FANCY dress is the fashion to wear if you want to see in the new year in style.
Costume stores across Yorkshire are reporting a boom in trade as New Year's Eve approaches - and Huddersfield is no exception.
Partygoers are no longer prepared to go out in badly-crafted, home-made outfits.
Instead, they are splashing out on professional costumes.
Huddersfield outlets are reporting a roaring trade in 70s-style clothes and TV character costumes - especially those from comedy show Little Britain.
Tracy Sykes, of Zips at Crosland Moor, said: "We have a lot of couples in towards New Year's Eve.
"Gangsters and molls costumes tend to be rented together and we had a couple come in to hire Florence and Emily outfits from Little Britain.
"Young men tend to go for 70s outfits and leave it to the last minute.
"Christmas and new year are our busiest times of the year but fancy dress is popular all year round."
Justine Bottomley, of Harlequins in Almondbury, agreed. She said: "We are busy all year, but we are expecting to get very busy soon. People always leave it to the last minute on New Year's Eve.
"Anything goes when it comes to costumes. We have over 3,000, so people ask us for everything.
"I think the millennium started off fancy dress for a lot of people.
"It was so expensive to go out and people were sick of spending a fortune, so they had parties at home.
"Fancy dress is just a great way of getting everybody going and having a laugh."
A survey of fancy dress stores in West Yorkshire - by supplier Smiffy's - showed that men often chose funky 70s outfits while women were keen to stand out from the crowd in comedy clothes.
Ray Peckett, chairman at Smiffy's, said it was all down to a desire to stand out in the crowd.
"Everyone looks to outdo their mates. They're concentrating on making a statement."
