5 Of The Best Places to Shop Vintage in North London

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

Last month we did a blog on 5 of the best places to shop for vintage clothes in south east London and it got a lot of love, so now we're sharing a few of our favourites north of the river, not too far from Islington Assembly Hall - where we are back partying on July 6th - whoop!

So check these out and you’re sure to find something to catch the eye of the judges in our Best Outfit Dance Off competition.

If you want to suggest good places that we've missed, just drop us a line.

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 love their sale rail where we’ve discovered some great bargains including a blue glittery 80s halter neck jumpsuit for a tenner. Beyond Retro also have shops in Dalston and Soho, and in Brighton too – so perfect for when we are back at the King Alfred Ballroom in Hove on Sat Sept 28th 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 as Time Out says they are both good, so just go for the one with the shortest queue!

3. Pop Up Vintage Fairs

Wilton’s Music Hall

Thurs July 25th 4.30pm – 9.30pm. We are big fans of shopping at vintage fairs as you get load of different sellers under one roof. Pop Up Vintage host events everywhere from Bexhill-on-Sea ( July 21st/22nd) but our summer fave is this late afternoon/early evening event at Wilton’s on 25th July. This fabulous venue, 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. Sellers on July 25th include our fab HSDY dancer & queen of frocks, Lady Boo, who always has some great sparkly outfits.

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 Adam Ant and The Noisettes.

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 spotted some great shell suit jackets last time we were in. The Cancer Research UK shop near Angel is always good for sparkly stuff (staff from here have partied with us at HSDY and have put together some awesome outfits) plus there’s the new Royal Trinity Hospice shop too.

That's it for this month. Happy Shopping.

Don't forget to support your local businesses!

If you'd like to feature as our next HSDY party-goer then do get in touch, we'd love to hear your story just email: info@haventstoppeddancingyet.co.uk

See you on the dancefloor!

Nikki