Costume Rentals for Any Occasion
There are many reasons that you might need to dress up. Perhaps your community theater is doing a rendition of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and you need some really eye-catching fairy outfits. Or your daughter wants to have Elmo at her third birthday party and the real Elmo's schedule is booked solid. It may simply be a matter of wanting to stand out from the crowd at your next Halloween bash in an ensemble that is both unique and attractive. Any of these situations would be the perfect time to check out the choices in costume rentals.
No matter what your purpose in shopping for costume rentals, you can find plenty of great options online. By shopping electronically, you have a huge selection of costume rentals at your disposal without having to drive from store to store in order to sift through endless racks of clothing to find the perfect pieces for you. Instead, simply choose the theme that you are looking for, click on the garb you like best, and the outfit will be sent right to your door. Once you're finished with your event, you simply send the clothing back and forget about it. Easy!
You can shop for costume rentals by time period, location, theme, or holidays. If you are looking for something for your local theater group, there are costume rentals available specifically for this purpose. Some are stored for theaters by theaters, so you know that the company you are renting from understands your unique needs and is ready to accommodate them to help you put on the best show possible.
Familiar characters like Elmo and Barney can put the finishing touch on a child's birthday party, or you can dress for a more general theme, with a pirate getup or a knight for a castle party. If you are a teacher looking to enhance the learning experience in your classroom with some fun and whimsy, there are also many great storybook characters to choose from. Popular books like Harry Potter or classics like The Cat in the Hat will come to life if you arrive dressed as one of the main characters!
Most costume rentals are good for at least seven days and are fairly reasonably priced, making this a great option over buying an outfit or trying to make your own. You can find dress-up clothing for nearly any occasion in just about any style you can imagine. The Internet offers you an entire closet right in the comfort of your own home, so you can choose the getups that you need when you want them.
Life is a lot more fun when you can spend a portion of it as someone else. Discover a whole new alter ego with the right costume rentals for you!
The right vintage evening gown garners rave reviews!
You've been invited to an evening opera event or perhaps you're going to your high school prom. The minute you accept that invitation, it's likely that your first thought is, “What shall I wear?” Of course, nothing already occupying your closet will work. You've already worn it. Heaven forbid that you should run into someone who's seen you at another event wearing that old thing. So a shopping trip is in order. Finding the right gown can tax your imagination, but it's always fun to plan your costume for the event and more fun to go shopping, trying on a dozen different dresses before you buy.
There's always the danger of choosing a gown that you find duplicated by another attendee. Naturally, we always think the other woman looks better than we do. However, there's a solution to this problem. Vintage evening gowns are all the rage. You can feel assured no one else will be wearing your costume, as vintage evening gowns are, more or less, one of a kind. You won't find that particular gown in a department store, or for that matter, in any other vintage shop in town.
There's another indirect advantage to choosing a vintage evening gown. You can shop online, day or night. In just a few hours, you can get all the excitement of shopping dozens of stores without putting out a penny for gas or wearing yourself out walking all over town and looking for that elusive parking spot.
One terrific online source is eBay. You'll find hundreds of vintage evening gowns there and you can choose from any decade that strikes your fancy. There are also many vintage clothing shops. Some specialize in certain periods, while others offer a mix that span a century of fashion. These vendors are especially sensitive to your needs and provide detailed fitting information on a garment. They want your business and you are assured they go the extra mile to be sure you're satisfied with your purchase.
Besides the fact that you can shop to your heart's content in your jammies at 2 am, you'll be certain to find a genuine original. Online vintage shops also carry accessories to make your costume a knockout. If your choice is a stunning 1930s sequined gown, you'll find jewelry, hats and handbags of the same period that coordinate perfectly.
Quite often, you'll find that vintage evening gowns won't cost you an arm and a leg either. While the latest evening gowns, fresh off the Paris runway in a copy cat form, can run you hundreds of dollars, your truly original vintage gown may be had for half that price.
Finally, there's a certain romance and elegance you'll attain with a vintage costume. Your date will appreciate how much trouble you took to look your best. You'll turn heads and feel absolutely beautiful.
Vintage hats are the trend setting fashion diva's delight: get in on it!
Retro fashions and vintage everything are the signature of today's hip young fashion trend setters. Not for the faint of dress, the wearer of these past fashion hits automatically has panache and charisma. Vintage hats are plentiful, with decades of hat fashions from which to choose. Vintage hats, perhaps even more so than vintage clothing, reflect the originality of the milliner. When you think of it, the hat has always been 'the icing on the cake' of the costume. The hat is an accessory which allows you to be a bit daring, without upstaging your own outfit.
Every decade has had its standouts, ranging from the bizarre to classic remakes, some of which are still popular today. One such classic is the broad-brimmed, beribboned wool hat, made famous by Audrey Hepburn in the early 1960s. You'll find such hats in the vintage shops, as well as at the mall.
During the 1920s and 1930s, hats made entirely of feathers, laid over a wool base, were extremely fashionable. Some examples of this vintage hat style sported a single, but outrageous feather, which added height to the wearer and pizazz to the outfit. This feathered style of vintage hat is a popular item in today's vintage accessory market.
It's interesting to note that when the purely feathered hats first made the fashion scene, only the avant garde, glamorous and beautiful fashionistas were seen wearing this style. However, during the late 1940s and even into the early 1950s, the feathered hat became the domain of old staid ladies on their way to church or a shopping excursion. They were no longer cool. As with all fashion trends, what goes around, comes around, and today they are again a hot topic with hip young trend setters.
Other interesting and outrageous vintage hat styles originated in the 1970s London fashion scene. Exaggerated versions of some of the more conventional hat styles were almost like a play on words. The modest and conservative pill box hat was remade in what might best be described as an exploded pill box hat. Much larger and poofier than its tame cousin, this hat was made in brilliant paisley patterns, with metallic threads drawing attention to its state of mad hattery. Twiggy might well have worn such a hat. These hats had their day and by 1980, were outdated. Today, such hats fetch a high price and are once again the delight of vintage hat connoisseurs.
If you're a vintage freak, you've got to add vintage hats to your costume repertoire. Where do you find them? Everywhere. Look online for vintage hat shops. In addition to strictly-vintage shops, eBay is a great resource. Antique clothing shops in your home town are on to this timeless fashion accessory as well. Seek and you will find!
Halloween Costumes
Halloween costumes are somewhat of a passion of mine. You see, when I was growing up I had always thought that I would be a costume designer. I have actually worked in a few productions of local theater companies, and have done some pretty good costume designs. Nevertheless, the time that I really get to shine is around Halloween. My homemade Halloween costumes are well-known all around the area.
I actually recently published a book of quick easy costumes. It showed Halloween costumes that you could make out of duct tape, cloth, and things that you would find around the house. Some of them are quite impressive, while others were more modest. One of the most popular easy Halloween costume ideas to make is a robot suit. Basically, all you need is cardboard, tinfoil, and an imagination. Having a good design to work From will give you better results, but even trial and error will eventually give you a good costume.
Of course, the homemade Halloween costumes that I make are a lot more elaborate than these amateur designs. Usually, I start preparing my adult costume ideas weeks ahead of time. Last year, for example, I went as a wolf. I made a papier-mâché wolf mask that was pretty elaborate and quite frightening. I actually had to take it off while I was walking to the party because I kept making little kids cry with it. The rest of the Halloween costume was comparatively simple. It was basically a furry suit with fake paws on it. It was a lot of fun to put together, although it got pretty hot by the end of the evening. I finally changed into street clothes and said that I was a werewolf.
Even if you aren't very handy with crafts, you can still make a good Halloween costume. One of the most popular ways is to buy pieces of other Halloween costumes and cobble them together. Look for strange or outlandish clothing, funny hats, bizarre boots, and little toys that you can use as props over the year. Spend 10 dollars here, five dollars there, and before you know it you'll have amassed quite a collection of props. You will be amazed by the number of Halloween costumes that will start to occur to you once you have some funny clothing to play with. Sometimes, inspiration can be had just by diving into your wardrobe and looking around.
Online Halloween Costume Shopping
Everyone gets stoked when October 31st rolls around. After all, this means goblins, ghouls, monsters and mayhem right? Okay, well maybe it means a lot of fun costumes and truck loads of treats. Whatever gets you excited about Halloween, one thing is for certain. You need a great costume. So why not shop for an online Halloween costume at your convenience? This only makes sense in an era like this one. The Internet is clearly in full swing at this point and shopping on the web has become all the rage. It's not merely about convenience though. Finding your online Halloween costume is all about the best choices at your fingertips and the lowest prices you're going to find. This leaves you more cash for candy and decorations.
Back in the day, so many people hit up all the local drug stores and department stores for Halloween costumes. Sure, this worked, but it certainly wasn't all that. One can't even compare that old-school selection to today's online Halloween costume variety. You see, we all used to be limited to our surroundings. It's doubtful that you're going to drive across the country for a killer Halloween get-up. In this day and age you don't have to. You can have your Halloween candy and eat it too. All you need is a computer and Internet access to discover the massive array of Halloween costumes found online. Suddenly you have access to every costume mega-store in the world. This means that your chances of finding that zombie, werewolf, dracula, witch, superhero or creature costume you had in mind greatly increases.
Websites like Halloween-online.com, Halloweencostumesonline.com and starcostumes.com can greatly assist you with finding countless awesome online Halloween costumes. But the benefits don't stop at finding the costume you wanted. In addition, you're likely to get it at a cheaper price than folks who turn to local "Halloween super stores." It's a cinch online to do price comparisons and find the lowest bidder. One thing to keep in mind when seeking out a Halloween costume online is the time you search for it. It's generally wise to shop in August or September to get that consume you really desire.
A lot of people who work in the retail clothing industry hate their jobs. To me, however, selling retail apparel is about the best gig I have ever had. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of drawbacks. The pay is lousy, the customers are demanding, and my boss is somewhat moody and difficult to work for. Nevertheless, it all comes down to one thing for me: I love clothes, and I want to make fashion design and marketing my career.
Not a day goes by in this retail clothing store that I don't get a new idea for a product that I would like to make. You see, I have been making my own clothes since I was very young. It has always been a passion for me, but it took me awhile to think about the fact that I could make a living at it. I never went to fashion school, or even took many art classes. I graduated with a bachelor's in English, and was in the workforce for two years before I understood what my dream was. Rather than going back to school, however, I decided to get some on-the-job experience to help me pursue my dream. I was anxious, after all, to get out into the real world.
Some of my more ambitious colleagues want to start retail clothing stores themselves. One of them even proposed going into business together. For me, however, this isn't the way to go. I like to work selling clothing retail because, besides paying the bills, it lets me see what people look for in clothing. Ultimately, however, I want to start a wholesale clothing business. Retail clothing is alright, but selling wholesale has a lot of advantages.
You see, I don't plan to be a major producer. Instead, I want to make handmade clothing in small runs. Selling online means that I have less overhead. I can sell clothing wholesale to anyone who is interested for discounted prices and still turn a good profit! I can even sell some of my products to local stores, bridging the retail wholesale divide. That way, people can discover my clothing through local vendors and then, once they find what they like, buy it direct from the supplier. I don't think it will make me rich, but I'll have enough to live on and be able to be my own boss for once!
Are you a Retro fashion fan? Get a classic 1950s Poodle skirt!
Ironically, Retro fashions in your wardrobe may well be some of the most individualistic pieces in your closet. After all, almost everyone else is wearing a modern costume, which you’ll see on a dozen different people walking down the street. Although Retro fashions have already been on the scene before, in decades past, people tend to forget these old styles. Retro fashions garner a second look today, because they are now a fresh look once again, fifty years later. One such classic is the 1950s vintage Poodle skirt. In the 1950s, every girl had one, generally worn to a sock hop.
In case you’re too young to remember the sock hop, this was a casual dance event, usually held in the school auditorium or at community park centers during the summer. The standard saddle shoe, worn with bobby socks was the perfect complement to the Poodle skirt. The Poodle skirt was the central fashion statement. It could be worn with a fitted cotton blouse or three-quarter length sweater, fitted at the waist.
So what made a Poodle skirt authentic? The Poodle and the cut of the skirt. This distinctive skirt is cut on the bias and boasts plenty of fabric, for a full skirt which twirled dramatically as you danced to American Bandstand hits of the day. Some girls preferred to enhance the look with a petticoat, while others liked a less flamboyant look, sans petticoat.
Placement of the poodle is important for the genuine Poodle skirt. The poodle is usually an appliqué, sewn on to the left hand side of the skirt. The Poodle likeness is most often placed right where a patch pocket might be located. Others sport the fanciful poodle caricature nearer to the hem. The fabric of the skirt is almost always of a single color. Pink and gray are the most authentic color combinations. A white Poodle skirt might have the pink-and-gray theme incorporated into the Poodle appliqué, with a double row of rick-rack, one pink and one gray, at the hem, to tie the whole look together. The typical pink and gray combo come in pale shades, but you may be lucky enough to find one of the more radical bright pink shades worn at the time. The girl who wears this one stands out in the crowd of 1950s Retro dressers and would have been considered quite the hot chick with boys of that era!
Oddly enough, conventional jewelry is not a required accessory for proper Poodle skirt wearing. Pop-beads, cheap, plastic necklace and bracelet beads, are cool accessories, if you can find them. Other than that, the shirt-blouse or the fitted sweater is all you need. The must-have is the saddle shoes and bobby socks! You’re ready to rock!
Choosing a wardrobe can be a fun and daunting experience. Clothes shopping is fun for most, and even that fun can lead to stress when you don’t know what you are looking for, or what types of clothing might look best on your body shape. There are some parts of wardrobe that are simple, and you always know what to get. Socks are something that everyone needs and everyone wears, and there are only so many from which to choose. Most people own white socks, as they go with anything, but they are hard to keep looking nice.
My daughter has a drawer full of white socks, and I think that might have been a mistake on my part. I have never had good luck with keeping my own looking brand new, so I think it’s a disaster to have given them to her. However, they go well with most of her outfits, and that means I have to try to keep them clean on my own. What I did was underestimate a five year olds ability to find dirt where none should be. So far, I have had to replace her stash once, and school has only been in session for two months.
I have tried many things to keep her white socks looking, well, white. The problem that I have is that my daughter has sensitive skin, and using bleach is usually out of the question. No matter how well rinsed her socks and clothing might be, she always breaks out when I have tried to use bleach on her white socks. That means I have had to try many different methods of soaking and stain removal, and I have not have the success that I wish I could have. This also means that I don’t usually buy her white shirts, as I know they are going to be ruined in one shot.
If you are brave enough to buy white socks for your children like I did, be prepared to spend a lot of time fighting with laundry solutions, or buying new ones every few months. The great thing about having some that are no longer good for school means you have some they can use on days off. That should cut down on some of the socks you have to buy, even though you are getting new ones for school. When they are playing out in the dirt, it doesn’t really matter what their socks look like. And just think, with all of those extra socks laying around, you may never run out of dusting clothes again.
Abercrombie Fitch Outlet
The youth of America is very fashion conscious and it's considered cool to shop at an Abercrombie Fitch outlet. The range of casual clothing and fragrances is not licensed through anyone else and is only available through the Abercrombie & Fitch stores. The name has come to mean quality and there are branches in England and Canada in addition to the stores across America.
The brand has a long tradition and was founded in 1892, when the first store opened, located in fashionable downtown Manhattan. Originally, the product range was for sporting goods and outdoor goods. The first stores re-located several times around New York City. The stores were given a boost when famous people from the world of show business began to buy at their local Abercrombie Fitch outlet. Movie stars Clark Gable and Greta Garbo were amongst them. The Duke of Windsor was also a fan and later, John F. Kennedy.
The familiar moose logo has spread and the label has evolved into a lifestyle brand for young people. There is also the Abercrombie Kids line, a children's division aimed at the 7 to 14 year old age group. You know when you have entered an Abercrombie Fitch outlet when you see the moose sign, the leather sofas, gorgeous rugs, and potted plants. The themed décor helps to reinforce the brand. The general age range of the shoppers is reflected in the loud electronic music played in the stores.
Today, the company runs 1,035 stores. These include three flagship branches on Fifth Avenue in New York City. There is also one within The Grove in Los Angeles and one on Savile Row in London. The Savile Row address brings a lot of status, as this is the most prestigious street in the UK for quality tailoring. It opened in 2007 and was the first Abercrombie Fitch outlet in Europe.
Not content to rest on their laurels, the company has ambitious plans to bring the moose to other parts of the world. There are plans, as yet unconfirmed, to open new stores in Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa in Canada. Other plans are mooted for Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, and Dublin in Ireland. One definite announcement has come with the news that an Abercrombie Fitch outlet is scheduled to open in 2009 in Tokyo. The company appears to be going from strength to strength and will capture new markets in the future.
Virtually every woman has the same complaint when it comes to her wardrobe. It’s almost impossible to find a pair of jeans that fits like a glove. It can be exasperating to go to the mall, try on ten or fifteen pair of jeans, only to discover that none of them fit. Some are too big on the waist and at the same time are tight on the legs. Others fit perfectly around the midsection but they hang off the bottom in a really unattractive way. Short of visiting the tailor, a woman usually has to settle for something that flatters just one part of her lower body. That’s not the case with Lucky Brand jeans though. This fashion line fits everyone’s body, not just women but men as well.
All of us prefer a certain style of jean over others. For a tall person, straight leg jeans look great. This is especially true if they are in a dark wash. The Lucky Brand jeans that may appeal to a shorter person are the boot cut version. For a petite woman, wearing these with heels really does create a much longer silhouette. Many men will tell you that they aren’t picky when it comes to what denim they wear, but once they try a pair of Lucky Brand jeans they are likely to find them so comfortable that it’s all they’ll wear.
One of the most appealing things about this fashionable clothing line is that you can find tops, and accessories to go along with the jeans. Hiking from one store to another looking for a shirt or blouse that goes with the jeans you purchased is something most of us have done. If you are fortunate enough to live near a Lucky Brand jeans store you already know that there is much more in there than just designer denim. The blouses for young women and ladies are trendy and what’s great is that you can try them on at the same time you try on the jeans.
Unfortunately not all of us are lucky enough to live in a city that hosts a store that carries them. If that’s the case you don’t have to worry that Lucky Brand jeans are out of your reach. Just hop online and visit the website of the clothing line and you’ll be amazed at the vast selection of items as well as the affordable prices. You can have items shipped directly to your home.
Not only does this store appeal to both men and women, but they have a line for children as well. It’s fittingly called Lucky Kids and the name rings true. Any child who gets a pair of Lucky Brand jeans is indeed fortunate because they fit so well and really look great. Kids will be feeling good once they walk into the school doors on their first day back at school and all of the other kids will be envious of their new threads.
The clothes people wear affects their confidence and the way that they carry themselves. By wearing these fun and fashionable clothes, they are guaranteed to feel better about themselves and attract more attention from those around them.
Costumes for Teens Halloween
There's that one time of year that sneaks up on you when you're not looking. Careful; you don't want countless ghouls, goblins, monsters, ghosts and witches showing up at your front door if you lack the proper goods. In other words, it's wise to be prepared when Halloween rolls around. That fun and exciting October 31st is hard to beat. Even the older kids are always on the lookout for great costumes for teens Halloween parties and events. Hey, the day/night when the spooks come out only comes around once each year. Will you be ready?
The main concern on Halloween is where to buy that ideal costume. So, if you have no clue where costumes for teens Halloween fun can be found, I highly suggest you do a little web research. Online you'll encounter all sorts of great stores that offer some of the coolest and most unique teen Halloween costumes you'll ever see. Just be sure you don't wait around till October 25th or later. This is an awful plan. Just like all fun and exciting holidays, Halloween calls for some early planning and shopping for costumes of any kind. If you're on the lookout for costumes for teens Halloween parties and gatherings, you should definitely consider shopping online for the one you desire in August. This is a great time because oodles of Halloween costumes are out for the fresh Halloween season, but they haven't been picked through yet.
You can also find a variety of costumes for teens Halloween functions at local Halloween superstores when they pop up in September. However, heed this warning; you'd better be in that Halloween superstore searching for the ideal kids or teenage costume right after it opens for business. Whether you realized it or not, these stores sell out their teen costumes and supplies very quickly. Then you're left with nothing to choose from but the picked over leftovers. You certainly don't want to spend your one Halloween night of the year wearing some lame costume that you have no interest in. Get on the ball and find your perfect costume for this Halloween.
Are cheap roses a good buy? That depends.
Men know that women are absolutely delighted to receive a bouquet of roses. A single, red rose, conveying everlasting, 'you're the one', is always a hit. However, an old bunch of cheap roses, picked up at a florist's sale, won't do the trick. You can find some fresh roses of good quality, but you must be choosy and know where to shop.
Here a couple of hints for you gents. If the cheap roses you're considering are half open when you buy them, they'll be losing petals by tomorrow morning. Thus, this bouquet becomes much less convincing to the lady of your intended sentiments. The buds must be just on the verge of opening. You must also know that Valentine's and Mother's Day are not usually good dates to find good deals on cheap roses.
For fresh roses that are both relatively inexpensive and of good quality, your best bet may be found online, as these shops deal in volume and typically have less overhead than the famed flower purveyor in an exclusive downtown location. However, an independent flower stand might have just what you're looking for, both in quality and wallet-friendliness.
There are other options, besides the fresh roses, which are available at times of the year when roses carry a price tag that make your bouquet a truly luxury purchase. Silk roses are one such alternative. Technology has advanced to the extent that your true love may not be able to tell the difference, at least, not until she sees there's no water required! What's remarkable about silk roses is that not only are they stunning reproductions, they're also cheap roses, especially when you consider they may be washed and last for years.
A silk rose of superior quality, tied with lace and a delicate red satin ribbon will be prized as highly as the fresh rose. She'll doubtless place it in a bud vase to repose on her dresser for years to come. Each time she sees it, it reminds her of how wonderful you are.
Blown glass roses are equally lovely and are well received by any woman. The realism, combined with the cleverness of this unusual medium, make this option quite attractive. Again, these cheap roses are cheap by virtue of their longevity.
Now, if you've got money to burn, here's the ultimate package. Buy a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses from the independent flower vendor. (You've got to save where you can!) Before you deliver this dripping-with-romance gift to your beloved, take it home and arrange them in a vase. Get the digital camera out and snap pics from all four sides. Now, deliver the fresh bouquet. Take your pics to a florist, who can recreate a silk reproduction which keeps forever. By the time the blooms fade, your everlasting bouquet is ready.
Your lady love is guaranteed to love any of these options. Just never tell her they're cheap roses.
