Vintage stuff is not just only budget fashion but is also making your style unique and outstanding from the rest. If you love mix and match your cloths together, vintage stuff is one of the best answer. Moreover, it's also saving planet too.
Today I would like to suggest some interesting places to shop vintage. So if you have chance, you can stop by, shop and dig!
London
The North London Vintage Market
The North London Vintage Market is an exciting new addition to the vintage calendar for 2011. Run by two experienced vintage dealers from Spitalfields Antique Market, the North London Vintage Market aims to deliver an eclectic mix of over 20 carefully handpicked stallholders selling mid-century ceramics, vintage fabrics, retro furniture, homeware & kitchenalia, clothing, books, curiosities and much more.
The market is at St Mary's Parish Hall in Crouch End - a leafy corner of North London in easy reach of Muswell Hill, Finsbury Park, Highgate, Finchley as well as being accessable to the wider London area. As of July we are also at Stoke Newington Library Gallery off Church Street in Stoke Newington, an equally green and serene corner of North London in close proximity to Dalston, Hackney and the world of East London too. Here is where it’s located “St Mary's Parish Hall, Cranley Gardens, London N10 3AH 07793 072966”.
Rokit
This painfully hip store with three branches around London proffers retro clothes at prices rarely below twenty UKP. According to a store clerk, the stock is imported from a mother company in Canada and pre-priced, which makes it automatically suspect, and shoe prices are criminal - but the rare, moderately priced find makes a stop here worthwhile.
This painfully hip store with three branches around London proffers retro clothes at prices rarely below twenty UKP. According to a store clerk, the stock is imported from a mother company in Canada and pre-priced, which makes it automatically suspect, and shoe prices are criminal - but the rare, moderately priced find makes a stop here worthwhile.
Beyond Retro
An excellent emporium with a veritable warehouse of vintage clothing in all manner of styles, this gem of a store, located a few blocks off of Brick Lane among industrial, derelict-looking buildings, is a haven for weathered vintage shoppers and fashion-industry types alike. Prices are some of the best bargains you’ll find in central London – rarely more than ten UKP for shirts, blouses and heels, fifteen UKP for dresses, and thirty for jackets and boots. Some household wares and furniture are offered, too, along with myriad accessories, bags and sunglasses. The shoe range is well maintained and appealingly arranged according to colour, and the sweaters and shirts are laid out likewise. Although the store bills itself as “American Retro in London”, the pieces are obviously culled from Canadian and American rag houses. The slightly Misleading advertising notwithstanding, Beyond Retro is the best of its kind in central London, achieving the rare coupling of a lack of pretension with a keen eye for style.
An excellent emporium with a veritable warehouse of vintage clothing in all manner of styles, this gem of a store, located a few blocks off of Brick Lane among industrial, derelict-looking buildings, is a haven for weathered vintage shoppers and fashion-industry types alike. Prices are some of the best bargains you’ll find in central London – rarely more than ten UKP for shirts, blouses and heels, fifteen UKP for dresses, and thirty for jackets and boots. Some household wares and furniture are offered, too, along with myriad accessories, bags and sunglasses. The shoe range is well maintained and appealingly arranged according to colour, and the sweaters and shirts are laid out likewise. Although the store bills itself as “American Retro in London”, the pieces are obviously culled from Canadian and American rag houses. The slightly Misleading advertising notwithstanding, Beyond Retro is the best of its kind in central London, achieving the rare coupling of a lack of pretension with a keen eye for style.
Salvation Army Store
This sparse but well-kept store is tucked around the corner from the high street mecca of Oxford Circus, but is hardly the sort of dirt-cheap Salvation Army free-for-all so common in the suburbs. Clearly catering to high street types willing to wander ever slightly off-path (two-thirds of a block, to be precise) to do some rummaging through this store’s less than ample racks. Items are generally moderately priced, following the Rokit model of slapping a thirty UKP price on anything looking vaguely out of the movie Repo Man.
This sparse but well-kept store is tucked around the corner from the high street mecca of Oxford Circus, but is hardly the sort of dirt-cheap Salvation Army free-for-all so common in the suburbs. Clearly catering to high street types willing to wander ever slightly off-path (two-thirds of a block, to be precise) to do some rummaging through this store’s less than ample racks. Items are generally moderately priced, following the Rokit model of slapping a thirty UKP price on anything looking vaguely out of the movie Repo Man.
Portobello Road Market
Although the rest of the market runs through the weekend, the best day to go for vintage shopping is Friday. The wide array of decades and styles represented in the stalls underneath the canopy, several blocks past the antiques and foods, attracts both casual shoppers and designers in need of inspiration, and, accordingly, some stallholders cater to the latest runway trends. Prices are generally low, but since stallholders know their stuff, rarer finds can top fifty pounds.
Although the rest of the market runs through the weekend, the best day to go for vintage shopping is Friday. The wide array of decades and styles represented in the stalls underneath the canopy, several blocks past the antiques and foods, attracts both casual shoppers and designers in need of inspiration, and, accordingly, some stallholders cater to the latest runway trends. Prices are generally low, but since stallholders know their stuff, rarer finds can top fifty pounds.
Bath
The Guildhall Market - Best for Craft
The people you see in the Guildhall market are a funny lot. Yummy mums on the lookout for cool kitchen things; pasty students seeking out 70s night outfits; tourists cooing over Jane Austen tea towels. It's a magical place where you can get everything from haircuts to fake pearls, from beads and material to old fashioned sweets. (The Guildhall Market, Northumberland Place, Bath BA1 5AW, 01225 477 000)
Brighton
Snoopers' Paradise - Best for Freaky Finds
A maze of kitsch stalls stocking oddities like Kinder Egg toys, comics, sailor hats, shabby chic antiques, LPs, faded photos and pawn shop jewellery. The exterior is grotty but go inside and you'll soon be beguiled. Looking for a gold-framed mirror? Or a mismatched 50s tea set? Maybe a handful of retro jewellery at good-time prices. Warning: do not go on a Saturday, particularly if you're a) hungover b) claustrophobic or c) afraid of dead people's stuff. But if you can handle the crowds and cold sweats, you'll be rewarded with some real beauties.(Snoopers’ Paradise 7-8 Kensington Gardens, Brighton, BN1 4AL, 01273 602 558)
Dublin
Epoch Boutique - Best for Bags
So it's not quite thrift but oh my is this online shop lovely. They describe themselves as 'Dublin's first recycled fashion and independent design boutique'. Their attitude that 'fashion should last a lifetime' makes a real change from the buy-it-now-and-watch-it-disintegrate mentality of the high street. They stock beautiful shoes (about 25 Euros) and some gorgeous leather satchel handbags (65 Euros) à la Alexa Chung. You can also pick up a "Kodak Brownie" if you dare. (Epoch Boutique)
Edinburgh
Shelter - Best for Posh Guff
A charity shop in a posh area equals classy clobber, and this Shelter certainly shifts a good amount. There are talks of this place being so heaving that there's very little left if you're not quick. Definitely one for the early/posh birds, you'll need to queue in advance to get hold of the best finds, else face a bit of a scrap heap. (Shelter, 106 Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, EH4 1HH, 0131 315 022)
Leeds
Community Shop - Best for Jolie-Laide
A prince among thieves, this is a real gem. Admittedly, it's off the beaten track but its worth it. The unintentionally kitsch window display reveals chintzy tea sets, 70s crockery and coloured glass vases. Inside this tardis there's plenty more to feast your greedy eyes on and all at proper charity shop prices.(Community Shop 14-16 Green Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS6 4JP, 01132 753 533)
Liverpool
Quiggins - Best for Style
Quiggins is the Liquorice Allsorts of thrift - there's a bit of everything, but some are a bit ming. It's similar to Manchester's Affleck's Palace in that it houses lots of independent retailers - some cheap, some not but you'll always find something good. A mecca for arty and musicy types with whom it has a huge following. (Quiggins 352 Aigburth Road, Liverpool, L17 0BL, 0151 727 3925)
London
The East End Thrift Store - Best for Crazy Sh*t
Set over two floors of a warehouse down a back alley in Stepney Green, TEETS is a lot of fun. Think 'thrift' not 'vintage' which means you get all the groovy gear of yesteryear at respectable prices. Most of the stock is around the £7-£20 mark, but if you splash out £30 you could get the one-of-a-kind Barbara Cartland-esque red evening dress to trip the light fantastic. Best buy? A green Jackie O-style halterneck dress for £20. (The East End Thrift Store Unit 1a Watermans Building Assembly Passage, E1 4UT, 020 7423 9700)
Manchester
Oxfam Originals - Best for Quality Stuff Without the Rooting Around
There are loads of amazing shops in Manc, particularly round the Northern Quarter, but this one is a treat. More vintage than thrift, Oxfam Originals is a brilliant place to pick up quality pieces. You'll know you're there because there'll be some trendsetter kid on the counter, a phat record playing and some pretty frocks on the rails. The bonus here is you don't have to rifle through tat. The minus is you pay for the luxury. But it's worth it. They have great scarves, handbags, jewellery and other nice bits (for blokes too), all guaranteed to set you apart from the Market Street hordes.(Oxfam Originals Unit 8, Smithfield Buildings, 51 Oldham Street, Manchester M1 1JR, 0161 839 3160)
Newcastle upon Tyne
Thrifty Beatnik - Best for Men
The shop owner is described as "neither a fat Mick Jagger wannabe or a slutty attempt at a 50’s american housewife". With that nugget of insight in mind, said shop owner stocks some pretty impressive stuff. Don't go looking for the shop – it's now an e-tailer supplying the BBC Props and Costumes department and Latitude Festival, no less. And if it's good enough for them... (Thrifty Beatnik)
Swansea
Hobo's - Best for Mini-Prices
A real local secret - if you love thrift you'll love Hobo's. They sell things like chairs, pillow cases, lamps, blouses, jumpers, leather jackets and even fisheye cameras. Prices are dirt, from £5 jumpers, £10 dresses and £30 leather jackets. The shop, like the prices, is small but packed full of rails of fab stuff. Friendly staff too - always a bonus. (Hobo's
214 Oxford Street, Swansea, West Glamorgan SA1 3BG, 01792 654 586)
214 Oxford Street, Swansea, West Glamorgan SA1 3BG, 01792 654 586)
York
Deep - Best for Girlie Dresses
Skip past the shops on the high street and head for dodgy-monikered Deep and kit yourself out in hot charity couture at bargain basement prices. Bursting with men's and women's attire, Deep has a lot to offer the stylista. Not everything is tasteful but when did fun ever equal taste? A white 1950s dress for £20? Add a brown belt a la Chloe for £5, a leather bag at £6, shoes for a fiver, and hey presto, you're hot to trot. (Deep Vintage Clothing 26 Fossgate, York, YO1 9TA, 01904 633 102)
New York
Alice Underground
Alice Underground offers great vintage clothing, shoes and jewelry. They also have fabric and linens in the back and bargain bins of varying items such as leather, dresses, sweaters, teeshirts, and skirts. I was sad to see their uptown store close, but the downtown one is huge and there are plenty of goodies to be found. Address & Phone: 481 Broadway between Broome and Prince Streets (212) 431-9067
Allan & Suzi
Allan & Suzi has amazing window displays and lots of designer labels, but everything is pretty outrageous in style and price. Address & Phone: 416 Amsterdam at 80th St (212) 724-7445
The Antique Boutique
The Antique Boutique is an usual store where you can get a wide assortment of second hand clothes as well as brand new ones. Most of the people that hang out at this place are NYU students in search of inexpensive hip clothing, although the prices can get up there on certain items. Address & Phone: 712-714 Broadway near 4th Street (212) 460-8830
Canal Jeans
Canal Jeans is a huge store with a good mix of new and old clothes. They have everything from Calvin Klein lingerie to inflatable furniture to feather boas and hot pink wigs. Website www.canaljean.com Address & Phone: Broadway btwn Spring and Broom (212) 226-1130
Canal Jeans is a huge store with a good mix of new and old clothes. They have everything from Calvin Klein lingerie to inflatable furniture to feather boas and hot pink wigs. Website www.canaljean.com Address & Phone: Broadway btwn Spring and Broom (212) 226-1130
Ross Dress For Less
This shop is not selling vintage cloth; however, the shop sells off season designer clothes, shoes, handbags and so on. So if you dig well, you can sometime get pretty good & brand new dresses from high end with price $50 or even $25 high heeled pump. Ross has its branch around the US. You can also visit its website www.rosstores.com
Paris
Francine Dentelles :
the different addresses (one in Paris, two in Saint-Ouen) of this specialist offer a good if pricey selection of lace, linen and historic clothing. You'll never get to see her owner, always in search for new items, but the sellers are nice and knowledgeable.
2 rue de l'Avé-Maria, 75 004 (call for an appointment at 06 07 41 99 01 or e-mail at francinedentelles@voila.fr). M° Saint-Paul.
Stand 121-123 and 140 bis, allée n°7, Marché Vernaison, St-Ouen (01 40 10 93 36). M° Porte-de-Cligancourt.
2 rue de l'Avé-Maria, 75 004 (call for an appointment at 06 07 41 99 01 or e-mail at francinedentelles@voila.fr). M° Saint-Paul.
Stand 121-123 and 140 bis, allée n°7, Marché Vernaison, St-Ouen (01 40 10 93 36). M° Porte-de-Cligancourt.
Fuschia Dentelles :
this serious outsider of Francine Dentelles in the nice area of Village Saint-Paul sells valuables like a 1925 cloche hat (150 euros), old cottons and a short selection of retro dresses.
2 rue de l'Avé-Maria, 75 004 (01 48 04 75 61). M° Saint-Paul.
Brigitte Campagne - Ancienne Mode :
2 rue de l'Avé-Maria, 75 004 (01 48 04 75 61). M° Saint-Paul.
Brigitte Campagne - Ancienne Mode :
Brigitte Campagne is a true specialist of antique clothing from 1800 to 1940. A haunt for wardrobe masters, her tiny shop is packed with turn-of-the-century jackets, luscious coats and ball gowns. Most of the stock is for collectors only, as the fabrics tend to be fragile. Prices are average, with a 1910 embroidered coat at 300 euros.
Maison Brigitte Campagne, 17, rue Moret, 75 011. (01 43 55 11 98) M° Ménilmontant.
Irma :
Maison Brigitte Campagne, 17, rue Moret, 75 011. (01 43 55 11 98) M° Ménilmontant.
Irma :
Irma is only one example of the numerous shops of Vernaison Market who offer vintage linen and lace. On a recent visit she had on offer a 1920 velvet dress in good condition (300 euros) and a magnificently embroidered 1913 coat. On a rack outside the shop you may find the occasional Sixties dress for a bargain.
Stand 200, allée n°9, Marché Vernaison, St-Ouen (01 40 10 08 57). M° Porte-de-Clignancourt.
Chez Sarah :
Stand 200, allée n°9, Marché Vernaison, St-Ouen (01 40 10 08 57). M° Porte-de-Clignancourt.
Chez Sarah :
not for the faint-hearted, Sarah Rozenbaum offers historic clothing and textile at a price, for serious collectors and museums. Well worth a visit for inspiration, if not shopping.
Marché Jules Vallès, 27 rue Lécuyer, St-Ouen. M° Porte-de-Clignancourt.
Marché Jules Vallès, 27 rue Lécuyer, St-Ouen. M° Porte-de-Clignancourt.
Soon I will come back with more info for other cities too!!
