Who

Who do you want to be? Who do you want to impress, scare or amuse with the fancy dress costume that you are wearing? Do you want to bring out your best qualities or hide your worst? Do you want to recreate a memory for yourself or someone else?

Where

Where will the party or event be held? An outdoor party during colder weather may change how you choose your fancy dress costume. An office party would suggest slightly more demure wear. Where the party will be held can be as important as any of the other aspects.

When

The time of day or evening that the party starts might suggest a bit of the dress code. A two p.m. start would say to most people that the fish nets and bustier is best left behind. A later evening party would say perhaps it is okay to be a little sexier with your fancy dress costumes.

Why

What the party is celebrating is another clue as to what type of fancy dress costume would be best. A celebration for Johnny’s fourth birthday might mean that you wear a cute or amusing dress up costume rather than a straight-out scary costume or something terribly sexy.

How

Finally, the how of the party: for instance a masked ball at a beautiful hall or a costume party in a friend’s rec room lets you know how fancy you can go with your fancy dress costumes. The fancier the venue, the fancier the costume it is simple.