Not your average dressing up box!
Established in 1978 with a collection of costumes from the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, Hampshire Wardrobe now has over 10,000 items in our Winchester store. From ancient times to the 1980s you’re sure to find the perfect outfit for your production or special event.
Whether you're going to an event like Goodwood Revival or putting on a Theatrical Production, our friendly and experienced team are on hand to help you find a unique costume to make you feel just the part.
Unlike a fancy dress shop, we have a mixture of original vintage and reproduction historical costumes. We work with customers to mix and match garments, creating a bespoke costume that will make you stand out from the crowd.
Book an appointment to visit our store in Winchester.
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Find out more below - if your question isn't answered here, please get in touch
If you’re heading to a special event, Hampshire Wardrobe has exactly what you need. From Vintage costume for Goodwood Revival to Regency Era outfits for Bridgerton Secret Cinema, book an appointment with us to get that perfect outfit. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff are on hand during your visit to assist you with styling and accessorising.
Our minimum hire period is 7 days, however, you can hire for longer.
Book yourself an appointment today.
Whether it’s for a drama production, filming, exhibition, or special project, Hampshire Wardrobe offers a variety of vintage, theatrical and historical costume that will bring your vision to life.
Professional hirers benefit from a free fitting, off-site, as part of your hire. Additional fittings are charged at 10% of the hire charge.
Our minimum hire period is 7 days; however, you can hire for a longer period.
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With over 10,000 costumes and endless possibilities, we ask all our customers to book an appointment to visit us. You can visit us up to 6 weeks ahead of your production or event. In the case of Goodwood Revival costumes, you can book an appointment up to 12 weeks ahead.
Appointments last approximately 45 minutes to an hour. During this time, our team will give you time to browse the collection, then assist you with styling and accessorising your outfit.
Our standard appointment is for up to 2 people; however you can book a longer appointment for up to four people.
Please arrive on time for your appointment, with regret we may have to refuse you admission should you arrive late.
Professional hirers who are costuming a large production or event can book a double appointment slot.
For individuals who are unable to visit our premises in Winchester, we run a costumier service where we select costumes for you based on references and measurements provided by you. Our fee for this service is £20 for up to 4 outfits, in addition to your hire charge. Fill in our quick measurement chart below and send it to hampshirewardrobe@hampshireculturalturst.org.uk along with references of what you’re looking for, and the date you would like to hire.
The table below gives an indication of our hire charges; however the final cost will depend on what a costume consists of. These are for our standard 7-day hire. We do offer a discount of 50% for the second week hire, and 25% for each subsequent week.
| Item | Description | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Outfit | Basic ladies' dress or 2 piece men's outfit (any period) | £30.00 | £24.00 |
| Premium Outfit | Ladies dress (inc. 2 piece) or 3 piece men's outfit (any period) | £35.00 | £28.00 |
| Specialist Outfit | High quality/embellished Ladies dress, men's 4 piece outfit (any period), Uniform outfit (Jacket, Trousers, Shirt) | £40.00 | £32.00 |
| Basic Single Garment | e.g. Shirt/Blouse, Skirt/Trousers, Basic Corset, Waistcoat, Pullover | £10.00 | £8.00 |
| Premium Outfit | e.g. Jacket, Cloak, Bodice, High Quality Corset | £20.00 | £16.00 |
| Footwear - Shoes | Men's and Women's shoes - any period | £10.00 | £8.00 |
| Footwear | Men's and Women's boots - any period | £15.00 | £12.00 |
| Basic/Small Accessory | e.g. Jewellery, Neckwear, Gloves, Belts, | £3.00 | N/A |
| Premium/Large Accessory | e.g. Handbags, petticoats, braces, weapons, shawls, stockings/tights | £5.00 | N/A |
| Specialist Accessory | e.g. Suitcases, Military bags | £10.00 | N/A |
| Basic Headwear |
Ladies' Hats, Bonnets, Headdresses, Tiaras, Men's Hats/Caps, Hoods/Coifs, Basic Wigs |
£5.00 | £4.00 |
| Premium Headwear | Top Hats, Military/Uniform Caps, Dressed Wigs | £7.50 | £6.00 |
| Specialist Headwear | Silk Top Hats, Helmets (any period), Barrister/Judges Wigs (authentic), Specialist Wigs (e.g. Marie Antionette, Father Christmas) | £10.00 | £8.00 |
| Wedding Dresses | Vintage from 1930s to 1980s | £100.00 | N/A |
All customers are required to leave a minimum of £50 refundable deposit, and hire charges are paid for on the day of collection. In some instances, we are able to invoice, however we do accept all major cards (except for American Express).
You don’t need to clean or wash your costume before returning it to us, cleaning and maintenance is included in the cost of your hire. Spillages on costumes don’t automatically mean you forfeit your deposit. In most cases we can get the stain out first time, so make sure you bring your costume back as it is without attempting to clean it.
Should an outfit not fit properly we are able to make small alterations to costumes free of charge, however we do charge for more substantial alterations. Prices start at £10.
Should any damages occur to our costumes while on hire we ask that you notify us as soon as possible. Any alterations made to costumes without our knowledge or consent will be treated as damage and will be charged for.
Are you a special interest group that is interested in the history of Hampshire Wardrobe and costume history? Our knowledgeable team are available to run workshops, talks, and tours both on and off site.
Costuming Character: This 90-minute workshop explores how costume designers create character using costume. With access to our entire collection, you’ll have a go at putting together a costume using a character biography. £15pp, minimum £150 per group. (on-site)
Behind the Scenes at Hampshire Wardrobe: 90 minute talk and tour of Hampshire Wardrobe. You’ll be introduced to the history of Hampshire Wardrobe and the importance of costume in creating characters for stage and screen. You’ll then have an opportunity to explore the collection and try on costumes and accessories. £15pp, minimum £150 per group. (on-site)
Costumes from Hampshire Wardrobe: offsite talk about the history of Hampshire Wardrobe, how characters are created for stage and screen using costume, with a focus on a period of costume history of your choice. Previous topics have included Regency Attire and The Tudor Court. £20pp, minimum £200 per group. (offsite)
We have a variety of volunteering roles available at Hampshire Wardrobe, from working behind the scenes maintaining our collection, to assisting customers during appointments. Check out our roles on the volunteering pages.
Ways to Volunteer | Hampshire Cultural Trust (hampshireculture.org.uk)
At the moment we are unable to offer Work Experience placements, however we hope to be able to do this in the not too distant future.
We're often asked if we take donations of clothing, and the answer is "yes", however there are certain things we are looking for and others we're not.
Yes please: Men's vintage clothing from 44" chest and 38" waist upwards. Ladies' vintage clothing from size 16 upwards. Large size hats 22" circumference and bigger. We accept donations of fabrics too - we're particularly interested in cottons, wool and silks/satins.
No thank you: Fur coats, wraps and stoles - we already have a lot of these. Wedding and bridesmaids dresses from 1970s onwards. Small sizes in vintage and retro clothing.
Please contact us ahead of visiting to tell us about the items you would like to donate.
If you have something you would like to donate to Hampshire Cultural Trust's historic dress and textiles collection, please contact the Collections team at: collections@hampshireculturaltrust.org.uk
