Top 5 Historical Figures Fancy Dress Ideas

Getting dolled up for a fancy dress party is a great way to let your hair down and express yourself through some seriously kooky outfits. Dressing up as your favourite idol, celebrity, superhero or sports personality is great fun but as you get older, you can feel a little as though you’ve seen it all, so choosing a stand-out costume becomes more and more difficult. 

Help is at hand, however - we’ve created a list of our top 5 historical fancy dress ideas to inspire even the pickiest fancy dress veterans amongst you. 

1.    Admiral Horatio Nelson

Horatio Nelson was a national hero and one of the most famous British naval commanders to have lived thanks to his successes during the Napoleonic Wars. Dressing up as Admiral Nelson for a fancy dress party is one of the most tasteful historical figures you could choose; he looks classy, elegant and is instantly recognisable. To dress up as Admiral Nelson you will need one large naval officer’s cap, a blue blazer full of badges and merits, a white frilly shirt, some dark coloured shorts and some buckled black shoes. 

2.    Winston Churchill

Another top historical figure to copy is one of our national treasures, Winston Churchill. Everybody knows who Churchill was thanks to his commanding personality when he guided us through the Second World War. To dress up as Mr Churchill, you will need a full suit complete with a bowtie, leather shoes, a top hat and a cane.

Now if you really want to go the extra mile then you can stuff a cigar in your mouth and stick a Union Jack flag in your blazer pocket to communicate your staunch patriotism! 

3.    Sir Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton was famous for discovering calculus and coining the word ‘gravity’ and is considered as one of the most influential scientists of all time. He is one of the most famous historical figures on the planet but surprisingly he’s not one of the most popular choices when it comes to fancy dress costumes. If you want to stand out from the crowd at your next fancy dress party, get yourself some long white hair (or a wig if time won’t allow you to grow your own mane), a long frilly white shirt, a casual blazer, some tights and some brogues - the signature apple, of course, is optional.

4.    Charles Darwin

Another great figure to mimic at a party is Charles Darwin, the infamous scientist whose theory about evolution changed the way we viewed the world. Charles Darwin is always depicted smartly dressed sporting a fully grown white beard so in order to dress like him, put on a smart-looking suit (with a waistcoat of course), some shoes and a fake beard to top it off. 

5.    Alexander The Great

Last but certainly not least is Alexander the Great who was supposedly the greatest military leader the world has ever known. In order to dress like Alexander the Great you will need a tunic covered by colourful body armour, a pair of sandals, gold painted shin pads and be wielding a rather large sword (of the plastic variety, obviously). Alexander the Great was always seen on horseback so if you really want to go the whole nine yards then consider asking a couple of friends to make up a horse for the evening (or, as an even simpler solution, purchase a stick horse).  

AUTHOR BYLINE
Larry Johnson enjoys sharing his party advice and expertise online in his spare time. During the week, Larry works as a customer assistant at The Partyman Shop , your one-stop-shop for party supplies to ensure you have the best event ever.