Antrix Costume Hire

29/08/2024

Apparently today 29 August is Red Wine Day, so cheers to that.
FAQ time: Hirers of the Travolta White Suit tend to panic they might spill red wine on it. That's not usually the problem - it's the black shoe polish on the flares!

19/08/2024

A few days ago, we speculated on who might want to dress as a lizard, and as we come to International Orangutan Day (19th August), the same question might arise.
We don't have such an outfit, but ones of varying quality can be found on the Internet. An answer, aside from those actually 'celebrating' the Day itself, is 'fans of the works of Terry Pratchett', creator of the Discworld novels, in which, famously, the librarian of the Unseen University is an orangutan.
Many of the novels have been converted to plays and hence an orangutan outfit may be called for. There is an arrangement whereby part of the royalties from performances go to the Orangutan Foundation, similar to the way royalties from Peter Pan performances go to Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.

17/08/2024

17th August - World Honey Bee Day (as opposed to Bee Day, which is May 20th). Busy time of the year for these endangered pollinators.

15/08/2024

16th August sees Madonna celebrate her 66th birthday. Apparently her 'treat' is a private tour of the ruins of Pompeii (officials have denied rumours of a 'wild party'). As a major Queen of Pop, Madonna has created many iconic looks to go with her music and videos. Probably most memorable and recognisable is the Jean-Paul Gautier conical bra/basque, but over the years, would-be Madonna's have recreated other looks for Pop Idol parties. Although new material is more limited with less impact, her back catalogue still serves her well: 'Like a Prayer', released around 35 years ago, is back in the charts due to it being featured in the new Deadpool and Wolverine movie.

15/08/2024

“What's your most popular costume?” is a regular FAQ with customers. The answer is usually '1970s' or some Movie Character or other. But these are themed outfits also easily available on the Internet, so the fact we still do business in these areas is a win.
The trickier bit is where the 'theme' is more unusual: Schools are quite good at thinking outside the box (and pushing boundaries of possibility/reality) “ We want the children dressed as planets” (An attempted variation on the Nativity theme) or “..as fish” (in the time when Finding Nemo was popular).
Recently we had a request for Cotton Pickers costumes for a photo-shoot, outfits strangely not available on Amazon and the like. We did the research, assembled a suitable selection of choices and then, in the event, the clients were drawn to something more glamorous and photogenic – Regency!

13/08/2024

As World Lizard Day dawns (14th August), and the multiple species warm themselves in the sun, one might ask in what circumstances anyone would wish to go to an event dressed as a lizard. It happens (there's a lizard character in Alice in Wonderland) and, as always, one has to be ready for any eventuality.

13/08/2024

Following the piece on our elephant outfit, aside from an 'E',Animals, Jungle and, possibly, Circus event, such outfits can be useful for other themes Thinking a little outside the box, one such opportunity is 'Children's Favourites' . Aside from the toy elements, media programmes from yesteryear can provide inspiration for costumes, and for those of a certain age, the Children's Favourites radio programme – still revived on Christmas Day – featured the ever-popular Nelly the Elephant song. The original was by Mandy Miller, more recently, it was 're-imagined' by The Toy Dolls.

12/08/2024

12th August sees World Elephant Day, dedicated to the awareness and protection of these gentle giants. Like many costume firms, we have a range of two-person animal costumes – horse, cow, camel- but our main elephant outfit is more of an upgraded onesie. Not sure it does the species justice.

07/08/2024

As we stand on the edge of International Infinity Day on 8th August, we ponder such eternal but trivial problems as 'what was the greatest thing before sliced bread?' and why 'footage' is still a thing for digital and video clips.

04/08/2024

So. International Owl Awareness Day. Did you know it's on August 4th?
Obviously it's a chance to appreciate this interesting bird in all its diversities, but from the costuming point of view, probably the most popular owl request of recent years has been Hedwig, Harry Potter's Snowy Owl (although we actually never got the costume ourselves). Also in the running, for Book Week, a Carnival float feature or a novelty Couples costume, is/are The Owl & The Pussycat from the Edward Lear poem. Those of a certain age may also recall Captain Beaky , a Children's Favourite of its time. Opportunities for creativity abound.

01/08/2024

Being the holiday season, August is rich in Animal Appreciation Days – Cats (8th), Lions (10th)), Elephants (12th), Lizards (14th), Orang-utans (19th), Dogs (26th), and Bats (27th). Whilst we have outfits for most of these animals, the fact they're fur-like doesn't deter a determined customer: Back in the day (a hot one, in July) we had a squaddie determined to wear a full fur-fabric and foam parrot outfit for the sake of a Pirates (Parrots) of the Caribbean event.

01/08/2024

A nod to those of our readers in the North for Yorkshire day - 1st August

31/07/2024

A few years back (might have been when the Tour de France started in England and passed through Maidstone) a near neighbour had access to a penny farthing bicycle, wanted a costume to go with it and chose a frog. A tale from the archives on Cycle To Work Day, 1st August.

24/07/2024

For those doing the Movies party thing this weekend

06/07/2024

Good to see some Returning Officers getting extra use from their Wedding/Ascot/etc. hats and regalia for their declarations. Ditto a few mayors - any excuse to dress-up!

04/04/2024

Sometimes publicity & directories get you strange listings...

30/03/2024

The anything-but-Easter trend continues with a request for Trumpton (Children's programme of yesteryear - Cuthbert, Dibble & grub etc.) outfits. Not much we could do here.
Meanwhile, much like the mystic creature itself, the person on a quest for a unicorn didn't turn up. Incidentally, FYI, April 9th is designated Unicorn Day, celebrating this mythical creature, which is also the heraldic beast of Scotland.

28/03/2024

Just when we're gearing up for requests for rabbits, chicks and, possibly, Wonka-related characters (something to do with the chocolate connection) for Easter, there's a request for a Unicorn, a rarely requested (and hence difficult to find) entity. Unpredictability as always!

29/10/2023

Halloween so far has been a little odd - very few actual Halloween outfits in demand, with a strange obsession with Cops, Robbers and Convicts. (It was cowboys last year).

13/10/2023

Apparently Tridecaphobians just dislike the number 13, the Paraskevidekatriaphobians don't enjoy Friday the Thirteenth, so probably won't be reading this at the moment. Samhaonphobia is the fear of Halloween (or perhaps the (usually) little monsters running around trick or treating at the time). You can find more on relevant Fears & Phobias on our website - https://www.antrixcostumesmaidstone.co.uk/fears-and-phobias
or you could read our latest newsletter, which only has a little about Halloween, but looks at aspects of AI in the costuming environment. Find it at
https://www.antrixcostumesmaidstone.co.uk/newsletters-blogs
Meanwhile Halloween preparations continue apace.....

                  or perhaps not..... Online retailers are reviewing their policy of allowing customers to buy multiple items and then return what they do not want or does not fit. Problem is that there is increasingly evidence that buyers are using items and then returning them so they get...

18/09/2023

As we've said before, there is a school of thought that females don't 'do' scary or horrific Halloween costumes. Our experience is that it's a generalisation, and if a girl wants to do full ghoul and gory, they'll go for it all out and put the guys to shame. As we edge towards Halloween 2023, it's early days, but we have a potentially interesting slant on 'Girls at Halloween':

As most people know, the Americans generally take a broader view on Halloween dress-up, working with any costume rather than specialising in horror and scary as we tend to do on this side of the Atlantic. Major influences on outfits are what is hot and happening in the film and streaming world. So, where are we this year?

It's probably true to say that Wednesday Addams (and the other Addams') may be in the forefront of demand. They at least have a Halloween pedigree. It is also a fair bet that, as Barbie managed a multitude of alter-egos during her recent film, Halloween should not be a challenge for her and her fans. Following the live action Disney film, The Little Mermaid may also spawn a few ideas - probably Ursula the Sea Witch. A potential outsider is M3ghan (not a misprint), a spirited little AI devil doll who has become quiet a hit on the horror circuit.

The notable thing is that we have female protagonists as major influencers, and whereas at one time costume manufactures tried to create female versions of male Horror Icons – the Texas Chainsaw handbag was a nice touch, but why we needed a female Chucky when there's a perfectly serviceable 'Bride of Chucky' character, we don't know – this may be a really interesting spooky season of gender neutrality.

24/08/2023

Nice to see followers etc. popping in from time to time to see what's going on, so here's an update. The rebuild of the Halloween section of the website is almost complete. More back story info and links to other helpful sites plus an erratic search facility which we're coming to grips with. Too early for Halloween? Some shops have already got stock in!
In answer to the Egyptian Gods thing mentioned previously, we try to offer out-of-the-ordinary suggestions for Halloween and the forthcoming season - previous efforts include the Seven Deadly Sins, the Tarot and Fears & Phobias - so we're doing the Good/Evil Gods/Goddess' thing. Nothing like a challenge!

06/08/2023

On an early Halloween project we're currently R & D'ing Egyptian Gods and the like. It's a deity job, but someone's got to do it.

04/08/2023

Hello and thanks for joining us. New readers start here: Early August, and in a normal year everyone's on holiday and things are quiet on the cosplay front. This year it seems more people are staying at home or having shorter breaks, thus there are a few more events around. Meanwhile, for those at a loose end with an urge for a change of look or to get creative, there are modelling and collaboration opportunities to be had. Contact us if interested.

26/07/2023

For those with an interest in Halloween decorations & food, we've come across a real curiosity - a Netflix programme which is a mix of Muppet Show, cookery programme and the Addams Family. 'The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell'. Only about a half dozen episodes but the first covers making realistic edible bones from peanut butter paste and white chocolate. A new dark dimension to Bake Off?

21/12/2020

21/12/2020

Masked Singers are not such a new idea.. join us at our blog on www.antrixcostumesmaidstone.co.uk to read more

Antrix Costume Hire has an out-of-town location (ie no parking problems) at Loose, Maidstone in Kent: We offer high quality hire costumes and suggestions for Halloween, Movies and over 60 other themed areas.

19/12/2020

Continuing down memory lane and revisiting aspects of 30 plus years in the costume business, you can find further blog posts at https://www.antrixcostumesmaidstone.co.uk/blog-jmp5f

In a normal year, it's around now people get involved in 'seasonal productions'. At one end of the scale there are the schools: The 'landscape' on the Nativity Play has shifted in recent years to cater to the more multicultural demographic – whilst Joseph, Mary and the Christ Child are still usual...