Thursday 13 December 2012

Murder Mystery – random items and vital clues

Everyone loves a murder mystery party and we know you just love getting together with a few friends over themed drinks and a meal to solve and play the murder mystery game.

A murder mystery party offers some light hearted entertainment and dressing up in character is all part of the fun.  It can be tricky sometimes to acquire the necessary clothing garments which are often quite specific and may form part of a vital clue in the game.
Whatever character you are given, whether you are the murderer, a writer or gardener we will most likely have a costume or accessories to suit. The game could be set in any era and usually involves a set of eccentric characters that will require suitably colourful attire.

From a silver tie pin, to silk handkerchiefs, coloured trilby’s to tweed suits and old gardener’s hats, we have all kinds of wonderful props and accessories to put you in character straight away.

If you’ve been invited to a murder mystery party this season, don’t panic, just give us a call, I am sure we can help.


01908 372504

Wednesday 12 December 2012

Admiral Costumes – an outfit for every occasion

It is surprising how versatile our costume range is and absolutely amazing where our costumes end up and what they are used for.

2012 has seen our costumes sent to various shows, individuals and schools all around the country. Our Admiral Hornhonker costumes for example, have been to Brighton, Wiltshire and Glasgow several times and back again.
We have supplied costumes for a vintage fashion show, an Edwardian dressage competition, a palette and brushes for a floral art competition, a hat for the Woburn garden competition, a bell for the Open University’s production of Macbeth and hats for a Mad Hatters tea party.

We love helping customers choose outfits for the Goodwood Revival whether military or 40’s and 50’s glamour. Our 1940’s range of period clothing is excellent for the WW2 revival days in Stoke Bruerne, the Yorkshire Railway Company ands other blitz nights and tea dance events around the country.
Our 1970’s photoshoot not only provided us with some fabulous promotional  pictures for our website, but appeared in Vintage Life Magazine in August and in Modern Vintage Magazine, together with an article on a vintage 1960’s dress.

It was fun to see the queen and Duke of Edinburgh, Beefeaters and other costumes out for local carnivals, fetes and events for the Jubilee celebrations and we were so excited to discover that several pairs of our lederhosen went up to the Olympic games for a German hockey match.
 Some of our costumes have been used for the West End Eurovision and other professional shows in London including Hellsing at Bloomsbury and Freedom, Books Flowers and the Moon at Liverpool East Theatre.

Our usherette outfits ended up at The Dorchester, Santa has been out and about all around Bletchley and Daisy our pantomime cow has treaded the boards in Aylesbury and visited Milton Keynes. Our fabulous Victorian and Dickens outfits have been seen in Olney and Milton Keynes Museum with a batch heading off to St Ives for the New Year.
Our costumes are used by adults and children for birthday parties, dance shows, themed parties, barber shop events and murder mystery evenings. We have enjoyed costuming many local shows including: The Sound of Music, Oklahoma, Babes in the Wood, Guys and Dolls, Cabaret, And Then There Were None and The Birthday Party. Most recently our costumes were flying around the ice at the Oxford Christmas Ice show.

If you need a costume for any event, do give us a call on 01908 372504, I’m sure we will have what you are looking for and we would love to help you with a fabulous outfit.
For more information on our shows and costumes, visit www.admiralcostumes.co.uk

 

Monday 10 December 2012

Nativity Nightmare?

It’s end of term and time for those unexpected plays, assemblies, concerts and school productions. They happen every year, but somehow the preparations seem to have passed you by and your child suddenly requires a costume very quickly!

All too often mums call us in a panic with a last minute costume crisis. The outfit they ordered on the internet is the wrong size, poor quality or just hasn’t arrived yet. For more specific requests like squirrels or sheep, costumes just aren’t available.
We have an excellent selection of costumes for all types of plays, nativity and concerts and have a massive stock of costumes that can be adapted at short notice if required.

We also offer bespoke children’s costumes and dress making at very reasonable rates.

If you’re stuck for a nativity costume, give us a call on 01908 372504

Friday 7 December 2012

Batman returns – to Admiral Costumes

Batman has always been a popular choice for fancy dress parties and with the new film ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ soon to be released, the character is as popular as ever.

Batman first appeared in Detective comics and is an instantly recognisable iconic character ideal for a fun fancy dress theme.
Batman has also been known as The Caped crusader, The Dark Knight and The World’s Greatest Detective.

In the comics and the first film, Batman was accompanied by his crime fighting partner, Robin but in later film versions, Catwoman, Penguin and The Joker are predominate characters.
To hire or purchase our excellent Batman, Robin or Catwoman costumes, call us on 01908 372504 or visit our website www.admiralcostumes.co.uk


Wednesday 5 December 2012

9-5 The Musical at Oxford New Theatre


When 9-5 was scheduled to appear at the New Theatre Oxford, we grabbed the opportunity to be among some of the first to see the new UK tour and original cast including Bonnie Langford, Ben Rhodes, Jackie Clune, Natalie Casey and Amy Lennox, not to mention our own Lisa bridge who plays the part of Maria and is second cover for Roz and Judy.

From the very first loud note that literally makes you jump out of your seat, you are transported back to a 70’s office atmosphere.

With superb choreography and excellent choice of costumes, the show is a delight from beginning to end, full of amusing situations and funny one-liners from the witty script.

The energy levels are high throughout the show and the cameo role of Dolly Parton overlooking the whole thing was a great touch for Dolly Parton fans.

9-5 The Musical is one of those wonderful shows that you need to view several times to capture all the detail and I just can’t wait to see it again when the show comes to Milton Keynes Theatre in March.