5 Of The Best Places to Shop Vintage in North & East London

For glittery batwing tops, Hawaiian shirts, shell suits, shiny 80s puffball dresses and more … read on!

We’ve done a blog post on 5 of the best places to shop for vintage clothes in south east London and it got a lot of love, so here’s a few of our favourites north of the river, which are perfect for finding an outfit for our HSDY nights at Islington Assembly Hall.

Check these out & you’re sure to find something to catch the eye of the judges for our Best Outfit Dance Off competition.

If you want to suggest good places that we have missed just share them in the comments.

1. Blue 17 Vintage

162, Holloway Road, London N7 8DD

This huge vintage shop near London Met Uni is HSDY outfit heaven. If you are looking for a Hawaiian shirt, a sequinned batwing top or planning on going for the full “Dynasty” look with a shiny shoulder padded 80s number this place has it covered, and it's so easy to find what you want.

At Blue 17 everything is neatly sorted into sections and there’s even a cosy sofa outside the changing room so you can have a bit of a sit down. And if you can’t get to the shop you can buy online too.

2. Beyond Retro

110-112 Cheshire Street, London E2 6EJ

020 7729 9001

You can get lost for hours at this massive vintage warehouse off Brick Lane, which is stashed full of men’s and women’s clothes and accessories from all eras. We particularly love their sale rail where we’ve discovered some great bargains including a blue glittery 80s halterneck jumpsuit for a tenner.

Beyond Retro also have shops in Dalston and Soho. They sell online as well.

We always combine a trip to Beyond Retro with a visit to the Beigel Shop on Brick Lane. There are two and we usually go to the yellow one, but they are both good, so just go for the one with the shortest queue!

3. Pop Up Vintage Fairs

Venues include Old Hampstead Town Hall, Alexandra Palace & the fabulous Wilton’s Music Hall.

We are big fans of shopping at vintage fairs as you get load of different sellers under one roof. Pop-up Vintage host events at beautiful venues across the capital and beyond. One of our faves is Wilton’s Music Hall which is tucked away down an alleyway off Cable Street near Shadwell, is the oldest grand music hall in the world. If you have never been before do check it out.

4. Paper Dress Vintage

352a Mare Street, Hackney, E8 1HR

020 8510 0520

This vintage boutique and bar, just across the road from Hackney Central, is a bit of an East London institution, and stocks men and women’s clothes from the 1900s to the 1980s. In the evening they cover the clothes with red velvet curtains and it turns into a cosy party & events space. Past gigs have included everyone from Adam Ant to The Noisette’s.

5. Mary’s Living and Giving Boutique

138, Upper Street,N1 1QP

We love charity shop shopping and Upper Street has plenty to choose from. We always try to pop in to Mary’s Living and Giving when we are doing a night at Islington Assembly Hall as it’s just up the road. They always have a vintage sale rail and we’ve spotted some great shell suit jackets previously.

The Cancer Research UK shop - is always good for sparkly stuff & staff & volunteers from here often party with us at HSDY. They always have some awesome outfits! Other good charity shops nearby include the Royal Trinity Hospice shop - and the FARA UK charity shop by Angel tube.

And don’t forget to add your favourites in the comments.