Mad World Fancy Dress

Mad World has hooked me up multiple times now and now that the Halloween rush has settled, I just want to say that these guys are absolutely awesome! Never have I seen such a massive collection of costume options in one place: walk towards the back of the basement store and you’ll find super heroes, uniformed officers, sports stars, gangsters and a surprising specific selection of historical period costumes. There’s one entire row for Victorian, another for Elizabethan, another for Tudor… I guess this is the UK. From shameless late 90’s Spice Girls platform boots to a risqué moulin rouge get-​up, Mad World seriously has it all.
Not only is it vast, but it’s inexpensive and they’ve paid attention to presentation. Costumes are hung in plastic that keeps them visible, along with their included accessories. Most costumes are available for week-​long hire or purchase and there’s a beautiful selection of masks and props and make-​up.
This store is just plain fun to wander through at any time of year.

This place is EPIC. Why anyone bothers making a costume when they could rent one here for, probably far less, is beyond me.
I had no idea this was so close to my house. I could’ve been Anne Boyeln or a gymnast from the 1984 American Olympic squad in a moment’s notice. I found it only because I had a quick Unilocal search expecting to find the usual crappy selections and was delighted it was within walking distance.
Once you go in, it’s a wonderland of costumes all in plastic sheeting for you to easily pick through. Not like stupid Angels in Soho where you have to choose them from a book and they are bloody closed at the weekend. Nope, here you can wander up and down the aisles and all the costumes are beautiful quality. They have special Halloween hours as well, again way better than Angels.
I had most of my outfit already, so I just came for accessories. These were a bit limited and I feel they would benefit from a much bigger beauty department for false eyelashes, tattoos and more.
Wandering around with all the other patrons, some pantless mid costume change, I felt I was in the start of my very own Halloween horror movie… Let’s hope I survive.

Mad World is a madcap adventure into fancy dress. Who do you want to be? They’ll help you achieve it.
I ran a giant Time Travellers’ Ball event and, because it was my event, and time travel themed, and in England, there really was only one person I could go as.
Who, you ask?
Exactly.
I called an insane amount of places looking to see if any of them had Doctor Who costumes. Nope, not a one. Until I called Mad World. Their responded to my question, «Which Doctor do you want to be?»
Right answer!
I got there and they showed me the costumes. These were not pre-​bought somewhere, but costumes they had sought out and designed themselves, to really make it feel like the real thing. They didn’t have any of the new doctors unfortunately, but I was very happy to be classic Tom Baker, complete with ridiculous wig and rainbow scarf. Beautiful.
There are a few changing rooms towards the back and when the costume was a bit too big, they gave me suspenders for it. Nice. The staff here? Out of this world.
Costumes run about £50 and you get to keep it for the whole week. When I put it on, people knew exactly who I was. Boom. Mad World, you guys are the best.

Sometimes, you just want to be someone else… amiright?
And Mad World Fancy Dress has 35,000 ways in which you might morph for an evening (or weekend) of fun living as another.
I’ve walked past this basement spot on Tabernacle (steps from Old Street tube) countless times and finally had a bonafide reason to indulge my fancy dress tendencies. The Time Travelers Ball, of course!
Now, finding a costume (non-​furry) when you are 9 months pregnant can be a challenge. But is not one that I believed would stand in my way, and I was correct. I found a «Medieval Sea Lady» getup that was just perfect, and large in all the right places. And, comfortable! And freshly cleaned! A beautiful green/​blue with flappy sea wings and a generous waistline, and we were in business.
But that’s just where things got started. When I first saw the price for the 7-​day rental (£45) I thought it pretty reasonable. Maybe I could wear it more than once? Haha, kidding… sort of. The price includes all the accessories to make you appear fabulous as well. The lovely Eleni whipped up a headpiece, two cuff bracelets, a necklace AND a wig in about 5 minutes… completing the ensemble beautifully. Surely, she’s the expert… and all included in the rental price. Now, it becomes more of a deal. AND, you don’t have to venture elsewhere for the doo-​dads.
A super pleasant experience. Eleni is a gem. I will come back here for all my fancy dress needs… honestly, if you couldn’t find it here, you might not be able to find it anywhere. Locked and loaded, they’ll get you into whatever you want to be.
I must admit though, the furry costumes do freak me out a bit.
*7-​day hire.
*payable by credit/​debit.
*don’t be late on the return!
*convenient hours.
*helpful staff.

One day after work, while taking my usual route home, I happened to glance to the left and saw a brightly coloured sign. It struck me odd that I’d not seen this before, as I walk this street to and from work. Considering I had a Halloween party to go to in a few weeks, I figured I should check it out! The concept of hiring a costume sounded so much more reasonable to buying one that I’d wear once…
I walked down the steps, and entered a wonderland of fantasy! The range of costumes astounded me, and I walked around in a daze, baffled by the number of options. When you don’t have a specific costume in mind, the multitude of costume options can leave you flustered!
I wasn’t quite ready to make a decision yet, and came back a week later with my partner, as he would need to hire one as well. After spending about 30 minutes walking around and considering our options, I tried on a few and settled on the costume that felt right for me.
Taking the costume to the counter, our costume specialist gave options for accessories until we found the right compliments. The cost of the hired costume for a week was very well priced, and I could not wait to come back and pick it up! Just a note that you can reserve a costume as early as you’d like, and they will not rent it out to someone else during the wait.
I will definitely use MWFD again, and may even check out the one by Charing Cross one day soon.

Came here the Friday night before Halloween weekend, and was amazed at the selection. The staff is super friendly and enthusiastic, there are plenty of dressing rooms and the costumes are complete. Meaning: a flapper costume includes dress, gloves, boa, pearls and head dress for £50. Indiana joes is about £60. All to rent for about a week.
The location is extremely close to Old Street tube, but found it was quite hidden. Will definitely be keeping it in mind for next Halloween: D

Excellent costume shop! Pricey hires, but they have a huge variety of styles, characters, and sizes. Will definitely always keep this place in mind for all my fancy dress needs! (Oh, and while the hires are around £60, their purchasable items, accessories, etc are all quite affordable. Bought some elbow length black gloves for £5.)
Really close to Old Street Tube.

I called up to find out if they had something specific that I was looking for (to save wasting any time coming down) I spoke to the manager apparently, explaining my tight deadline, he told me they have the item I want, even when I checked that it was definitely the right description, I felt he wasnt listening to me and just dismissing the call by saying yes they had it and they were for sale not just loan.
I made the journey down there only to find that they dont have the item, they never did and the closest thing they have is totally wrong and not even for sale.
The lady who I spoke with however was really helpful and apologetic about her colleague, and tried to help the best she could.
Essentially, the manager clearly has no idea what he is talking about, has no customer service skills and obviously no has complete disregard for his customers.
I think someone there got the names muddled up when they decided who should be the manager and who would be the assistant.

What a wonderful world of madness this place is. Finding it can be tricky, but once you descend the steps and enter into the cavernous space crammed with fancy dress fun, you know the search was worth it. From the smallest accessory to full blown impressive hire outfits, this place has a real feel of the theatrical. It is definitely a one-​stop shop for all your fancy dress needs and somewhat cheaper than it’s central London rivals.
Mad World is one of the best fancy dress shops in London.

I visited Mad World first thing on a Monday morning on the hunt for an astronaut costume. In fact, I had been on the hunt for the astronaut costume since the Friday before and luckily this was the one shop that had one in stock. Astronauts must be in demand.
The staff were extremely helpful on the phone and on walking in, despite my practically jumping on the lady who worked there as soon as she arrived to make sure I got the costume, she wasn’t at all irritated and very friendly. I had a mooch around the shop which I have to admit made a light start to a gloomy Monday morning — they have all sorts of fun costumes and accessories including some huge and gorgeous ‘Bling Rings for £2 which I actually contemplated buying for real use. The outfit cost £60 hire for the week which is very competitive in comparison to other London fancy dress shops. The costume was a bit more… colourful (lots of sequins on the boots) than probably what Neil Armstrong is used to but it did the job!
The place is a little tricky to find and almost like a warehouse when you get inside. Definitely one to try for your next fancy dress (or astronaut) party.

A remarkable well-​hidden warehouse full of anything you could ever need for fancy dress. Having spent significant time at Angels, Escapade and other fancy dress outlets this is far superior due to the mind-​boggling selection for costumes, props, hats, masks and shoes. The staff are helpful and friendly, which is just as well because the selection can be bewildering. If you cant find a costume here, you might as well give up. Or go naked.