Enjoy all the delights of a london vintage clothes shop

One of the pleasures of a visit to the capital city is the joys of a london vintage clothes shop. You can spend a whole pleasant afternoon browsing their selections.

Discovering the best london vintage clothes shop

For lots of people, the best bit about London is the shopping. There’s no doubt that discovering all the districts of London and their individual characters is a pleasure. For fans of vintage, there’s lots to discover.

Some retro shops in London are extremely posh, selling vintage design pieces with a surprisingly hefty price tag. These are great for getting your inspiration, ideas or perhaps a small item. Well, who’s to say you can’t afford a large item? I shouldn’t assume. Covent Garden is one well-heeled area where you might find treasures like this.

However, if you are less than divinely blessed in the purse department, other shops on your vintage shopping tour might be a bit more accessible.

East london vintage clothes shop

By Diliff (Own work) CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL Old Spitalfields Market Panorama, London, UK via Wikimedia Commons

East London is also a good place to go for more affordable vintage clothes, with pieces including day dresses on and around Brick Lane, especially if you go on a Sunday when it will be busy but exciting. Many shops and stalls are not open in this area during the week.

Look in the Spitalfields market for vintage clothes, one offs, pieces by young designers and also new vintage copies, where the pattern of an item has been expertly copied and made anew.

North London Vintage clothes shop

Blue17 london vintage clothes shop-162 Holloway road

If you are based in North London, there are plenty of vintage shops around Islington, and also cute little craft and gift shops. As well as a million coffee shops to stop in… It’s also worth going to Holloway as this is a prime shopping spot for vintage London clothes shop too.

Camden market is a burrower’s paradise. It has lots of retro clothing and other clothing shops, and many a market stall selling clothing and accessories for men and women.

West london vintage clothes shop

Home of the famous antique market.
By Garry Knight (Flickr: Portobello Road) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

In West London, the most famous place for retro pieces could be Portobello road. At the weekend there are hundreds of stalls selling clothes, jewellery, scarves, knick nacks, china, and most other things you can think of. Lining the street are also lots of pubs, cafes, coffee shops, bakeries and other places to eat and drink. There are also lots of other shops selling gifts and things.

While you’re in the West London area don’t forget to look around Notting Hill for a london vintage clothes shop.There are good bookshops here, as well as restaurants and more places to eat, and if you want a break, you can walk in the beautiful Kensington Gardens, a large park a short walk away.

There’s also Holland Park, an equally fascinating spot to take a sandwich and cup of coffee. Don’t miss the Koi Carp or the peacocks! Or the Design Museum, which is free to enter and right next door.

South West London Vintage

Former location of “SEX” , at 430 Kings road, SW10 OLJ.
Mark Ahsmann [CC BY-SA 3.0 ], from Wikimedia Commons

Moving more into the South West area, you’ll find places like Chelsea and Fulham. Chelsea is choc a bloc with celebrities, which are fun to spot. And you’ll also find a lot of charity shops with some very interesting second hand items. Chelsea is one of the richest areas in London so you can bet that the second hand items are also pretty posh. Designer labels like Vivienne Westwood, Ben de Lisi and Marc Jacobs have been spotted here.

Fulham is also quite posh, and in amongst the coffee shops where you’ll also spot the rich and famous, are quality vintage and second hand shops. It’s a particularly good spot for children’s clothes.

South East London Vintage

Greenwich Market interior.
Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

South East London covers places like Greenwich. Greenwich is charming, and has lots of market stalls full of curios plus vintage shops.

For true fans of fashion, it also has a fan museum, which is quite a niche and focussed fashion subject for a museum! As well as this there are cheap places to eat and lots of design shops. It’s a nice place to spend time, and you can get there by river boat, which is a bonus.

Peckham Rye is also in SE London. This is an area which truly runs the gamut from what some might consider the rough to the smooth. There are some very cool hipster bars and vintage shops alongside some much more rough and ready concerns. A brilliant place to explore for a london vintage clothes shop, if a little out of the way for many tourists.