Style never goes out of fashion. Well-crafted objects, bespoke garments and original jewellery have much more charm than uninspiring knock-offs at the sales; now is the time to hunt them down.
Winter is the perfect season for car boot sales and a trip to vintage clothes shops. It’s tempting to sit in bed and search for online vintage clothing but trust us, doing it in person is great!
You won’t have to fight the crowds to find the perfect piece and you can feel extra virtuous for getting up early – reward yourself with a hot chocolate in a cosy cafe whilst reviewing your bargains. You can’t do that with online vintage clothing.
If you’re in London, cheer up a boring weekend by having a day rummaging through some vintage clothes shops and cut-price vintage stalls. Online vintage clothing is one thing, but vintage clothes shops, car boot sales and flea markets are one of the most fulfilling ways to spend a day browsing and picking up some thrifty finds.
Where to go, what to look for, you ask?
Battersea and Wimbledon are probably the best-known car boot sales in London:
- Battersea [www.batterseaboot.com, every Sunday 1:30-5pm, entry 50p]
- Wimbledon [Wimbledon Stadium, Plough Lane, SW17 0BL, entry 7am, £2 for the first hour, 50p after]
Equally great boot sales are:
- Dulwich Hamlet Football Club in East Dulwich [Sundays, entry 11 am, 50p, Edgar Kail Way, SE22 8BD]
- Old Kent Road [Sundays, entry 8am, 50p, Hornshay Street, SE15 1HB]
- Hayes Street Farm [entry 6am, 50p, 239 Hayes Lane, BR2 7LB]
- Princes May School in Stoke Newington [Every Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday from 9am-2pm, entry £3, N16 8DF]
Please check that your planned destination will be open before setting off! Even vintage clothes shops are sometimes closed unexpectedly, unlike the online vintage clothing option.
A dedicated bargain hunter will resort to researching online vintage clothing blogs for the best local vintage clothes shops or online vintage clothing specialists.
Ready to go? Print the map, get some cash, and loosely plan your target for the day. Car boot sales and vintage clothes shops are awash with ideas for interior designers, hipsters and smart fashion-savvy folk, but remain rigorous and informed with your selection.
If you’re looking for vintage fashion finds in vintage clothes shops or online vintage clothing stores, follow your instinct and style. It’s useful to know that you can get the musty smell out of fabric – be it a dress, cushion, or a lovely set of linen napkins – with some baking soda or cat litter. Most good vintage clothes shops or online vintage clothing shops will have dry cleaned their clothes already, but you never know! That old book smell, which most people find pleasing but some are allergic to, can be expelled by dusting the pages with cornstarch.
