The Essential Guide to Vintage Shopping Like a Pro
Including the best online retailers, London's finest IRL shops and some international recommendations from friends in the know
I’ve recently discovered the absolute joy of vintage shopping. I would understand if you scoffed at that statement. I’m 36 years old, and when I tell my friends that I’ve only just realised that it’s possible to buy old clothes (and look good in them) they laugh in my face, too.
The truth is that when I worked as a style director on magazines, most of my clothes came to me for free. It was a state of affairs which meant that my style was dictated, more or less, by the stuff which the PR people sent over for me to wear.
Now that I work in a real job and have to buy (most of) my own clothes, I suddenly feel like I’m learning about my own style and what it means to communicate with the world through the outfits I put together. Not only does buying vintage mean that I’m able to populate my new wardrobe with clothes which no one else owns, it also means that I’m able to buy piles of great, characterful stuff without worrying (too much) about either the financial or the ecological implications.
Which is all a long way of saying that I absolutely love shopping for vintage clothes. I love the rummage, I love the joy of discovery, I love having purchases dry cleaned so they arrive back like they’re brand new. I love finding a bargain and I love knowing that I’m not contributing to the ever-increasing garment landfill quota.
I’ve been doing so much vintage shopping of late, in fact, that I thought it might be helpful to share all the lessons I’ve learned along the way, to help you make some considered vintage purchases yourself.
So, consider this your beginner’s guide to the best of vintage shopping. Featuring the finest online outlets for my global readers, the coolest local shops for my London readers and a few recommendations from the world’s biggest fashion capitals from a few of my closest industry friends.
N.B.
I buy much more tailoring than I do T-shirts and sportswear, so if you’re looking for the latter, this might not be the list for you.
Online
1 | Vestiaire Collective
Of all the vintage resale sites, I’ve probably spent the most money on Vestiaire Collective. That’s less because they have the best selection and more because it’s quite expensive (though for high quality pre-loved designer gear there’s nowhere better).
I currently have my eye on an oversized brown Prada jacket, a roomy Kenzo blanket coat and a YSL tweed blazer. All of said pieces cost over £150, but the company’s stringent verification policy means that you know you’re buying the real McCoy.
Best For: High quality designer vintage and never-worns. Also, recent season pieces that have otherwise sold out - hello, bouclé Bottega bomber I missed purchasing from the AW/19 collection.
vestiairecollective.com
2 | Ebay
I was turned on to eBay for vintage clothing by my stylist friend, Luke Day, who often buys vintage Giorgio Armani suits for his clients on the platform. .
Personally speaking, I struggle to wade through the vast amount of crap populating the stream, which makes it difficult to dig out the gems - but if you’re willing to invest the time I’m told it can pay dividends
Best For: Hidden gems, but you need to be willing to put in the work.
ebay.co.uk
3 | Depop
I love buying clothes on Depop. I recently found two classic Giorgio Armani blazers from a lovely seller in Australia. They were £60 each. Following a quick dry clean they were perfect - the soft navy silk one, picture below, being a case in point.
I find Depop easier to navigate than eBay and much better for Fashion with a capital “F” than Vinted. Less fun to sell on, however, as the fees all land on the vendor.
Best For: Proper fashion which doesn’t cost as much as Vestiaire
depop.com
4 | Vinted
I sell a lot of stuff on Vinted. It’s a great place to find everyday basics, with occasional surprise designer gems thrown in. It’s really in the footwear department that Vinted excels. I’ve bought some excellently affordable trainers on the app, which I also find user-friendly in the extreme
Best For: Trainers, shoes, everyday basics and the occasional designer star buy (see above)
vinted.co.uk
5 | Go Thrift
Over the Christmas period I bought seven blazers from GotThrift. Three from Valentino (one of which is the wide-lapelled eighties dream pictured here), one from Joop and a few non designer pieces which arrived smelling delicious - no musty, nostril bothering, old person’s wardrobe scent to experience, here. They were also incredibly cheap. Go Thrift seems to focus more on casual wear than it does formal clothes, meaning that the tailoring goes for a song.
Best For: immaculately presented tailored garments. Blazers in particular. I had the sleeves lengthened on the Valentino one above. It’s worth noting that need to be willing to take your vintage bits to a tailor. People from the past had incredibly short arms apparently. Men who wore tailoring from Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino, in particular.
gothrift.co.uk
London
Central
1 | Wow Vintage
I was turned on to Wow Vintage, at the top of Drury Lane in Covent Garden, by my stylist friend Max Pearmain - who has impeccable taste and is a big collector of vintage Emporio Armani. It’s a bit of a jumble sale inside but it’s possible to find some real gems if you search hard enough.
So far I’ve bought a silk Armani shirt, a beautiful linen Giorgio Armani blazer (with the brand’s characteristic high-gorge lapels from the 90s - pictured above) and a pair of high waisted black pleated trousers which wear like Yves Saint Laurent. Well worth a regular rummage, as the shop receives new stuff all the time. It’s also affordable. The Giorgio Armani blazer above cost £50.
Best For: Surprisingly reasonable designer and non-designer tailoring. The buy is tasteful and it’s really fun to have a Saturday rummage through the rails.
Wow Retro, 179 Drury Ln, London WC2B 5QF
2 | Picknweight Vintage
I’ve found a few surprisingly lovely pieces at this enormous vintage emporium at the heart of Covent Garden. I bought an oversized sea green tweed Burberry blazer for £17 (pictured below) and a slightly shiny brownish gold golf shirt for a tenner. It’s more of a rummage job than Wow Vintage and there are fewer diamonds to find - but if you’re willing to use your imagination you’ll come away with something.
Best For: Cheap styling pieces which you can weave in with statement garments.
Picknweight Vintage, 14-18 Neal St, London WC2H 9LY
3 | Reign Vintage
Reign is easily my favourite vintage clothing shop in Central London. Situated at the heart of Berwick Street in Soho, the store is presided over by a cotillion of angry and stylish 20 somethings, but don’t let that put you off. The edit is among the best in the city, with excellent tailored garments populating the rails, in addition to great knitwear.
The key is in the edit. Not too sparse, but also not so ram-jammed that you feel like you’re at a jumble sale, you’ll never leave here empty handed. I found my favourite tweed jacket, which looks like it was made for me by Matthieu Blazy himself, here just a few weeks ago.
Best For: Tweed!
Reign Vintage, 12 Berwick St, London W1F 0PN
4 | Good Vintage
I very nearly bought an oversized bottle green, double breasted greatcoat from YSL from Good. Despite being ever so slightly overpriced (the coat was a cool £495 and smelled strongly of mothballs), the edit is good and the array of brands is strong. Could do with a bit more stuff to sift through, however.
Best For: A failsafe designer piece, so long as you’re willing to cough up the cash.
5 | Blackout II
This is a lovely little shop at the northern end of Covent Garden. You’ll be less likely to find designer garments, but there are some great period items punctuating the rails, all of which come packed with personality.
The clothes in the store also feel like they’ve been properly cared for, which makes the shopping experience more enjoyable. Be warned, the prices are slightly higher than at Wow Vintage.
Best For: Period and statement pieces without designer labels
Good Vintage, 33 Neal St, London WC2H 9PR
East
6 | Atika
A Brick Lane institution, The menswear section on the ground floor of Atika is organised by clothing type, meaning that if you’re in the market for a specific blue jean or a nylon flight bomber, this is a good place to come.
Less designer focused and more casual than its central London equivalents, it’s also affordable, making it good for younger people beginning to build their wardrobes.
Best For: casual garments and wardrobe staples
7 | Quatrieme
This boutiquey vintage shop is positioned next door to Atika and, despite not having a particularly wide selection of designer pieces, is beautifully edited. I found a fantastic pair of straight leg brown calfskin trousers (which I’m wearing with joy as I write this), that cost a mere £40.
My boyfriend discovered a double breasted navy blue blazer cut from expensive-feeling high twist wool. He’s planning on changing the buttons - which is actually an appropriate analogy for Quatrieme. You’ll definitely find something good, but you’ll need to put in the hard yards to make it GREAT.
Best For: Surprisingly affordable statement pieces from little known brands
Atika London, 55-59 Hanbury St, London E1 5JP
8 | 194 Local
194 Local is situated at the northern end of Brick Lane and has a similar mood and buy to Wow Vintage. I discovered a beautiful Comme Des Garcons suit which was, very sadly, slightly too small and a great pair of YSL suit trousers which were slightly too big. I did, however, come away with a beautiful embroidered waistcoat, pictured here.
Best For: surprise designer finds and a slightly more playful, dressing up box vibe.
194 Local, 178D Brick Ln, London E1 6SA
9 | Aro Archive
Situated in Stamford Hill (which is as much North London as it is East), Aro Archive is a specialist in super high quality consignment and designer vintage. Do not enter thinking you’ll find a bargain - you won’t - but you might find a rare Dries van Noten coat which no one else owns, or a pair of original Margiela Tabis. Aro’s digital shopping experience is great, too.
Best For: Quite expensive, yet very high quality, in-the-know archive designer gear
Aro Archive, The Warehouse, 1D Prince George Rd, London N16 8DL
10 | Files London
This Hackney-based archive reseller is accessible by appointment only and similar in vibe to la Nausee in Camberwell and Aro in Stamford Hill. A little more fashion focused, with pieces from Alexander McQueen, Giorgio Armani, Roberto Cavalli and Dolce & Gabbana mixed in with the Isseys and Yohjis and Commes; it’s also a touch more reasonable than the two aforementioned resellers. This place is another recommendation from Max Pearmain, so you know it’s good.
Best For: Italian consignment fashion. And Giorgio Armani leather jackets
Files London, 39 Gransden Ave, London E8 3QA
West
12 | The Charity Shops on Portobello
Last weekend I popped to Electric House on Portobello to do a spot of writing. The day was glorious, not least because on my way to the club I stopped in at the Cancer Research shop (one of about five charity shops in that spot) and instantly discovered a beautifully-cut Canali suit (below) crafted from a soft, fluid virgin wool.
It’s tailored like a dream (think Dex as his cokey, be-suited TV presenter in Netflix’s One Day), it cost £42 and the lovely man behind the till called me “an expert shopper” for digging it out.
Best For: It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that, given the average income of the inhabitants of this corner of West London, the local charity shops are full of amazing finds. Be prepared to trawl.
13 | Retro Man Clothing Exchange
A favourite of fashion editors and store buyers alike, the Retro Man Clothing Exchange is positioned at the top of Portobello Road and is a Mecca for those who love clothes.
Don’t let the scrubby facade and daggy interior put you off, there are gems concealed within. A few years ago I found a distressed khaki green jumper from Balenciaga here for £100. More recently I picked up some cream moleskin trousers from Studio Nicholson for the same sum (featured a few pictures above), plus a brown blazer from Wales Bonner for £120.
This is the place where many of the aforementioned fashion people come to sell their no longer wanted freebies and samples, so you can always find amazing - and often brand new - designer pieces for a fraction of the retail cost. Upstairs you’ll find a close edit of the best high fashion pieces, downstairs is more of a jumble sale vibe (and extra fun for it).
Best For: New or nearly-new designer for a fraction of the retail cost
Retro Man Clothing Exchange, 28 Pembridge Rd, London W11 3HL
South
14 | La Nausee
This capacious warehouse shop-cum-archive is positioned at the less-than-salubrious Camberwell end of Coldharbour lane and feels a bit like a gallery in a prison yard. You need to make an appointment to visit, but it’s worth it, as the boys who run La Nausee boast some of the best archive Margiela, Comme des Garcons, Helmut Lang and Junya Watanabe anywhere in London. It’s not cheap, but this is proper stuff that has been well loved.
I was turned onto La Nausee by Pearmain. I’ve currently got my eye on the grey Margiela blazer pictured here.
Best For: high quality archive pieces from esoteric Japanese and German designers
La Nausee, Milkwell Yard, London SE5 9PH
15 | Brothers Green
This little spot opposite Brockwell Park in Herne Hill is as much a garden centre as it is a vintage shop. I paid a visit a few weeks ago and came away with the most amazing black cashmere coat from Canali for just £80. There isn’t a great deal to choose from but the edit is solid and the atmosphere is friendly.
Best For: a side of high Italian tailoring with your cyclamens,
Brothers Green UK, 4-6 Half Moon Ln, London SE24 9HU
International
LA
“If you want the best vintage hunting in LA, Mister Freedom has by far the strongest selection for men that I’ve found in the city. They also have their own vintage-inspired line that has a deep local following.” Robert Spangle, street style photographer and menswear pioneer
New York
“I love Fine & Dandy, Crowley Vintage, Deep Blue, 10 Ft Single, Chelsea Flea on the weekends, and Another Man’s Treasure in Jersey City.” Zachary Weiss, menswear specialist and man about town
Milan
Cavalli e Nastri Via Gian Giacomo Mora, 12, 20123
Eral 55 Piazza Venticinque Aprile, 14, 20124
The Cloister Via Valpetrosa, 5, 20123
Nick Sullivan, creative director of Esquire
Paris
Brut archives 3 Rue Réaumur, 75003
Son et Image 85/87 Rue St Denis, 75001
Vintage System 17 Rue Barbette, 75003
Plus Que Parfait 23 Rue des Blancs Manteaux, 75004
Nick Sullivan, creative director of Esquire
Tokyo
Rinken, Ragtag, Kindal and BrandCollect are all great designer consignment stores in Tokyo. The Shibuya shops stock more fashion while Harajuku is better for Hype brands like Off-White, Supreme, and Fear of God. Rinken is where you’ll find the $2000 Chrome Hearts ring you never knew you wanted. Ragtag and Kindal are generally solid bets — especially the Ragtag on Cat Street. Oh, and the Rinken on Omotesando.
Phil Oh, Street Style Photographer, and TvdB
Bangkok
The only place to go shopping for vintage anything in Bangkok is the big Red Building in Chatuchak. Full to the rafters with antiques, second hand clothes, vintage T-shirts, consignment designer, military deadstock and, well, a load of tat; one could happily spend a good day solid, navigating the rails.
TvdB
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