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We don’t mean to spook you, but Halloween is fast approaching, so if you’re looking to dress up for the occasion, you’ll need to act fast.
Whether you’re looking to live it up as an undead zombie, indulge your inner devil in a naughty nun habit or act out your fantasy as one of Hollywood’s most notorious baddies, we have you covered.
Our list features seven of the finest costume shops and costumiers the capital has to offer.
They have everything you need to make this Halloween one to remember.
That means they stock not just a plethora of spooktacular costumes, but the accessories, makeup and fake blood, all of which add something extra to any Halloween outfit.
And our list has something for every budget, too – from cheap and cheerful prop stores to bespoke costumiers who will tailor your costume to your specifications.
DISCLAIMER: All prices quoted are correct as of the publishing date. More info on current prices can be found on the shops’ websites.
1. Carnival Store: Largest Online Offering
Smiffys Chucky-Kostüm | Chucky Costume – Ladies #halloween2018 #halloween
€29.98
➤ https://t.co/7n4tZyTJUL pic.twitter.com/Dy1JT7N7Kz— Carnival Store (@carnival_store) October 7, 2019
This fancy dress shop in Hammersmith has been knitting out Londoners in outlandish garb for over 70 years.
Over that time, it has built up a reputation for two things – the excellence of its outfits and the vastness of its repository.
Over the three floors of its West Kensington store, you’ll find spooky costumes galore.
It’s especially good if you’re looking to kit yourself out with a costume from one of your favourite Hollywood horror shows – they stock Jason, Freddy and assorted zombie costumes aplenty.
As we say, the shop is vast and well worth a visit but if you can’t get there in person, its website boasts one of the largest online inventories of Halloween costumes – it has 18,000 products, ready to ship worldwide.
Halloween Highlights:
Capes, coloured contact lenses and spooky jewellery.
Website: www.carnivalstore.co.uk
Opening Times:
Monday – Saturday: 10:00–19:00
Costume Prices:
Kid: From £12.99
Adult: From £19.99
Address:
95 Hammersmith Rd, W14 0QH London
Contact:
Tel: 020 7603 2918
Email: info@carnivalstore.co.uk
2. Prangsta: Best for Bespoke Costumes
Looiing for ahlloween costume…come see us and we will do all the work and make you look incredible #Halloween #halloweencostume #london pic.twitter.com/1uPdAjT2zM
— Prangsta Costumiers (@Prangsta) October 16, 2017
This long-established costumier in New Cross is all about bespoke costumes and personalised service.
All its outfits are handmade, most from recycled and repurposed materials, in its studio in South London.
The Prangsta showrooms are packed to the rafters with costumes for hire so if you want something off the rack you’re set.
However, should you want something made to measure, the company also offers a bespoke made-to-hire/buy service.
During your one-hour fitting appointment, a Prangsta assistant will help you create your spooky Halloween look.
The bespoke costumes are off-the-rack but tweaked to your specifications, so the outfit matches your body shape and exact requirements.
Halloween Highlights:
Corsets, ‘dark circus’, Mad Hatter, and 1920s outfits.
Website: https://www.prangsta.co.uk/
Opening Times:
Monday to Friday: 11:00–19:00
Saturday: 10:00–18:00
Prices:
£130-350 plus VAT for a four-day hire (three during Halloween).
There is also a £300 deposit, refunded when the costume is returned.
A styling consultation costs £20 per person. Every extra hour is charged at £10 per hour.
Address:
141 Lewisham Way, SE14 6QP, London
Contact:
Tel: 020 8694 9869
Email: info@prangsta.co.uk
3. Mad World Fancy Dress and Party Store: A Crazy Amount of Costumes
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This funhouse of wacky fancy dress in Tabernacle Street is a veritable Aladdin’s Cave – it has around 35,000 costumes in store that you can buy or hire out.
The shop has been sitting on the same site in Shoreditch for over half a century and has built up a reputation as the go-to destination for London-based TV and film costumiers looking to dress cast members.
As far as the Halloween costumes are concerned, they do a nice line in spooky staples such as Grim Reapers, skeletons, vampires, werewolves and zombies.
The store is also a good place to stock up on Halloween-themed props, face paints, fake blood and gory facial tattoos.
Halloween Highlights:
Props, SFX make-up, grim reapers, skeletons and zombies.
Website: www.madworldfancydress.com
Opening Times:
Mon-Fri: 10:00–19:00
Saturday: 10:00–17:00
Costume Prices:
Kid: £5.49 – £31.99
Adult: £4.99 – £75.99
Address:
69 – 85 Tabernacle St, EC2A 4BD, London
Contact:
Tel: 020 7253 1003
Email: cityshop@madworld.co.uk
4. Costume N Party: Hottest Hollywood Horror Outfits
The store is chock full of get-ups worn by silver screen bad guys filmgoers love to hate, including Freddy Kreuger, Chucky, Jason and Michael Myers.
They also have an array of outfits worn by slightly less bloodthirsty but equally notorious TinselTown miscreants and baddies: The Grinch, The Joker, and Cruella, to name a few.
The store is ideal for families planning a Halloween celebration as it has outfits for all shapes, sizes and age ranges – from adults down to toddlers.
Halloween Highlights:
Hollywood slasher costumes, wigs, masks and make-up.
Website: https://www.costumenparty.com/
Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 10:00–20:00
Sun: 10:00-18:00
Costume Prices:
Kid: £5.49 – £57.99
Adult: £8.55 – £150.99
Address:
286 Chingford Road, E17 5AL, London
Contact:
Tel: 020 8090 0399
Email: costumenparty@gmail.com
5. Angels Costumes: Largest Instore Selection
We’re delighted to see a film we provided costumes for, #TheFavourite, won the @BAFTA for #CostumeDesign! #Bafta2019 #EEBAFTAs pic.twitter.com/IRZPjHXChP
— Angels Costumes (@AngelsCostumes) February 10, 2019
If you’re looking to dress up as an exquisitely tailored demon or dandified devil this Halloween, look no further than Angels on Garrick Street.
This place is easily London’s oldest costume shop – it first opened its doors in 1840.
The shop has a long association with the film and TV industry. Indeed, its costumes have featured in Oscar and BAFTA-winning productions so expect Hollywood glitz on offer.
This means it’s ideal if you want to give a bit of theatre to your Halloween costume.
Its Halloween costume selection is vast.
There are over eight miles of racks of costumes crammed into its store.
Halloween Highlights:
Costume jewellery, theatrical props and armoury.
Website: https://www.angels.co.uk/
Opening Times:
Monday–Friday: 10:00-17:30
Costume Prices:
Kid: £12.99 – £32.99
Adult: £15.99 – £74.99
Address:
1 Garrick Road, NW9 6AA, London
Contact:
Tel: 020 8202 2244
Email: info@angels.co.uk
6. Mix Mix in Soho: Perfect for Props
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This is perhaps the smallest shop on our list, so we’ll keep this entry suitably short.
There aren’t as many costumes on offer at the Soho-based store as at some of the other places on our list, but it’s a great place to hunt down those sometimes hard-to-find Halloween costume props.
So, if you’re looking for a hat, wig, or dodgy stick-on moustache to give your costume that certain something be sure to check this place out.
Halloween Highlights:
Scary masks, props and demonic contact lenses.
Website: N/A
Opening Hours:
Monday–Sunday: 10:00–19:00
Costume Prices:
N/A
Address:
78 Berwick St, W1F 8TJ, London
Contact:
Tel: 020 7287 7789
7. Fancy Dress Town: Awesome Off-the-Shelf Variety
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This fancy dress shop in Bermondsey stocks a huge selection of licensed and original fancy dress costumes.
It’s yet another fancy dress store that has gone big on Hollywood horror.
That means if you’re looking to deck yourself as Freddy Krueger, Beetlejuice, or IT’s Pennywise, this is the place for you.
They also stock a nice range of accessories and Halloween-themed props, including coloured contact lenses so you can make your eyes pop with demon red.
Halloween Highlights:
Hollywood horror, 70s and 80s outfits, wigs and fake blood.
Website: https://www.fancydresstown.co.uk/
Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday: 10:00–19:00
Sunday: 10:00–17:00
Costume Prices:
See the website for pricing information.
Address:
200 Southwark Park Road, Bermondsey, SE16 3RW, London
Contact:
Email: sales@fancydresstown.co.uk
Tel: 020 77402100
Final Thoughts
There’s no way of dressing up: finding an outfit for the most spooktacular night of the year can prove a fiendishly difficult task.
Thankfully London is not a ghost town when it comes to fancy dress outlets catering exclusively to Halloween revellers.
In fact, look closely enough and it pretty much has a costume for every ghoulish taste and sinister sensibility.
If you want us to add a suggestion here based on your experience, please get in touch with us!
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