‘I bumped into this vintage furniture shop while walking home from Broadway Market. Sign up for Bre's newsletter Dishes to Delight. This is also how I’ve built out my collection of cocktail glasses, oyster forks and porcelain cake plates.’ St John’s Wood High St. I’ve found vintage YSL cashmere, Vivienne Westwood suits and box-fresh Le Creuset. ‘ every charity shop on St John’s Wood High Street: start at the top and work your way down past the Oxfam, Cancer Research, St John’s Hospice and Shelter Boutique. Leave your name, number and dream item and you never know what might turn up.’ 391 St John St. It curates such a beautiful collection of secondhand clothing that spans from last year’s Ganni to that perfect Burberry trench coat you’ve always wanted. ‘Walking past the windows of this place will always tempt me to go inside no matter how busy I am. It’s just moved from Greenwich to Old Street and I can’t wait to see its new space.’ 285 City Road. Think mint condition 1950s plant stands, lovingly worn-in teak salad bowls and West German pottery. ‘The collection of mid-century furniture at Ferro Velho is sublime. Inspired? Read on to discover the best secondhand shops in the city, picked by some of our favourite Londoners. I asked the shopkeeper how much it was and he looked me dead in the eye and said: ‘Nine hundred and 50 pounds. One afternoon, I walked past Aladdin’s Cave in Lewisham and completely fell for a five-foot statue of a bear, his roar tempered by a missing paw. (Mary’s Living and Giving in Primrose Hill is apparently where Victoria Beckham donates).įinally: always ask the price. Travel to posh areas and you’ll be rewarded.

Markets are cheaper, but you’ve got to dig – I once bought a house-worth of Christmas decorations for £2 at Deptford Market. With proper vintage shops like Pick N Weight in Covent Garden (our cover this week), you pay for curation. If you’re keen to get into it, here are a few pointers. The people you meet, the hidden corners of the city, the faint smell of unwashed armpits – that’s why IRL vintage-shopping, over Depop and eBay, will always get my vote. I arrived with just a couple of suitcases, so hunting for new/old stuff became a joyful way to get to know the capital. But when I moved to London a few years back, I took things to the next level. And have I looked back? No! I always get compliments on it. But, when I tried it on in a charity shop in Dalston, it looked banging. Dank mustard, unfeasibly huge, with the words ‘VIP PRIVATE’ across it.

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