Costume Party Ideas

For a lot of theme parties, dressing up is a must, and obviously, a Halloween or costume party requires a costume as well. Check out the theme parties pages for specific costume party suggestions. You can also take a look at BuyCostumes and costumeman.com. for lots and lots of ideas. Then, if you want, you can get your costume and all the accessories you need at one of those shops online and have it all delivered right to your front door. How convenient is that?

Keep in mind, though, that you do not necessarily have to buy entire costumes with all the accessories. Some great costumes can be remarkably simple, and some can be used again, for different characters. For example, a red glitter cape can be used to be a vampire, a devil, or even a rock star. Or a glittery Red Riding Hood. Think of how many uses a regular black cape could have? Just add the right accessories, and you could be all kinds of characters at a costume party.

A few really simple (if not silly) costume party ideas include:

• Mummy - Wrap yourself in gauze or strips of fabric. Use patterned fabric for a more interesting mummy
• Ghost - Use an old sheet, cut out eyes and mouth. Again, you can use something other than white.
• Scarecrow - Flannel shirt stuffed with shredded paper
• Nerd - Short pants, slick hair, pocket protector, glasses
• Tourist - Loud clothes, floppy hats, maps and camera
• Bum - Dirty, ripped up clothes (preferably that don't fit right), dirty face, fingerless gloves
• Mime - Black shirt, black pants, black beret, paint face white with black accents and red lips

You can also get ideas at thrift stores. For example, how about being a bride or prom queen? You can get gowns dirt cheap at thrift or second-hand stores. For the guys, plaid and leisure suits shouldn't be too hard to find, and you can turn yourself into an annoying golfer or even a nerd, bum, or tourist (see above).

There are literally hundreds of costume party ideas and the best advice I have is to browse around a costume shop like BuyCostumes. or costumeman.com. for ideas, whether you want to make it yourself or buy it from them. Either way, you are bound to get ideas you wouldn't have thought of on your own.