What you should be telling your friend who won't wear fancy dress

REMEMBER those non school uniform days at school? There was always one child who forgot; poor lamb.

From a young age the majority of us have enjoyed dressing up, whether it was trying on your parents' shoes or dressing up as your favourite superhero.

These urges to change our identities for a night out or celebration continue into adult life, albeit if sometimes a little more risqué. A normal trip to the local community centre can be transformed into an evening dancing with a cowboy, drinking beer with Little Bo Peep and maybe even an arm wrestle with a mermaid. However, there are some who refuse to don the fake moustache and top hat.

The usual excuses of ‘forgetting’ or the issue of expense can now be quashed by our top tips to bring the inner clown and fairy out of any fancy dress hater.

The possibilities are endless: with the growth in popularity over recent years, the variety of fancy dress costumes available caters for all occasions, themes and ages. Gone are the days of the humble fairy wings and plastic glasses; you can now transform into anything: animal, mineral and vegetable. Fancy dress no longer stops at the Halloween costumes of fright night. Costumes are now being produced to coincide with major events such as live concerts, royal weddings, blockbuster films and chart-topping pop stars.

Think what your fancy dress-phobic friend likes or finds interesting and suggest a costume option. Perhaps even throw a general fancy dress party yourself or choose a theme you know your friend will enjoy, therefore encouraging them to take part.

Dress up for all budgets: fancy dress costumes are available at a variety of locations. Customers no longer have to squeeze into the drink-stained costumes for hire that still whiff of the previous occupant. Buying, in fact, can now even be cheaper than hiring from your local shop. Online outlets and auction sites offer fancy dress get up for the same price as a coffee, meaning that boring shirt your friend plans on buying and wearing instead is actually more expensive (and of course less fun).

Send your anti-costume companion some links to various websites and perhaps even suggest some bargain ideas. No one likes a scrooge, especially one who opts for a plain tee over a fetching pirate costume.

Team up: perhaps your friend is afraid of looking a fool? A sharp jab to the ribs and a reminder that everyone remembers (and quite often loves) an unusual or comical costume should remind him of the point, and first cardinal rule of fancy dress; fun! Still unsure? Why not team up and go as a costume duo? This not only shifts at least 50 per cent of the focus/embarrassment from your friend but also gives them a reason not to turn up in normal attire. You’d look a right ass turning up as the rear end of a donkey!

It could be something humorous like Tweedledee and Tweedledum or perhaps a famous movie duo like Thelma and Louise or the Blues Brothers. Be a wingman and bring this dress up diva from the dull world of normality to the exciting world of costume!

Costumes win prizes: if all else fails, a tasty prize should suffice. Cold hard cash, a hamper or a bottle of something bubbly; everybody loves prizes. A bit of healthy competition is good for the soul and usually means that the fancy dress costumes get taken up a few notches. Perhaps make it a competition between you and your pal; what is the price of a few beers after all?

Break them in easy and throw a themed party you know they would love to take part in. After the first occasion you can be sure that they will be planning the next fancy dress event themselves!