Margot Tenenbaum- esque furry dream coat - Charity Shop
Dress - Cow
Boots - Beyond Retro
Beret - eBay
Bag - Zara
It's vintage! The words no eagle-eyed outfit observer ever wants to hear. There's something quite smug though, about offering up this information in response to a compliment praising said item. An achievement almost, that you managed to locate a dream one-off piece that you're not going to run into a thousand other gals sporting. I, for one, love a bit of vintage. I love that nostalgic feeling you get stepping foot into a vintage store. I love the rummage when out shopping for vintage - it's like hunting for treasure. I love the excitement you get when you find a vintage dream shoe that happens to be your size. I love the 'can i actually pull off this silver chain mail mini dress that my bum practically hangs out the bottom of?' questions to oneself, to which the answer is always 'suuure Francoise hardy, I mean Rachael'. Lolz. My point being, that i just love the whole experience, and by far my favourite thing - the fact that you're never going to see anyone else in the same thing. Almost anything sixties is a win with me and I'm not gonna lie, I love how short everything is (including this dress *emoji baring teeth*). I love the colours and textures of the seventies too and have been partial to a flared jean and Mongolian fur ensemble. My one crucial bit of advice is always set out with an open mind - if you're looking for a pair of silver sixties space ankle boots (guilty, always) then they're probably nowhere to be seen, you just never know what you're going to find! Vintage shopping for me is all about the rummage and therefore not something I really do online. I mean, only in store can you perform The Sweetest Thing style changing room movie montage anyway...
So, let me share some of my favourite vintage destinations with you below:
London (and Sweden) based chain Beyond Retro is one of my fave options for vintage - great for denim, having bought a lot of my vintage Levis from here. If you're in the market for a vintage jean I will say you need to try on about a thousand pairs before you find a glove fit so load up those arms! TBH Beyond Retro is pretty much a fail safe option, they always have something you want.
I went to University in Manchester and when I first moved there I was probably at the peak of my vintage obsession. I would pop into Cow most days and almost always emerged with a trusty yellow carrier bag. I found a lot of my vintage dungarees in here and it was always great for a vintage dress - like this lovely little spotty number! Not too long ago I was back in Manchester for the weekend and paid them a visit. It certainly did not disappoint and after trying on approx. a quarter of the shop I left with a lovely cream floral baby doll dress.
This little shop on Brick Lane in London is a goodun'. A few of my 'good finds' discovered in here include a Dior frilly shirt, many an embroidered peasant blouse and my most favourite pair of vintage Levis. Also great for ankle boots and shoes, with a lot of Ferragamo's to be had.
Blondie
For those of you who don't like the rummage as much, Blondie is for you. Offering more of a curated selection of vintage ranging throughout the decades, it's perfect if you're looking for a lovely vintage dress for an event or something, not to mention the dreamy designer vintage bags and shoes to be snapped up too. Don't expect to depart with an empty hand, just an empty bank account!
Depop/ eBay
Now as I said I'm not a one for shopping vintage online really, however Depop and eBay are bloody great if you have something particular in mind that you're looking for, and also usually super cheap. Keep search terms broad though and be prepared to trawl through, that's how you find the best bits!
Charity Shops
Ahh I love charity shopping. Whenever my pals and I go back home up north we will literally spend a day touring the 'Chazza Shops' as we like to call them. There are some excellent options in London too like The Salvation Army tucked away just off Regent Street where you can snap up all of the designer gems. I saw a few pairs of Manolo's and a Reformation shirt in there the other day no lie! And not only are you bagging the perfect wardrobe addition, but also helping a good cause. Win, win.
So there you have it, my little round up of vintage gems I like to frequent. In part two I will be discussing riffling through your Mama's old hidden treasure! Stay tuned.
x
P.S. This outfit 100% makes me feel like I just stepped out of a Wes Anderson film, the absolute dream really.