Monday, 26 January 2009
Cupid Costumes for Valentines Day
After a little research on the web... hey presto, even though the mythological version of cupid is a boy, there are quite a few cupid costumes for both males and females! The male ones tend to be on the funny or novelty side, where as the women's cupid costumes are mostly sexy outfits.
Sexy Cupid Costume
One of my favourites has to be this sexy cupid outfit, that I think would make such a fun "gift" to give to the man of your life on Valentines day, just imagine the look on his face when you surprise him with this sexy cupid costume pictured
Funny Cupid Costume
If you are going to a fancy dress party around or on Valentines day, you just have to wear is costume. This novelty cupid costume comes with wings, sash, tunic, a bow and arrow and the padded costume. From what I can see on the web, the wig and sandals may also be included as additional accessories.
Where to buy Cupid Costumes for Valentines Day
UK:
Amazon.co.uk have a good selection of Cupid costumes although I could not find many male versions.
Cupid Costumes on Amazon.co.uk
USA:
Amazon.com have a good selection of Cupid costumes although I could not find many male versions.
Cupid Costumes on Amazon.com
Wrestling Costumes
Nacho Libre Costume
The Nacho Libre Deluxe Costume is for me probably the best commercially available wrestling costume on the market. The Nacho Libre costume comes from the film of the same name and is about a friar in a Mexican monastery played by Jack Black who secretly dreams of being a Mexican Wrestler or Luchador. The film is loosely based on the true story of Catholic priest Sergio Gutierrez Benitez.
Sumo Wrestling Costumes
I also managed to find a few Sumo wrestling costumes like the one below, which is pretty cool:
Where to buy fancy dress wrestling costumes:
I managed to find these costumes on:
Amazon
BuyCostumes.com
Other than that, I suppose as a guy you could always get yourself a tight little Speedo costume, cape and a mask and make your own Wrestling costume!! :-)
As for female wrestling costumes, I am afraid that I could not find any:
Sexy Womans Wrestling Costume
Here is a Fancy Dress idea for any Costume manufacturers out there: why not create some sexy wrestling divas costumes like the one pictured below as I am sure that they could become popular. Imagine a wrestling couples costume combination, what a tag team that would make - awesome!
Sunday, 25 January 2009
Sexy Pink Pirate Costumes
If I asked you to think of pirates, and pirate costumes... the colours that would probably spring to mind tend to be black, gold and burgundy.
Now what if I said I had found a fantastic pink and blue pirate fancy dress costume! It is fantastic and for me has to be one of the best pirate Halloween costumes I have ever seen. (The fact that the model also happens to be stunning has nothing to do with it!)
So If you are after a pirate outfit to get noticed in, or you are off to a pirate themed fancy dress party then may I highly recommend this costume!
Where to Buy Pink Pirate Costumes
UK Shoppers:
Pink Pirate Costume on Amazon.co.uk
USA Shoppers:
Pink Pirate Costume on Amazon.com
Thursday, 22 January 2009
World Book Day Costumes: Alice in Wonderland
World Book Day 2009 falls on Thursday 5th March 2009 and so until then I plan to explore some costume and fancy dress ideas that you and your children can start thinking of before the big day. For more on World Book Day and an article that I wrote last year, check out my World Book Day Costumes Post.
In my eyes, costumes suitable should either be based around the theme of a book or indeed contain the character from a book and so to start of this series, I will take a look at one of the most popular fancy dress costumes for women:
Alice in Wonderland Costumes
I have already written a pretty comprehensive post on Alice in Wonderland Costumes aimed at adults and so won't go into the whole story, but just to say that there are some really good Alice costumes for children and teens out there. The story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is excellent and one that every child should know and if you can get your child interested in the costume as well as the story then surely this is the main idea behind the day, to promote reading by making the stories more than just words on a page - fantastic.
Where to Buy Childrens Alice in Wonderland Costumes:
In the USA
Alice in Wonderland Costumes: For both adults and children.
In the UK
Alice in Wonderland Costumes: For both adults and children.
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Valentines Ideas: Sexy Lion Costumes
Sexy Valentines Day Lion Costumes
So to start with I have decided to go back to the jungle with some sexy lion costumes as ideas for different valentines day gifts. This costume pictured really caught my eye and I think it strikes a good balance between naughty, sexy and fun. Perfect as a valentines gift to your partner!
Sexy Lion Tamer Costumes
Still keeping with the theme of lions and sexy costumes for valentines day gifts a slightly different idea would be to tame your lion at home and dress up in a sexy lion tamer costume. These are pretty cool and there are a few different versions available, my favourite one is pictured. I also managed to find a few, rather more frightening lion tamer costumes on Amazon.com that I think may be heading more towards the bondage end of the market, just though I'd let you know!
Where to Buy Sexy Lion Costumes
Shopping in the USA
I found both of these costumes on Amazon.com in the US
Sexy Lion Costumes on Amazon.com
Shopping in the UK
In the UK it is a little harder, there are a few lion and lion tamer costumes on Amazon, but I would also try Jokers' Masquerade as they have a large selection.
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Wolverine Costume
The official Wolverine Super Hero Costume comes with the one piece yellow and blue jumpsuit with the muscle padded body showing off ripped abs, chest, biceps and deltoid muscles. The Wolverine claws are made from PVC, held in place with elastic straps and the foam face mask is held on via a Velcro strap at the rear. For the legs the Wolverine costume comes with foam boot tops with a printed boot effect that finishes at the base of the trouser leg so ideally you will need a pair of black shoes to compliment the costume.
Where to buy the Wolverine Costume:
Shoppers in the USA:
Wolverine Costumes on Amazon.com
Shoppers in the UK:
Wolverine Costumes on Amazon.co.uk
About Wolverine
The story of Wolverine in the comic series is quite interesting, even if you are not an avid comic book reader and it is easy to see how they are going to make a film about him. Wolverine is a mutant, with enhanced animal like senses and abilities that include retracting claws made from bone on his hands and a healing ability that allows him to recovery very quickly from any wounds. This ability also alws Wolverine to have a much longer lifespan than the average human. Before he was a mutant, Wolverine was born James Howlett and is commonly known as Logan.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
The new X-Men Origins: Wolverine film that is due for release on 1st May was mostly filmed in New Zealand and Australia and once again stars Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. The film follows Wolverine when he was part of Team X, about 20 years before the formation of the X-Men and before his skeleton was stuck together with an unbreakable metal called adamantium.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine Trailer
Check out the official X-Men Origins: Wolverine Trailer of the film, it actually really looks good and well worth watching:
Monday, 19 January 2009
Street Fighter Costumes
Street Fighter Halloween Costumes & Outfits
Akuma Costume
My favourite Streetfighter costume is the Akuma Costume, that comes with the gi pants, gi shirt, rope belt, fighting gloves and prayer bead necklace. Unfortunately to complete the look you will also have to buy Akuma wig which is sold separately. The adult mens Akuma Costume comes in small, medium and large sizes and is made of 100% polyester. I could only find adult sizes and am not sure if there are anychildrens Street Fighter costumes available anywhere?
Chun Li Costume
For the girls there is the sexy Chun Li Costume that includes silky blue cut off dress, white waist belt, white hair accessories and black spike wrist bracelets and is available only in Adult Sizes Small, Medium, and Large. This is an officially licensed Street Fighter costume as are all the other costumes in this range.
Street Fighter Ken Costume
The officially licensed Ken costume includes pants, shirt, belt, and gloves, but like the Akuma costume, the wig not included. The costume comes in small, medium and large aduld males sizes.
Street Fighter Ryu Costume
The officially licensed Ryu street fighter costume includes matching white pants and ripped vest with black belt and red head band and is available in Adult Sizes Small, Medium, and Large. The good thing with this costume is that you should not have to buy a wig.
Street Fighter as Group or Couples Costumes
I think that if you are going to a fancy dress party as part of a group or couple, the Street Fighter costumes are perfect and something you should definitely consider.
Where to Buy The Street Fighter Costumes
Street Fighter Halloween Costumes for Sale in the US
Street Fighter Costumes on Amazon.com
Amazon.com have a whole range of Street Fighter Halloween outfits for sale with most of the main characters including the Ken, Ryu, Akuma and Chun-Li costumes and as with most things on Amazon they are selling them at pretty much the lowest price that you can get them.
Street Fighter Costumes on Amazon.com
Street Fighter Fancy Dress Costumes for Sale in the UK
At first I found it pretty difficult to find any Street Fighter costumes her in the UK, Amazon.co.uk only seem to have Street Fighter Action figures. Jokers' Masquerade Halloween & Fancy Dress Costumes do have costumes for the main characters from Streetfighter, including the Ken, Ryu, Akuma and Chun-Li costumes, so I would try them first.
About Street Fighter
The original Street Fighter computer game began in 1987 when you would fight as martial arts expert Ryu. Ryu would then compete in a series of fights against the other Street Fighter characters in a martial arts tournament. Street Fighter could also be a two player game as a second player could take control of Ryu's rival, Ken.
The first streetfighter game was pretty basic and you could only use 3 types of punches and kicks as well as three special attacks: the fight fire, Hurricane Kick and Dragon Punch. Street Fighter is still available on the most modern game consoles available today, including the new Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360.
What I find incredible is that over the years there have been eighty characters involved in Street Fighter series including the original game, Street Fighter 2, Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter 3, Street Fighter 4 and Street Fighter EX. Some of the most popular and well known characters areRyu, Ken, Chun-Li, Edmond Honda, Blanka, Guile, Zangief and dhalsim. I have only managed to finf four of the 80 characters costumes for sale!
Street Fighter Films
The first Street Fighter film was released in 1994, directed by Steven E. de Souza that included Jean Claude Van Damme as the main character, Guile. It must be said that the film was probably not considered a success as they changed alot of the story line form the game and thus lost much of their core audience of the computer game fans.
The new film Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is due for relaease on February 27th 2009 and stars Kristin Kreuk as Chun-Li. The hope is that this film will win over the fans of the Street fighter computer games by sticking closer to the "story lines" of the games.
Official Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li Trailer
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
Friday the 13th Costumes
Jason Voorhees Costumes
The great thing is that the main character of Jason and his ice hockey mask make an excellent fancy dress costume, so would make an excellent choice if you are planning on going to a fancy dress party any time in February, but especially if it happens to be on the 13th. The Jason Voorhees costume also has the advantage in that you could use it again in October as it also makes an ideal Halloween costume.
There are plenty of commercially available costumes for sale, but it would also be pretty easy to make your own Friday the 13th costume, all you would need are some ripped overalls, a hockey mask, and if possible a Machete or you could make one.
The official Adult Deluxe Jason Voorhees Costume (pictured) is probably the best Jason costume available and as far as official costumes go it is not too expensive. The costume comes with the long sleeve green shirt and trousers, with printed blood stains. You also get the hand painted vinyl face mask that has one eye covered with a black mesh and elasticised straps to hold it in place. Unfortunately and it is something that slightly annoys me, the machete for the fancy dress costume is sold separately.
If you don't want to buy the whole Jason Friday the 13th costume, you could always just get the mask as they are pretty cheap and the use an old pair of overalls splattered with red paint for the rest of his outfit.
US Shoppers
Jason Voorhees Costume on Amazon.com
UK Shoppers
Jason Voorhees Costume on Amazon.co.uk
Friday the 13th Trivia:
So why do we assume that Friday the 13th is either unlucky or somehow bad? It may just be because many people consider that thirteen is an unlucky number and that Friday is an unlucky day. Did you know that In Scandinavia, Friday the 13th was at one point considered the luckiest day of the year. The word for Friday derives from the Norse Frigga, a major goddess in Norse paganism!
Official Friday the 13th Trailer:
You can check out the official Friday the 13th movie website here: http://www.fridaythe13thmovie.com/
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Up-Helly-Aa & Fancy Dress Costumes
I must confess that I did not know about the Up-Helly-Aa festival and only found it when looking for fancy dress events in 2009. For those of you who don't know about it the main Up-Helly-Aa festival is held on the island of Shetland in the town of Lerwick every year on the last Tuesday of January to mark the end of the yule season. There are other similar fire festivals held on Shetland, mostly during the middle of winter, but the Lerwick one is the largest.
The Up Helly Aa festival consists of a procession of up to a thousand guizers wearing mostly Viking costumes who march through the town. As well as these official "vikings" the many visitors dressed in all sorts of costumes also join the march (I have seen a chicken costume and even a buzz lightyear costume on a You Tube video.) The main main guizer of the festival is known as the "Jarl" which is a very prestigious position and can only be achieved by being part of a committee for at least 15 years. This committee then elects the "Jarl" with only one being selected every year.
This procession then ends with everyone then throwing their lighted torches onto a replica of a Viking ship, to form the huge bonfire. The party is then said to continue on well into the early hours of the morning, so much so that even in 1824 a visiting Methodist missionary said that "the whole town was in an uproar: from twelve o clock last night until late this night blowing of horns, beating of drums, tinkling of old tin kettles, firing of guns, shouting, bawling, fiddling, fifeing, drinking, fighting. This was the state of the town all the night - the street was as thronged with people as any fair I ever saw in England."
Fancy Dress ideas for Up Helly Aa fire festival
even though I mentioned earlier that in some of the photographs and videos that you can find on Up-Helly-Aa, there are people dressing up in all sorts of fancy dress and Halloween type costumes, I think it would be fun to stick a little with the tradition of this island that sits almost exactly at the centre of a triangle, with Norway, Faroe and Scotland and thus has a very strong Viking connection.
Viking Costumes
After a quick search I found loads Viking costumes, from the pretty realistic deluxe versions to the cheaper funny costumes. Ladies, the good news is that there are also plenty of female Viking costumes, with the sexy Helga Viking Costume being my particular favourite.
Thor Costume
A Thor costume would also make a great costume for Up-Helly-Aa, even though Thor was the god of thunder, there must be lightening with thunder and where there is lightening, there is often fire, so the perfect costume for a Viking fire festival!
Obelix and Asterix Costumes
Another idea that I feel could be quite fun is to dress up in some of the most famous Vikings of all: Obelix and Asterix and the good news is that there are both commercial Obelix costumes and Asterix costumes available!
For more information on Up-Helly-Aa:
The official Website of the Lerwick Up-Helly-Aa Committee
Up-Helly-Aa Page on Visit Shetland
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
Frankenstein Costume
I know I should probably write about Frankenstein costumes nearer Halloween, but I was flicking through the TV channels on TV last night and came across an old Frankenstein movie and it got me thinking about fancy dress and how great this iconic monster costume would be even as a non Halloween costume.
Frankenstein was originally written by Mary Shelley and was first published anonymously in 1818 in London, possibly because Mary was a woman and the fact that she was only 19 and at that time many people would have wondered how such a young girl could have come up with such a ghastly story! The familiar story is of how the life spark is brought into a creature constructed from scavenged body parts of different people and how this monster was hideous to other people and Frankenstein himself is ashamed of his ugliness and tries to run away from it and somehow looks for any form of friendship. After several bad encounters with humans, the monster becomes afraid of them and spends a long time living near a cottage and observing the family who lived there. Because he has been watching this family, he becomes educated and realises just how different he is from the humans he is observing. He eventually seeks friendship from the family, but because of fear, they too reject him, this is the last straw and the monster then seeks vengeance on his creator.
Frankenstein Costumes
There are many different Frankenstein costumes on the market, including the very cute toddlers Frankenstein costume pictured below, a pet dog Frankenstein costume, the popular Bride of Frankenstein costume for girls and women as well as adult male Frankenstein costumes.
US Shoppers:
Amazon has a large selection including the toddler costume, pet costume and Bride of Frankenstein costume: Frankenstein Costume on Amazon.com
UK Shoppers:
Frankenstein Costume on Amazon.co.uk
Make Your own Frankenstein Costume
If you don't want to buy, I also managed to find this video on how to make your own Frankenstein Halloween costume. This first video only shows you how to apply the latex rubber, there are more videos in the series, just click through the link below for the rest of the make your own Frankenstein costume series:
How to Make a Frankenstein Costume for Halloween
Similar Costumes: Fancy Dress Ideas
If you are looking for an outfit similar to Frankenstein, you could also try an Uncle Fester costume from the Adams Family.
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Pink Panther Costumes & Inspector Jacques Clouseau Fancy Dress
About the Pink Panther
If anyone has ever watched any of the previous pink panther films, you will know that a "pink panther" as an animal does not feature anywhere in the films other than in the credits. The Pink Panther is actually the name of a diamond which is being tracked down by the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau, who in the original 1962 film is played by Peter Sellers. Because of the popularity of the cartoon Pink Panther character in the opening credits, a series of short animated films was produced and that is how we have come to know the Pink Panther and is what the costumes look like.
The new pink Panther film has an impressive cast featuring Steve Martin, Jean Reno, John Cleese and Andy Garcia and we can only hope that the film is as good as the cast.
The Pink Panther Trailer
Inspector Jacques Clouseau Costume & Pink Panther Fancy Dress Costumes
There is the obvious choice of wearing a Pink Panther Costume, which are available in both children and adult versions. Another fancy dress idea would be to dress up in a Inspector Clouseau costume.
I also think that as a couples costume combination you could consider dressing him in a Pink panther or Inspector Clouseau costume and her in a diamond costume.
Where to buy your Pink Panther Outfit:
The USA
Amazon.com have a good selection of Pink Panther costumes and Inspector Clouseau costumes available.
Pink Panther Costume on Amazon.com
You could also try Buycostumes.com although as of today they do not have any in stock.
The UK
Amazon.co.uk also have a good selection of Pink Panther costumes at great prices, also try Jokers' Masquerade fancy dress
Pink Panther Costume on Amazon.co.uk
Monday, 5 January 2009
Fancy Dress Films in 2009
Films Due For Release in 2009
Another great fancy dress idea is to dress up in blockbuster film of the moment, here are a few films that also have great potential for fancy dress in 2009:
The Pink Panther 2 (February 2009)
With an all star cast that includes Steve Martin, Jean Reno, John Cleese and Andy Garcia, there is hope that this return of the Pink Panther could be really good. What is always strange is that there is no actual Pink Panther in the film, it is in fact a diamond! Still there are plenty of really Pink Panther costumes available that I think make a fun fancy dress costume.
Shoppers in the USA:
Pink Panther Costume on Amazon.com
Shoppers in the UK:
Pink Panther Costume on Amazon.co.uk
Star Trek: May
A new Star Trek film id due for release in May this year, to be followed by a TV series. Winona Ryder will play Spock's mum, Amanda Grayson. Simon Pegg plays Scotty, and Zachary Quinto from TV’s Heroes plays a young Spock. With the new star Treck film, you can expect tricky time travel shenanigans, freak transporter accidents and a clever, ubiquitous and ultimately slightly annoying viral marketing campaign. There are plenty of Star Trek costumes out there already and I expect, the closer we get to the release of the film, the more we are going to see.
Shoppers in the USA:
Star Trek Costumes on Amazon.com
X-Men Origins: Wolverine: May
Superhero costumes are always popular and the release of a new superhero film always makes that particular superhero costume sell like hotcakes. This year instead of Batman costumes, will we see everyone wearing a Wolverine costume? The new film follows the early years of Logan, the indestructible mutant who will one day be X-Man Wolverine. Cameos from future X-Men and the chance to see how Logan acquired his deadly claws and curious hairdo suerly make it worth seeing alone!
Shoppers in the USA:
Wolverine Costumes on Amazon.com
Shoppers in the UK:
Wolverine Costumes on Amazon.co.uk
Terminator Salvation: June
Yes!, the much anticipated ‘future war’ part of the Terminator series, which was previously only hinted at in the first three movies will hog the storyline of this killer robot film. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said he was too busy running California to play the main part of the iconic cyborg killing machine, which will be taken by Roland Kickinger. A Terminator costume makes an excellent idea for a fancy dress outfit, lets hope they bring out a few new ones this year. For more info check out the Official site & Trailer
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: June Let's hope that this year with the new film, that somebody out there creates some Transformers costumes. Thissequel to last year’s film is said to offer even more action, more laughs, and more shape-shifting robots.
Harry Potter fans are eagerly awaiting the sixth film in the hugely popular series of films adapted from JK Rowling’s incredible books. Harry Potter costumes have always been popular and I predict that they will get even more popular this year.. sometime around July!
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra: August
G.I Joe is big name in the US, just think of Action Man and you will get the idea, this film could be interesting and if they don't develop an official G.I Joe Costume, it should be pretty easy to create an army or action man costume.
Nottingham: November
Robin Hood costumes are great and I think in some ways are timeless. The release of this new film where Russell Crowe will play the role of Robin Hood.
Fancy Dress & Halloween Costumes 2009
Major Events with a fancy dress theme in the first few months of 2009
Valentines Day Costumes: Saturday 14th February 2009
The traditional gifts of roses, a card and chocolate for valentines day is so..... well I will leave you to fill in what you like there! As a unique valentines gift idea why not get a sexy fancy dress costume for your partner or even better and as a surprise, dress up in a sexy fancy dress costume for your partner for Valentines day? Thee are plenty of very cool sexy fancy dress costume out there at the moment for both males and females. Quick ideas for valentines gifts of sexy costumes include my favourite sexy cop costumes, a playboy bunny costume, a sexy nurse costume or how about a flight attendant costume? Make valentines day 2009 a day really to remember!
Shoppers in the USA:
Sexy Costumes on Amazon.com
Shoppers in the UK:
Sexy Costumes on Amazon.co.uk
World Book Day Costumes: Thursday 5th March 2009
This event is aimed at children, where on this day they dress up in a fancy dress costume, usually in a theme taken from a book. The event was created by UNESCO as a way of promoting and developing reading throughout the world, World Book day is now entering its 2nd decade in the United Kingdom and gets more and more popular each year. So a few world book day childrens costume ideas could include a Dennis the Menace Costume, The Cat In The Hat Costume or even Peter Pan & Tinkerbell Costumes. I think the most popular costume in 2008 for World Book Day were unsurprisingly the Kids Harry Potter costumes. For more information, see the World Book Day Costume post I created last year.
Shoppers in the USA:
Children's Costumes on Amazon.com
Shoppers in the UK:
Children's Costumes on Amazon.co.uk
Saint Patricks Day Costumes: Tuesday 17th March 2009
St. Patrick's Day is generally held on the 17th March but is occasionally moved to avoid it coinciding with Palm Sunday, as happened in 2008. The St. Patricks Festival 2009 in Dublin will run from Thursday 12th – Tuesday 17th March 2009. The parade will be held on Tuesday 17th March 2009. This is an excellent time for some great stereotypically Irish fancy dress costumes with everybody dressing up in green and gold Leprechaun costumes. There are some great Irish themed fancy dress costumes out there and I feel this is one of the funniest fancy dress parties of the year, so don't miss it!
Shoppers in the USA:
Irish Costumes on Amazon.com
Shoppers in the UK:
Irish Costumes on Amazon.co.uk
Easter Costumes: Sunday 12th April 2009
Every year we see more and more people dressing up over Easter and i say why not. The kids really enjoy dressing up in an Easter bunny costume or how about for older "children": why not a sexy Easter bunny costume to surprise your partner on Easter morning, that is sure to bring a smile to his face! If you are going out over Easter a set of bunny ears is always fun.
So there you have it, plenty great reasons and a few ideas to dress up in 2009!