The history of fancy dress, by Fancy That, Bolton
3rd April 2013
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Wearing fancy dress, whether it’s for charity, just for fun or going to a party, has been increasing in popularity for years. But where did it all come from? Zak from Fancy That explain all. 

Fancy Dress is popular all year round in the UK. Even members of the royal family love it. Princess Beatrice had an 1888 themed birthday to celebrate her 18th birthday, and Prince Harry had an out of Africa theme for his 21st birthday.  These parties take their origins, guidance and inspiration from those held in the Victorian Era.

Since the 1990’s Britain has seen a huge increase in the amount of fancy dress costumes being brought. This is due to their increased availability and the ease of buying one. The far east, namely China and Taiwan, produce huge amount of materials. Where Wally, Harry Potter and Disney characters are the most popular choice of costume; film and book characters in particular have a never ending appeal in Britain.

The Italians have been wearing fancy dress and decorative masks since the 16th century. They used their costumes to show their happiness at the carnival. The carnival was highly regarded from the renaissance era in the 14th century, to the 18th century.

Fancy dress is most common in America at Halloween. The USA go over the top with decorations, sweets, and of course, the wildest costumes imaginable. Age is no barrier when it comes to Halloween fancy dress costumes. Children wear their costumes for trick or treating, and teenagers and adults go to costume parties. This has been going on for generations.

There are some funny tales that come with the whole country dressing up. One costume was so realistic that someone answering the door to a trick or treater had to be taken to hospital because they were so scared by the fancy dress, and another costume wearer was arrested by the police because he was dressed as a killer and a shop owner thought he was in danger.

The French have been using fancy dress costumes for the longest amounts of time. They have been wearing them since the 14th century. Back then they decided to use masks to show their appreciation and celebration of whoever was holding the party. The more elaborate the mask, the more praise the party host would receive. The UK’s tradition of fancy dress parties had the same rule.

 Fancy That don’t believe that the world will ever stop loving fancy dress parties, and why would they? The amount of fancy dress and different party themes are always growing, especially with more movies and more celebrities becoming famous every week. Fancy That has plenty of exceptional costumes you’ll never tire of seeing your loved one in a funny or romantic costume. 

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