What’s your perfect day out, a country walk followed by a pub lunch, a pre-theatre meal & then a show, or a spa day? A perfect day out for me would be vintage clothes shopping, with a quick lunch thrown in. It is safe to say I love vintage clothes, I have quite a few passed down from my Mum & Grandma, but I also have some real gems that I have bought from vintage clothes shops, & I still think of those ones that got away! I love knowing that there is a story behind that piece & somebody else may have loved it as much as me. And you can make up your own story to go with the piece of clothing, 1980’s, was she wearing that blouse to dance to Donna Summer at a disco or, 1960’s, was she hopping on & off the end of a London bus in that coat or 1990’s, has that T-Shirt been to rave in a disused car park… (you get the idea).

Buying preloved or vintage is also better for the environment, as fashion is one of the biggest polluters globally, fashion produces 10% of the global carbon emissions.

London is awash with vintage stores across the capital & most other cities have their fair share of great vintage shops, but Brick Lane in London has quite a few & they are all in one place which is an added bonus. Brick Lane is a great day out, & is next door to Spitalfields which is another fantastic, vibrant area for shopping & eating & drinking.

I went to Brick Lane a few weeks ago looking for a jumper specifically, (the results are below) but before you plan your own visit, this is what you need to know…

There is Brick Lane Vintage Market which is huge, but you also have the separate shops on Brick Lane & the roads off Brick Lane, which are House Of Vintage London Vintage, Rokit, Non Stop Vintage, Hunky Dory & Atika which is a large department store & that is just a handful of what is on offer. If you are shopping vintage for the first time, here are some things you might want to shop for.

Denim is great to buy secondhand, as manufacturing Denim has a massive environmental impact, from the volume of water needed to make one pair of jeans to the dyes & chemicals that are used to treat denim which end up polluting local waterways. You can also find a pair of jeans for a fraction of the price, you will find brands like Lee, Levis, Guess & Calvin Klein.

Macs are a good second hand buy, you can find Burberrys or something similar in most of the shops in Brick Lane

Knitwear in general is a good vintage buy, you will pick up Pringle, Pierre Cardin, Benetton, Ralph Lauren & Laura Ashley.

Coats & Jackets from 1960 wool coats, to leather jackets to Carhartt workwear, you will find a a huge variety.

All Jumpers from Rokit

Orange hand knit Jumper £60.00, Argyle Jumper £45.00 from House of Vintage

In the end, I bought the red jumper from Principles (who are still going would you believe it) it is Cashmere, because Cashmere is always a good buy. And the coat…well that is the one that got away!