Saturday Shopping: Vintage Fashion Trail in South London

With the homogenised high street offer and instantly copied designer togs flooding the market it is difficult for local hipsters to shop 'new' and remain individual, never has the vintage craze been more popular than it is now. We are so lucky in our enclave of leafy London, that is bursting with business creativity, to have some of the best vintage and pre-loved stores around.

This week we decided to take a tour of just some of the vintage fashions stores in and around East Dulwich and Peckham. Here is our top ten to visit this weekend, listed in alphabetical order.

Charlie Foxtrot Vintage, Nunhead Green, Nunhead, SE15

Charlie Foxtrot Vintage pop up shop pops up on and off in Nunhead. This weekend is the last before the team takes a break for the summer. Expect lots of good quality finds and lots of fun browsing the voluminous space. Lots for guys and girls and ocaissional items for the home too.

Make sure you get a long today or tomorrow and whilst you are there check out the mid-century vintage furniture and home accessories at  Papa Bear London and the fabulous deli, Bambuni; it's hard work being style Turk - made easier with a hit of Bambuni's Volcano espresso and a pastry. They have free wifi too.

Chi Chi Ra Ra, Upland Road, SE22

Heather McKenzie has a passion for vintage fashion which is evident from her remarkable finds. If you are attending a summer soiree and want to make a red carpet entrance; Chi Chi Ra Ra is the place to head. This encrusted sixties chiffon evening goddess dress (left) is bound to turn a few heads.

But Chi Chi Ra Ra is not glamorous gowns; Heather has cute shirts, skirts and shorts, swim suits and plenty of summer frocks and bits and bobs for the boys too. Vintage shirts with seminal seventies prints look great teamed with jeans or shorts. Vintage sportscoats and Panama hats can help you channel your inner Hemingway, you could even take the look more literally; Heather has even been known to stock the odd antique typewriter; a perfect gift for a writer friend or just to dress up a tired table at home.

For the virgin vintage buyer Chi Chi Ra Ra is a great starting point, Heather really knows her stuff and willingly and joyfully shares her knowledge. 

Crazy Man Crazy, Church Road, SE19

Paul Davies’ Crazy Man Crazy is one a very few vintage stores in the area specialising in men's clothes. Paul’s store focuses on the fifties and colligate style, with an edgy James Dean sensibility. A selection of stylish leather flight jackets and retro style T shirts are perfect for the dapper mid-century dandy about town. There is so much to see in Crystal Palace you really should make a day of it. Lucky locals also have a branch of the excellent men’s fashion brand; Simon Carter, whose vintage feel collections of accessories and printed shirts are always worth a browse.

Pure Vintage at Ed Warehouse, Zenoria Street, SE22

Ed Hyne’s Ed Warehouse is an Aladdin’s cave of all things vintage, you could spend hours sifting through the racks of incredible items. Ed Warehouse’s Pure Vintage concession is like an archive of fashion, owner Paula William’s collection spans the decades of iconic silhouettes and historic yet timeless prints from the 1930s to the 1990s. 

Clockwise from top left; 1950s print dress £50, 1960s Mad Men style dress £45, 1960s negligee £40, 1990s pink shift dress £45, 1980s mint green dress £40, 1970s skirted swinsuit £40.

GIve + Take Shop, Lordship Lane, SE22
Jane and Gary Cady’s gloriously well conceived Give + Take shop, sells pre-loved fashion with 10% of the profits being donated to Breakthrough for Breast Cancer.

The concept of Give + Take is an excellent one, you can exchange your unwanted items for store credit or simply donate them, either way you are bound to walk out with more than you walked in with, the items on offer are of such good quality and priced so temptingly. A friend of mine found brand new Gucci trousers at a fraction of the retail price and my sister always walks out gleefully clutching something stunning. Clear out your clothing clutter and check out Give + Take yourself, where you will also find a range of fair traded gifts and homewares 

Mabel, Melbourne Grove, SE22

Shoppers sad at the closure of Grace and Favour will be delighted to learn that Julie Foucher’s vintage clothing concession has found a new stand alone home on Melbourne Grove. Mabel is full of the quality items for which Julie’s business became renowned and a destination for dedicated followers of fashion. 

Paraphernalia, Brockley Road, SE4

Mandi Whitby’s Paraphernalia specialises in nearly new clothes and there are many bargains to be had, including one off samples from designer catwalk shows, plus surplus stock and unwanted items from local fashion junkies. Whilst you are in the area take a small detour and check out Brockley Market, a short distance away on Lewisham Way, and a great place to refuel. 

Stag and Bow, Dartmouth Road, SE23

Cyrus and Pascale’s Stag and Bow is one of my absolute favourite, favourite shops. I love the ever changing stock and the skill with which the many diverse and eclectic items, a mixture of old and new, functional and decorative, are drawn together in an enchanting, surprising and always exciting manner. 

Vintage Threads, Bellennden Road, SE15

Tara Postma’s Vintage Threads’ carefully considered collection is well displayed and easy to shop. Tara’s selection of vintage kid’s wear is unsurpassable, child's 1960s rainccoat £29, pictured left. Big news at Threads is that Tara has teamed up with long term friend, Sophie Hart-Walsh, to launch a new label; Koro Kimono. Koro Kimono will be taking over the back room of Threads, where commissions are taken and you can watch the kimonos being handmade. Across the road Worn Not Torn deals largely in vintage homewares, but the store also has a rack of denim jean shorts, relatively new store Quaint & Belle has lots of vintage inspired gifts. 

Vintage Hart, Church Road, SE19

Vintage Hart has got it all covered, shopping in a pub! What could be better? What this tiny store lacks in square footage it more than makes up for in the style stakes. Checkout the handmade girls’ frocks made from vintage fabrics, for 1 to 5 years, from £20, just beautiful. 

Not a shop, but well worth a mention, is Twisted Vintage, artisan makers of jewellery made from found components including old buttons and charms. Visit them on line here or look at their work at Stag and Bow or White Feather in Herne Hill.

Lawrence's shopping columns appear in the monthly editions of the SE Magazines group of publications. Click here to read on line.