4 Fancy Dress Faux Pas’ To Avoid At All Costs

It would be fair to say that the definition of fancy dress varies between whoever is talking about the topic.

For example, for some people it’s all about mimicking what they see in the movies. Then, for others, it’s about trying to outdo the ridiculous.

In fairness, neither camp is wrong (well, most of the time) and particularly with Halloween on the horizon the latter is very common.

Nevertheless, there are some mistakes that can destroy your next fancy dress outfit. Let’s now take a look at some of these in greater detail.

Don’t feel the need to explain

First and foremost, if it needs explaining, it’s probably a pretty poor outfit.

Sure, there will be occasions where the odd person doesn’t quite understand the meaning, perhaps because they haven’t watched a movie or read the book in which your character appears in.

On the whole, you should be looking to pull this off with a minimum amount of explaining though. If there are too many questions, your outfit has failed.

Fancy dress does have boundaries

If you have read the news over recent months, you’ll know all about some of the terrible headlines that fancy dress can promote. We’ve seen it with politicians and even royalty – there are boundaries and even though you might not fall into the above category, you do need to operate within these.

In other words, if you think it’s offensive, it probably is. Furthermore, if you are taking your fancy dress party into public, the last thing you want to do is offend someone.

Limit your use of cardboard

We’re most definitely all-for DIY costumes (within reason – as we’ll soon come onto), but sometimes it’s all about thinking practically.

Firstly, if you are looking to mimic most movie characters, you won’t need cardboard. Secondly, if you have decided on this material of choice, be aware that it does have its restrictions. If you happen to go outside, and the heavens open, you’ll quickly turn into a soggy mess. Then, if you are in the mood to sit down at regular intervals, you’ll find that this becomes difficult. Not only that, but this continued action is just going to bend your outfit and before you know it, you’re just a walking, talking cardboard box.

You can never go too far

OK, you can go too far in the way in which you push boundaries as we have already spoken about. However, when it comes to actually putting the effort into creating your costume, you should always be looking to push yourself.

Gone are the days where a white bed sheet would be acceptable to depict you as a ghost. Nowadays, costumes are more advanced than ever before, and by going down this route you will be laughed out of the room for all of the wrong reasons.

Sure, it’s not a full-time job, but making sure you invest a little time into your outfit will make for a much more successful party.