Anything But Clothes party is one of the ways where people are stepping out of their comfort zone and finding new ways to enjoy parties with friends. An Anything But Clothes party involves choosing what to wear for the party that isn’t a dress. With almost endless options, they can be fun parties with very creative outfits and ways of dressing. Read on for our favorite Anything But Clothes party ideas.
What is an Anything But Clothes party?
An Anything But Clothes party is a party where you can wear anything, except traditional clothes. This is a new approach to the traditional toga party that has been popular for decades.
Sometimes called an ABC Party, the only rule for an Anything But Clothes party is not to wear regular clothes. Instead, you should look for other items that can be used instead. And this is where the fun begins!
What do you wear to an Anything but Clothes party?
The opportunities for what to wear to an Anything But Clothes party are endless! Often, the easiest are fabric items that can be wrapped around. Or tie in a way that creates a dress like affect. A gown is a popular option for an Anything But Clothes party. You can go traditional with a white sheet. Or get creative with bright colors.
Table cloths, blankets, and towels can be made to imitate a dress. Scarves and blankets can be wrapped around the body for coverage.
Another great item for an Anything But Clothes party is pillowcases, as they can be cut for the head and arms and worn pulled up like a shirt. Or they can be wrapped around the body and secured. A large pillow can take the place of a dress or shorts.
Other items that are flexible and easy to move can be used, such as garbage bags or other plastic bags with holes cut for the head and arms. Soft sided bags or purses can be modified to be worn as a skirt or strapped to the body.
Kitchenware can be coordinated, with oven mitts, dishtowels, dishcloths, and even cloth potholders all perfect for making clothes.
For keeping items in place, saran wrap and even tin foil are useful, chip clips and twist ties can also be used. Paper towels can be a staple in some clothing options.
If this is not successful, the bathroom is sure to generate many ideas from shower curtains, face cloths, towels, and even bathmats. Hair supplies like headbands and hair wraps offer some versatile options for creating a new outfit.
Anything But Clothes Party DIY Craft
An Anything But Clothes party is definitely a theme that your guests need to be creative about! If you dare to strip, you can try body painting as a great costume idea!
Craft items are also a great source of inspiration. Ribbons, fabric swatches, knitted items, yarn and wool, and even storage bags and fabric storage containers can be reused for new outfits.
Best Anything But Dress Up Party Ideas
When planning the party itself, there is also a lot of room for creativity and new themes. You can choose to limit the type of items that can be selected. For example by choosing the room of the house where they will come from, the colors that are acceptable, or any other limitation. This is one way to make it harder. And by choosing themes you can ensure that people will need to use different items for each.
Anything But Clothes Party Games
There are several opportunities for games and other interactions. By holding the Anything But Clothes party costume everyone can guess who the others are dressing up as. This is definitely more difficult than a traditional costume party because they can’t be out of the bag costumes, which makes it harder to predict. Interacting as the people represented by the costume can add an extra twist to the evening. It’s a fun way to learn more about the people around you.
Anything But Dressed Party Food
Make sure there are appropriate snacks and drinks, or food if you are hosting a dinner party. Items that can be eaten while standing are ideal as some of the wearable items will not allow for easy sitting. Items such as finger sandwiches, fries, kebabs, buns, and chips and dip are all great snacks for most parties, including Anything But Clothes parties.
Anything But Clothes Party Ideas Final Note
Finding new ways to enjoy time together can help keep friendships strong and build new memories. Theme parties are a fun and light way to do this. And the Anything But Clothes party is a fun theme that anyone can enjoy.
They can be held on a low budget. Plus if everyone brings something to share there will be plenty of refreshments too. Many things can be turned into clothes, from reusable cloth shopping bags to towels and pillowcases. The things that can be used are endless. Some will even modify baskets or buckets, cutting and adapting anything from milk cartoons to storage containers to fit their ideas.
Fun for any age, adding a theme to the party that dictates how to dress and the types of food and drinks to serve can make each party different and help build new memories in all of them. It can easily become a tradition that is done every year at back to school, on the anniversary of something, or for a birthday.
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About the Author
Jane Sheriff is the founder, creative director, party planner and mother of three. She started Darling Celebrations in 2012 to share easy and beautiful ideas for celebrating life’s special events.
