His keen appreciation of fancy dress became his trademark, disguising his scarred features from his victims, who he held at gun point and locked in kitchens, toilets and cupboards whilst robbing them of their takings. Mr Reilly had been released from prison in 2005, serving a previous life sentence for similar crimes. These latest criminal activities across the counties netted him over £23,000 and left his victims mentally terrorised.

His outfits served a dual purpose – as a general disguise to hide his recognisable features and also, as a method of intimidation to induce further fear in the poor people he terrorised.It was recognised in Court that none of his victims had suffered any physical injury as a result of his robberies, however the mental scaring and psychological damage he caused was noted as being significant, with some of his victims still suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

Reilly’s attacks were carried out last year between the months of June and October, when he was finally arrested in Hereford. His wigs, hats, scare masks and other fancy dress props obviously gave him further opportunity to terrorise his victims and it is thought that he revelled in this, although he was adamant in Court that he ‘Never hurt anybody’ and that there ‘is no need for this’. Mr Reilly, we beg to differ – you belong in gaol!

Actually, we really love Easter. It’s another chance to get together with the family, but generally carries with it far less stress and strain than Christmas, despite it involving a sizeable roast with all the trimmings, almost as many presents, planning for Easter Eggs Hunts, frantic house tidying and bed-making, baking (and by baking, we mean purchasing, then roughing up a bit and passing off as our own, homemade) cakes and finally, the inevitable request for fancy dress outfits from the kids.

This year, the normal bunny and chicken outfits have been replaced by something completely different and not-at-all Eastery. We have had to supplement all the usual chocolate-focused fun with something for the golf-addicts in our family. This year, Easter coincides with The Masters which, as any avid golfer will tell you, is THE competition to see. So, we have decided to celebrate both occasions, combining Easter Bunny outfits with Plus 4s and Pringle jumpers.

Our Easter weekend now comprises of:

-  Best fancy dress outfit awards (golfing and Easter outfits only)
-  Chipping competition
-  Wii Golf Tournament
-  Easter Egg Hunt
-  Gator Golf for the kids
-  Easter Sunday lunch (leg of lamb on the BBQ, no matter what the weather brings)
-  Easter Pinata demolition
-  Best Easter Cake decoration (children only – kitchen demolition guaranteed)
-  19th Hole (comprising Pimms tent, Seafood Bar, feature cocktail ‘Hole-In-One’ and other refreshments)
-  Putting competition

So, a slightly unusual Easter but the fundamentals are still there and dressing up will feature highly in our entertainment for the weekend.  Now, better go and hunt down my Titleist visor!

Warmer weather not only means it’s time to change the wardrobe content around – even more excitingly, it’s time to start planning which music festival to go to. If you’re a lover of fancy dress, then perhaps the recent announcement from those great entertainers at Bestival will help you in your decision making.

Fancy taking a walk on the wild side? Feel like showing the animal within? Always loved your Tiger Feet? If so, this is definitely the festival to head to to satisfy your dressing up urges, as their fancy dress theme for this year is….Wildlife!

If you are a fancy dress company, it would be a good idea to start planning the appropriate outfits to attract and appeal to the festival goers. Of course, the classics will remain popular, as will the more recent big-hitters such as the morphsuits, but it might be a plan to keep in touch with the organisers of the big events to see what themes they have planned. We at Fancy Dress Ideas will keep our ears to the ground and will share information as it comes to us. Listening to the peeps at Bestival, it looks as though Gorilla suits and all things animal will be going down a storm as revellers head to the Isle of Wight from 6th to 9th September. We reckon animal bodysuits will be a hit, along with associated props, masks and face-painting equipment.

Be prepared! It’s never too soon to plan. Festivals are a great fancy dress opportunity and a market not to be missed. Stock up now and start promoting your wildlife costumes.

Then, of course, there’s spotting an opportunity when one arises, like those switched-on chaps with the Morphsuits. If you see an impressive or remarkable reaction to someone’s outfit at a party or event, then there’s a pretty safe bet that it will receive a similar response where ever it goes, so keep your eyes and ears open for good, untapped areas of the industry.

But what about new stuff? Where do we look and how do we know we’re on to a winner? Well, we’re pretty confident, as are Fancy Dress Stack Ltd that 2012 is going to be all about superheroes.

With an impressive number of superhero blockbusters appearing on the big screen, fancy dress companies need to be sure they’re ahead of the game and stocking the right gear in order to be there when the purchasing/renting floodgates open. So, what’s coming on? “The Dark Knight Rises” for a start! Who doesn’t love a Batman film, and what a fabulous costume it makes too. So, there’s the Batman suit for the boys and, excitingly for the fit ones amongst us, Catwoman is making a reappearance for the girls. How popular is that going to be?

For the Peter Parker lovers amongst us, Spiderman is back, or rather “The Amazing Spiderman”, this time battling against the evil Lizard Man! Inevitably, this new release is going to ignite interest in all associated fancy dress outfits, so be prepared.

As if that’s not enough to be stocking up on, The Avengers is also due for release and is possible the film to open up the most opportunities since it brings together the earth’s superheroes to fight the evil armies of Loki and save the world. Featuring in this film will be the likes of Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Captain America and Thor.

Finally, Hugh Jackman will be appearing in the new X-Men film, The Wolverine along with his sidekick mutant, Gambit.

With all these phenomenally high-profile and popular films, fancy dress companies can expect to see surges of orders for associated costumes and their more classic counterparts (such as The Joker, Robin etc). We should all be thinking about how best to position ourselves in order to be high up on the selection list when the customers come calling. The buzz these films will create in 2012 will be incredible. Let’s not miss the boat!

That didn’t stop 3 friends from risking their own hard-earned savings to set up a fancy dress business in their front room. Three graduates from Edinburgh University, Gregor Lawson and brothers Fraser and Ali Smeaton spotted an opportunity to market all-in-one morph suits, having attended a party where one was being sported by a friend. “The reaction he got was amazing and we all had enough marketing experience to know that a reaction like that to a product is pretty special.”

All three were in successful jobs, however they invested £3,000 of their own cash to buy stock and started selling it from their shared flat. The boys, all of whom are in their early thirties, traded an enviably impressive £1.2 million in their first year, whilst holding down their existing jobs….it’s at this stage that you can start to go off people!

In 2010/11, having all now given up their employment to focus on the business full-time, reaped further reward for their foresight and hard efforts, increasing their turnover to a whopping £4.5 million.

The boys are still going great guns, securing ever-growing sales and penetrating new countries. Their drive, acumen and ambition has seen a growth of 300% year on year and financial year is no different, with a projected revenue of £10.5 million.

This case study shows that there is always opportunity to be had, even when a market seems to be so well catered for. If we keep our eyes and minds open, with a little good fortune and a following wind, there is hope for us all.

If they can do it, then so can we! Why not make the most of this very worthy cause to get creative and knock up something that will entertain and encourage your friends and colleagues to part with some cash for this fantastic money-raising event.

It doesn’t have to be a sporty costume. Let’s face it, Amir Khan appears as a prawn, Willie Carson is dressed as a crab, Clare Balding is a crocodile and all are proud to sport their fancy dress attire for this occasion.

We at fancydressideas hereby throw down the gauntlet and invite you to fancy dress to impress. We’d love to hear how you get on, to see your photos of you and your friends in your finery and to learn how much money you raise for Sport Relief.

Understandably most of us couldn’t make the trip (especially as a family of five) but we didn’t want the occasion to pass without raising a glass or two in recognition of my father’s milestone.

The resulting plan is to throw a surprise birthday party with a Fancy Dress Theme, yet we didn’t want to present too much of the challenge, especially as many of the party goers would be 60+ and less inclined to dress up in costume.

Given that the original party was held in Thailand and due to the easy costume choice of Oriental dress, the decision was made to hold an Eastern Themed party complete with Dim Sum and (not so oriental) rock band (Dad’s favourite).

Oriental Fancy Dress covers so many Countries and styles of dress from China Man to Geisha Girl to Thai Princess and even Karate kicking Ninja or Bruce Lee.

Grandma has the choice of Fancy Silk blouse and loose trousers, whilst my cousin has opted for a slinky Jane Norman dress with eye-popping bust-line.

Ebay is always a brilliant resource for Fancy Dress Costume and I have picked up a beautiful hand made silk dress for my 4 year old that was shipped from Thailand for £4.99 and arrived in 12 days. My Son & my Sensei husband are donning their white Gi’s. I have found the perfect excuse to wear a very fancy dress purchased in Singapore in brilliant blue and red oriental silk with a set of Minx nails booked in with oriental flowers to finish the look.

The only difficult person (typical teenager) is my 12-year-old daughter who sits between the girly outfit and the sassy ladies suit. I have yet to source her Fancy dress and recommendations would be welcome!

I can’t wait to see the guests arrive and will post the photo’s after the 24^th March for your amusement!

I have seen a Chinese takeaway suit, Ninja’s all in Black and very seductive Oriental Ladies outfit I know my Sister has plumped for – Photo’s to follow.

We have organised a Dragon Dance, fabulous cake table with fortune cookies and fancy sweets, succulent Dim Sum with chopsticks all round – Wish us luck.

Oh my Lord! Is this the outcome of watching a film these days? Here was I, quietly enjoying the family movie night, this week featuring “The Gift of the Night Fury”, basking in the warmth of this perfect family picture when my reveries were brought crashing to a halt and replaced with visions of sewing, sticking and stuffing for evenings on end, trying to create fancy dress mater pieces.  This was not the plan!

But the more I fretted over how on earth I could transform two children into Dragons, the more I looked positively on the situation. Shouldn’t I be encouraging their imaginative play? Shouldn’t I be thrilled they want to dress up and play being Dragons rather than just sit and watch the next DVD, or practice their Wii skills or immerse themselves in the solitary fun of the DS? Isn’t this what Mums are meant to do with their time (whilst balancing work, school homework, cooking, cleaning, taxi service, PTA responsibilities, husband support, general day-to-day family counselling, party planning, shopping, house maintenance….the list goes on)? So, I gave myself a little talking to, adopted a positive mental attitude and set about planning my designs.

Now, I’m the first to admit that my creative skills are severely lacking. Art was never my strength and whilst I own a sewing machine, it has gathered a layer of dust that would not look out of place in Mrs Haversham’s house. When it comes to fancy dress parties, my normal approach is to go straight to Ebay to source my costumes, thinking the cost outlay is far more palatable than the time requirement and creative strain of making something. However, I was determined to rise to the challenge on this occasion and really make my boys proud!

The next day, after school, we took a trip to one of the major craft stores and spent over an hour sourcing the appropriate materials required to make up two fancy dress dragon costumes. I have to say, we had a great time! It wasn’t cheap though, coming in at about £30 for the two costumes. I was going to have to do a good job to get my money’s worth!

The next couple of evenings found me cutting up old pairs of tights (kindly donated by my mum, who is one of life’s hoarders and found no strangeness or challenge at all in my request for approximately 20 pairs, required to stuff two dragons’ tails. In fact, I think I rose up a couple of notches in her estimation of me as a mum. Finally, I was actually MAKING something for my children. WI, watch out!). I created masks from printouts, sewed wings onto green and black tshirts, attached tails onto black and green trousers. Wow! This fancy dress costume making was really actually quite fun!

Finally, I completed both outfits and it was as if all the children’s birthdays had come at once. They were thrilled! Almost as delighted as I was, if truth be told. They have a daily routine of rushing in from school, tossing their uniforms into the corner of the room (naturally), quickly transforming themselves into their favourite Dragons, then rushing full-pelt around the house, breathing fire at each other and generally having a fabulous time. They have inadvertently created a craze too, having told their cousins of their Mum’s prowess in making costumes. The girls (who are the same age and are also avid fans of “How To Train Your Dragon” ) have now brow-beaten their mum into making them an Astrid and a Monstrous Nightmare costume and we are having a Dragon Day in a couple of weekends time. Better get planning for that, too.

Children at Danetree Junior School in West Ewell, Surrey did just that in order to celebrate World Book Day last week. The fancy dress ideas were very impressive, as were the costumes, illustrating just how passionately children feel about taking on new personas and bringing fictional characters to life.

Some old-school favourites were there, including Willy Wonka and Dennis the Menace.  The Thing 1 and 2 also seemed popular choices. However, the winning characters were a Smurf, Horrid Henry, a Snow Witch and an Oompa Loompa, once again showing how the classics will always stand the test of time, especially with the likes of Johnny Depp keeping them alive and most definitely kicking.

Barnabas Oley, a primary school in Cambridgeshire is embracing the fancy dress concept too, by inviting their pupils to dress up as mad scientists for their Science Week. Without a doubt, those children will remember that week for considerably longer than they would have done without the fancy dress element.

We can picture now the mums slaving away on their little one’s costumes, trying to source their mad-scientist’s hair piece with the inevitable high forehead, wondering where they can locate a stethoscope and a white coat. Perhaps the old Tefal advert will be referred to for costume guidance. Just another activity to add to the list and one that they will complain they could really do without as they just don’t have any spare time, but secretly, mum’s love it almost as much as the kids (well, I do!).

I am accustomed to this – the last company Christmas party required employees to come as famous people. Sure enough, almost everyone from Ghandi to Kermit the Frog was there and even those who claimed to hate dressing up had made some sort of effort.

Without a doubt, it adds to any celebration, providing everyone with a common conversation point and normally, a large degree of hilarity. The costumes selected often throw new light onto an individual’s personality normally kept hidden. Fetishes are hinted at, fantasies are alluded to, favourite characters are discovered and all these can create a greater bond between employees on a lasting basis. After all, we all like a little escapism from time to time.

The theme for this latest event was ‘Back to School’. This seemed to me to be a pretty tame topic – mostly an opportunity for the girls to wear short skirts and suspenders, aka St Trinians. However, there was the added fun-factor of having to provide photos of each employee as a child and then trying to link each adult with their respective youthful picture. Now this was more like it! Who would have thought it would be so tricky to pair the two up? I even struggled to believe the photo my in-laws sent over was really my husband as a 7 year old. It looked nothing like him! Nor did it resemble either of my sons. Were they sure that was really him?

So, after a trip to the local supermarket to pick up a cheap white shirt to rip up, drag through the mud, scribble on, drop ketchup down and generally make to look appropriate for a teenage boy to be wearing, along with a pair of grey shorts doctored in a similar fashion, we were getting close to having a fancy dress costume. A Prefect’s Badge borrowed from a friend’s daughter, along with an old Rugby Club tie and cap, scuffed-up trainers, greying socks (that were meant to be white), a catapult, a conker and a bit of Bluetack covered in fluff and we were done.

Off he went to pretend to be a child once more, only this time, it would be a child that drank!