Olympia Costume Accessories Shop Since 1952: Carnival Store

Carnival Store, at 95 Hammersmith Road, London W14 0QH, calls itself London's favourite fancy dress shop since 1952, and it is one of the few independent costume specialists left in West London. It sits on the main road between Hammersmith and Kensington, a short walk from the Olympia exhibition centre, and sells full costumes alongside the small accessories that make them work: boas, jewellery, wigs, hats and novelty pieces. If you want to see and touch everything before you buy, this is a straightforward place to do it.

The shop describes itself as an independent London fancy dress specialist established in 1952. That long run shows in the range, which covers decades, film characters, period dress and the usual Halloween horror. Time Out has described the shop as spread over two floors, so allow a little longer than you might expect for a high street visit.

Being independent matters here. Chain party shops tend to stock the same few licensed outfits each October, while a long-standing specialist can mix those with older lines, stage-style accessories and pieces that suit fancy dress parties all year round. If you are dressing for a themed wedding, a decade party or a school play rather than Halloween, this is a better hunting ground than a supermarket aisle.

The store also sells online and says that orders placed before 3pm on Monday to Friday go out for same-day dispatch, which is a useful backstop if your size is not on the shelf. But the reason to visit in person is to try things on, compare colours side by side and put a full look together with help.

The accessory stock is where you can finish a costume for a few pounds. A 50 gram feather boa costs £9.99 and comes in several colours, including a bright green that works for a jazz-age party or a drag night. Boas shed a little on the first wear, so give yours a shake outside before you put it on, and keep it away from candles.

For a punk or rock look, the set of eight fake piercings costs £4.99 and clips on without any needles, which is an easy way to change a face for one night. The Gemma bracelet, at £9.75, is a piece of costume jewellery that suits a 1920s flapper, a 1950s starlet or a glamorous villain. Jewellery is the cheapest way to make a hired or homemade costume look deliberate rather than thrown together.

Small accessories are also the best buy if you already own most of an outfit. A black dress becomes a flapper with a boa and a bracelet, a leather jacket becomes a punk with clip-on piercings, and a plain suit becomes a 1920s gangster with the right hat. Start from what is in your wardrobe and add only the pieces that tell people who you are.

When you want the full outfit, the shop's own listings show what to expect. The black and gold Elvis costume costs £49.99 and is the kind of instantly recognisable outfit that works at a fancy dress party where you will not want to explain your character all night. The purple medieval jester costume, at £44.99, is a good pick for a Halloween with a darker theme, a medieval banquet or a Shakespeare-themed evening.

If you are buying for a couple or a group, think about how the costumes look side by side. An Elvis and a jester do not read as a theme, but a pair of jesters or a cluster of 1950s outfits does. Agree the theme first, then pick the individual characters, and the photos will look far better.

Opening hours are Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 19:00, and the shop is closed on Sunday. That makes Saturday the last chance before a Halloween that falls on a weekend, so if you can, shop earlier in the week. Weekday mornings are calmer for trying things on, while late afternoons are a good time if you are coming straight from work in West London.

If you are heading to an event at Olympia, such as a convention or trade show, it is worth popping in before or after, since the shop is only a few minutes away on foot. Bring your measurements if you are buying for someone else, and keep receipts until after the event in case anything needs exchanging.

Group orders need the most lead time. If you are dressing a team for an office party or a hen night, visit once to choose and check sizes, then come back or order online for the rest once everyone has confirmed. Splitting the job into two visits means nobody ends up with the last costume on the rail in the wrong size, and you can test one outfit at home before committing to six.

Olympia London, the Victorian exhibition hall with its great iron and glass roof, is the obvious landmark nearby, and its calendar of shows means the area is busy on event days. From there, walk north up Addison Road and through the quiet residential streets to Holland Park, where the Kyoto Garden, with its waterfall and koi pond, is one of the most peaceful spots in West London.

Kensington High Street, at the southern edge of Holland Park, has plenty of cafes and restaurants for a break. In autumn, the park's woodland walks are full of colour, and peacocks often wander near the Holland House ruins, which makes for a surprisingly theatrical backdrop for a costume photo.

Carnival Store is at 95 Hammersmith Road, London W14 0QH. The nearest stations are Kensington (Olympia) on the Overground and District line, and Barons Court on the District and Piccadilly lines. Prices quoted come from the shop's website: the £9.99 50 gram feather boa, the £4.99 set of eight piercings, the £9.75 Gemma bracelet, the £49.99 Elvis costume and the £44.99 purple jester costume. For a West London dinner after your visit, ask Karpo in the Karpo APP.