Dalston Theatrical Costume Shop for Same-Day Period Hire

Costume Studio is the kind of hire house that London productions ring when a script calls for twelve Edwardian barristers or a platoon of First World War infantry by Friday. Its warehouse fills Montgomery House on Balls Pond Road, on the border of Islington and Dalston, and unlike most industry wardrobes it lets anyone walk in, browse the rails and leave with a costume the same day. The business describes its stock as ever-expanding and its clients as film, television, theatre, music, advertising, events and weddings.

The studio's own pitch is refreshingly plain: whether a job involves hundreds of costumes or just the one, call Costume Studio. That range matters. A drama society can ask about dressing a whole cast, while a single guest can come in for one outfit for a themed wedding. The stock runs through the historical periods into the twentieth century and beyond, and the team says that if it does not cover something, it will usually know someone who does.

Everyday clothing is part of the collection too, which is what separates a production wardrobe from a fancy dress shop. Day-to-day clothing, the services, medical and legal dress are all listed among the categories, alongside military uniforms. That is the stock a theatre designer needs when a play is set on a hospital ward or in a courtroom, and it is hard to find anywhere else in London that will hire it to the public over the counter.

The military and armoury section is one of the largest, cutting right through history from Romans and Vikings to knights in armour and both world wars. Footwear is described as an extensive department that complements most historical and vintage periods, so boots, buckled shoes and period heels can be matched to the coat rather than borrowed from a modern wardrobe. Accessories are a vast area in their own right: hats, gloves, bags, canes and jewellery, with the site adding, we could go on.

Wigs can be hired on their own, as part of an outfit or for a whole production. The studio is candid that it is not a wig specialist, but it keeps a good selection of standard wigs covering certain historical periods, including barristers' wigs for legal scenes. If a role needs a custom-dressed lace-front piece, plan to go to a dedicated wigmaker and use Costume Studio for the clothes, hats and shoes that surround it.

Visiting is the point. The business says you are welcome to come and see exactly what it has, and goods can be selected and hired there and then. Some customers like to be left alone to search the rails, while others want guidance, and the staff are happy to do either. Styling can work from your own ideas, reference images or a designer's drawings, or the team will walk you through the choices and help you build the look from scratch.

Payment is taken by cash, debit or credit card, or BACS transfer. Everything has to be paid in full before it leaves the building, and the return date is written clearly on your receipt, which comes with the terms and conditions of hire. Charges vary with the quantity of items and the length of the hire, and the studio says it is always prepared to talk through budgets, which is useful for school and amateur productions on tight money.

When nothing on the rails fits the brief, the in-house making service takes over. A team of professionals works from your ideas or designs, and the process can include an initial discussion, fabric choice, patternmaking and fittings. Costs and making times are talked through at the start so a client knows where they stand on budget and completion date. Prices are quoted per job rather than from a list, so bring sketches and a rough deadline to the first conversation.

The website shows only a glimpse of the collection, but its Photobook is a practical shortcut. It is a loose archive of photographs built up over years, spread across numbered pages, and the studio asks customers to quote the page number and the number on the image when they ring or email. A designer can shortlist looks from the Photobook, send the references ahead, and arrive to find the pieces already pulled from the rails.

Phone calls are answered by a person, not a menu, so a quick call is the fastest way to check whether a size or a period is in stock before you cross town. For a big order, such as a cast of twenty, email the list with measurements a few days ahead. Around Halloween and the Christmas party season, when every costume rail in London is under pressure, leave yourself more time.

Newington Green is a few minutes' walk west, a small triangular green ringed by Turkish and Kurdish bakeries and cafes. On its north side stands the Newington Green Unitarian Church, a meeting house where the early feminist Mary Wollstonecraft worshipped, which makes a quiet stop before or after a fitting. To the south, the streets of De Beauvoir Town lead to De Beauvoir Square, a garden square lined with gabled Victorian villas.

Head east instead and Kingsland Road takes you into Dalston, where Ridley Road Market sells fabric remnants, wax prints and haberdashery that costume makers use for trims. Theatre-goers can end the trip at the Arcola Theatre on Ashwin Street, one of east London's best-known fringe stages, or catch a film at the Rio Cinema on Kingsland High Street. That loop turns a costume errand into an afternoon out.

Costume Studio, at 159-161 Balls Pond Road, London N1 4BG (Montgomery House, Islington), is open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 6pm and Saturday 10am to 5pm, closed Sunday. The nearest stations listed by the studio are Dalston Kingsland on the Overground, Highbury & Islington with buses 277 and 30, and Angel with buses 56 and 38. Limited parking is available on site, which helps when you are collecting a whole production.