I heart fancy dress. I love any excuse to dress up and pretend to be a superhero, animal or cartoon character, so naturally one of the things that makes party season we are now in so special for me is the fact that everyone really goes to town with their themed costumes.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Halloween just-gone, bonfire night and the many office Christmas parties to come are all celebrations which require a trip to Revamp or Rococo at some point.

I generally find that fancy dress has a certain way of making people behave quite differently too - once the outfit and face paint (always use water-based) is in place, they become the character. The brief suspension of reality has everyone smiling, chatting to people they wouldn't normally chat to and generally being a bit daring.

That said, there are a few rules that should be observed before getting started with constructing your lovely new fancy dress costume. Rules that will stir costume-envy within the hearts and minds of everyone else around you and ensure you have an utterly fabulous time at every party you find yourself at!

Rule #1 Fancy dress is supposed to make you look ridiculous, not sexy

This sounds obvious, but how many times have you seen a girl in a French Maid outfit or a man in a neck-tie dressed (I use the term dressed loosely) as a Chippendale with no sense of irony? French Maid outfits are strictly for The Rocky Horror Picture Show and there is no excuse for Chippendale = it looks like you're trying too hard when the name of this game is fun.

Rule #2 Your costume should be partly handmade

Anyone can buy something from a fancy dress shop. Picture the moment when someone asks you about part of you outfit and you can put them all to shame by saying 'Oh this? It's nothing! It only took me four days to papier mache a few old boxes into the shape of a Ninja Turtle shell and then another two nights to meticulously hand-paint it. Does it look good then?'

Rule # 3 Remember that others will want to wear your costume or at least parts of it

We all know how it goes, you arrive at the party with one outfit and after a few drinks you get back home with an amalgamation of... well, quite a few random costumes. The trick to remaining intact for a whole night is to make sure your costume has something you can give others that you don't mind losing - glasses, a wig, a sword, a wand, are all good examples of this.

Rule # 4 Your costume should be all about YOU

Fancy dress costume should give you a chance to express your alter-ego! Don't be afraid to experiment and likewise don't feel pressured into dressing up as something that doesn't feel right -- you'll just end up getting bored of your costume and it'll stop you having fun.

Rule # 5 Try not to stray too far from your friends after a few drinks

Being drunk, lost and cold while dressed as a banana is not fun for anyone. That is all kids.