Sherlock Holmes
A great opportunity to doff your finest tweed, deer-stalker hat and pipe; the Sherlock Holmes attire is instantly recognisable and will save you many an awkward ‘and you are..?’ moment. However, this disguise requires greater commitment than the costume alone - frequent cries of ‘elementary!’ and ‘the game is afoot!’ throughout the night are mandatory.
The outfit is gender neutral and a female Sherlock can look just as dapper a male one; it can also work as a double-costume if a willing Watson is at hand. Of course other Victorian Londoners , both fictional and real, can inspire potential costumes. Should you wish to venture into the realms of the sinister, Jack the ripper or Sweeney Todd the demon barber of Fleet Street give a blood-curdling edge.
Doctor Who & Assistant
Doctor Who & his companion make an ideal his & hers costumes, perhaps even accommodating a canine addition for those who can’t bear to leave the dog at home. Select your garments from the wide and historic Whovian wardrobe from Peter Capaldi’s velvet lined jacket to Tom Baker’s classic tweed ensemble.
Spice Girls
Take a trip back to the 90's with the perfect group costume. If you know someone posh, cute, scary, sporty and well…ginger, then this opportunity is too good to pass on.
The Spice Girls were 1990's style icons famous for their Buffalo and Platform Boots; Ginger Spice's Original 1997 Union Jack Dress selling for £41,320 in 1998. Fear not however, for replicas are available at a lower rate, while leopard print cat suits and sparkly crop tops shouldn't break the bank either. Plus, if you wish to add some terror to your girl-power throw-back then consider taking the undead route with Zombie-Spice Girls.
Beatles
Another group devoted to singing catchy pop songs, also found in films running around getting in trouble in London, the Beatles make an equally good group costume. The Beatles donned a range of iconic 1960's gear from their Hard Days Night Outfits to their Abbey Road and Sergeant Pepper suits (as seen below), the choice is as broad as it is eclectic. For a fifth member or female addition to the costume try the more interpretive ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’.
Harry Potter / Hermione Granger / Ron Weasley
Now a staple of party dress-up, the young witches and wizards of Hogwarts provide a magical twist on the school uniform classic with the addition of a simple pointed hat, gryffindor tie and lightening scar. With plenty of spooky side-kicks, Harry Potter themed masquerade boasts an array of secondary character costumes, as exploited to full-effect by the child below:
The Creature of Frankenstein
Often associated with Hollywood reproductions, the Creature of Frankenstein is in fact, a very British character. During the cold, wet summer of 1816, a night of ghost stories inspired the young Mary Shelley to fabricate a tale of terror and brought to life a cultural icon.
Most commonly, this outfit is achieved with green face-paint and shoulder-pads in lieu of Boris Karloff’s 1930’s rendering of the monster. However if you fancy something more minimalist, or at least closer to Shelley's original vision, try some realistic surgical scars as displayed by Benedict Cumberbatch below in Danny Boyle’s more British rendering of the classic. Neck bolts may still be necessary.
