Ad Hoc

They have great birthday cards but it mostly reminds me of a girly spencer gifts and the store has a cluttered feeling. I guess if I were 16 I may like it.

Any shop that «meows» at me as I walk through the door is going to be a hit with me. Glitter on the floor as you enter, masks lining the walls, rows of petticoats, long gloves and fur hats. It’s like a dream world of wonderfulness.
Now I don’t think this is a fancy dress shop, but they do sell a lot of fancy dress. I just think that the people who work here and their regular shoppers think it’s quite normal to walk around London wearing cat ears. I popped in to grab some bits for halloween and for £20 walked away with a bag of goodies that will ensure I’m all fright on the night!
It’s not cheap, but I’ve seen pricer. Although their staff are super duper helpful and I was in and out in under five minutes with everything I needed. Yay for Ad Hoc.

This place is like a mixture of Hot Topic, Spencers Gifts, and Wet Seal, (American Stores.)
Went in here at least once a week to try n’ find some souvenirs to take back with me, but nothing. Everything was over priced, and weren’t things that I could only find there.
They do have some really fun jewelry and random outfits, but stores like Hot Topic have really spoiled/​killed it for us out in the U.S. Nothing at this store is really worth the price, if you live in the U.S.
Just so you get an idea of what they have:
80s inspired/​colored clothing
Cute jewelry/​Harajuku type of designs
Fun coin purses
Décor for bachelorette parties
Different colored /​styled wigs
Things like that.
Eh.

This is a store that Patricia Field (costume designer of Sex and the City, for those living under a rock) would be proud of. It is the same kind of merchandise that she carries in her store in NYC. Trendy, funky, club wear and clothes that make you smile. This store stands out from amongst its peers on the Kings Road, now mostly high end high street stores this store stands alone in its funkiness. Some of the items are a bit raunchy and say F*** a lot, but I am guessing the people that shop here probably say F*** a lot too, or at least have a good sense of humour. The faint hearted need not enter. They say they are the best shop on the Kings Road and I would have to agree. You can even shop online too if you can’t make it all the way down to Cheslea, but there is so much in the store they don’t have everything on the website.

If you are looking for a Secret Santa gift around £2-£10, Ad Hoc is a fun place to go. Drawing the customer in you already will find colourful sparkles scattered on the street… I follow the traces like a child the chocolate eggs at Christmas.
There you will find lots of gimicks and people like me even buy it. It is a good place if you look for something fun to dress up and spend a couple of quids on fashion accessories such as colourful tights (bought one for my friend but she never wore it), sun glasses, under wear (not really my taste)…
There is one reason why I return to this shop, they have a lighter, which keeps getting stolen from me. Every smoker knows how difficult it is to hold on to their personal lighter — they just disappear. The slogan written on this one is: ‘Buy your own fucking lighter!’ Wonder why I keep loosing it?

This is a really funky shop in the heart of Chelsea, here you will find a vast array of retro fashion items and accessories, interesting looking sunglasses, rings, t-​shirts and various other bits and bobs. Everything in this shop is super bright, fun and colourful.
I recently got a really lovely mini hot water bottle with a cover that had a heart on it as a present for someone for £10.

Ad Hoc is a store that has been through the times. It is probably one of the original stores that started up in the 60s (although don’t quote me on that), all I know is, it’s been around for a long long time and survived through its originality. Kings Road was once a creative hubbub and now just full of chain stores peddling their mass-​produced wares, and it’s not to say that Ad Hoc isn’t selling mass-​produced wares, it’s just presented in such a way that is a lot more original than most. The store is loud and garish, a bright pink neon light alongside side rainbow-​coloured tacky products adorn the window and inside, all things gimmicky are covered all over the front sales desk. Clothes from smaller independent labels are sold here and essentially, if this were placed in Camden it wouldn’t work as well because it wouldn’t stick out in Camden. But it is what it is, the original tacky and garish shop which sells outlandish things for the manicured Chelsea which is why so many teenagers seem to love it, because it goes beyond what the rest are selling and says, ‘to hell with it’.

This is a funky little shop in Chelsea, great for some retro fashion items or daring fancy dress. You can get pastel-​coloured heart-​shaped sunnies, jazzy passport covers, wigs in flouro coloursmy friend got some puppy dog earrings, while I got this hot pink passport cover that says Queen of the Skies!
There are T-​shirts with Mr Men and Little Miss characters, out-​there statements and ripped/​torn for effect; purses and wallets; dresses for the summer; bright coloured denim jeans (like royal blue and flouro orange); and the standard carousel with party faves like grow your own voodoo doll/​penis/​bunch or flowers, etc.
The shop owners are lovely and don’t mind a good laugh, so get yourself in there if not just to oggle the goods!