NEVER go to a costume hire place for your Office xmas party outfit. Not only are they always rammed with harassed mothers, their bratty children going nuts over all the toys, and annoying Sales-y types (“HEY! I need a bigger wig for this Edina outfit! MISS!”), but it takes at least 35 minutes to serve each customer, meaning you’ll be in the place for three hours minimum. And air conditioning is rare.

No, show a bit more imagination by making a Token Effort costume at a fraction of the price. There’s a myriad of advantages:
1. No need to return it the next day with a hangover in this sodding humidity
2. No worries about spilling shit on it and losing your deposit
3. People will be more impressed with something you’ve thrown together in an evening than those with hire costumes costing $100s
4. Token Effort costumes are usually worn over your normal clothes, so you can chuck it in the bin when the party is over, and you don’t have to go to the pub dressed as a Wizzard / Postal worker / Pirate