Since I have been in London, still fussing because I have still have more details to finish with my costume, John and Pedro have been taking a much more relaxed approach to this business of costuming. Today I found out why.
I guess when you live in a city like London, renowned for its theatrical productions, it should come as no surprise that there are companies who specialize in costume rentals. Much of their stock are costumes from productions. I had checked into a couple of small companies in Victoria before I went down the "have a customized one made" route. The websites back home seemed to focus more on Halloween style costumes - batman and other super heroes, cartoon characters and the like - so, for me, a rental was not an option.
Today, Pedro and I headed to the West End and there, on Shaftesbury Avenue, is a store that covers six floors and it both rents and sells costumes. It has the unlikely name of Angels Fancy Dress and it has been a family run business since 1870 and their claim to fame is they have been "dressing the stars for over 170 years"! It is worth checking out the website at: http://www.angelsfancydress.com/. It states "Our Shaftesbury Avenue Store offers an extensive range of fancy dress costumes, wigs, makeup and accessories over five floors. We also have two floors dedicated to hire costumes, where our specialist costumiers can offer expert advice and will tailor you the perfect look."
Pedro and John had done some research in the "For Hire" section online and had picked out costumes they found in the Georgian sub-category. So, when we arrived, Pedro's costume was all ready for him to try on. It includes britches, a hat, a vest, a shirt, shoes, a fantastically detailed frock coat, and a purple velvet cape. He still needs to deal with a few more details like a wig, stockings, and a mask; however he is well on his way to being ready. He's just a little worried about the weight of his luggage though; that frock coat is one very heavy puppy!
Obviously, he just sort of threw the costume on but once it's sorted out properly, I think he will look amazing. Next up, we go there with John on Wednesday to get his. I am ignoring the fact that they have rented these costumes for 99 pounds each - a very small fraction of what I have spent on mine BUT I have customized embellishments!!!
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