Let's go bargain hunting...
So you've got a look in your head, be it the 'Drive' bomber jacket or the furry pom-pom collar. You'll look brilliant wearing it, sublime even, but now comes the next part – where do you get one? Hit the high street and end up seeing four of the same people in the same outfit that night? No thanks. Go designer? Yes please, just wrap it up and put it under the imaginary money tree for me. Vintage? Now you're talking. But with so many options on the vintage market these days, where does one start? You've got your vintage boutiques, your high-end, your jumble sales, the charity shops. Wouldn't it just be better if there was somewhere you could find it all under one roof? Some sort of 'vintage fair'? Well relax, trendy Londoner, there is and these are the best ones:
Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair
Judy's has become a by-word for top quality vintage after their massively successful fairs in Spitalfields and Bethnal Green so far this year. As well as clothing, Judy's sister event The Vintage Furniture Flea gives you the chance to decorate your home with stylish and affordable retro items that your Nan probably threw away ten years ago. Keep your eyes open for Judy's December fair with 170 handpicked traders making it the biggest event of its kind in the country.
Hailing from humble Sheffield, The Vintage Fair is now the fastest growing vintage market in the UK, hosting events in over 15 cities to date. They recently nestled cosily into Shoreditch Town Hall, making an excellent impression on the East End crowd with a mixture of on-trend vintage clothing and related hand-made items. Best of all, after a hard afternoon's bargain hunting you can sit back with a cup of tea from a floral tea set in their deliciously quaint tea rooms.
Wouldn't life be easier if we just treated everything like sweets? The Vintage Kilo Sale encourages punters to do just that by pricing their pre-loved goods according to weight, inducing many a misty-eyed Woolworths memory in the process. £15 per kilo of clothing doesn't sound at all bad to us (that's about five light items, three denim/heavier items, or one pair of Bon Jovi style leather trousers) and with everything arranged by item, it really couldn't be any simpler to shop vintage.
Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair
At the higher-end of the market is the Clerkenwell Vintage Fair, a suave affair set in the gorgeous Grade II listed old Finsbury Town Hall. There's an on-site alterations booth (you don't get that in Oxfam) and of course hair and make-up. It's also one of the few vintage fairs to offer a selection of original 19th century items and accessories for that authentic Sweeny Todd look.
For those in the north of the city, The Pop-Up Vintage Fair cover the full vintage lifestyle at their monthly events, which alternate between venues in Hampstead and Islington. Expect to find clothes for men, women and children, antiques, collectables, home furnishing and art, the all important tea rooms, a vintage cocktail bar and even live swing. A one-stop vintage heaven.
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