Kigurumi onesies, in a range of animal and animated characters, are the easiest option for any costume event, being quick and easy to put on and incredibly comfortable to wear.

You may be fortunate enough to be given a theme as a starting point for your choice – whether the event is a hen/stag party, sport’s club fancy dress, school prom, street carnival, fun run or any of a host of other occasions when you can indulge that inner passion for what the Japanese cleverly call ‘cosplay’ (costume play).

If there’s no theme, well, lucky you! The field is open for you to scroll through the kigurumi catalogue and choose whatever takes your fancy. Even better if you are attending an event as a couple – matching or contrasting outfits can add a whole new dimension to the fun. For instance, make him/her a mouse cowering before your elephant onesie! Get a group together and go as a zoo!

You don’t have to stop at just donning your wonderful onesie. Some clever accessories will add to the authenticity and fun factor: add a bunch of bananas to enhance your monkey suit, or some fireworks to make your dragon costume sparkle – just be mindful of where you let them off; health and safety rules!

Be careful what you choose – it’s likely that your kigurumi onesie will be so appealing that you will have to fend off plenty of admirers and pleas for information as to how you came by your cute suit. Feedback warns us that pretty pink pigs, cuddly Pooh bears and friendly frogs are the most at risk of being amicably accosted at social events!

The post How to choose your fancy dress outfit appeared first on Fashion and Lifestyle Trends for Men & Women.

I will personally be having a rather large contingent of my family coming over this Christmas, which will be the first time I have hosted so many people. This has already got me in a bit of a panic due to a variety of reasons, one is the fact that I badly need to redecorate the dining room which I have put off for about three years.

The other many reasons for panic are the logistics of it all, how do I cook for so many? How do I keep everybody entertained?  How am I going to clear up once everybody has eaten and drank everything in the house and then finally left?

I get cold sweats just thinking about it, however if everybody else manages to do it, surely I can too, right? Well if I can’t I will certainly not be volunteering for it again, that is for sure.

My Plan Of Action So Far

Ok, so after some serious discussions with the wife, we think we can handle the cooking between us and I am going to be responsible for the redecorating. Also with regards to the entertainment I have a few tricks up my sleeve to change up the traditional family game of secret Santa. My secret Santa ideas should really get them thinking just before Christmas that is for certain.

Christmas Entertainment!

For any of you that have played secret Santa, it brings a great extra element of fun to family occasions such as Christmas. Everybody picks a random name out of the hat and has to buy that person a Christmas gift, without the recipient ever knowing who bought it for them.

There is usually a maximum price that each gift can cost and some people like to throw different twists on the game, such as offering bonus prizes for originality. This ensures a little bit of thought going into the gifts.

If you work in an office you may already be familiar with games such as this, though in this setting they can be a little bit naughtier than in family games for the obvious reasons that there are no children involved. Let’s just say that some of the gifts can be a little risky.

The gifts will mainly be of a comedic or sexual nature, which is all in good fun. Just be careful if you are responsible for buying the boss a gift, something too offensive might postpone that promotion for a year or two.

Though it is in a party setting, try not to be too offensive otherwise you may be labelled the office pervert, which really is not a good look, especially if there is a certain office crush you are trying to impress.

My Secret Santa Twist!

My own personal ideas are going to involve a particular theme, involving purchasing fancy dress costumes. Whoever buys the most outlandish fancy dress costume for their particular recipient will get a bonus prize from me…oh and each person has to wear the costume that is bought for them or they get no Christmas dinner or alcohol!

I think my idea will be hilarious, though I am not so sure some of the family will enjoy it so much! I think I will set a new trend with this variation and wonder just what my family will come up with next year to try and better my idea.

Well until then I had better get started on that dining room, it hasn’t been used in years mainly because I just haven’t had the time to decorate it (honestly!). I have had more important things to do like watching football!

Think you can come up with some equally good secret Santa ideas? Put them to the test on your family and friends this Christmas.

The post Fancy Dress at Christmas – Surely Not! appeared first on Fashion and Lifestyle Trends for Men & Women.

Zombify Me

Over the last few years there has been a love of all things zombie and this is demonstrated by huge attendance at zombie walks. Zombie walks occur all over the world and are a chance for anyone who fancies it to present themselves as the walking dead by donning costume and make up. There are loads of photographs of people partaking in these gruesome rallies, but we picked this fine effort from an event in New Jersery.

Old Kid

There’s something disconcerting about this fellow. Maybe it’s the fact he looks six and sixty at the same time! Simple application of black face paint and, “Boo. I’m a child-sized witch-finder general coming for your daughter.” What’s really cool about this is that you get the impression the little dude has no idea how scary he is. Running around trick or treating, having a ball while seriously freaking out all the grown-ups. Brilliant!

Wolf In A Suit

If werewolves wore suits would we be less worried about asking them what the time was? This look is a good one and really flexible too. Your only expense is the rubber mask and although this person has opted for the man-wolf, you could go whatever way you wanted. Ensure the neck of the costume is tucked into your collar and the effect is instant. The image is titled ‘mod wolf’, but with those roaming eyes ‘mad wolf’ might be a better description.

Devil Dog

Aww. Halloween isn’t all about being scary. In this case it’s also about being cute. Yes, fancy dress is no longer just a pastime of bipeds. Doggy costumes are great fun as this little guy is proving. Admittedly he’s not entirely convincing in his role as the overlord of Hell, but that’s just because he’s so damn adorable!

Referential Fancy Dress

Can this be described as a post-modern take on post modernism? Probably not, but it is superb. This dude has done a remarkable job of recreating one of Banksy’s most replicated stencils. The camera shy artist’s flower throwing terrorist will have been seen by many in cities all over the world making this effort instantly recognisable.

Hopefully these ideas will have the creative juices flowing when it comes to your own costumes this year, making you ready for a Halloween to remember!

Barry Fry love Halloween, which is he’s the perfect man for the job of trying on the many Halloween costumes available at Find Me A Gift.

The post Halloween Costumes On Flickr appeared first on Fashion and Lifestyle Trends for Men & Women.