I'm a great vintage fan.
Whether it's car-booting, charity shopping or visiting vintage emporia or antiques markets, I love seeking out a rarity or bargain.
And while I thought I knew vintage London pretty well, it's a rather dynamic entity.
For example, I've recently discovered that the East London scene has grown fast over the past few years.
There are even vintage supermarket chains now - Rokit now has branches in Brick Lane and Camden as well as Covent Garden;Absolute Vintage has two shops and Flashback is now in Crouch End as well as Islington.
A crucial address for anyone who wants to dress like a proper vintage English gentleman is Hornets in Kensington Church Street.
It has tweed jackets, Savile Row tailoring and Lobb shoes to name but a few.
My taste runs more to antique jewellery and though I can't afford some of the pieces, I'm going to have to make an expedition to Rowan & Rowan in Grays Antique Market, which has some delicious pieces, including Georgian lover's eye miniatures and a wonderful Stuart skull and crossbones jewel.
I'm not so sure about crystal tiaras.
Hirschfeld's in Hatton Garden is also good for vintage jewellery; it has some lovely art deco and an amazing 1960s cocktail ring like a miniature glitterball.
Then there's the musical vintage scene.
Perhaps the most unusual shop is Duke of Uke in Hanbury Street - though it's mainly for new instruments, it has a cabinet of vintage ukuleles and banjos - but there are loads of secondhand record stores (though I miss Caruso & Co, where I used to get opera records at bargain prices).
There's also Spitalfields market with its record stalls.
For those looking for even more of a bargain there are London's reclamation yards like LASSCO.
And a particular favourite of mine is Walden Books, Camden - a bookshop oddly marooned on a residential street, way off the main drag and full of fascinating stuff.
Part of the fun of going to vintage shops is meeting the owners - a really good vintage shop always seems to have an interesting character running it.
So I'd advise anyone who is planning to go vintage shopping in London to be chatty and conversational with shop owners.
It might help you pick up even more of a bargain.
Why do I love browsing vintage stores? I think it's to discover original, eccentric and often amusing items.
And nowhere is this truer than in London.
Happy vintage shopping!
Whether it's car-booting, charity shopping or visiting vintage emporia or antiques markets, I love seeking out a rarity or bargain.
And while I thought I knew vintage London pretty well, it's a rather dynamic entity.
For example, I've recently discovered that the East London scene has grown fast over the past few years.
There are even vintage supermarket chains now - Rokit now has branches in Brick Lane and Camden as well as Covent Garden;Absolute Vintage has two shops and Flashback is now in Crouch End as well as Islington.
A crucial address for anyone who wants to dress like a proper vintage English gentleman is Hornets in Kensington Church Street.
It has tweed jackets, Savile Row tailoring and Lobb shoes to name but a few.
My taste runs more to antique jewellery and though I can't afford some of the pieces, I'm going to have to make an expedition to Rowan & Rowan in Grays Antique Market, which has some delicious pieces, including Georgian lover's eye miniatures and a wonderful Stuart skull and crossbones jewel.
I'm not so sure about crystal tiaras.
Hirschfeld's in Hatton Garden is also good for vintage jewellery; it has some lovely art deco and an amazing 1960s cocktail ring like a miniature glitterball.
Then there's the musical vintage scene.
Perhaps the most unusual shop is Duke of Uke in Hanbury Street - though it's mainly for new instruments, it has a cabinet of vintage ukuleles and banjos - but there are loads of secondhand record stores (though I miss Caruso & Co, where I used to get opera records at bargain prices).
There's also Spitalfields market with its record stalls.
For those looking for even more of a bargain there are London's reclamation yards like LASSCO.
And a particular favourite of mine is Walden Books, Camden - a bookshop oddly marooned on a residential street, way off the main drag and full of fascinating stuff.
Part of the fun of going to vintage shops is meeting the owners - a really good vintage shop always seems to have an interesting character running it.
So I'd advise anyone who is planning to go vintage shopping in London to be chatty and conversational with shop owners.
It might help you pick up even more of a bargain.
Why do I love browsing vintage stores? I think it's to discover original, eccentric and often amusing items.
And nowhere is this truer than in London.
Happy vintage shopping!
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