How about a Cinco de Mayo celebration? Of course with costumes!

May 5th is around the corner; time for another celebration with good food and a party atmosphere.

Even if you don’t feel connected to Cinco de Mayo, you can still hold a celebration.

Cinco de Mayo is considered a more widespread holiday than just a Mexican one. The Battle of Puebla took place on May 5, 1862 near the city of Puebla during the French intervention in Mexico. Although the Mexican Army was eventually defeated, the "Batalla de Puebla" came to represent a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism. With this victory, Mexico demonstrated to the world that Mexico and all of Latin America were willing to defend themselves against any foreign intervention.

 The people of American descent living in the United States celebrate by having mariachi music and parades.

Here are some ideas for a great party:

Decide where you’re going to hold your celebration. The weather may be warm enough to hold it outside or at your favorite Mexican restaurant. Where you hold the event will determine how many people you can invite and how to decorate. This year May 5th is on a Sunday; you can choose when you want to have the party.

Get the invitations out now so people have time to get their costumes, and you have time to get the right decorations and the food. Make sure you let everyone know the theme of the party, and that you would like them to come in traditional dress. You may want to put an invitation on Facebook.

Call The Costumer! The Costumer has a full line of clothing for this event from simple hats to magnificent dresses. Wearing Mexican inspired clothing and hats will make your party more authentic and fun. We have everything, bullet belts, lace fans, Mexican Zapata sombreros. If you need more ideas, just call us. (Don’t forget the make-up.)

The ones above:  the masked bandit, Spanish beauty and delux Spanish man.

How about a matador hat?

Most of us like to dress up but don't know what to wear. That's why Halloween is such a memorable holiday-anything goes. By the way, Halloween is just around the corner.

Get a game. How about an inflatable cactus cooler and ring toss game? Games are always fun-this game is available at The Costumer.

What should you serve to eat? There are lots of possibilities such as   nachos, chips, salsa and hot melted cheese for dipping. You can set up a buffet or taco bar so your guests can create their own tacos— seasoned chicken, beef, fish, guacamole, lettuce, cheese, onions, tomatoes and sour cream. Don’t forget the avocados and plenty of napkins.

 My   personal favorite is Emeril Lagasse's pico de gallo; the hotter the better. (By the way, I’ve given you a link to great recipes.) Not only is the food good, but it’s good for you.

What about dessert?  Dessert choices could include classics such as flan, sopapillos, and a simple quick bread. If you want to get fancy, rents a chocolate fountain.

How to decorate? Some special touches would be a chili pepper wreath hanging over the door and a personalized fiesta banner outside your door.

Flamenco dancers? How about a male or female flamenco dancer at your front door? Put an ad on Craig's list for a dancer.

Lights and balloons? You’ll need margarita lights with red, black, orange and green balloons hung around the room. They will look great over the buffet, the bar, and around doorways.

What’s a party like without Margaritas? If you want alcoholic beverages, how about serving a triple platinum margarita direct from the Hard-Rock Café? If you're serving straight shots of tequila, make sure you have plenty of sliced lemons, limes and salt shakers. For a non-alcoholic drink look for Mexican soda flavors such as watermelon and mango at a market specializing in Spanish food. (Al the Margaritas will be just as good without liquor.)

Don’t forget a piñata.   A piñata is a paper-mâché container filled with candy and hung from the ceiling. The piñata is hit by blindfolded people until the candy falls out! This will definitely make the party interesting.

Gather and organize a play list of music to use during the celebration. Incorporate some current Mexican songs into your play list and have your music collection ready to go before the celebration begins. Your guests will love it if the music meets them at the door.

Could you find some strolling musicians?

Take lots of photos for your Facebook page.  With everyone dressed in costume, the photos will be memorable.

What will make your party a success? A successful party usually has beautiful and imaginative decorations, great music and food and of course, wonderful friends.

Don’t forget the colors of the Mexican flag to continue your theme, red, green and white.

Need more ideas and costumes for your event? Give us a call at The Costumer—just for fun. Check out the links for planning your party. (Delux Spanish beauty and Spanish don.)

For all of your costumes and party ideas, call us at 877-218-1289.

Get dressed up before Halloween; the Costumer has plenty of ideas

Halloween isn’t the only holiday to wear a costume and a mask. So  why wait until Halloween to get dressed up and have some fun?

Have you wondered about the origin of Halloween? It’s been said that people wore costumes and wigs on Halloween on the eve of all Saints Day, November first. They went from door-to-door offering prayers for the dead in exchange for treats. It was often referred to as ‘mummying.’ People got dressed up, sang and engaged in silliness.

There as an ancient belief, that the devil participated in all masquerades and wearing a mask was a way to protect oneself from the devil.

It’s challenging to get adults to get dressed up in costumes and masks; the best thing to do is have a theme.

How do you develop a costume theme?

Having hosted many parties, simple themes are the best. When you ask them to dress up; people somehow seem intimidated or just don’t want to.  I always tell people they can’t come into the party unless they have a costume but that never seems to work. You just have to find ways to get them excited about dressing up for your party. I suggest you give out prizes for the funniest, silliest, unique and craziest costumes. It will help.

Here are some ideas to help get your friends in the ‘mood.’

Warm weather is coming so it’s a great time to have a costume party. In the spring, you won't have to wear cumbersome coats and or boots to wear over your costumes.

Everyone will get to walk down the street in their costumes.  One of my friends dressed as a banana for Halloween and said he never had so much fun or attention from walking down the street. People took pictures of him in his banana costume, and he was the hit of Facebook. Don't forget to post all of your photos.

Here's a simple and easy way to get your friends to dress up. Ask them to dress up in a costume using the first letter of their name.

Let's say your name is Clark. By the way, it's a great name for 'costuming.' You can be Clark Kent and superman or Clark Gable and dress as Rhett Butler from 'Gone with the Wind.’ (Let's not forget Scarlet O'Hara if your name begins with an S.)

Any of these are  sure to get you a lot of attention. If you decide to use this theme, then you better be very clear in your invitation so people understand what you mean. When put to the test, I’ve found that people are quite clever.

I would love to dress up as Lizbeth Scott in her 1957 film with Elvis Presley.”Loving You.” I could even go back a few years and get myself an elegant dress with a flouncy bottom, something out of the 1920s. You know one with lots of gauze and silk. I saw a couple of those at the academy awards!  I could suggest my date come as Elvis himself.

Speaking of Elvis, how about having an Elvis party to coincide with the Elvis Fest in Lake George, New York, May 29-June 2, 2013? The Costumer has Elvis's costumes and various other Elvis paraphernalia. If you’re an Elvis fan, this would definitely be the weekend to celebrate. There is nothing as cool as a room full of Elvis’s of various ages. How about Elvis karaoke?

Imagine a party with all those swaying hips?

How about a kid's birthday party where everyone wears  a costume. The Costumer has plenty of fairy and super hero outfits and how about this bee costume? I would give prizes for the most interesting, original and fun costume. Be sure to take lots of photos; the parents will have as much fun as the kids.

My personal favorite is an old-fashioned Mother’s Day. We used to dress up in our 1920’s flapper dresses  and wear them into our retail stores. ( My mom was a flapper.)

We took my mom out for dinner, had her picked up in a horse-drawn carriage and everyone dressed up.  (When you live in the country, it’s not so hard to get a horse and carriage.) Of course, mom wore a tiara. As much as she said she was embarrassed, she loved it.

Dad was more into props. When he drove the water ski boat, he had a manikin in the seat next to him. He also kept a manikin in the passenger seat of his truck! Yes, he changed the manikin's clothes weekly.

The key is to have fun—wearing a costume and mask is always fun. You just may have to help your friends get creative.

Why not get ‘costumed up, just for the fun of it? I’m going to call a friend and ask him to help me with an ‘Elvis’ night. Stay tuned to see how he does it. I just talked with him and he’s on the case.

Why not, like I said, just for the fun of it.

For more info on costumes, call The Costumer toll free at 877-218-1289.

What are you wearing to your prom? Check out The Costumer

What are you wearing to your prom? If you hadn’t noticed, prom season is right around the corner.

 I’m thinking of my dreaded prom, it wasn’t that much fun.  My mother wouldn’t buy me the dress I wanted—the sophisticated white one with the embroidered red roses.  She made me get the pink one that made me look like some old lady’s tablecloth.  

I didn’t like my date, I had braces on my teeth and I didn’t really want to go. Sounds like a recipe for disaster right? I think it was.

Can you imagine if I had enough guts to get my friends to dress up like we were in a Broadway show? We might have even been able to put on a little skit at the prom. I bet everyone would have enjoyed that. I always loved wearing a costume and it seemed like I had to wait until Halloween to get dressed up.

Not anymore, why not start a new trend and wear whatever you want. The pictures will look a lot better on Facebook. They might even make YouTube if you decide to do the Harlem Shake.

Consider skipping the fancy, overpriced dress that you’re never going to wear again and opt for something really hilarious. Change the game, maybe you can decide to honor the most unusual and creative king and queen?  Decide what you think will be cool, rent it and return it.

Prom night is supposed to be a night that you won’t forget, right? So what’s so much fun about spending a lot of money for an outfit that you’ll probably never wear again?  If your mom is like mine was, you won’t get the right dress anyway. I hated those matching shoes, you know, the ones they dye. I notice they still do that.

Make  prom night a hilarious evening, one you and your classmates will never forget.

Okay so what’s out there for you? You can check out The Costumer for some period prom dresses or silly garb—maybe it’s just a crazy wig or prosthesis. The Costumer has Ben Nye makeup, take it from me it will cover anything. If you’re not sure how to use the makeup, we have books for that. The Costumer has everything you could ever need or want to give you the perfect look. They’ve got gowns, accessories, wigs and animal costumes.  You don’t have to wait until Halloween to get dressed in your favorite fantasy or wear something very cool.

Come in and we’ll help you choose something to wear and guide you to the right makeup. I guarantee it’s more fun than going to the Mac counter at Macy’s.

What would be funnier than the prom king wearing a hot dog hat or suit standing next to ketchup and mustard? Or maybe you just want some crazy teeth.

Okay there will be lots of folks in those long gowns and their corsages. But after a couple of hours of dancing, eating and feeling uncomfortable everyone will be wishing they could change their clothes. They'll wish they were wearing your hot dog suit.

Besides, you will get to be the center of attention and the photos will be the best part.

When you look back at your photos at your 20th year reunion you will have plenty to reminisce and laugh about.

It will be a lot more fun than wondering if you can still fit into that prom dress.

Tags: period costumes, animal costumes, prom night, costumes for prom night, what to wear for the prom, be creative for the prom, prosthesis, Ben Nye makeup