Ladbroke Grove Theatrical Costume Shop With Week-Long Hires

Costume Boutique is a costume hire studio tucked into Acklam Workspace, a block of small creative units on the corner of Blagrove Road and Acklam Road, a stone's throw from Portobello Road and right under the Westway flyover. It is run by Tamar, who has worked for years as a costume designer and stylist on commercials, television and film, and it hires to private customers as well as to stylists, photographers, event agencies and production companies. Everything happens by appointment, and every fitting comes with styling advice at no extra charge.

The boutique says its aim is to bring a breath of fresh air to the costume and fancy dress hire world, and the stock reflects a stylist's eye. Rather than stacks of bagged party outfits, you get a welcoming treasure trove of garments and accessories that can be mixed and matched to your own specification. The team keeps photographing stock and inventing new themes, so the website galleries show only some of the variations hanging in the studio.

The categories read like a costume designer's mood board. Historical rails are split by sex and by era: Georgian and Regency, Medieval and Elizabethan, Victorian and Edwardian. A Decades section covers the 1920s and 1930s, the 1940s and 1950s, and the 1960s and 1970s. Then come the themed rails, from Cabaret and Moulin Rouge to Spanish and Flamenco, Greek and Roman, Bollywood and belly dance, Wild West, Pirates and Nautical, Explorers and Safari, Uniforms and Famous Characters. In mid-October 2026 the Halloween section alone listed 45 costumes, split into men's and women's rails, and Famous Characters listed 21, so even a last-minute party brief has plenty to try on.

The process is simple. Spot a costume you like on the website, or arrive with an idea of the style and theme you need, then call or email to book a free fitting with no obligation to hire. Each appointment runs 45 minutes to an hour, long enough to try on as many options as it takes to get the look right. You can hire and take the costume away on the day, or reserve it for a later date and leave a deposit.

Payment is by credit card, cheque, cash or PayPal. The deposit is fully refundable, and the terms say a PayPal Virtual Terminal authorisation of no less than £150 is taken on every costume hire against loss or significant damage. Card details are stored only until the costume comes back safely and are then destroyed. If a garment is damaged, only the appropriate amount is deducted, not the whole deposit, though a costume that never returns is charged at full valuation.

A Costume Boutique hire lasts a week, so costumes must be back within seven days, and every day over the seven-day agreement costs £10. That is generous next to the one or two night hires common elsewhere in London, and it makes the studio a good fit for a run of school or amateur performances, or for a hen weekend with more than one themed night. Diary the return date as soon as you collect.

There is a 24-hour cancellation window if you change your mind. The costume has to come back unworn within 24 hours of pick-up, and a 20 per cent restocking fee applies. The shop notes that it is unusual for customers to change their minds, which says something about how long the fittings run. Personal details are never shared with third parties, and joining the mailing list for seasonal offers is optional.

Tamar's film background is behind the special services. The boutique takes commissions for bespoke costumes with a free quote, and the work can include design ideas shown through sketches, mood boards and fabric sampling, plus pattern cutting and fittings. Make-to-hire is the money-saving version: the boutique builds the costume, you pay a hire fee instead of the sale price, and it goes back into stock. That option is offered only for designs the team thinks will hire again.

For outfits that are not in stock, the team can source pieces and adapt its own costumes into something unique, charging a one-off styling fee plus the hire or sale of the finished look. Lead time for all special services is ideally four to six weeks. Past projects listed on the site include a Princess Leia costume made to hire, costumes for the Stella Artois World Draught Masters, a Thomas Pink event and an appearance on Sunday Brunch. The one thing it will not make is a mascot suit.

Step out of Acklam Workspace and you are in the thick of North Kensington. Portobello Road runs a few minutes east, with its antiques stalls on Saturdays and fruit and vegetable stalls through the week, and the stretch under the Westway turns into a market for vintage clothing, records and street food. Vintage coats and military jackets from those stalls are a good way to finish a costume after your fitting.

Golborne Road, a short walk north, has Portuguese bakeries and Moroccan cafes and a weekday street market of its own, and it looks up at Trellick Tower, Erno Goldfinger's concrete landmark. Every August bank holiday the same streets become the route of Notting Hill Carnival, one of the largest street festivals in Europe, which is a fitting backdrop for a shop like this. Ladbroke Grove and Westbourne Park stations are both within easy walking distance.

Costume Boutique, at Unit 26 Acklam Workspace, 10 Acklam Road, London W10 5QZ (corner of Blagrove Road and Acklam Road). Appointment times are Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 5pm, closed Monday and Sunday, and appointments outside these hours can be made on request. The studio notes that its hours sometimes change, so ring to book rather than arriving unannounced. Nearest tubes: Ladbroke Grove or Westbourne Park. Deposit from £150, seven-day hire, £10 per extra day.