Costume ideas don't have to be expensive though, even if you're not an expert seamstress. The real trick with fancy dress is being creative and having a bit of a laugh with it. There's no need to break the bank on costly rented getups, just be clever.

Try going as a prominent celebrity or political figure. One clever fancy dresser donned a suit, a cowboy hat and a gas can. He was instantly transformed into George Bush. Or, you can take the easy way out and be as simple as possible; one funny lady wore all white with two yellow dots on her chest. She was a pair of eggs, easy side up of course.

If the party deadline is looming and your budget is tight, remember that the trick is to work with what's in your closet or cheaply available at your local thrift store. There's no need to be elaborate if you're also being original.

Another inexpensive way to spice up a fancy dress costume is makeup. Cheap and easy, the right makeup can take a carefully planned costume to the next level. Whether it's carefully applied zombie blood or an elaborate butterfly design, your costume will come alive for the price of a few tubes of face paint.

You can even make your own homemade face paint if you're ambitious. All it takes is 2 parts corn starch, 1 part cold cream, 1 part water and some food coloring and you've got easy-to-apply , non-toxic makeup. One of my favorite face paint costume ideas was the bald man who went as an eight-ball. He threw on a black turtleneck, slathered himself in black makeup and he was instantly recognizable. The whole costume took maybe ten minutes to throw together.

Fancy Dress parties aren't about who spent the most money or who has the best tailor, they're about having fun and showing off your originality and creative costume ideas to your friends. So, relax, put away the wallet, take a look around your own closet and you'll come up with something in no time. If anything beats a stunning costume, it's stunning costume that was cheap!