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See also In the days before Superheroes, there were heroes and heroines of Myths and Legends: Heroes and heroines of yesteryear, both real and imagined, entertained and inspired. Of course there were also fantastical creatures and foes to deal with...

Location Antrix is about 2.5 miles south of Maidstone Kent. Address: 8 Waldron Drive, Loose, (GPS/Sat Nav: ME15 9TG ) N.b. Right-hand side of Waldron Drive - NOT the left! A more precise location for Antrix is 51"14' 43.05N, 0"31' 11.17E which should put you by the kerb right outside! On What Three Words the location is humble.trio.lanes ​ Tel: 01622-744711 - Phoning is the best method of contacting us. ​ Email: antrix@btconnect.com - Not constantly monitored . ​ If using e-mail, you can use the Contact Form here . It helps to know: When you want the costume for? The size/age of the potential wearer(s)? Plus any other information you think relevant. Appointments can be made: Monday - Friday: 10am - 8pm; Saturday: 10am - 6pm; Closed Sundays ​ DETAILED DIRECTIONS FOR FINDING ANTRIX FROM DIFFERENT AREAS: From Maidstone and Motorways M2 or M20 From A26 (Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, etc) From the Weald area (Staplehurst, Headcorn, etc) From A20 between Ashford & Maidstone (avoiding Central Maidstone) Via Public Transport Important Notes This information is repeated on the Individual Direction pages above Lancet Lane (road leading into Waldron Drive) is a school drop-off/pick-up area. During term-time where possible , avoid 8.30-9.15am and 2.45-3.40pm. Waldron Drive has no street lighting, so after dark, look for the reflective '8' on the right hand side! Payment is by cash, card or cheque (with Bank Card and proof of identity). (BACS/Bank Transfer available by arrangement). A refundable deposit is required on all hire costumes. Cash or cheque is preferable for this as use of card incurs a £2 fee. ​ Terms and Conditions of Hire can be found here ​ From A229 southbound Maidstone to Loose - Nearest ATMs are at Sainsburys - Entrance via The Farrows, right turn just after the Fire Station (next to the Boughton parade of shops - 2 miles South of Maidstone) or inside Lucky's Newsagents at Boughton Shopping Parade (next to Sainsburys) access via Boughton Lane, left turn at traffic lights). From A229 northbound Linton/Staplehurst direction , an over-the-counter money withdrawal service is on offer at R2 - Loose Post Office on Loose Green Old Loose Hill (Take the first left after coming over the viaduct - road speed drops from 40 to 30mph). ​

A selection of around fifty male movie character costumes in broadly alphabetical order - some well known, some less so... See also..

The term ‘Bad Taste Party' should give due warning of what might be encountered - some people have a low tolerance threshold of what constitutes bad taste and we live in days where people are keen to take offence, even on behalf of others - the concepts of ‘Political Correctness’ and ‘Cultural Appropriation’ has had student unions objecting to people wearing sombreros unless they are actually Mexican! Others can go too over the top and create offence, still thinking it’s a great idea to dress as Jimmy Saville or depict the New York Twin Towers. ‘ On a different topic 'Blackface' or 'Yellowface' - people using make-up to depict ethnic characters - has also become a problem. That said, a Bad Taste theme suggests suspension of the ‘rules’, but even if the party is a private one, you probably have to travel to and from the event and, as celebs know, these days social media is everywhere. If in doubt, exercise caution and restraint! For some, doing ‘Bad Taste’ is just a question of going to their closet and deliberately mus-matching colours and styles to create a major fashion faux-pas. If your closet is not that big (or varied) because you shop carefully and get rid of what you don't (or won't) use, then go out of your way to create a style nightmare with what you’ve got, or just overdo your hair and make-up to err on the slutty side (Girls could do that as well) Some might alternatively be able to dig out Fashions that Failed from the deepest recesses of their attics and cupboards (if it hasn’t already been flogged on eBay) to create some retro bad taste. Here are a few ideas with which you can get creative. Please note that we at Antrix do not necessarily have costumes for all ideas listed (you may find some of them elsewhere on the Net) and anyway, not all of these outfits and ideas are necessarily available ‘off-the-peg’: Pregnant Nun : This idea has been around for a lot longer than you might think - at least medieval times. Obviously it's a good go-to outfit for the truly pregnant!. Black & White Minstrel ; Right up to the 1970s the BBC had no problem with singers blacking-up like Kentucky minstrels in the name of light entertainment, and the Net still offers outfits!. King Herod ; Interesting idea, but possibly runs the risk of you being asked who you are unless you have (in)appropriate props. Mr Creosote : The diner who exploded (from Monty Python’s Meaning of Life). Mary from ‘There’s Something About Mary ’: The key element here is the ‘hair gel’. Muff Diver ; This has been available as an off-the-peg on the internet. Basically a diving suit and snorkel. Captain Condom : Again, can be found in various versions on the commercial market. Heart Patient/Organ Donor : A few Halloween outfits can form the basis, along with a sign 'Organ Donor - See Inside For Details' Knife Thrower & Tina the Targe t : Commercially available, but reasonably easy to improvise. Arab Terrorist : Be extremely careful in these high-alert times. Best change at the venue if you must do it! Steve Irwin (Australian Naturalist) & a Stingray (which killed him) (Rubber Stingrays can be found in some toy-shops) Dead Elvis , Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse or any other pop star who has ‘passed on’. Zombie variations on other past pop stars : Johnny Rotting, Bloody Holly and the Spice Ghouls, for example Tampon Gir l: Interesting use of some fake dark blood, cotton roll and a piece of string - apparently. Mini-skirted girl in a burkha : Multi-cultural mixed message Brussels Sprout (well it’s bad taste to some): Fine, but we’re not sure brussel spr(out-fits) are that easy to find! A jar of Marmite : Ditto Hitler (or failing that, a Hitler European Tour T-Shirt) : Prince Harry famously tried something similar and see what happened... Klu Klux Klan member ; We once had a ghost outfit that kept getting mistaken for this ‘character’. Jack the Ripper Sweeney Todd Serial Killer : Raid the Halloween stock (Mike Myers, Jason, Freddyetc.) and take a few empty cereal boxes and a rubber knife): Punny and just about PC Horror Fairy-tale characters – Snow Fright, Creeping Beauty, Little Dead Riding Hood, Sinderella ...you get the general idea. As we've said, costumes are not always available, but we'll help if we can

‘Comedy’ is rather a broad theme area - Are we talking comedians? Comedy films? Comedy theatre, such as Pantomime? People looking funny through costume & make-up? Obviously there's more to comedy than just putting on a costume or adopting a mannerism or catchphrase, but the following may be useful suggestions: Comedians Some comedians can raise a laugh just by their presence - Tommy Cooper was one (another was Eric Morecambe). Others use a distinctive look (Harry Hill) or a catchphrases and routines - Max Wall was doing a 'silly walk' long before John Cleese and Monty Python. The trick here is to get the required likeness, and this can be helped with the new range of celebrity cardboard masks Charlie Chaplin - Pioneer of Silent Sreen comedy Groucho Marx - Master of the one-liners from the Marx Brothers comedy films Buddy the Elf - Seasonal comedy favourite Austen Powers - Man of Mystery and star of a series of James-Bond-style spoofs The Mask - The film that launched Jim Carrey on the world Comedy Films - A small selection of characters (see also Movies ) Betty Boop - Cartoon character-cum-sex symbol of the 1930s whose misadventures were rather racy (for the time). Carry On Films A series of slightly saucy films featuring an array of (mostly) British Comedy talent Carry On Cleo Carry On Cowboy Carry On Don't Lose Your Head Carry On Nurse Carry On Screaming Sitcoms (Situation Comedies) Sitcoms can be set in time periods (a single one such as Roman Ancient Times (Up Pompeii, Plebs), 1930s (’Allo, Allo) or 1950s (Hi De Hi), a variety, as in Black Adder - Medieval, Tudor, Georgian and World War I. or two at the same time Goodnight Sweetheart. Some may be set in a particular environment, such as Home (My Family, Butterflies), The Office (The Office) or Deep Space (Red Dwarf). Others may centre on a group of characters, such Only Fools & Horses or Ab Fab, with Edina and Patsy as fashionistas at play. Sitcom Cartoon Characters The Flintstones was the first sitcom cartoon. Nowadays shows such as The Simpsons and Family Guy offer modern-day cartoon comedy. The only complication is that by their cartoon nature, costumes usually feature full-face overhead masks. See also Cartoons & Animation Comedy Theatre Aside from Farce, a genre featuring mishaps, misunderstandings and, occasionally, people running around in underwear or losing clothes, the other major form of comedy theatre is Pantomime. This uniquely British seasonal entertainment involves telling a well-known fairy tale with the help of cross-dressing characters, slapstick routines and outbreaks on song and dance. Panto Dames (no longer just for males (?)), Brokers’ Men and sundry characters special to individual stories all contribute to the fun (Oh yes they do!). Use this link for more on Pantomime characters Clowns Self-explanatory artisans of comedy albeit with a limited appeal to some. Other Clown outfits can found on the Circus & Showman page 'Wobblies' The comedian Russ Abbott's comedy TV programmes featured 'wobbly' characters, notably Fatman and Blunderwoman, and hooped costume look is comical in many contexts. In these Politically Correct days, some are concerned with the overtones of 'body-shaming such costumes may represent but most take them in the intended spirit of fun

We are not a shop, so we do not hold multiples of these items. Many of the decorations are for sale.They are subject to availability - first come first served! Metallic-style - need helium.

Celebrate aspects of France and its history in this selection - especially around the National Holiday, Bastille Day, on 14th July. Marie-Antoinette A/C 1502 For Can-can outfits see

Short of ideas? Try these offbeat theme areas... Our entire costume catalogue online is in the form of the A-Zs of Costumes and A-Z of Themes (the button links for which are above), but this is the whole Halloween Collection in one page! : This page is designed for devices with a zoom facility. An alternate annotated version of the catalogue is here NOTE: As we usually only have one of any given costume, please ring to check availability beforehand (Contact number is on the page footer)

People are familiar with the standard pack of cards, usually used for games, but less well known are the cards of the Tarot, most commonly used in fortune telling. There are more cards in the Tarot pack, split between two ‘Arcanas’ :The Minor Arcana bears resemblance to the standard card pack, although there are more of them, they are often more picture-based and the suits are different. The Major Arcana are a set of twenty-one picture cards depicting the ups, downs and influences on one’s life. The images are diverse and, in a fortune-telling context, their meaning depends upon their position in the card-reading spread – all is not as it may first appear! In the context of Halloween, a festival of the Supernatural, the Tarot and its images offers an opportunity for some innovation and ingenuity. Here we have some ideas of our own, with some internet alternatives for the more challenging concepts, but, like the Tarot itself, it’s all down to individual interpretation… The Magician The card depicts a jester-like figure with items of the Minor Arcana (Coins,Swords,Staves,Cups) before him on a table. If you’ve a Magician outfit, fine, otherwise a jester will do. The Empress Symbolic of the Mother figure, here we’ve used a simple oriental empress outfit - others may like something more elaborate. The Emperor The Earthly Father figure and counterpart to the Empress. Again, we’ve borrowed from our oriental collection. Other options might include one of the Roman Emperors or Ming the Merciless The Hierophant The Spiritual Father Figure or Pope in other words. Possibly the most obvious of the spiritual/religious card personalities. The Hermit Representing the more secretive/reserved influences. A monk or similar works well. High Priestess A female counterpoint to the Hierophant/Pope in the spiritual department, although here we’ve used a more pagan approach with a Druid-style priestess. Strength/Fortitude The Card commonly features a Lion being restrained or ridden. There are a multitude of ‘ride-on’ outfits on the market but we’ve only seen a lion one on an American site, and it was child-size! We’ve used a junior strongman outfit as our interpretation, but you can mix and match.. The Hanged Man On the face of it, a challenge if you’re trying to work to PC/acceptability guidelines (if not, ‘Have I Got Noose For You’ and ‘The Well Hung Man’ have been seen). In fact this is the epitome of the ‘All Is not as It Seems’ concept as the card shows a man hanging upside down, the rope tied to his ankle, and seemingly unfazed by his situation. The Chariot Symbolic of one’s movement through Life’s options (some might say), costumes involving wheels of any sort are rather few – possibly it’s a practicality thing. Perhaps time for some improvisation. The Lovers Outbreak of the Couples costumes here: We’ve chosen Romeo & Juliet, but Antony & Cleo, Scarlett & Rhett or other more modern pairing are possible. The card often features a Cupid-like figure as well, but that might cause complications. The Sun Pivotal influence on the passing of days during Life, we’ve represented the Sun with a Golden Goddess/Sun Queen, but anything involving a gold/yellow colour-scheme could do the job. The Moon Counterpoint to The Sun, the Moon is represented by our Miss Midnight outfit which can feature a Moon mask, although the Moon is not always visible at night although it is always there. The Star Influential for those into Astrology, and you might want to depict a Star-sign as your representation (although Libra/Justice might already be spoken for). An alternative uses a pop/film mega-star. We’ve chosen Elvis Justice For many the way forward here would be the Libra-look – the basic classical gown plus scales or the enhanced version with a sword and blindfold (though some may not see how that works). We’ve taken a more forthright Slayer and Axe approach, although an Executioner is equally representative. Judgement The Tarot card usually depicts the Judgement of the Last Trump (the biblical event, not the president) with an archangel, people rising from graves etc. Being that this may be a little difficult to depict unless you are a performance art troop, a Judge may have to suffice. Wheel of Fortune Truly the card of Life’s Ups and Downs, here represented by a costume we don’t have, but widely available – the ‘Spin to Win’ roulette outfit for females – sorry chaps! The Fool Numbered 0, we come full circle and back to the Jester, often depicted on the card as stepping into an abyss and the unknown. Some have suggested links between cards 1 & 0 and the Jokers of the traditional pack. ​ What’s on the Net? A search for Tarot costumes on the Net will most likely produce the Tarot Fortune Teller (as seen at fairgrounds, sea-side piers, etc.). A slight problem is that some see this outfit as an example of Cultural Appropriation, undermining the heritage and traditions of gypsies and the Romany peoples, We don’t offer the outfit, so it’s not an issue, but just so you know… The other Card costume commonly found is a Death Card outfit – fits right into Halloween and it’s a good variation on the skeleton/Grim Reader look.

Whilst Antrix is primarily about the Costumes, our other area of expertise is/are themes. Aside from having a selection of over sixty themed costume pages, accessed through the A-Z buttons above, at another level we have briefing sheets. ​ They were originally designed as double-sided A4 printed sheets for the benefit of customers and fellow traders at a time when it wasn't as easy to instantly access the Internet as it is now. They not only support our existing core themes with background information, but also expand the range to over 250 theme topics although not all of these are online yet. As the costume and themed event market changes, people have used their own inventiveness and resources to meet entertainment and social media requirements. Antrix can help with its theme support facilities.

1930s - the inter-war era when movies were making their mark Other Eras of the the 20th Century Edwardians 1920s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s