History of Costumes & the Fancy Dress Party
A Fancy Dress party or, as they say in America, a Costume party, is a type of party where guests dress up in a costume. Nowadays we are spoilt for choice with such a wide range of styles, themes, colours and sizes! But how did the concept of Fancy Dress begin?
The History of Fancy Dress
Dress history has been an inspiration for people around the world for centuries. Artists such as painters and theatre costume designers began to use the history of dress as a design resource for their work, although this is acknowledged and appreciated by few of us.
The first Fancy Dress parties in England began in the 18th Century period, when Masquerade was at its peak. Many people, and not just those in the upper classes of society, discovered the romance of the historical past at Masquerades; there the costumes of famous characters in English history brought the past to life. Throughout the nineteenth century Fancy Dress balls became increasingly popular, and costume themes were often based on historical characters from novels.
The fantasy world of Fancy Dress spread into European middle-class society from the mid nineteenth century. Costumes in historical styles were made by exclusive dressmakers, or homemade using paper patterns offered in fashion magazines, or shops such as Debenham and Freebody's department store in Oxford Street, which, nowadays, we know so well as Debenhams.
Modern kinds of Fancy Dress parties, however, were initiated by the Victorians and developed further by the Edwardians. From the late 1940's onward, they became increasingly popular, although costumes tended to be fairly simple until the mid 1970's. During this period most costumes were either hired, or home made. In the UK, retail purchased costumes have only been easily obtainable for a short time (late 1990's onward), owing to 'cheap' costume imports from the Far East, although 'accessory' items have been available for some time.
In recent years, Fancy Dress parties have soared in popularity, and with such an extent of fascinating themes to enjoy, its no wonder the UK is gripped! Nevertheless, dress history, as a costume theme (such as 70's or 80's decades) is still ever dominant in the UK, this concept being so influential to our love of Fancy Dress.
