Come as your favourite emotion
I actually held a party inspired by the joke that several posters have already mentioned:
"I'm 'fucking dis custard' and my mate here has 'cum in dis pear'."

One friend wore masses of cotton wool around her shoulders. She had her 'head in the clouds'. Another wore a giant cylinder with metallic ends - she was 'enthused' (in-fuse-d - as in electrical fuses - imagine a Devon accent...) Being the host, I was too busy preparing in advance, so I copped out. I strung a plastic glow-in-the-dark crescent between my legs, and told people I was 'over the moon'.
(Mori, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 13:52, Reply)

kerfuffle
at my birthday party when I was 4 or something, my dad came in and said "hey kids, we've got a surprise guest for you!". of course, we were all well excited. he went to the door and said "look....it's darth vader!" and in walked his mate paul dressed up in his biker leathers with a black motorbike helmet on. we all shat ourselves and ran for it, and I think I spent the rest of the party hiding under my bed...

...nice one dad.

funny thing is, he didn't even look like darth vader. still, I was quite a sensitive child.
( yes yes yes man oi mate, someone's writtten 'bum' on your neck, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 13:35, Reply)

Hallowe'en this year
Well, I turned up to the Lord Stanley bash in costume, as can be seen here: (thanks Geoff)
www.flickr.com/photos/95072336@N00/58173508/in/set-1538900/

...but I don't think I've ever seen a fancy dress cosstume to rival my friend Ken, Hallowe'en 2004, who went as a toilet:
emvee.goldenfanjita.com/images/toiletseatken.jpg

Another pic of me "using" Ken. I went as Marla Singer from Fight Club, by the way.
emvee.goldenfanjita.com/images/robusingken.jpg
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 13:35, Reply)

Beavers
Many many moons ago whilst living in germany i was in the Beavers (fnarr fnarr) and every year they hold a big jamboree. That year everyone had to come in fancy dress.

So i went as a "aussie hat" you know, the kind of one with corks hanging down. Well actually i went as a big grey top hat with empty bogrolls hanging down it. Thankfully no pics! and i won too, yay me!
(Fishbone-didi, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 13:20, Reply)

A
friend of mine used to have a fancy dress party at his house every year
Several years ago someone came dressed up as Superman...













...in a wheelchair.
( social hand grenade I was a lurker before you were a lurker, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 13:19, Reply)

Lesbians anyone?
I arrived in Cardiff for my mates 30th birthday celebration. Arrived at his house on the Friday and he asked me what I was going as to his 80's theme party....he had never told me before!

So - emergency plan swings into action. I borrowed one of his g/friends mini tennis dress, some white socks, a blonde wig, a bra filled with two water balloons and a tennis racket and hey ho, Martina Navratilova is born! All well and good apart from the goatee beard until three months later I saw the photos and asked Dave who the fit blonde was on the dancefloor......hmmm......twas me!
(essbeenz there done that, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 13:17, Reply)

Fancy Dress
My girlfriend loves fancy dress (in a fun to make costumes type way, rather than a deviant sex-game type way unfortunately), so I always seem to be going to these things. hence I've developed a nice line in high-concept, low-effort costumes:

At a "Things beginning with T" party, I made myself a T-Shirt with the word "Fuck" on the front, and "Cunt" on the back and went as Tourettes.

At a "Record Breakers" party I stood for the whole evening in a small plastic box and only drank booze through a straw - Just like David Blaine of course.

My favourite (well, initially) was at a film-themed party, and I went as the guy (Guy) from Memento. It started out fairly amusing with me writing various events that happened over the course of the evening on my arms in marker pen. Of course, as the night went on I got drunker and drunker, and more covered in marker pen. I'm sure I don't need to tell you lot that I woke up in the morning covered from head to toe in pen, with the inevietable huge spunking cock crudely drawn on my back.

This Halloween I went to a fancy dress party as Derek Acorah, which did take some effort. My housemate at the time went to another party dressed as Ken Bigley. Nice.
(eds209 invites you to a HousepartyofthedDead.com, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 13:17, Reply)

Where's Wally?
Right... I was 8 years old and it was a Fancy Dress at school and I was really looking forward to it. recently I'd been reading "Where's Wally?" books and decided I'd go as Wally form the books as I had a hat and shirt/top just like his.

So it's the day and I'm all dressed up, fake glasses, top, jeans, hat the whole lot and my mum taks me to school, drops me off and I turn up ( a little late due to traffc problems) for Assembly and lo behold... I'm the ONLY one in fancy dress - it was supposed to be fancy dress after school not DURING!!!!!!!!

So there am I sat in the middle of an assembly with teachers wettnig themselves laughing at me.

They even took a photo and put it up in the staff room with the phrase "where's wally?" underneath and was known as wally or being a wally for the rest of my primary school life.

It is one of the many traumatic things that habe happened in my life which surprises me as to why I've not needed therapy yet.
(One_Winged_Angel Ich Dien, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 13:02, Reply)

a few years ago...
...me and my ex were going to a halloween party. she decided to go as the washington sniper, who at that time hadn't been caught, and so got a black beanie, put black sniper makeup under her eyes and bought a toy gun.

in the few days between her sorting the costume out and us going to the party they caught the sniper, who turned out to be two black blokes.

she didn't bother changing her costume.

oh, same party two friends of mine went dressed as jesus and as the devil - cue hilarious photos of them fighting, then deciding to put it all behind them. classic. I went as a wicked zombie, drank all the punch and passed out, then was violently sick when I got home :) should really have been sick in costume in front of people to freak them out, but didn't seem like so much fun at the time.
( yes yes yes man oi mate, someone's writtten 'bum' on your neck, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 12:55, Reply)

Offensive to all
My cousin's buddy just showed up at my annual Halloween costume party. Lacking expensive attire, he improvised with a paper grocery bag and a wire coat-hanger. He then introduced himself as "The Unknown Abortion". This, somewhat surprisingly, offended nearly everyone. Especially four certain women who left crying wretchedly.

Guess you had to be there.
(Lister, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 12:53, Reply)

Twat Warming Party
I was invited to a University Twat Warming Party.

We turned up to the address and found that the house had been adorned with pink polythene and a wire mesh / polythene labia around the front door!

Class!
(Catchag "You know!....For Kids!", Fri 13 Jan 2006, 12:48, Reply)

The gay cowboy and the gorilla with a head full of sick
I've always done my best to avoid fanxy-dress parties like the plague, however... about 10 years ago I was press-ganged into going to a works party that my dad's office had organised. (we worked for the same firm for a few years) Myself and my best mate dutily schlepped off to the fancy dress hire shop, after our girlfriends had shamed us by hastily organising a french maid 's costume and Mrs.Santa Claus outfit for themselves. My mate chose a Gorilla costume and I (being all of six foot five) had a limited cohice of either american footballer's uniform or a cowboy outfit. Sadly for me, I chose the cowboy outfit, which was basically some leather chaps, a hat and a gun, mixed with my own checked shirt, my leather waistcoat, jeans and my cowboy boots. At the time, I also had a very bad mullet (this was when I was in the transition between Rocker and Brit-pop fan)

We arrived at the party where the Gorilla proceeded to drink himself to the brink of death while I ran around shooting at random girls and did my best to start an authentic western bar-room brawl.

Later that evening I found the Gorilla in the gents, swaying gently and telling me he was going to puke. Seconds later he blew chunks spectactularly...inside his face mask. I did what any best mate would do, I laughed my arse off then staggered into a nearby cubicle for a well-earned dump. Whilst sat there, various party revellers were going in and out of the gents and one particularly loud group of blokes came in and started mouthing off at how shit the party was and how the "Fucking lanky gay cowboy was going to get his face stoved in if he fired his gun one more time" followed by "Why the fuck would anybody come as that twat from the village people anyway?"

If I'd known, I'd have turned up as the construction worker.
(The Graduate Adding to the confusion since 1974, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 12:47, Reply)

About 5 years
back, me and 3 friends went to a halloween party in Oxford as 4 car accident victims.

Someone we knew (Dan), who did makeup for the film industry, did the honours for us. It took bloody ages. The problem was, Dan loved his job too much. He went completely over the top, and it just looked too realistic.

I had half of my face missing, with the jawbone exposed. One of my friends had a compound fracture, with the bone sticking out of his forearm, another had a windscreen wiper stuck through his neck amongst other things ... and so on ..

To get to the party, we had to walk through the city centre. We made 2 children cry just by looking at them, and were promptly bollocked by their mother, who also looked like she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

At the party, no-one talked to me all night, because they just couldn't handle looking at my bloodshot-eyed, glass-shard infested, half missing face.

Never again.
(8-Ball, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 12:35, Reply)

Chip off the Old Block
Sent my kid, aged 8 years old to a "Well known sayings" party as....like the title says "Chip off the old block". Costume for kid consisted of his old clothes, some Copydex glue (whatever happened to that ?) and him rolling around in sawdust for five minutes before standing perfectly still for half an hour to dry.......and a blond wig .....can't remember why the blond wig but hey..... what did he know, he was only 8.
( Spackweasel - because weasels get Downs Syndrome too, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 12:22, Reply)

Moved on
Having been at a Film Character party with my lady friend, we were walking back home as the sun was coming up, sobriety nothing but a distant memory.

For some reason, we sat down on some grass for a rest (the ten minute walk clearly too much for us at this stage) and both promptly fell asleep. I’ve no idea how much time passed, but we were woken up by someone saying ‘hello…? Are you ok….?’ Open my eyes to see two uniformed coppers looking down at us. They promptly ‘move us on’ asking for ID, where we live etc.

As they head off, one of them says over his shoulder ‘Nice costumes, by the way’. Being drunk and disoriented meant I had forgotten that lady and I were dressed as Supergirl and Luke Skywalker, respectively.

Can just imagine them first noticing us lying there. The best thing is when they first woke us, they asked if we had somewhere to go, or if we were homeless. As if people sleeping rough, dressed as a Jedi was an everyday occurrence?!

Walked home the rest of the way attracting curious glances from the workers of Edinburgh as they commuted into work. Like to think we gave them something to talk about when they get to the office.
(jam and cheese, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 11:53, Reply)

Two large bits of white foam sheet
Some double sided sticky tape and a Stanley knife.


One Space Invader costume.
( Afinkawan Yes I can hear you Clem Fandango, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 11:44, Reply)

Halloween 2003.
img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/matthyaouw/DSCI0003.jpg
^That.

Friend's dress, hair straighteners, and no they are not real.
Notable quotes from the evening:
-"Matt, you look better in my clothes than I do." (she hasn't worn the dress since.)
- (from a male, after I first turned to face him)"Dammit, I was about to hit on you!"

It was strangely liberating actually...
(matthyaouw, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 11:43, Reply)

Hell bound
One of my friends (if I dare call him that) once went to a halloween party as a rape victim. The outfit entailed a nighty with real pig blood stains around the crotch and ass areas with rips in it. He also had a little toy doll also ripped and covered in blood. The costume was so vivid and disturbing that many people were too shocked to speak to him, but it got worse. His band was playing at the party, halfway through their set he walked to the front of the stage (he was the drummer) and started to relate in detail about his experience of being raped by his father. I've never heard anything so disgusting or depraved in all my life, but oh how I laughed...about half the audience left in disgust!
(mr.BIG I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 11:32, Reply)

Pirate, Avast Ye!
Me and some mates were off to the student union one wednesday night for a few drinks.
However, we didn't realise that it was fancy dress night that night - and no entry unless you were in fancy dress.
So we got the doorman to bring us some beermats and selotape, fashioned them into eye-patches and went as Pugwash, Dangermouse and Gabrielle.

Result
(Nyphur, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 11:25, Reply)

Match(box)
I once went to a fancy dress party when I was well ... young ... dressed as a match, in a match box. Just me, in a big cardboard box with a hole cut out in the front, and wearing a red cap over my head. Won a price with it actually.


Once went as Invader Zim with Pastulio glued to my face. Had a neat little costume on too (Pastulio that is).
(roet, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 11:20, Reply)

Think ill apply for a job in Hell!!! Minster in charge of ironic punshiments sounds good........
Once went to a FD party as a peadophile.....my costume.......1 bag of haribo!
(Charlie big bananas, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 11:13, Reply)

Moods
A guy had a fancy dress party for his birthday. The theme was Moods, and the bouncers had strict instructions not to let anyone in who was not in fancy dress.

First up came a couple of people dressed in red. "We're really angry!" they said, and were let in.

Then came a couple of people in green. "We're green with envy!" they said, and were let in.

Then came a couple of West Indian blokes. The first had a piece of fruit on his penis and the second had his manhood buried in a tin of Ambrosia.
"Hang on, lads," said the bouncer. "What have you come as?"
"I'm deep in dis pear!" announced the first.
The second said, "I'm fucking dis custard!"
(stusut79, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 11:12, Reply)

Klansmen Kicking
The brother of an ex-girlfriend was a devout catholic and was deeply interested in the history of his faith. He was mostly a nice guy but actually thought that the Spanish Inquisition was a good thing.

He thought that it would be witty and amusing to go to a fancy dress party dressed as a Spanish penitent of the inquisition era.

Sadly this costume almost exactly resembles a Klu Klux Klan style outfit (including the tall, white pointy hood).

When asked by an offended party goer why he was dressed in a racist costume, his bright reply of "I'm part of the Auto da Fe, I'm following Torquemada!" sounded an awful lot like a piss take so he got smacked in his pointy hooded face.

A little education is a dangerous thing...


Link to Inquisitiony stuff here if you're interested:

www.personal.psu.edu/users/a/m/amw288/

EDIT: At the time that this story was related to me by my then girlfriend, I admitted that I only knew who Torquemada was from reading Nemesis the Warlock in 2000AD. She dumped me not long after that.
(Wascally Weasel now with 100% fewer jokes., Fri 13 Jan 2006, 11:05, Reply)

I love fancy dress
Turned up naked with my knob in a wine bottle

My costume? a fire alarm.

If theres a fire, break glass and pull. I will come as quickly as i can!




sorry...
(Four String Demon, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 11:03, Reply)

Too fat for Santa
I once worked for a well-known London newspaper. Having not moved out of eyeline quickly enough, I was "volunteered" to help run their Christmas campaign. Their "big idea" was to have the rotund, jolly Editor dress up as Santa and go round Great Ormond Street Hospital doling out pressies. Things did not start well when I spoke to the hospital: "Can't you go to one of the other hospitals? He'll be the fourth Santa this week and the children are getting confused."

But I persuaded them. I was then tasked with finding a Santa costume for the Ed. Sounds easy, doesn't it? However, the editor was fecking enormous. I mean FAT. I mean El Gordo. I mean "Welcome to chubville, population: you." We're not talking the odd pie too many here, he had his own weather system. I get his (very generous) measurements and phone the nearest fancy dress shop to ask if they have a Santa suit in his size. No, they don't make them that large. I phone another. No again. I phone another. They laugh at me. I then proceed to phone every fancy dress shop in the London phone book. No joy. None of them stock Santa suits that big.

In a career high, I had to tell the editor of a national newspaper that he was too fat to be Santa Claus. He took it very well (he was a good guy) and said someone else could do it. Being none too svelte myself, I moved out of eyeline damn quickly that time and someone else got lumbered with doling out presents to ill children who were already inundated with gifts from strangers.
( calgacus Non sum qualis eram bonae sub regno Cynarae, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 11:02, Reply)

Animals
Student animal-themed fancy dress party. Being habitually lazy, I wear a rolled-up balaclava with a mallet pushed through the eyeholes. Voila - a hammerhead shark.

A friend went as a shag.
( George Spiggott, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 11:00, Reply)

A pumpkin
Honest to god, a man wearing nothing but a pumpkin with a set of suspenders once vomited on me last new years.

So I kicked him in the nads.

Through the pumpkin.
(DarkLite swallowed my entire undercarriage, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 10:55, Reply)

nazca lines
I went to a latin-american themed birthday party as the Nazca Lines, which entailed library research and painting the buggers onto a costume etc etc. Not one person had ever heard of them.

*sigh*

here
(bloodyHassocks, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 10:50, Reply)

Snakes on a brain.
I was at a mates birthday dinner once and people were going on to the pub afterwards for a halloween party, free entry with a costume.

I didn't have a costume, but I did have blue (plastic) dreads at the time, so I nabbed a load of the birthday helium balloons the restaurant provided and tied them to my dreads. Instant Medusa costume!

Free entry, even got bought free drinks, and those who had actually spent some effort on their costumes were a tad miffed at the attention I was getting. And of course once we got bored of the costume, we did the squeaky helium voice thing with the balloons.
( wangmaster2000, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 10:49, Reply)

I once went to a party dressed only in my Y-fronts
When confronted on what I had come as, I retorted "Premature Ejactulation"

After all, I had just come in my pants.
(Waynster James Joyce is fucking my sister!, Fri 13 Jan 2006, 10:48, Reply)