Fancy dress has become the new fashion hit of the year! At parties, clubs, festivals, gigs and even weddings, wacky outfits are the order of the day, with fancy dress sales bucking the economic slowdown and retailers reporting sales up by more than a third so far this year. Celebrities have led the way, with Heidi Klum, husband Seal and guests in a "white trash" themed wedding vow renewal ceremony and Lily Allen dressed as Queen Victoria for her recent gig, with her fans wearing costumes depicting London underground stations (for example, several turned up in angel fancy dress, to represent Angel tube station). Even fashion icon Paris Hilton, photographed in a fetching Alice in Wonderland costume, has decided it is "cool" to be seen in fancy dress. So, will we see Victoria Beckham dressed in a cute angel fancy dress costume, with matching Gucci wings and tiara? Well, that remains to be seen!

Where celebrities lead of course, the rest will follow and the trend for flamboyant and humorous costumes looks set to continue for the rest of the year and beyond. It seems that the economic gloom and doom brought about by the recession has promoted the need for escapism and fun. Dressing as a more fantastic version of yourself or as a completely different being - such as in angel fancy dress - now appears to be a prerequisite of going to a club or a festival. People want to dress up and be outrageous even in the midst of the credit crunch - perhaps even because of the credit crunch. This is a time when people want escapism and to imagine themselves in another world. Going to parties dressed in something ridiculous, like a penguin or clown outfit, or in something pretty and sexy like an angel fancy dress costume makes things more fun. It gets rid of the pretension of fashion and trying to be beautiful or "cool". It also evokes nostalgia of childhood - remember rooting around in the dressing-up box at school or in your mum's wardrobe for something exciting to wear, to transport you into a different, more exciting world for a while?

As far as the rich and famous are concerned, the sky's the limit when it comes to the amount of money spent on fancy dress. But what is great for more ordinary folk during these tough economic times, is that fancy dress can be bought, hired or even home-made for a relatively small outlay. Angel fancy dress, for example, is one of the simplest and least expensive costumes to wear and an on-line search brought up a lady's snow angel fancy dress costume for a very modest outlay of under 25.00 pounds. The outfit comprised a full length white dress with sheer sleeves featuring deep feather trimmed cuffs and a wide silver belt. Also included in the price was a halo and feather trimmed wings. Never has it been easier to become someone new, to change your persona for a short period of time!

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Summer or winter, barbecue parties conducted outdoors has a charm of its own that cannot by any means compared to the indoor parties. But, all these parties have to be well-planned occasions if it has to leave a major imprint in the minds of the guests. One needs to hold the best BBQ ideas and put in everything that comes to his artistic mind into a reality to make it attractive. For an outdoor summer party, lay the tables outside and cover it with bright sunny colored cloths, serving mind-blowing dishes. One interesting BBQ idea during the summer is to go for the shrimp and pineapple skewers as a starter. 

You will need around 1lb of fresh shrimp that is to be marinated in 1/2 can of pineapple juice and 3 tablespoon of soy sauce. On marinating, refrigerate it for about half an hour. After the required time, thread the marinated shrimp and some fresh pineapple chunks onto a skewer. Always remember to soak in the water the bamboo skewers for an hour before threading the marinated ingredients. Then, grill it on medium heat for about ten minutes turning it slowly to get cooked. The sweet luscious pineapple and the strong taste of the soy sauce on the shrimp give it a unique twist making it ideal BBQ idea for a party. For a night summer party, a great BBQ idea requires you to reflect your personal touch to the arrangements.

Christmas is not far away now and when Halloween is finished people’s thoughts will change direction to fancy dress costumes for the festive events and occasions. So what are your options for Christmas 2010? In this piece we will take a look at an assortment of festive outfits to help spark a few ideas in readiness for your events this year. A huge Christmas picture hit from quite a few years back now

The Grinch is still a very popular outfit for Christmas plus is fantastic for receiving laughs. The outfit consists of a green latex Grinch mask (that looks spot on), a Father Christmas style red and white jacket as well as Santa cap. It is a fantastic comedy costume and is instantaneously recognisable. Simply have on your own pants and footwear and the guise is accomplished. If you don’t fancy wearing a mask for the evening, what about being one of Santa’s little helpers? The Elf fancy dress for ladies comprises a flattering red and green dress with uneven hemline and sleeves, ornamental collar with bells and matching hat. Cute and merry - wonderful! If you are looking for something to turn a few heads and propel temperatures high, 

This costume is a brief, Santa red figure hugging dress with see-through straps and white trim around the edge, white stole and crimson and white Santa hat. Include some stockings and heels and you will be one very explosive Christmas present indeed. Want to shuffle away from red? Try the festive and sparkly Holiday Cheer costume. The Holiday Cheer costume includes silver shine halter neck top, marabou trim, a small white satin effect skirt, four garters for some stockings and a matching silver hat. A sultry snow queen style outfit that is sure to make an impact and be a little different from the rest of the crowd. 

What about the men? We have looked at the Grinch but what if you don’t like being Jim Carrey’s alter ego for the evening? Well at hand are a couple solutions. You could go as the main chap himself - Santa. The Father Christmas Velour costume is a traditional type Santa suit with a knee length crimson velour robe with white border, red cap with hood, black belt and the all important beard and hairpiece. No one could fail to deduce who you arrived as in this distinctive and elegant version of St Nick’s dress. Take into account - reindeers and sleigh are not included! These first few options ought to serve to get the grey matter running and help you arrive at a decisive decision for Christmas this year. Christmas is a busy party period and you need to be happy with your pick of costume.

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