The Trials of Fancy Dress for Couples!

October is upon us! How crazy is that? And this month already me and my boyfriend have hit a new milestone...his and her fancy dress...the shame!

I've always had mixed feelings around fancy dress costumes for couples, on the one hand it's completely lame and I'd rather shit in my hands and clap, and on the other hand it can look amazing if you've got a really good idea and both commit to it. So when me and Liam were invited to a 'music icons' themed 18th birthday party, naturally we stumbled upon a little dilemma. To match or not match...

We first had the conversation whilst in the cinema waiting for a film to start (you know that awkward bit before the adverts come on) and we decided that the theme had saved us much humiliation in terms of the options open to us in couples fancy dress ideas. We weren't going to have to resort to Banana-man and Banana-woman at least!
So we got thinking: Sonny and Cher? Well done to Max and Phoebe who pulled off that one. The Carpenters? The White Stripes? Ike and Tina? Half of ABBA? Scraping the barrel, I know. Nothing that we could come up with was going to be right for us. We considered going as separate artists but then neither of us could think of anything without shelling out large amounts of money for bought or hired fancy dress costumes. So we carried on with the couples idea. I jokingly suggested that I'd go as a bee and he could be a policeman...Sting and The Police, get it? (Thanks to Dawn O'Porter for that idea) but apart from getting a disproving look, it still wasn't going to be an achievable goal for us.
So I bit the bullet and crossed into musical theatre/film territory. Grease! You know Danny and Sandy at the end in 'You're the One that I Want'? It was Number 1, you know! And surprisingly, the idea went down well. So we had it sorted, a costume that would be easy enough on a budget. It's just black, leather and tight trousers, right?
Right! But I don't own a leather biker jacket and I'm not one to pull off super tight 'stitch me in' hot pants, and he doesn't own anything black...Oh. My. Life.
So I went out the day before the party and invested in a pair of skinny black high-waisted jeans (let's face it, I'll definitely wear them again) and a plain black off the shoulder Bardot top (I've been wanting one for ages), I thought teamed with a super high pair of platform heels  that I would just about pass.
As I was working on the day right up to the party, I knew that I'd need to some party prep before going to work, so that included make-up (just needing a little bit of touching up in the car and the addition of some false lashes) and my hair! I have quite long hair so was never going to realistically pull off the perfectly permed look that Olivia Newton-John does in the film, so I opted for a quiff and high ponytail, all I would need to do then is get changed in the car.
Just before I left Liam for work I asked him what he was going to wear later...His answer? 'I'll have a think.' Have a think?! Help.
I was very nervous when I came out of work, what was he going to be wearing when I got in the car? But I'll give him credit where it's due. He really had thought about it! There he was black jeans, white t-shirt, leather jacket and slicked back hair. Simple, but effective!
When we got to the party, people knew who we were supposed to be! Winner! We succeeded! And we didn't break the bank to do it.
We had a fab night, the party was great and everyone seemed to have a fab time. There was a Madonna, Freddie Mercury, Guns and Roses, Marilyn Monroe, Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse and many others. Everyone had really made an effort. We even put in a sneaky request for the 'Grease Mega Mix' before we called it a night. There's nothing quite like a room full of people singing the end of Summer Ni-iiiiiiiiights!

First attempt at his and her fancy dress complete! Now bring on Halloween...Oh Heck!