fantasias must be consistent with the theme, elaborate, and in harmony with the school as a whole - each samba school's parade is divided into wings, and each of these groups has a different fantasia, making individual groups easily identifiable in the parade.

scoring by the judges is based on creativity of the costume, their significance to the plot, use of color, use of materials, finishes, details, and uniformity - beautiful arrangements of feathers are reserved for the most prestigious costumes, normally used by the passistas, and by the queen of the samba school. 

making costumes for the sambódromo is a big undertaking, involving designers, hundreds of tailors, and twelve months in the making - each year, these costumes are all original designs, and most of them are strictly kept secret until the day of the parade.