This article was written by Alice Bartholomew, a student writer based in Liverpool.
Freshers is usually a time for dressing up, be it in leopard print with a tail and ears for the zoo party, or in wacky fancy dress for AU night; but this year, we obviously won’t quite have that same experience. However, coronavirus doesn’t have to stop all your fun themed nights! Whether you’ve just moved into halls, or have moved into a rented house with your friends, you could have some themed fancy dress nights to spice up house night every so often. The possibilities are endless; movie night, but dressed up as characters from the film; a noughties night with all the iconic pop music; or you could even have a mini Halloween party with your household, now that spooky season is approaching! To inspire you, we’ve compiled a varied list of where to get your fancy dress in Liverpool, including student-friendly (cheap) options.

Smiffy’s Liverpool

56 Bold Street, Liverpool, L1 4EA

 
Smiffy’s Liverpool
Source: Smiffys Liverpool Instagram
Smiffy’s is ideal for an emergency fancy dress costume; if you’re completely stuck on who to dress up as then a peruse of their Bold street store (or their website) will definitely inspire you somehow. There’s something for every budget, whether you go for a cheap and easy celebrity mask, or a full-on zombie costume, complete with makeup, you’re sure to find a minimum effort costume!

Lili Bizarre Fancy Dress and Balloons

7 Tarleton Street, Liverpool, L1 1DS

 
Lili Bizarre Fancy Dress and Balloons
Source: Lili bizarre12 Instagram
Much like Smiffy’s Lili Bizarre caters for every fancy dress need! Their extensive selection of accessories covers everything from Halloween to Hen Dos, to Royal Weddings! Lili Bizarre seems to cover most genres of fancy dress, but their selection of decade themed costumes is pretty impressive! Whether you’re looking for a 20s flapper girl costume to celebrate our very own (pretty rubbish so far) roaring twenties, or a pair of 60s flares to become Donna and the Dynamites for a household Mamma Mia night, I’m sure Lili Bizarre will be able to help you in some way!

Claire’s

Unit 88A, 529 Wall Street, Liverpool, L1 8BU

Claire’s
Source: Claires Stores Instagram
A bit of blast from the past with this one, Claire’s Accessories was a staple of our childhood. While you may have moved on from your days of Lipsmacker lip balms and funky headbands, Claire’s is very much still there in Liverpool One, ready to satisfy your need for the noughties inspired fancy dress, along with classic Halloween costumes of course. You could perhaps have a noughties night with your housemates! Think butterfly clips, body glitter and frosted eyeshadow, if its noughties, Claire’s probably has it in stock!

Charity Shops

How about embracing your inner Wild Child, and hitting the charity shops of Liverpool in a search for second-hand fancy dress? A highly ethical way to source clothes, charity shops sometimes have a fancy dress costume rail hidden in the back; but even without one, you’re bound to find some hidden gems. Smithdown is a particular charity shop hotspot, with a couple near the Brookhouse, and more up near the Penny Lane end of Smithdown Road. Oxfam – 609-613 Smithdown Road, Liverpool, L15 5AG Roy Castle Foundation Wavertree Shop – 244 Smithdown Road, Liverpool, L15 5AH Barnardo’s – Unit C1, 244 Smithdown Road, Liverpool, L15 5AH Source: Timeout

You could even make your own…

This one is for the Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging fans out there. Now I’m not saying you need to make a stuffed olive costume and pressure your friends to be other types of hors d’oeuvres, but there is something fun and satisfying about making your own costume from scratch. DIY-ing your own costumes is also a good way to drag out one activity, you could spend the day shopping for and creating your costumes, and then the evening having your themed house night! A quick search on Pinterest will give you endless inspiration! So, before all the good costumes get taken for Halloween, get planning and perusing the fancy dress shops of Liverpool, or perhaps even the craft shops! Mix it up a bit during this local lockdown so that you and your housemates can distract yourselves from the fear and uncertainty of the pandemic by having a laugh and creating good memories.

Last Updated on June 13, 2025

Published on October 10, 2020

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  • Connor is a seasoned content expert at Unifresher, specialising in publishing engaging and insightful student-focused content. With over four years of experience in data analysis and content strategy, Connor has a proven track record of supporting publishing teams with high-quality resources. A graduate of the University of Sussex with a BSc in Accounting and Finance, he combines his academic background with his passion for creating content that resonates with students across the UK. Outside of work, Connor enjoys staying active at his local gym and walking his miniature dachshunds.

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