Bear with me if you’re a seasoned London shopper and you think I’m stating the obvious in my Shop Watch feature. The first few will be blindingly obvious to some but hopefully as I feature more stores, they’ll get more and more off-the-beaten track. This week, I have Shop Watched Beyond Retro, one of London’s premier source of vintage. I say premier not because it’s got the most exclusive and valuable things but because literally it’s a 5000 sq feet warehouse filled to the brim with vintage everything which is also replenished daily with 300-500 new things. Students on a shoestring come here digging around in the bargain bin. Stylists come here and pull a lot of their stuff for editorials in mags like Pop, i-D, Voguet etc. Celebs like Keira Knightley and Kate Moss wear gear from Beyond Retro. Quite literally, I don’t know that many Londoners who DON’T sniff around Beyond Retro at least once a month. With the exception of today, I don’t think I’ve ever left Beyond Retro without picking SOMETHING up. I have a thing for their range of secretary blouses, slip dresses and pencil skirts that are my office staples (beats Karen Millen anyday….). It was also one of the first vintage stores where I had a vintage epiphany at the age of 17 or so – the realisation that vintage was much more than just the odd accessory or two. I’d advise you devote a good hour or two rifling through all the racks and trying things on. Even if you’re not into vintage, I’d defy anyone NOT to find something here.
Beyond Retro – 110-112 Cheshire Street, London E2 6EJ, Tel: 0207 613 3636
Marguerite, 21, is studying textiles at Central St. Martin’s
Wearing mostly vintage.
Personal Style: "I’d say quite nanny-ish but kind of sexy nannerish. Like old school kind of clothes but sexed up a bit."
Shops mainly from Beyond Retro.
what’s the nearest tube station?
Dear god, that looks like heaven to me. I’ll definitely have to go and take a look the next time I’m in London. Or maybe I shouldn’t, because I’d probably get into some crazy shoppingfrenzy. But in cheap vintage stores that doesn’t really have to be a problem. What can you say about the prices?
Nearest tube station is Aldgate East or Liverpool Street.
Elise: Prices are rock bottom…. well in London terms anyway – after charity (thrift) stores and flea markets, this is the place to get the cheapest vintage in London.
So jealous so jealous so jealous !
I’m used to my vintage shops being tiny little places usually full of tiny sizes and therefore I can only gaze lustfully at the clothes and then cast a shrewd eye over the handbags only to declare to myself that I can find a cheaper handbag in a charity shop. However I did find a new (well new to me) large vintage shop in Manchester it’s the largest one I’ve been in but it was wonderful. I quite often don’t have the time or patience though for vintage shopping I really wish I did.
I was wondering do you ever get put off by the fabric used for vintage clothing it’s like a strange heavy polyester I think I’m not sure but it always puts me off buying.
whats the price range like? Is it something like the vintage store in kingly court?
ruth where is the vintage shp you have discovered in manchester?
Yaaay, me and my friend are going to London in a couple of weeks, and we have plans to go to Beyond Retro. We’re super excited ‘cos we’ve got quite a few of the shops like Topshop etc. here in Nottingham, so it’ll be nice to go to places like that, which you’d never in a million years get in a place in Nottingham. We have a couple of vintage shops, but they’re mainly a load of rubbish. I can’t wait to go and have a rummage around!
tiny dancer – I don’t know the name of the road I know my way around Manchester mostly visually but it’s near Afflecks palace. It’s on the same road as Piccadilly Records just keep walking up the road it’s called something like Richard’s Vintage I think but it’s definitely the biggest vintage shop I’ve seen in Manchester. Hope you find it 🙂
I read somewhere a while back that vintage shops in London get a lot of items from Canada. Is that true?