Fancy Dress & British Understatement

It‘s carnival time in Germany. For many people, this is a serious matter. Costumes are planned carefully and shops are full of wigs and outfits. Carnival here is important and attracts many tourists in February. In England, things are different …

Let’s start with the vocabulary. In German, people talk about Kostüme or Verkleidung. These words sound practical and serious. In British English, we say fancy dress. This sounds a bit silly and not very serious at all. It already suggests that we feel slightly embarrassed about dressing up.

And embarrassment and understatement are a key part of British culture.

A famous example comes from the book and film Bridget Jones’s Diary. Bridget is invited to a “Tarts and Vicars“ party. This is a type of fancy dress party where people dress either as a “tart” (a very exaggerated, cheeky costume) or as a vicar, wearing a collar and sensible clothes. Bridget believes everyone will be dressed up, so she arrives in costume.

The problem is that the hosts have cancelled the fancy dress theme — and Bridget doesn’t know. Everyone else is wearing normal party clothes. Bridget is the only one dressed up, and she is completely embarrassed. This scene is funny because it shows a very British fear: being different from everyone else.

When British people do go to fancy dress parties, they usually play down how much effort they made. Typical things people say are:

•            “Oh, it’s nothing special.”

•            “I just threw something on.”

•            “I didn’t really have time.”

•            “I might have gone a bit too far.”

In American culture, people often do the opposite. They are very enthusiastic and confident and may say:

•            “I went all out.”

•            “I spent weeks on this costume.”

•            “I’m really proud of it.”

As for me, when carnival time comes, I still prefer the English tradition of eating pancakes instead of wearing costumes. You can read about it in my blog from February 2024. Some traditions are simply easier to enjoy without fancy dress!

If you are a carnival fan – have fun!