Where to Find Thrift Store Clothing in London: A Guide
December 10, 2023Discover where to find thrift store clothing in London with these practical tips, ensuring you get high-quality vintage finds without breaking the bank.
How To Find The Best Thrift Store Clothing In London
Thrift stores are widespread when looking for Where to Find Thrift Store Clothing in London; several offer vintage items in various parts of London, from East London to Central London. However, finding where to find thrift store clothing in London that meets your style and quality standards can be a challenge.You should note that not all pre-loved clothes are suitable for you. You still have to check different things to bag the best quality pre-loved clothing.
London is an expensive city, so you already know that even the best vintage shops on the famous high streets won’t sell thrift designer clothes as cheap as in other places.
It can be challenging to locate where to find thrift store clothing in London and the best vintage wear worth the money you’ll spend on them. You wouldn’t want to buy pre-loved clothing you’d not wear.
This is why we’ve compiled a list of tips to help you buy the best vintage clothing.
1. Please don’t be too shy to try them on.
Blue17_Shop frontage
Sometimes, going the traditional way can make a lot of difference. When you look for where to find thrift store clothing in London and at thrift clothing on the rack, they may look quite different. In fact, the way clothes look on your body is never the same as they look on the rack.
You can’t be so accurate about exactly how clothes will look until you wear them.
There are types of clothes that just don’t look so good on the hanger. If you like the style or pattern of a particular dress, just try it on. Thankfully, there is no limit to the number of clothes you can try on at a thrift store.
2. Your hands won’t deceive you.
Blue17 vintage clothing – store interior
You shouldn’t decide to buy a pre-loved wear until you’ve felt it with your hands. Why? So that you know the type of fabric you’re getting- if it’s artificial or natural. Some fabrics, especially artificial ones, make you get all sweaty in no time.
By just looking, you may not know the fabric a particular wear is made from, especially if they have darker colors. When you feel vintage wear with your hands, you can know if it’ll serve you or it’ll just sit in your closet.
3. Where to Find Thrift Store Clothing in London – Dress your decade.
Blue17 vintage clothing photo shoot
The fact that you’re buying pre-loved clothing and accessories does not mean you have to look out of place on the street. You should look for vintage clothing that allows you to dress your decade.
Dressing your decade means picking from the decade that best suits your body type. For instance, if you prefer bold patterns, you should buy clothes from the 1990s vintage fashion. Similarly, you should pick wear from the 1940s vintage section if you have narrow shoulders.
However, you can expand your horizon with finding Thrift Store Clothing in London if you’re shopping for a costume look or something similarly dramatic. You can pick from any decade that looks suitable to you.
4. The grade is essential.
Blue17 original vintage clothing bales
Vintage is not synonymous with low quality. If you intend to wear it, you should ensure the quality is up to your standard.
First, when looking for Where to Find Thrift Store Clothing in London you should look out for things like broken zips, missing buttons, scratches, and small tears. While they may seem insignificant, they are tiny constituents that sum up the quality of your vintage wear. For instance, when a vintage pair of jeans trousers is missing its zipper, you don’t need anyone to tell you that it is not in premium condition. Although that doesn’t make it a wrong choice, you have to be aware that you’ll be spending some money on the zippers.
If you’re buying shoes, take a look at the soles to know if they are bent or cracked. That way, you can know how old the shoes are.
Also, when searching for Where to Find Thrift Store Clothing in London you should go for the grade that suits your purpose the most. If you’re on the high streets for casual vintage clothing, you shouldn’t spend extra on buying a grade-A dress. Similarly, grade-A wear would work best for you if you want designer clothes that you would wear to work or social functions.
5. Where to Find Thrift Store Clothing in London – The sizes are usually different.
Especially when you’re buying vintage clothing, you need to know that the sizing isn’t the same as the one we use now. A size 12 vintage dress may not be your regular size 12. That’s why you shouldn’t just pick thrift wear off the rack because of the size on the label.
When you’re shopping for vintage wear, you shouldn’t rely solely on the label. In fact, you should disregard the label.
6. Reworking can be amazing.
If you like a certain thrift wear, but you just wish there was something different- maybe you want a puff reduced- you could buy it and then give a tailor to rework it for you.
On the other hand, when you are looking for Where to Find Thrift Store Clothing in London you can get reworked vintage pieces at thrift stores. The different changes made to them make them look unique and pretty unconventional.
Links
- https://maxinebrady.com/2018/09/10-tips-to-buying-vintage-clothing/
- https://www.bankvogue.com/used-clothing-sorted-graded-journey-credential-clothing-mixed-rags/#:~:text=Grade%20A%20items%20are%20usually,but%20remain%20in%20good%20condition.
- https://stylecaster.com/how-to-buy-vintage-clothing/
- https://www.blue17.co.uk/vintage-blog/page/3/
