Top Ten Female Fancy Dress Costumes

If you are invited to a fancy dress party it can sometimes be difficult to decide what costume to dress up in. If your host has given the evening an actual theme, it can make it a bit easier to choose a costume as your options are more limited. An actual theme also encourages people to 'think outside of the box' to get an original idea. But what if there is no costume theme and you need some ideas? Here are our top ten suggestions of female costumes for a general fancy dress party. We know that some of these you may not agree with. If you want to add in your favourite generic (as opposed to character) costume, why not send us a comment?

Props n Frocks Fancy Dress has been established since 1998 and have been providing great fancy dress costumes and accessories since then either from our shop, based in Essex and on line. We also provide FREE costume and theme information on all fancy dress themes. If you need any help with anything to do with fancy dress, contact Props n Frocks - THE fancy dress experts...

1950s Female
Every so often an era starts coming back into fashion. Costumes for 1950s females can be found under a variety of names, such as Rocker, Bopper, Teddy Girl and 50s Housewife. The costume usually consists of a circular or ‘poodle’ skirt, either plain, spotted, large floral patterns or with motifs such as cats or poodles (hence the name). The skirt is worn with a layered net petticoat underneath to ‘puff’ it out. A boat neck top and waspie belt will usually complete the outfit, although you can always accessorise with 1950s style glasses and jewellery. The other look for the 1950s female is the pin-up type, consisting of pencil-skirt and tight fitting jumper or top. The skirt could be substituted for pedal pushers or Capri pants. The 1978 film ‘Grease’ is a good source of reference, although being set in America, it does naturally have an American look to the outfits.

1970s Female
The 1970s female come in a range of guises. The start of the decade saw the mini versus maxi dress conflict plus the tail-end of the hippy generation. This was followed by the glitz of Glam Rock; the Laura Ashley country girl look; the disco and the punk eras. The options might seem overwhelming, but when choosing a costume to represent the 1970s, the emphasis is for you to be comfortable in your selection. So whether you go for the bell bottom trousers and crop top look, the Abba style jumpsuit, the disco diva or the dark punk style, the choice is yours.

Fairy
Tinkerbell may be the classic green fairy costume, but there are a wide range of options for this generic character. Most outfits will usually comprise a short or knee length dress, with fairy wings and wand. Add a touch of glitter, jewellery, flowers, ribbons or a tiara to customise your outfit. Fairies do not have to be pretty and cute, there are also a number of wicked fairies on the market. Wings may be part of an existing costume or you might have a suitable dress that you wish to accessorise. Just remember, big is not necessarily beautiful in this context. Think about the venue before selecting your wings, you don’t want to have to spend the night moving them out of the way of other party-goers.

Flapper
The Flapper or Charleston girl is often partnered with a Gangster for 1920s or general fancy dress parties. Although there are a number of different coloured dresses on the market, most females tends to gravitate towards black, white, purple or red. Fringed dresses are particularly important for some, whilst others prefer the hanky-hem look, with the dropped waistline. Feathered headdresses tend to be the main head wear for evening events, although cloche hats were also worn. Other essentials are the feather boa and cigarette holder. Take a look at our great range of 1920s ladies costumes

Medieval Lady
The costumes for Medieval Ladies come in a variety of styles and colours. The American market will often label costumes as ‘Renaissance;, which can cover anything from the Dark Ages (the time associated with King Arthur and his knights) through to the end of the Tudors. For the British client, medieval costumes will also incorporate Norman and Saxon times. The headdress of each period during the Middle Ages can be very distinctive, and helps to denote particular eras, whilst the dresses themselves did not change radically.

Moulin Rouge
At one stage this costume tended to be known as the can can dancer, but with the arrival in 2001 of Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge film, most requests now tend to focus on Moulin Rouge costumes, rather than can can dancers. The silver and black outfit initially worn by Satine in the film is more a cross between a Las Vegas showgirl and a burlesque performer. Although there are a variety of Moulin Rouge costumes in all sorts of colours, the most popular ones tend to be the red and black ones.

Nun
This is a timeless classic, easy to wear and suitable for any age. Although listed as a female generic costume, thanks to the 1990 film Nuns on the Run, starring Robbie Coltrane and Eric Idle, a nun’s habit is one costume that can often be worn by males. The traditional black robe is accompanied by a white coif and wimple/headdress, which is often worn with a black veil. Around the neck is a silver cross strung from a black cord.

Pirate Girl
Female pirates come in two distinct guises. Firstly there is the skirt, shirt and waistcoat approach and secondly the cabin boy style of piratical coat, shirt, and breeches. Sometimes the two styles can be combined depending upon the look you want to create. Other essential items are the sword/cutlass or pistol and the hat. Additional items include piratical leg wear such as boots, scarves, and jewellery.

Princess
From standard fairy tale to Disney-style, there are a whole host of princesses on the market. Most will consist of a long dress, and there are some colours which are specifically tied to particular ones. Cinderella is traditionally blue, whilst the Disney version of Snow White which consists of yellow skirt, blue top, red/blue sleeves and white colour is the immediate look one associates with this character. Disney is also responsible for taking several classic fairy tales and creating a look/colour to go with that character. A little quiz for you. Can you name all the Disney princesses, and which colour outfit goes with whom?

Saloon Girl
When it comes to Wild West parties most males might choose the easy option of a cowboy, but many females prefer to go for a more glamorous look than the cowgirl. This is why the saloon girl is such a popular costume. The older party-goer might prefer to be a Bordello Madame in the style of actress Mae West, whilst younger females may go for the traditional short skirt with lace edged train, available in a range of colours and sizes.

You may also want to check out eBay to find yourself a costume...