Burlesque Costumes UK

flirty, sexy, extravagant and fabulous!

Burlesque first came into being at the end of the 1800s in Victorian England and spread rapidly to the US while Paris had the Folies Bergeres and Moulin Rouge theatres that made the careers of many of the dancers of the time. While on the streets it was a time of prudishness and covered ankles, in the clubs it was colourful, extravagant, entertaining and definitely sexy.

Throughout the years following burlesque has made many comebacks, and of course with the recent Burlesque movie, burlesque is once more taking off! You can watch the movies Burlesque or Moulin Rouge to get some great burlesque costume ideas.

Burlesque is one of the most popular dress up themes currently in the UK.  There are Burlesque club nights, burlesque fancy dress parties and of course fabulous burlesque shows. The theme is a wonderful guarantee of a good party… who can’t enjoy themselves with such extravagance and such a good excuse to lose inhibitions and become an overt exhibitionist!

And for those lacking the “performance gene” it’s a good excuse to look and feel sexy in colourful costumes.

In terms of costumes, Burlesque offers a wide scope as each performer would choose her own particular look. Can-Can and Showgirl costumes are all valid, as is the pin-up girl look from the 50s, and as you’ll see in the Burlesque movie, the sailor look and ringmaster costumes are also great. There’s also a wide scope for any other type of costume as Burlesque was all about performance. Think anything that the performers may have dressed up as in their act.

Anything curvy, accentuating the figure and with a strong touch of extravagance will do nicely for a burlesque club night – corsets, long gloves, a feather boa and strong red lipstick will turn a curvy dress into the perfect burlesque costume.

For men the Ringmaster costume is probably the easiest, and a pair of tails is another useful “dress up box” staple.  But you could be a fire breather, or a strong man, or a trapeze artist…. go wild with it!

My aim with this site is to find the best costumes from various different costume suppliers in the UK and put them together on one site. I’ll also give ideas for costumes you can make or cobble together yourself and tips on finding great corsets and accessories, make up and props!