Did someone call for fashion at its finest? Host a party with a fashion theme for everyone to show off their flair and style. A fashion party is fun to plan and, of course, fun to attend! It’s perfect for celebrating a birthday or a milestone for any fashion-savvy teen, a budding little fashion designer, or a trendy young woman or man.
Here are some tips and ideas for throwing a fashion-themed party.
Set a theme.
“Fashion” is a big word. You can have a fashion party and have all sorts of fashionable things incorporated in your party, but it’s always better to zero in on a specific theme. This will make it easier for you to keep your decorations solid and also to help your guests decide what to wear. Just saying the theme is “fashion” can conjure different ideas from your guests, so it’s best if you have a theme to keep things coherent.
If you’re a brand enthusiast, why not set your fashion-themed party on the brand you adore? Here are some ideas:
1. Chanel
- CC monogram
- Old rose and gold
- Black doilies
- Pearls and diamonds
- Ornate black or white cupcake holders
- Vases decorated as Chanel perfume
- Little gold accents
- Cupcakes topped with old rose flowers
2. Kate Spade
- Hot pink
- Black and white horizontal stripes
- Fuchsia pink flowers
- Gold accents
- Bag-shaped cookies
3. Tiffany
- Tiffany blue, white, black, with silver accents
- White roses
- Elegant cupcake toppers
- Diamonds
- Party favors in Tiffany blue boxes or paper bags
4. Vogue
- Minimalist decoration mostly uses black and white with gold accents
- Champagne
- Vogue magazines
- Naked cake with roses
- White paper bags with black “VOGUE” logo on party favors
- Transparent chairs
- Model-like photos of the celebrant
5. Gucci
- Gold, red, green, black
- Gucci logo
- Gucci pattern on backdrops, cakes, or table runners
- Gold foil alphabet balloons
- Gold chairs
6. Dior
- White with light pink accents
- Tulles and laces
- White shabby chic buffet and dessert tables
- Dainty cake topped with roses and French macarons
- Wine glasses with light pink roses
- Petals and diamonds
- “Dior” labeled ribbons and paper bags for party favors
7. Louis Vuitton
- Brown and gold
- Louis Vuitton bag-shaped fondant cake
- White lotus flowers
- Chocolate desserts served in gold trays or cupcake towers
These are just ideas – you can add more, depending on what you love! You can also use fashion eras as your themes, such as the Roaring Twenties, Swinging Sixties, Retro Seventies, and the like, then decorate and dress accordingly.
You may also base your party on a favorite fashion TV show, like Project Runway, America’s Next Top Model, or RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Add a runway.
A fashion party can be so fun if there’s a runway to walk in on. It can be incorporated into lots of themes, especially fashion designer and model-based themes. It can be used on its own if you ask all your guests to come dressed in their most fashionable attire and let them show their unique style.
You can start by giving some runway lessons by having the girls practice balancing with a book on their heads – which could be a game in itself. You can have people practice their most sassy fashion walk, teach them posture, and more. The key is to make it fun; remember, it’s a party, not modeling school.
For your runway, all you need is a huge space with a white carpet and some curtain set up so the “models” would not be revealed until they are ready to do their catwalk. If there are live audiences, that would be perfect. Other guests or parents (if it’s a party for young girls) can come and be the audience. But you can capture it on video or livestream it on social media as well.
While the guests are “modeling,” make sure there’s upbeat music playing to set the tone and play the emcee (or get a volunteer to do it). Brainstorm beforehand about some fun things to say, so the emcee would avoid dead air.
After the fashion show, you can give out sashes or awards. The categories and the judging criteria would be up to you!
This theme is great for a children’s party, a teen’s party, a bridal shower, or a college sorority party. Check this out if you want more college party themes.
Serve some fashion dress-form cookies.
Food and drinks are a must for any party. While a fashion party doesn’t focus much on the foods but on the décor, attire, and activities, one thing is constant: serve cookies in the form of a dress or a shirt or any fashion element that suits your theme to keep it consistent. At least, add some fashionable elements in the way you serve your food and drinks.
Take tons of photos.
Pictures are a must for any party, but especially for a fashion party. If you’re not into the runway idea, at least have a great backdrop where guests can take lots of selfies together while wearing their pretty outfits. You can elevate this idea by renting a photo booth and having fashionable layers and accessories like scarves, sunglasses, jackets, tiaras, and others as props.
Watch a fashion show together.
If you and your friends are avid followers of a fashion-related show, then have a watching party so you can binge-watch episodes together. Serve some popcorn in stylish popcorn boxes, and make sure to serve some hip drinks and cocktails.
Set up some makeover stations.
You can have different stations set up around the party where guests can visit and get different makeovers done to get ready for the runway. You may also need to tailor the stations to your parties depending on the age group of your guests. Some ideas would include:
- Makeup
- Hairstyling
- Pedicures
- Manicures
- Spa treatment
Getting every guest through these stations could surely take a while, but it’s perfect if you’re planning a sleepover or an all-day event.
Let everyone play fashion designer.
This idea is perfect for little girls and adults who are game for some artsy activities. Have plenty of paper, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, or markers and set them up on tables. Let the guests free their imaginations to design their own fashions. You can assign themes like a wedding dress (this one’s great for a bridal shower party), date night, beachwear, princess gown, fashionable professional outfit, a night out, trendy, etc.
Play the “name that era” game.
This is a great ice breaker game to keep the party started as you wait for everyone to arrive. Print out pictures of clothes, outfits, and accessories from different eras – think the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, and 2010s. Print about three photos per era. Have the guests raise their hands if they want to answer, and whoever raises their hands first gets called. You can also form groups or partners for the game if the guests are too many. The guest or team who gets the most correct answers wins.
Make it a swap party.
You can set your party as a clothing swap party, so everyone gets to donate some clothes they don’t want to wear and go home with clothes they actually want, for free! If you have lots of great clothes, but for some reason, you don’t want to wear them anymore, any of your friends would probably love them!
A swap party is a fun and eco-friendly idea, but it can be a bust to plan. Make sure you set some reasonable rules for your swap party.
Set a minimum or a maximum number of items. You don’t want Jessica to bring only two pairs of jeans while Haley brings six boxes of assorted clothes.
Ensure all clothes are still in good condition (no holes, stains, missing buttons, etc.) and not worn out or faded because it’s been washed a million times. It would be unfair for others if someone brings all their unwanted and old rag-like clothes. Some pre-loved items are a fair game.
Decide on a theme. You can invite all your girlfriends and swap some dresses and summer outfits. You can invite your mom friends and swap maternity or baby clothes. It’s up to you!
Make sure everybody would potentially receive something from the swap party. If you invite a plus-sized friend or a skinny friend while you and your other friends are medium-built, they will not benefit from it (and probably no one would take their stuff, either).