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We've launched our new Naughty Dress-Up site, just in time for Halloween. This adult site features tastefully naughty costumes by some of the best manufacturers of costumes in North America. Like our family friendly site, Ms. Dress-up, we also have a large selection of accessories, wigs, hosiery and hats.

If you are still looking for a great costume, check out http://naughtydress-up.com or our family friendly site:http://msdress-up.com]]> http://www.msdress-up.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080922-061832

New merchandise is arriving weekly for this upcoming Halloween season. Here are some of our latest new arrivals:

Costumes by Disguise: The Hulk and Ironman costumes in both kids and adult sizes. Also, check out the new Power Ranger Jungle Fury costumes for kids in blue and red.

New from Rasata Imposta: Blades of Glory figure skating costumes. We have both the Fire and Ice costumes and matching wigs. Dancing Queen, Mod Girl, Hippie Girl and Guy Costumes, White Russian and Radio City "Rockettes".

From Rubies, we have the new Princess Leia Slave Girl costume from the Secret Wishes collection and child Luke Skywalker. Also, check out the new child Batman - Dark Knight costume.

New arrivals from Funworld include licensed costumes from Grease including Sandy and Danny and Pink ladies, Elvis white jumpsuit and classic I Love Lucy with matching wig.

Coming Soon: Deluxe Sweeney Todd Costume, Wig and Razor
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Whether it’s traditional or sexy, a famous movie character or superhero, this year’s selection of Halloween costumes won’t disappoint. Check out our hits and misses for this coming Halloween.

DISGUISE
Hits
Disguise is releasing two hot licensed mega movie characters: Incredible Hulk, the Movie and Ironman, the Movie. They are both available in kids (3 sizes) and adult sizes. The kid’s version is available in both quality and quality muscle. Disguise still offers the comic book costumes of Hulk and Ironman, for the die hard fans.

Misses
Disguise’s adult version is a quality muscle, but what is disappointing is that it is only the torso (no pants) and the Adult Hulk does not come with the mask.

RASTA IMPOSTA
Hits
Rasta Imposta has licensed Blades of Glory “fire and ice” costumes and matching wigs. As well, they have released a new line of Dancing Queen style disco costumes and wigs. Perfect for those ABBA inspired costumes and just in time with theatrical release of Mama Mia.

RUBIES
Hits
Rubies offers a large selection of new licensed costumes this year. There is a slightly new version of Batman, The Dark Knight along with a very creepy Joker. These are available in kids, tween and adult sizes and plus sizes in standard quality and deluxe versions. One of the most anticipated costumes is Johnny Depp’s character costume from Sweeney Todd. The costume looks good and the wig and razor blade can be purchased separately. Also, the yet to be released Clone Wars animated movie has its own new series of costumes. I don’t know much about the movie, but the costumes look decent enough. What I am most delighted about is Princess Leia’s slave costume from Return of the Jedi for Secret Wishes. There are also plenty of costumes and accessories from Indiana Jones for the title character and his side-kick Mutt. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark is finally a licensed costume. It has been knocked off for many years, and this version of the costume and the wig look great.

Misses
Well, there’s a few…
The Indiana Jones costumes look like very poor quality. I’d stick to the satchel, whip and famous brown fedora. Rubies has a Joker costume in children’s sizes. I think Batman, The Dark Knight movie is rated R and the Joker is far too scary for children, not to mention this costume?! Or maybe it’s just this Heath Ledger connection. It makes me think about the Crow costume from the 90’s. OK, and one more thing. Why did Disguise give up the license to Dora and Diego? Rubies has done a poor job recreating these animated characters. There is also a Boots and Swiper coming too, but no costume picture for now.

FUNWORLD
Hits
Funworld has recently acquired Pony Express and Playboy, so there is a great selection of licensed costumes available to the Canadian market. These include a delightful “I Love Lucy” Polka Dot Dress and matching Wig, available in adult, child and plus sizes. As well, a full line of licensed Elvis costumes including his famous White Jumpsuit and Jailhouse Rock, and Gold Lame Suit. Grease fans will love the Pink Ladies costumes with signature pink satin jackets and Capri pants or the Rydell High cheerleader uniform. If you prefer the leathers, Funworld has a standard and deluxe leather T-bird Jacket in Adult and plus sizes and a Cool Sandy costume in standard and deluxe versions. One of my favourite is Vampira, a gothic Marie Antoinette costume with a very cool wig sold seperately. Playboy has one that is almost exactly the same but twice the price!

Misses
I always find the quality of Funworld costumes to be questionable. They are really good for one or two uses, after that, they will probably fall apart. If you want something you can keep and wear a lot, go for Playboy. The materials and quality are exceptional.

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Ok, it has been some big secret that nobody has talked about, but it looks like Rubies has landed the contract to produce the licensed Sweeney Todd costumes. Here are a few sneak peek pictures. No word yet if there will be a Mrs. Lovett. I will keep you posted when these are expected as I just found out. ]]> http://www.msdress-up.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080618-141327
http://www.envirovespa.com/en/]]> http://www.msdress-up.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080614-155829 Canadian On-Line Retailer Lowers Prices on U.S. Goods

June 14, 2008, Toronto, Ontario – On-line costume retailer Ms. Dress-Up has lowered their prices after a lengthy period of the Canadian loonie being at parity with the U.S. greenback. A Bank of Montreal survey of 17 goods indicates that price differences have narrowed somewhat in the year since its previous comparison but Canadians are still paying 18 per cent more than shoppers in the U.S.

Ms. Dress-up is a Canadian owned on-line costume shop. They offer kids and adult dress-up costumes, accessories, wigs and make-up. Owners Jack and Heidi Loney wanted to offer their customers competitive rates with U.S retailers, and recently have lowered their prices by as much as 20%.

“It’s simple” explains Ms. Loney. “Our suppliers have lowered their prices on costumes that come from the States, so we have passed on the savings to our consumers”. That doesn’t mean that you will pay the same for a costume in the States as you will in Canada. “We pay more for these products than our American competitor does. We have lowered our margins on many of our products, but we still have to cover our expenses”.

Customers will find that there are huge savings on some high end lines such as Cinema Secrets and Playboy. “These costumes are very good quality, and can be worn many time over, not just Halloween. There are savings of $20-$30 per costume, compared to last September” Ms. Loney continues. “Last spring we bought all of our stock, so when it came around to Halloween, we couldn’t drop our prices despite the loonie being at parity”.

Along with the lower cost, Ms. Dress-Up is adding free shipping across Canada (on minimum orders) “We recognize that there are lots of choices out there for consumers purchasing a costume. We try to make the experience as painless and as enjoyable as possible.” says Ms. Loney. “We want our clients to feel confident that they have made the right choice by coming to us.” Many Canadians prefer to shop in their own country, and from their experience, they have good reason. ”Their biggest concern is whether they will get it on time. It has to cross the border, and that is not always reliable. When you buy it in Canada, you will usually get it in a day or two. Many of our customers in the GTA can even get it the same day or come and pick it up. If you need it now, getting it from the US won’t do you any good, no matter what the price”.

Ms. Dress-Up will always put service before price. Ms. Loney adds “We always want to give our customer the best value, but we won’t compromise on service and quality for that.” ]]> http://www.msdress-up.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080610-171818

I know that this has been a contentious issue of late - the strong Canadian dollar. While it is great for cross border shopping, it has been difficult for Canadian businesses to compete. Ms. Dress-Up wants to keep your business in Canada, so we have lowered our prices on many of our popular costume lines, some as many as 20%. This will be of great benefit to Canadians come Halloween, who are reluctant to purchase costumes and accessories from the US.

Along with our new lowered prices, we will also be introducing free shipping to all provinces in Canada with minimum orders. Check out our new prices:

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Pop Culture and Movies continue to influence costume trends and theme parties for this year. Costumes are not just for Halloween any more. Here are some of the biggest influences of the year:

Sex and the City

This is predicted to be the biggest chick flick ever! Theme parties and girls night out will never be the same. Of course, when dressing like Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha, it won't be complete without designer shoes and handbags, jewelery and the latest fashion forward clothing. Wigs can make this even more fun with a Sarah Jessica curly style or a sleek Samantha coif. Don't forget to add a Cosmopolitan.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

There was plenty of hype for this four times a charm flick, even when the hero is a senior citizen Leather whips, felt fedoras and leather bomber jackets will be all the rage. The era has been moved from World War II to the fifties with Russians as the bad guys. The black page boy will become a big hit this year fashioned after Cate Blanchette's KGB resident naughty girl.

Ironman

This movie has already broken records at the box office. Robert Downey Jr's Ironman is sure to be a hit - especially with the younger set. Disguise costumes is realeasing a licensed costume for kids and adults that will be available by the end of the summer.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

This has been a very big franchise in the cinema world and it will continue to be very successful in 2008 with the release of the latest movie just after Halloween. Rubies offers a large selection of officially licensed Harry Potter costumes.

Hanna Montana

Can't say I get it, but tweens are eating this stuff up. Miley Cyrus, better know as Hannah Montana, has girls scarmbling to dress in her style of clothes, makeup and accessories.

Sweeney Todd

Pack up your Jack Sparrow costume! Pirates are out and killer barbers are in - largely due to Johnny Depp's creepy murderer. Despite it's 2007 release, Tim Burton's vision of Sweeney Todd is sure to be a huge hit for all come this Halloween. Who thought that Victorian squallor could be so chic (dripping with lots of blood of course).

Star Wars - The Clone Wars

30 years ago, I dressed as Princess Leia for Halloween. Who'd of thought it would be as popular as ever. Star Wars will be huge again this year with the Clone Wars - an animated feature film due in August. Rubies has a full selection of Star Wars costumes for adults and kids. What's new? Princess Leia sexy slave outfit.

Other hot items:

It's too early to tell, but Batman and the Incredible Hulk both are releasing movies this year, so these could be big influences.

What's out:

Pirates have been huge for the last several years, thanks largely to Pirates of the Caribbean. This year, that trend has come to a grinding halt. It will continue to be popular with the little ones. Also, Spiderman took a nosedive in 2007, and will continue to loose ground. Superheroes have great longevity - so we will see Spidy make a comeback.

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As a participant in the Earth Day event, my family will be turning out our lights and all non-essential power tonight between the hours of 8 and 9 pm. ]]>