Oval – Cricketer
    Oxford Circus/Piccadilly Circus – Ringmaster / acrobat / lion tamer
    Paddington – Paddington Bear
    Park Royal/Royal Oak – Royalty
    Parsons Green – Parson/Priest
    Pinner – Giant tack
    Preston Road – Preston and Chantelle
    Queens Park/Queensway – Queen / Freddie Mercury
    Queensbury – dead queen
    Ravenscourt Park – Black bird
    Rayners Lane – Clare Raynor
    Richmond – Someone who’s loaded
    Rickmansworth – Rick Astley / Rick Mayall / Ricky Tomlinson
    Roding Valley – Horse rider / jockey
    Royal Victoria – Queen Victoria
    Russell Square – Russell Crowe / Russell Grant / Russell Brand
    Shepherds Bush – Shepherd and sheep
    Sloane Square – Dr Mark Sloane (Diagnosis Murder)
    Snaresbrook – person caught in a bear trap
    St Pauls – Paul McCartney / Paul Gasgoine / Paul McKenna
    Stanmore – Stan Laurel
    Stockwell – Giant Oxo cube
    Sudbury Hill/Sudbury Town – soap suds
    Surrey Quays – Captain of a boat / sailor
    Swiss cottage – Swiss cuckoo clock inhabitant
    Temple – ANY God (have fun with this one)
    Tooting Broadway – Brass player
    Tower Hill – Beefeater
    Tufnell Park – Phil Tufnell
    Turnpike Lane – Big fish
    Victoria – Victoria Beckham / Queen Victoria /
    Warren Street – Rabbit
    Warwick Avenue – Duffy
    Waterloo – Abba / Napoleon
    Wembley – Footplayer
    West Brompton – Cyclist with a tiny bike
    White City – all in white
    Whitechapel – Priest/Monk/Nun all in white
    Wimbledon – Tennis player

    Category Comments | Tags: ,,,,,,, | No Comments

  5. Costumes: Pantomime characters

    January 1, 2009 by Amy Hansford

    The most popular costume idea request I get is for couple outfits. This is tricky as sometimes both people are up for it, and cometimes there’s one person who really just isn’t that keen on dressing up.

    The important thing is to dress up as much as you feel comfortable with. Going to a teddybear party? You can just wear some teddy ears, and maybe some mittens, and that’s enough. Or, you can go the whole hug, pad yourself out, do the face, teddy ears etc. You could even be really inventive, do all that, wear red shorts and tshirt with a brown vest, strap a tape player to your tummy and be Teddy Ruxpin. You will truly be the hero of the party. Inventiveness is far more excellent than a hired Pudsey Bear costume.

    However, I digress. Today, couple costumes for a pantomime themed party.

    Aladdin and Widow Twanky
    Aladdin and the Genie
    Aladdin and the Princess
    Buttons and Cinderella
    Cinderella and Prince Charming
    Cinderella and an Ugly Sister
    Cow/Horse combo
    Dick Whittington and his cat
    Dick Whittington and King Rat
    Hansel and Gretel
    Peter Pan and Hook
    Peter Pan and Wendy
    Princess and the Pea (a little abstract, but potentially quite funny)
    Puss In Boots and any other nursery rhyme character
    Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming
    Snow White and any dwarf
    Ugly Sisters

    The secret is that, ideally, one of you needs to be the lead character from the pantomime. The other person can be anyone else from the cast list, as the seed of recognition is planted once the onlooker has figured out the pantomime you’re from.

    And the beauty of this theme is that is doesn’t matter what gender is playing whom – it’s panto, darling!

    Category Costumes | Tags: ,,, | 1 Comment

  6. Costumes: Song theme

    December 30, 2008 by Amy Hansford

    I often receive requests for costume ideas to go with a certain theme. I thought it’d be a great idea to publish these ideas on here as a handy guide for friends and unknowns to use when in similar situations.

    Today, costumes for a party where you need to be a song.

    5 Colours In Her Hair ? plait some ribbons into your hair.
    Apologise ? wear a top with ?Sorry!? written on it.
    Ave Maria / Just Like A Prayer / Faith / Hallelujah / Stairway to Heaven / Pray / Praise You – dress as a nun.
    Beggin; – dress as a tramp.
    Black and Gold – come on, seriously. Think about it.
    Blue (Dabadee dabada) / Deeper Shade Of Blue – wear all blue.
    Bohemian Rhapsody ? in a group of four, each wear a black top and choose a member of Queen to dress the head as. When questioned on what song you are, run into a group? with your heads in the right place and start singing.
    Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy – take a kazoo!
    Bright Eyes (Watership Down) – bunny outfit.
    Celebration – party hat, streamers etc.
    Cornflake Girl – dress feminine and make cornflake accessories; bracelets, necklaces, hair clips.
    Could It Be Magic – top hat and magic wand.
    Dancing Queen – drag up with a crown.
    Dare ? write out lots of dares on small paper and pin them to yourself.
    Eye of the Tiger – dress as a tiger or print out a huge tiger’s eye and pin it to your top.
    Fade To Grey ? wear all grey.
    Fairytale of New York ? dress as the Statue of Liberty with fairy wings, tutu and magic wand.
    Ghostbuasters ? what?s that? Any excuse, you say? Why, yes!
    Girls On Film – become the party’s official photographer with your camera kit.
    Good Vibrations – um, well, PM me about that one…
    Grace Kelly – dress as Grace Kelly.
    Heard It Through The Grapevine – make some grape earrings/wig.
    I Can See Clearly Now – wear dark glasses and take them off occasionally.
    Innuendo ? this one is entirely up to you!
    I Put A Spell On You ? dress as a witch or wizard.
    I See You See Me / You’ve Got The Look – oversize glasses. Because normal ones
    aren’t funny enough.
    Lily the Pink – wear all pink.
    Lola – drag up. Look, dragging up is funny, okay?
    Maneater – work your way through a bag of Jelly Babies.
    My Fair Lady – drag up.
    Rabbit – bunny ears
    Rockstar – go as your favourite rocker. See ‘Guitar Hero’ for reference.
    Sexyback – cut the back out of a shirt and write ‘sexy’ on your back.
    Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves – multiple nuns!
    Suffragette City ? dress as a Sufferagette.
    Supersititon – take a rabbit’s foot.
    Tequila – bottle of Tequila with optional sombrero.
    The Devil Went Down To Georgia – dress as the devil.
    The Ketchup Song – nowt wrong with a couple of bottle of ketchup, or even sachets attached to your person.
    Voodoo Child – wear all brown, tie ropes around your ankle and wrist cuffs and waist, draw ‘sewn’ lines across your mouth and eyes. For added amusement, take a small drum.

    I’m sure there are more – feel free to add your own :o)

    Category Comments, Uncategorized | Tags: , | No Comments

Newer Entries