Fancy Dress History in Brief

Fancy dress has been practised for over hundreds of years, tracing it's origins as far back as Roman times but it is generally accepted that the present day of notion of a fancy dress party has evolved from the Italian Masquerade balls of the 15th century. These were truly grand and opulent occasions and were almost exclusively attended by the aristocracy and wealthy. These festivities were for the upper classes, and were closely associated with the traditional Venetian Carnival and the use of masks over the face to be unrecognisable.

Masquerade parties have now evolved into the more familiar parties we know today as things have become scaled down in grandiosity from large ballroom parties to the fancy dress party we know today where their is still a fancy dress theme but you could host one at your home not at your hall or castle.

In the 18th century, many religious leaders believed that the hedonistic fancy dress parties could spell the downfall of civilisation and make sinners of people. Of course, there was a certain level of debauchery associated with these types of party in the past, but attempts to end the practise were never completely successful. By the 19th century, Masquerade balls had become passé, but the continuing trend for dressing up allowed for new levels of immorality and depravity at a fancy dress party.

Fancy dress became extremely popular during the Victorian era, even Queen Victoria herself was known for her love of dressing up despite her famous repuation for morality and respectability. Popular costume choices of the Victorian time were mainly important historical figures of the past like Julias Caeser and other famous kings and leaders. Moving into the 20th century, fancy dress still reached into the past, with the Roaring Twenties, Fabulous Fifties and of course the Swinging Sixties being extremely popularchoices and inspiration for a costume.

A fancy dress party is always something a little bit different, and is a great way for you and your guests to have a lot of fun and break free from the accepted dress code that is typical for an evening. It certainly puts a new spin on the more traditional 'drinks and music' theme of your typical party! There is an almost bewildering choice of costumes and themes available to choose from but with a little bit of thought you can host an original party that your guests will remember for a long time to come hopefully. Choosing a theme or outfit can be quite difficult though because there are so many costumes out there already available and manufactured commercially and with more becoming available all the time, it can become quite tough choosing the outfit that is right for you because there are a lot of options and wide choice available.

There are a few perennial favourite choices for today's parties. A few suggestions for men would be to dress as Darth Vader, Captain Jack Sparrow, Austin Powers. These are all popular choices, but men also tend towards choosing an outfit and costume that is outrageous as well. I have been to friend's parties and seen a shark-attack victim, a sumo wrestler and even Wally from 'Where's Wally' although he was hidden in the crowd!