I have been charged by my sister to get a Dragon or Little Devil costume for her 2 yr old son and I only have 2 free days (one of which could be taken up by a Manchester trip). So, would really appreciate any help in finding the right shop to go to.
In fact my plans for London stay had been totally upset by my tour agent who cancelled my Europe tour at last minute. Had to change to another tour agent at later date, hence no free time left. On another thread, my London hotel is Paragon Hotel. What is the best way to get to Heathrow Airport from there?
Thanks a million to all the helpful people on this board. Have spent many hours surfing this board and gleaning valuable info so far.

Dear mp,

You could do what an acquaintance of mine did, "I spent hours looking for them, but couldn't find any".

Bring back some treacle or toffee.

Is a two-year old going to remember that you didn't bring back the costume? (Unless your sister reminds the child every day of his/her life.)

Ps,

Tell her you went to Portobello Road, Harrod's, Fortnum and Mason's, Marks and Spencer and the Scotch House.

Do a search on www.askjeeves.co.uk I am sure you will find a shop that sells such things, but don't send your days just walking and looking, your time is too short and there are too many wonderful things to see and do. Good luck.

Try these UK shops that sell online and purchase and have it delivered to you: http://www.find-uk-clothes.co.uk/fan...ss-costume.php

Keith

There is a lovely children's shop on Chelsea Green that sells costumes. Not sure if they have a dragon though. Don't know the name of the shop, but Chelsea Green is very small, and this is just opposite the Jane Asher cake shop. (Just off the King's Road). Otherwise; perhaps Dragons in Walton Street? They have a website, worth a try. Oh and if you are really determined, there is a very good children's shop on the King's Road, not far from Chelsea Green, called Daisy & Tom (it's just near Sydney Street).

It's called Traditional Toys. If you go to this link, you will find it's number, along with other toyshops in London. http://www.cybertots.co.uk/toyshop.htm

This has to be one of the most amazing &amp; selfish requests I've heard. Am I missing something? Is there a particular reason why <b>London</b> might have this vs NY, SF, Paris, Rome??? A gift, ok, but a costume? Is your time worth so little? Tell her nicely you won't have the time.

Geez, mclaurie must come from a dysfunctional family. One of the coolest gifts I ever brough back for a 2-yr old child (the son of my Admin, and not even a relation!) was a quilted crown -- it folded flat, but fastened with velcro -- which we picked up at the gift shop at the Cluny in Paris. I think a costume is a charming gift, and I hope one of those shops or sites listed among these responses works out for you! (I myself would go to Chelsea Green just because it is a fun area to visit.) Good luck!

Dear Uhoh,

Please, let's not make such quick judgements. OTOH, if McLaurie is from a dysfuctional family it would make her more interesting. As Tolstoy said, &quot;Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way&quot;.

Also, picking up a gift during your travels is quite different from having to go search for one during a limited stay.

BTW, what is an 'Admin'?

Dysfunctional?, maybe :-? There's a big difference uhoh between buying a gift you <i>happen</i> to find, crown, sword or pitch fork and having to search for a needle in a haystack.

My other point was, London is not, to my knowledge, particulatly known for these things. It's one thing to ask for tea or a London red bus or a Teddy bear from Harrod's-if you have the time.

I <i>happen</i> to have found a children's suit of armor with a rubber sword at the Met museum gift shop in NY one year for one of my husband's grandchildren in England. It was a big hit. But if they had asked for such a thing I wouldn't have had a clue of where to go.

Goodness, I think a little explanation is in order. Firstly, the fancy dress costume is for my adorable and precocious nephew who at barely two, is already chanting nursery rhymes and singing songs over the phone each time I call(we stay many hundred miles apart). Secondly, where we come from, there are no fancy fress shops, nope not even in big city like Kuala Lumpur. So this is like an opportunity not to waste to try and find something unique as a present which my sister particularly wanted for her son.
Finally, I am on one of those whirlwind Europe tours that rushes from one place to another. Only London is the last leg but time constraints require that I know exactly where to go to get what I want.
Btw, most online shops either do not send to M'sia or the cost is too prohibitive. From the way the US$ is falling, going to Europe is now a once in a lifetime trip, no repeats!
Thanks to all who have replied. I truly appreciate every reply.

Mclaurie has made excellent points and mirrors my thoughts exactly when I first read this question yesterday. Two of her lines sum it up: &quot;Is your time worth so little&quot; and &quot;London in not particularly known for these things&quot;.

Personally, I'd rather hire a seamstress at home to do the work of my own design than waste time in a wild goose chase while on holiday.

I was wondering if this by any chance had to do with wanting a costume for Chinese New Year, but I guess not. However, that might be an idea as to where you could look for children's costumes (espec. dragons). As Chinese NY is Jan-Feb, I believe, London Chinatown might be a good place to browse. It is on Gerrard St. in-between Leicester Sq and Shaftesbury. If you are in that area, you will find it from the stores, I imagine.

mpchan; just a suggestion, but Ikea does some really good fancy dress costumes for children, and if I am not mistaken they have recently opened a huge shop in KL (it has either opened, or is just about to). If you have never been to Ikea, you may not realise that they sell this there. In any case, do visit the Chelsea Green shop; great shop in a lovely area. Otherwise go into Jane Asher opposite and buy some dragon-shaped cookie cutters (which they will probably have there).

Hi mpchan,

Ahhhh. This is definitely something of importance.

I suggest contacting Harrods to see if they have something for you. Try http://www.harrods.com/ for contact information click on &quot;knightsbridge store&quot;.

I would never question any request from my sister as being &quot;selfish&quot; as she has never in her entire life been so. I assumed mpchan was fortunate enough to have the same type of relationship. An adored nephew clearly makes this an important task that is undertaken with love. I thought mclaurie was jumping to conclusions to assume it was a &quot;selfish&quot; request. People have been too quick to judge on this site lately, and I was just as guilty of the same in my snide comment about being from a dysfunctional family. Sorry. (Admin is short for Administrative Assistant who is someone who once may have been called a secretary, but the job's function has changed dramatically. She's my right hand at work, and her adorable son, who is now 4, cracks us all up when he visits the office.)

In an effort to redeem myself, I found another website which lists lots of places in the UK for children's &quot;fancy dress.&quot; Several say you can order online. If you find what you're looking for online, you could have it sent/delivered to your hotel (have them mark the package &quot;please hold for arrival&quot; with the date) &amp; save yourself a trip

http://www.kids-party.com/fancydress.shtml

Angel's Fancy Dress on Shaftsbury Ave is the only London location I see, but Make Believe (located in Guildford which is about an hour &amp; a half by train outside London) lists &quot;little devils&quot; as one of their costumes, although I couldn't find it on their website.