The 100 best shops in London – vintage shops

The best vintage shops in London

• Britta Jaschinski

  Beyond Retro

  110-112 Cheshire Street, London, E2 6EJ

  Number 8 in the full list
  One of London’s vintage big guns, Beyond Retro has been selling the capital second-hand fashion for nearly a decade now; starting off with its jumbo converted dairy on Cheshire Street before satellite branches spread across the capital. The model is simple – the brand buys thrift by the truckload, sifts through for the good bits for its London stores, and then sells the rest cheaply to the developing world. While no longer the absolute bargain it used to be, Beyond Retro still offers the thrill of an eccentric new buy for less than you’d pay on the high street, and its hipster packed new branch in Dalston features a huge selection of vintage clothes, as well as a stage for impromptu performances, a bustling café and seats made of old electric guitars – proving the principle of re-use runs right through to the shop fit. Read more about Beyond Retro
  Recommended by: Angel Adoree.
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  Blitz

  55-59 Hanbury Street, London, E1 5JP

  Number 14 in the full list
  This new kid on the vintage clothing scene has decided to throw caution to the wind, with a whopping new multi-floored thrift palace near Spitalfields. The building itself, a handsome former factory, is vast, but the stock remains well edited, with thrift shipped in by the bucketload and sorted into trends and designers. Look out for great vintage Swatch watches and classic 1970s denim. Read more about Blitz
  Recommended by: Angel Adoree and Natalie Wall.
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  Rellik

  8 Golborne Road, London, W10 5NW

  Number 25 in the full list
  Preparing the way for the rise of upmarket vintage-clothing boutiques, Rellik was started by three traders from nearby Portobello market in 1999 and is still firmly on the fashion map for celebrities, fashion-hungry tourists and vintage-hunting stylists. If money is no object, you can walk away with a rare original or two from designers such as Ossie Clark, Christian Dior and YSL or, perhaps more likely, some beautiful accessories to pep up your wardrobe. Read more about Rellik
  Recommended by: Fred Butler, Christopher Shannon and Brix Smith-Start.
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  The Vintage Showroom

  Earlham Street, London, WC2H 9LN

  Number 67 in the full list
  Founded in 2007, The Vintage Showroom is a two-pronged operation. Prong one is an appointment-only showroom in Notting Hill, used mainly by designers, stylists, film researchers and serious collectors looking for clothes that are inspirational and historically significant. Prong two, the store in Covent Garden, is open to the public and stocks original and hard-to-find menswear classics. Think original Belstaff and Barbour wax jackets, Tootal scarves, M65 American field jackets and the odd 1960s Gucci loafer. Read more about Vintage Showroom
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  Leftovers

  Unit 71, Fourth Avenue, London, SW9 8PR

  Number 73 in the full list
  Great food and drink aside, a good reason to visit the newly re-vamped Brixton Village is the cute little vintage clothing shop Leftovers. Still, go easy on the pizzas and pints as owner Margot Waggoner specialises in sourcing French lacy seconds, with sailor dresses, embroidered nighties and sweet detachable collars imported from Paris. As well as girly vintage dresses, there are chintzy tins and glassware at reasonable prices. Read more about Leftovers
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  Lucy in Disguise

  10 King Street, London, WC2E 8HN

  Number 74 in the full list
  Having recently abandoned their oversized Covent Garden shop sisters Lily Allen and Sarah Owen have found their retailing feet in new premises in Soho and it suits them down to the ground. The exterior is done up in full-on glitzy regalia and the interior houses vintage clothing for hire, the girls’ own fashion line and a beauty salon in the basement – a much better use of space. Read more about Lucy in Disguise
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  Past Caring

  54 Essex Road, London, N1 8LT

  Number 90 in the full list
  The irresistible second-hand gear makes it impossible to pass this shop without wanting to dive in. Outside on the pavement there’s always a proud display of 1970s furniture, and inside awaits a mix of retro crockery, a smattering of vintage clothing and lots of ashtrays, which, even if you don’t smoke, you somehow always need. It's worth trying a bit of bartering if something catches your eye. Read more about Past Caring
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  Mrs Jones

  49 Hackney Road, London, E2 7NX

  Number 91 in the full list
  A bonkers new addition to the bulging vintage clothing scene in Shoreditch, Mrs Jones is where celebrated costumer Fee Doran’s stage creations come to be re-born. The stock is uniquely froufrou, with way over the top fluffy kimonos and spangly onesies worn by the likes of Katy Perry merely awaiting the addition of wellies to make for the perfect festival look. Read more about Mrs Jones
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  Pelicans & Parrots

  40 Stoke Newington Road, London, N16 7XJ

  Number 97 in the full list
  Just over a year old, Pelicans & Parrots is an oasis of loveliness in Dalston’s pound-store desert. Its neat interior shows off well-chosen arrangements of vintage bric-a-brac, clothing and furniture, and a penchant for seventeenth century curiosities such as monkey skulls and taxidermy. No longer a well-kept secret, you’re likely to see a stylist or two hunting for inspiration among the rails. Read more about Pelicans & Parrots