Fern's Guide to Dressing Fancy - On Decade Themed Parties

The Decade Themed Party (60s, 80s etc)

Choosing this Theme:
If it’s simplicity and versatility you are seeking in a Costume theme, the decade-themed party recommends itself highly. It can also be useful for those with birthdays in larger numbers wishing to wallow in some nostalgia for their halcyon youth when clothes could be bought for less than ha-penny and barely covered their threepenny bits. (Although following the letter of the theme on this last point should be avoided if you are commemorating a birthday with a higher number than 30 and/or if you have children prone to embarrassment)
Your Decade specific theme tends to be 60s, 70s, 80s, or, strangely, 20s*. 1940s themed parties are less common, presumably because Utility dress is not especially fondly remembered but those seeking a room full of men in smart uniforms and Pin-Up girls could reverse this trend. 1950s are also rare and tends to be covered off by Grease costumes at other parties but it would be nice to see some Beatniks, Buddy Hollies and Busty Blonde Bombshells hanging out listening to some Be-Bop Hop. I’m afraid authenticity fans will be sorry to hear that 30s is often rolled into 20s costume themes and since this has become the Norm I would urge themers to describe such a party as Jazz Age which allows for both.

The decade theme demands little of the guests who are less enthusiastic about fancy dressing, whilst allowing those with true commitment to Costume to indulge either extreme authenticity or creative character development.

However there are 2 things to consider before settling on a decade-specific theme

Thing One: If you have a genuine desire to celebrate a decade which you feel a strong connection to, then bear in mind many guests are likely to come dressed as a hideous caricature of your past, swathing themselves in acrylic and comedy wigs and usually paying little respect to the icons of yesteryear. My mother once marched around a 60s party demanding that those dressed up in sparkly glam rock platforms and satin flares be informed that such items were not worn until the 70s. This isn’t a very party-friendly dynamic, and tends to lead to social embarrassment.

Thing two: If the party is in honour of your birthday, be warned that the decade theme has the ability to show everybody’s age with ghastly specificity. No one feels quite as old as the lady dressed as Kate Bush talking to her Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtle boyfriend explaining that Wham did not in fact sing ‘Girls on Film’.

Approaching the Theme
Approach A:
Check out the clothing of the era (a quick glance through the following pages should help to spark the imagination and keep you on-brief) Approach local charity shop with a fistful of fivers, and do your best to emulate the styles of the past. Be warned that it is quite hard to find really decent vintage clothes from beyond a decade or so ago now in charity shops. For properly authentic looks you may need to find an authentially aged relative or spend some good money in a vintage store.
Approach B
Choose a figure from the era and dress as them. (Again, some ideas follow.) This tends to be received more warmly and does mean you can distinguish yourself sartorially from all the people smelling of fabreze and wearing dead men’s greatcoats.
Approach C
Something more lateral. I can’t really help you here, because its all about your own creativity. I can, however tell you that I know someone who came as a Black and White film to a 1920s party which was a remarkable feat of PVC engineering. Again the following pages should help to inform your inner creative genius.