Angels is the world longest-established supplier of costumes to the entertainment industry and general public. A British business that has supplied costumes to 27 films that have received Best Costume Oscars, the most recent being Marie Antionette, the company is unique as having been in the same family for six consecutive generations.

collared”>http://www.himfr.com/buy-collared_shirts/”>collared shirtsIn 2005, the company received international headlines after the rediscovery of the robe worn by Alec Guinness as Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars on the rails of its fancy dress division in London. The Obi Wan Kenobi cloak (with a reserve price of 60,000) was auctioned along with other film items from the Angels archive at Bonhams of Knightsbridge on March 6th 2007.

Morris Angel started his business in 1840 in the Seven Dials area of London, near Covent Garden, selling second-hand clothing and tailors samples from Savile Row. Morris Angel shop became popular with theatrical actors, who at that time had to purchase their own clothes and costumes for auditions and performances. It was a request from actors to hire rather than buy outfits for the duration of a performance which served as catalyst for the launch of the costume-hiring business that is the Angels trade to this day.

Morris Angel brought his son Daniel into the business in 1870, and seven years later, the family opened a shop on Shaftesbury Avenue (this shop is now the site of Angels Fancy Dress). The quality and style of the clothes offered by Daniel was of a very high quality, and soon theatrical managers superseded the actor clients in seeking his expertise and services for their West End shows; by 1921, every major show in London West End was being dressed by the Angel family.

With the advent of cinema, the Angel family made their second major diversification by supplying costumes to the new movie industry. The crystallization of the success of this move came when Angels supplied its first Academy Award-winning costumes to Laurence Olivier Hamlet in 1948. To date, 26 further Best Costume Oscars have followed for work that the company has undertaken on major international films, including Star Wars, Titanic, Lawrence Of Arabia, The Great Gatsby, The Aviator and Memoirs of a Geisha. At the time of writing, two movies – The Queen and Marie Antoinette featuring costumes supplied by Angels have just received 2007 Oscar nominations for Achievement In Costume Design.

Today, this London-based business occupies a unique position as London (and the world) longest-established supplier of costumes. The business has two divisions: Angels The Costumiers, based in North London, which supplies the TV, film and theatre industries worldwide from its warehouse which contains over a million costumes spread across 5.5 miles worth of hanging rails. Angels Fancy Dress, on Shaftesbury Avenue, is the leading UK supplier of top class fancy-dress costumes and together with the Angels website provides the largest range of party outfits and accessories in the UK.

Tim Angel is the fifth generation of the family to work in the business and is Company Chairman (as well as being former Chairman of BAFTA). A long-running tradition in the Angel family is that the first son of each generation is named either Morris or Daniel. Tim (whose first name is Morris) joined his father, Daniel, in the family business in 1967. He now works from the Hendon Head Office with son, Daniel. Tim daughter, Emma runs Angels Fancy Dress.

Angels Fancy Dress has supplied fancy dress items to parties hosted by Sir Mick Jagger and Sir Elton John, and is regularly used by members of the Royal Family, though the controversial Nazi uniform worn by Prince Harry in 2004 did not come from Angels, as they have a policy of non-rental of politically sensitive costumes.

In the late 80s, fashion designer Alexander McQueen worked at Angels.

In September 2005, the original cloak worn by Alec Guinness as Obi Wan Kenobi in George Lucas Star Wars film was rediscovered hanging on the rails at Angels Fancy Dress having been unwittingly available to the general public for some time as a monks-style robe, and having been used as crowd scene costumes in films including The Mummy. The provenance of the piece was confirmed by John Mollo, who created the item for the film in 1977, and received an Oscar for Best Costume for the work of the film.

The Obi Wan Kenobi cloak was auctioned by Bonhams in London on March 6th 2007 for 55,000. It formed part of a sale of 400 lots from the Angels archive ??alongside iconic costumes from James Bond, Dr Who, and Highlander, and items worn onscreen by Ava Gardner, Erroll Flyn, David Niven.

For the first time in the history of the Bonhams auction house, members of the general public were able to try on items before placing bids.

With Halloween coming round this year we can easily forget that the rest of the year is also a lucrative time for the kids fancy dress costumes industry.  One of the main reasons for this is the media exposure of certain characters or themes.  Of late it is the Superhero and Harry Potter fancy dress themes which have been in the ascendancy largely thanks to the latest Harry Potter film and the myriad of Superhero films that are released annually.

Add to that the ever popular Disney character fancy dress costumes and you have an all year round popularity of certain themes and designs for kids fancy dress.  Year on year there are new additions but as with most industries there are the perennial sellers.  The ones which regardless of the latest TV and film exposure always fly out of the shops.  Here are some of the most popular kids fancy dress costumes for this year in no particular order.

Harry Potter – In the last five years, Harry Potter fancy dress has grown into a huge industry with boys and girls all clamouring for the latest wizard outfits and accessories and of course the manufacturers haven’t disappointed and responded with a vast choice of relevant merchandise.  The Harry Potter theme is also going to be a big seller over Halloween.

Superhero – With all the Marvel Comic film adaptations over the last few years it is no great surprise to find out that Superhero costumes are once again back in huge demand with the likes of Batman, Superman and Iron Man all in favour with kids everywhere.  Along with X-Men characters, anything based around a popular Superhero is certain to sell well.

Disney – For decades Disney have captured the hearts and minds of children all over the world and not just with film releases as they are now the most popular choice for kids fancy dress costumes with huge demand from both boys and girls for either a classic or contemporary costume to suit their particular occassion.

Fancy dress wigs have the power to transform the mundane into something attractive, or, if you wish, they can do just the opposite by making something very ugly that’s normally beautiful. After applying your wig, (which only takes a few seconds), it will draw attention and admirations for the entire evening.

Fancy dress wigs range in cost from almost nothing to hundreds of pounds and the choice is getting bigger and bigger. The price variation is due to the fact that costume wigs are made out of a variety of different materials to suit your style and budget.

The cheapest wigs are made out of synthetics that appear to be similar to real hair, but they don’t act or feel like the real thing at all. One such company offering a great range of wigs online is http://www.novelties4parties.co.uk/department/wigs/

Better wigs are made out of fibre which is soft and supple and provides a natural look and feel. But the best wigs are, of course, made out of real hair. You’ll pay a lot of money to wear one of these wigs, but many think it’s worth the cost because it makes their costumes seem very realistic so the cost it worth it.

Where is it appropriate to wear a costume wig? Costume wigs are great for Halloween parties, theatrical costumes, dress ups, Mardi Gras, and for being fun and crazy on a Friday night.

They’ll be good for a couple of parties or so, but after that the wig will be so ragged and disfigured that you’ll have to get a new one.

What kinds of wigs are available? It depends on where you look. Selections in traditional bricks-and-mortar stores are limited, but it you look online, you’ll find pretty much anything you want. And I mean anything! Afros, witch wigs, mermaid wigs, Elvis wigs, Marie Antoinette wigs, 80;s wigs, and celebrity look-a-like wigs, such as Little Britain wigs, punk rocker wigs, and fun wigs.

In addition to wigs, there are costume beards and moustaches for men ensuring you have everything for your costume.