Shops and markets - The Rough Guide to London - page 425

Rokit 101 & 107 Brick Lane, E1 T 020 7375 3864,
T 020 7247 3777; ! Aldgate East or Shoreditch
High Street Overground; map pp.192-193; 225
Camden High St, NW1 T 020 7267 3046, map
pp.284-285; 42 Shelton St, WC2 T 020 7836 6547,
map p.132; W rokit.co.uk. Quintessential Brick Lane
retro, nicely presented - you'll find sparkly knits, cocktail
dresses, petticoats and rollerskates, plus racks of men's
gear dating back to the 1940s-80s. Brick Lane
branches: Mon-Fri 11am-7pm, Sat & Sun
10am-7pm; Camden: daily 10am-7pm; Covent
Garden: Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 11am-6pm.
Ì The Vintage Emporium 14 Bacon St, E1 T 020
7739 0799, W vintageemporiumcafe.com; Shoreditch
High Street Overground; map pp.192-193. Gorgeous
shop, just off Brick Lane, selling British and French gear
from the 1890s to the 1950s, with a fine selection of
shimmering flapper frocks and floaty tea dresses. The cool
upstairs tearoom serves its dainty cakes and teas by the
light of puttering candles. Mon-Fri noon-7pm, Sat &
Sun 10am-7pm; café Mon-Fri 11am-10pm, Sat & Sun
10am-10pm.
What the Butler Wore 131 Lower Marsh, SE1 T 020
7261 1353, W whatthebutlerwore.co.uk; ! Waterloo
or Lambeth North; map p.216. Colourful Sixties boutique,
evoking the groovy spirit of Carnaby St with its original
Mod shift dresses, shiny patent accessories and super-slim
men's suits, and the occasional designer piece from the
likes of Ossie Clark or Nina Ricci. Mon-Sat 11am-6pm.

VINTAGE, RETRO AND SECONDHAND
Absolute Vintage 15 Hanbury St, Spitalfields, E1
T 020 7247 3883; ! Liverpool Street or Aldgate East
map pp.192-193; 79 Berwick St, Soho, W1, map p.100;
W absolutevintage.co.uk. A Spitalfields treasure trove
of 1920s to 1980s clobber, heavy on 1970s gear, with one
of the biggest collections of vintage shoes and bags in
the UK, all at affordable prices. There's a slightly more
glamorous sister store, Blondie, just around the corner,
selling preloved women's designer pieces (same hours),
and another Absolute Vintage in Soho. Spitalfields: daily
11am-7pm;

30

Soho: Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun

noon-6pm.
Annie's Vintage Costume & Textiles 12 Camden
Passage, N1 T 020 7359 0796, W anniesvintage
clothing.co.uk; ! Angel; map pp.284-285. This well-
stocked, pricey shop, draped in shimmering, fragile fabrics
and specializing in fabulous 1920s and 1930s glamour -
from sequinned party dresses and embroidered Chinese
jackets to Jazz Age petticoats and pyjamas - is a firm
favourite with stylists and movie production artists. Daily
11am-6pm.
Ì Beyond Retro 110-112 Cheshire St, E2 T 020
7613 3636; ! Liverpool St or Shoreditch High Street
Overground, map pp.192-193; 58 Great Marlborough
St T 020 7434 1406, map p.97; 92 Stoke Newington Rd
T 020 7923 2277, map p.291; W beyondretro.com.
Cavernous warehouse of twentieth-century classics, with
thousands of well-priced goodies including faded jeans,
1950s frocks, battered cowboy boots, punk gear and 1920s
evening gowns. Their sister store in Great Marlborough
Street, Soho, glams it up a bit, while the Dalston branch on
the Stoke Newington borders provides the same excellent
service - and a cool café - for local fashionistas. Cheshire
St: Mon-Wed, Fri & Sat 10am-7pm, Thurs 10am-8pm,
Sun 11.30am-6pm; Soho: Mon-Wed & Sat
10.30am-7.30pm, Thurs & Fri 10.30am-8.30pm, Sun
11am-6pm; Dalston: Mon-Wed, Fri & Sat 10am-7pm,
Thurs 10am-8pm, Sun 11.30am-6pm.
Blitz 55-59 Hanbury St, E1 T 020 7377 0730,
W blitzlondon.co.uk; Shoreditch High Street
Overground; map pp.192-193. This self-styled vintage
department store spreads its five big rooms - filled with
not only clothes, but also vinyl and furniture - across two
floors of a Victorian brick warehouse. It's di cult to leave
empty-handed. Mon-Wed & Sun 11am-7pm, Thurs-
Sat 11am-8pm.
The Emporium 330-332 Creek Rd, SE10 T 020 8305
1670; Cutty Sark DLR or Greenwich train station from
Charing Cross; map p.315. Swanky and stylish store
specializing in 1940s to 1960s clothes, mostly for men but
also for women, featuring kitsch and well-preserved bras,
compacts, eyewear and cigarette-holders. Wed-Sun
10am-6pm.

SHOES
Ì Irregular Choice 35 Carnaby St, W1 T 020 7494
4811, W irregularchoice.com; ! Oxford Circus; map
p.97. Footwear doesn't get much more flamboyant, or
frivolous, than this: a Mad Hatter's tea party of flowers,
fruit, gewgaws and knickknacks adorning patterned
pumps, flats, wedges and stilettos, all with wonderful
names like Lost My Marbles and Abigail's Party. Mon-Wed
10am-7pm, Thurs-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 11am-7pm.
Natural Shoe Store 13 Neal St, WC2 T 020 7836
5254, W thenaturalshoestore.com; ! Covent Garden;
map p.132. Socially responsible and ecologically sound
shoes - mostly stylish, always comfortable and
sometimes strange, with a great selection of Birkenstocks.
Good value, but not cheap. There's another branch at
325 King's Road. Mon-Wed & Sat 10am-7pm, Thurs &
Fri 10am-8pm, Sun noon-6pm.
Ì Tracey Neuls 29 Marylebone Lane, W1 T 020 7935
0039, W traceyneuls.com; ! Bond Street; map p.89.
Quirkily presented and lovingly crafted, Tracey Neuls'
sculptural shoes are playful, comfortable and inspired, with
genius innovations (heels that look higher than they are)
and witty details that make you smile. Mon-Fri
11am-6.30pm, Sat & Sun noon-5pm.