Dress Uniforms: Style and character

While there are many occasions on which men and women don formal or dressier clothing than wear, either at work or during leisure time, there are only a handful of times when dress uniforms are the order of the day. Fancy dress parties, very popular in Britain, are occasions when men and women step out of their normal everyday character and essentially pretend to be someone else. Halloween parties are another occasion for dressing up. Many charities sponsor fund raising parties in which the guests are required to step out of themselves and become someone else by dint of wearing the very clothes that person wears.

What are some of the different characters and personas a person can step into? There are an almost unlimited number of characters, present day and historical, that people “become” by wearing dress uniforms.  There are movie stars to portray, whether contemporary or famous ones from across the decades. In the recent past, such historical figures as Maria Antoinette and Abraham Lincoln were popular with fancy dress party goers. Of course, politicians or world leaders of the current day, especially if they’re theatrical or eccentric in their appearance or behavior, are popular to impersonate.  Cartoon characters and action heroes have caught the eye and imagination of those dressing is to shop for a complete uniform.

When deciding among the many dress uniforms available, it is important to make sure the look or character one fancies is in close alignment with one’s face and body type. Another thing to consider is whether one has the spirit and sense of play to carry off a certain character. Again, it is possible to be very taken with a particular character, persona, or type of dress but lack the physical and personality means to properly embody it. Once a character is settled on, there are a number of ways to go about putting together  the kind of look you are aiming for.

 There are companies that will sell you an entire ensemble. Many of them have catalogs, often found on their websites,  that show all the different kinds of jobs, characters and period style uniforms they offer. If customization is necessary-say, to accommodate a certain body type- it is possible to have the dress garments altered.  Whether one wishes to be a policeman or as Superman, whole uniform ensembles can be easily found. In many cities, there are usually stores that rent uniforms.

On the other hand, if one is in the market for dress uniforms, one can also assemble the whole ensemble piece by piece. This might be necessary if the character or persona one is looking to portray is not so well known and popular among fancy dress party goers to warrant a place in the whole ensemble catalogs of uniform manufacturers.  Time permitting, local vintage clothing stores are worth a visit. They stock older and out of the ordinary garments. Online clothing stores are also worth checking out.  If one is   imaginative- and has enough time, the adventure of acquiring or conjuring dress uniforms adds a touch of spice to life.