Rococo

Please go in here if you want to deal with the most rude and unhelpful staff ever! They actually go out of their way to terse and pointed in their replies. Woe betide if you want any actual advice about any of the items! Three times now the same lady has been borderline abusive! Actually quite funny, but think the staff there are in the wrong business!

Rococo now has a sign in the window proclaiming: We are not a sex shop, we are a fancy dress shop which I find highly amusing. What on Earth gave them the idea that they need to clarify that? As if the multitude of neon wigs and fancy-​dress costumes in the window wasn’t enough… I guess it just depends what you’re into, eh?
Anyway, this is most definitely a fancy dress shop, and THE place to go if you like funky, neon, spider-​webbed tights or stockings in every colour imaginable. They’re great for fake eyelashes too I got some absolutely fabulous blue, green and pink ones from here last Pride that were HUGE and brilliantly fluttery. They’ve also got a range of (quite cheap-​looking) all-​in-​one-​bag fancy dress costumes which are pretty convenient if you’re in too much of a rush to throw an outfit together and don’t mind going out as the obligatory sexy nurse, sexy pirate or Wonderwoman.
A final word of warning though their nose jewellery isn’t silver. I bought a lovely little star stud from here that made my nose go a distinctly unattractive green colour. Not nice.

I checked out Rococo in hopes of finding a hoop for my conch piercing — There were displays of body jewellery in the window.
However, once inside I could see that the shop focuses mostly on costumes — and they have an extensive supply. I browsed through the racks of outfits and shelves of accessories while wondering how these sorts of shops can stay open all year.
Rococo also stocks plenty of Halloween-​esque make up and containers of glittery pastes for the finishing touches.
The supply of jewellery was fairly limited — mostly studs and small jewels. Nothing of the hoop variety. Oh well. I’ll keep this shop in mind next October.

I like the idea of fancy dress shops, but once inside I instantly become critical and wonder who it is that has so little imagination that they need to buy a ready-​made devil’s outfit or an incredibly tacky polyester Elvis all-​in-​one! And like Jessica W., I am baffled by the idea that they are open all year round… who keeps them in business? I can imagine that Brighton’s flamboyant arts and nightlife scenes help out a bit… and obviously Halloween is a big one, but I would have thought business is painfully slow at times.
I know I’ve only been into Rococo a few times and my purchases have been of the minimal, accessory variety… sparkly makeup for a festival and a beautiful feathered mask for a party. I don’t have much need for cowboy boots and platform boots and you’ll never find me in a PVC catsuit, so I think my need to use the shop will always be limited. However, if you are in a rush, in need of inspiration or lazy when it comes to getting creative, Rococo could be the answer to your prayers…

When we were looking for Halloween costumes — admittedly a little late, considering we started our search at around 4.30 on Halloween — there was literally a huge queue of people waiting in line to get in here, highlighting its reputation as the place to go for costume related accessories. Just make sure you don’t leave buying one to the last minute, or you might find yourself with a long wait!