A few years ago, I gave in to a lifelong flirtation with flouncy dresses and those pangs I felt when flicking through films from the golden age of Hollywood – and started to dress full time vintage.
I know it doesn’t have to be that way for everyone. You can have a dalliance with a parasol, a triste with a pair of lace gloves – and still go back to your old faithful jeans and hoodie on Monday. Vintage browsing is just fun.
Brighton was in its heyday before air travel became affordable, and it’s still the perfect spot to browse clothes from another era. Expect to lose an entire afternoon. Vintage shopping in Brighton is an experience and it’s also a great antidote to the environmental problems of fast fashion!
There are two main areas to concentrate on. Walking south from the station takes you to the Lanes, densely populated with good shops or steam off to Hove Station, minutes away, for another selection.
Vintage shopping in Brighton – the route
As you’ll know if you’ve read my guide to Brighton’s upmarket cousin Hove, this isn’t a city for car drivers. Parking’s like gold dust and the streets are itsy bitsy. Do yourself a favour – and take the train.
Starting from the station, which is at the top of the hill, you need to take the submerged entrance to Trafalgar St and walk east to reach the Lanes. Once you’re there, it’s only a case of bearing south (down the hill and towards the sea).
Follow the sea gulls basically.
I’ve listed the shops below in the order you should reach them.
The Hourglass
-25 Trafalgar St-
First of many curiosities, this tiny piece of the past is wildly eclectic. It has one rack for women, but every spare corner is home to kitsch bits and bobs for your home. Stroll past the huge clock branded with the 80s band, The Bangles, knock into a Flintstones figurine (£40) and once you’ve had a good nosey, head right next door to the Singles bar.
Far from being a replacement for Tinder, that bar sells vinyl records for all your hipster needs. And right over the road is the Bread and Milk Cafe – for elevensies.
Mad Hatters
-89 Trafalgar St-
Dirty Harry
-6 Sydney St-
To be Worn Again
-12 Kensington Gardens and 24 Sydney St-
They also sell the contents of huge 60s, 70s and 80s wardrobes in their ‘by the kilo’ warehouse sales. You can see these advertised on Facebook.
Wolf and Gypsy
Flock Boutique
Snoopers Paradise
-7/8 Kensington Gardens-
Legendary market style shop with a sale rail outside selling clothes between 10 and 15 pounds. Inside you’ll be lost in 101 different stalls with funiosities and trinkets. Can’t say what they have, it changes as often as the local car boot sale!
But you can expect rare and genuine pieces. It spans a double shopfront (with a turnstile to enter) and there’s even a photomatic booth in one half, where you can trade a few coins for a snap with your new purchase.
Beyond Retro
-42 Vine St-
A warehouse style massive vintage store, packed with Hawaiian shorts and shirts, clear plastic bucket hats at £18 each – and somewhere you’ll suddenly feel like vintage fashion has both modern advertising and seasonal trends.
For ladies there are print tees, fur wraps and even a pearl collar marked £45.
Look a little closer and you’ll see prices also listed in Swedish Kroner – so this place has a Scandinavian heart. Definitely the place to get trendy, but not to save too many pennies.
Waiste Vintage
-3 Gardner St-
Slipping over scarred wood floors, on every side you’ll find 60s print dresses, fringed bags and stylish jackets. None of it would look out of place 50 years ago.
Nip upstairs and you’re in a slightly crazy plant cave where you can buy potted plants. Another level upstairs takes you to gypsy tops and denim minis, three generous changing rooms and a menswear area up yet another flight.
It’s next to Hell’s Kitchen and yes, you will be hungry by this point in the tour!
Moda and Soda
-7 Gardner St-
Dating back 25 years in the heart of the Lanes, this bijou choice is a great place to pick up 60s prints, houndstooth trousers and tartan shirts.
It, too, has a menswear section packed with pinstripes, retro trousers and braces. They don’t have a website, so get it in person while it’s hot.
Starfish
-25 Gardner St-
A spacious spot, half hung with men’s and half with women’s fashion – the perfect place to pick up a floor length kimono for £95, a 60s fitted skirt for £45 and plenty of other pieces.
From there it’s on to the jumpers, a Roberto Cavali dress and chilled out dungarees in the window. Right next door is the Cornish Pasty Shop – just to tempt you.
Pretty Eccentric
-10 Bond St-
The luxurious interior here is all feathers, lace and silver ornate dressers. Think high end.
Vintage music plays as you rifle through evening wear and wraps, shell clutches and pointy shoes. Don’t look at the discreet price tags, it could be a shock!
Collectif
-29 Bond St-
Welcome to the motherload. What this tiny franchise (with one branch in London and one in Brighton) lacks in being a solo underdog, it makes up for in great lines.
All vintage lovers flock here, and in fact there’s an entire Facebook group dedicated to re-selling only their creations.
The range changes seasonally, and can be bought online. A cocktail dress might be 60-80, a cardigan 30 and a pair of trousers 50. Look out for their flash sales around Christmas and the end of summer.
Found any other treasures by Brighton seafront? Leave me a comment and let me know!
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I’m furiously making notes because I’m a fellow Collectif fan, often go to their London outlet and want to check out their other shop.