The White Pepper

Fabulous fashion retailer The White Pepper offer an expanding variety of vintage and short run fashion pieces which are taking the blogosphere by storm.

 

The brand started life in 2011 as a Tumblr site inspired by East London street style. Founders Jade and Katy’s focus on styling, editorial and lookbook shots quickly transformed into a boutique on ASOS Marketplace, offering a solid selection of choice vintage wear and quality pieces from independent manufactures. From the popularity of this marketplace site, The White Pepper online store was born.

Today, the vintage wing of The White Pepper (which was of particularly high quality) has become slightly eclipsed as the brand continues to develop its own-brand capsule collection, which is designed in-house at their studios in Hackney. This line is particularly noteworthy, however, and takes inspiration from their street style roots, with quirky, individualistic styling that is urban and cosmopolitan. There is also a classic, coordinated slant to The White Pepper’s style, however. Quality fabrics meet tailored lines and timeless shapes to create popular, attire that will not fade or date. Expect a muted colour palette of cool pastels and monochrome, combined with oversized, casual pieces with a hint of androgyny. Think chunky knits, brothel creepers and smock dresses.

The White Pepper collection is available to buy online, or you can find them at Topshop’s flagship store. You can also buy directly from their East London studio on one of their “open door Saturdays”. Prices are not always cheap, and they rarely have sales, but the quality is very high, and each piece is a true investment.

http://www.thewhitepepper.com/

Blitz

Often described as the Harrods of vintage, Blitz is London’s first fully-fledged vintage department store, located just off Brick Lane (where else?), in a disused Victorian warehouse. This huge space covers over 9,000 square feet over two floors, and boasts a magnitude of quality stock for both men and women.

This ambitious project was developed by a miscellany of established vintage dealers in August 2011. Run by people with experience in the trade and with an excellent eye for good vintage finds, Blitz is no pretenders’ start-up jumping on the vintage bandwagon, and it shows. Blitz has slick, hip interiors, similar in vibe to Urban Outfitters shops, and most importantly, the store is well laid out, with proper display areas and products organised by type. This is a refreshing change from the awkward sifting through crammed rails of moth-eaten viscose for that one workable vintage gem, as is typical at many other vintage stores. In addition, clothing at Blitz is even bought in seasonally, so at the moment you’ll find plenty of handsome tweed coats, bright woolly jackets and shearling denim within its walls.

 Blitz wears are extremely reasonably priced, and varied. Items from every decade of the twentieth century are available, from your average vintage fare to exciting designer finds from Ralph Laurent, Vivienne Westwood, Comme des Garcons and Alexander McQueen. As one might expect, there is more of a heavy focus on items from the 80s and 90s, which is easier and cheaper to come by for obvious reasons, but there are still extraordinary finds at Blitz that hark right back to the Victorian era in a few cases, and if you’re lucky you might even find 1920s’ flapper gowns and opera capes to snap up.

Clothing as expected is the main focus at Blitz, but one can also pick up books, records, accessories, luggage, and even bicycles there. In addition, like any good department store, there is a growing furniture and home wares section, curated by Broadway Market’s purveyors of heritage design The Dog and Wardrobe. Finally, there is even an in-store café, which serves coffee from an ancient converted Fiat.

Blitz offers a new, more accessible style of vintage retail, which is professional, intelligent and enjoyable. Visiting the store is a real experience, and ideal for anyone into vintage or bargain hunting. They even have January sales on at the moment, and student discounts throughout the year – awesome.

http://www.blitzlondon.co.uk/

Tara Starlet

For fabulous and feisty vintage inspired fashion with a heavy 1950s vibe, you need look no further than Tara Starlet. Tara Starlet is a boutique fashion line offering classic, timeless attire, with a special focus on glamorous, chic skirts and dresses. Inspiration is taken from 1950s’ silver screen idols such as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor, resulting in clothes that are sexy, vibrant and vivacious, whilst retaining a significant edge of class and subtly. Think rockabilly fashion meets Betty Boop meets 1950s’ pip-up paintings, and you are along the right lines. 

These clothes have a decisively fun edge to them. They are certainly beautiful, but they are also robust and well-made enough for everyday life. There are playsuits for picnicking in the park, dresses for rolling in cornfields, blouses for frolicking on the beach, and lingerie for seducing. These sartorial choices are not simply for looking pretty – they are for enhancing and enabling natural feminine allure and vigour.

Tara Starlet is now predominantly run by Tara Scott, although her mother, who is still involved in the company, initially set up the business. The timeless ethos of the company’s clothes has been with them since inspection, and goes far deeper than brand marketing. Tara Starlet’s clothes intend to make strides against throw-away fashion, instead taking further literal influence from a era when clothes were valued and cherished - where buttons were sew back on if they fell off, where “make do and mend” had real meaning. As well as making clothes to a very high standard to ensure each item will last, Tara Starlet recycle where possible, use end of roll fabrics, and re-use original buttons and trimmings for that extra snippet of authenticity. Clothing is often made from original patterns, and are produced on short-runs, making items borderline original. Put it this way, it is highly unlikely anyone will be wearing the same item as you on the bus or train! Finally, all clothes are designed and made in London, so each item has a low carbon footprint.

Tara Starlet have an online shop, and are stocked at various boutiques across the UK and Europe. A small selection of their line is also available in the concessions department of Topshop’s flagship store in Oxford Circus. Items can be a little pricey, but as always, you can pick up some excellent bargains in the sales. It is also important to remember that these items are so well made and classic that you could still be wearing them in 10 - 15 years time, and are therefore worth a bit of extra investment.

http://www.tarastarlet.com/index.html

Kate Sheridan

Kate Sheridan has been a creator and purveyor of whimsical accessories since 2001. First there was Sheridan and Minns, a joint venture with friend and textile designer Helen Minns; then there was What Katie Did Next, a collection exclusively for Topshop; and now there is simply an eponymous label, which has been running since 2004. Sheridan’s work has consistently received high praise from fashion publications and buyers in all her creative incarnations, with her work has most recent appeared in The Observer, Elle, Harpers Bazaar, Grazia and Cosmopolitan.

Sheridan’s work is at times slightly offbeat, but there is always a strong foundation of tradition and luxury in each item. The shape of every individual bag, purse or wallet, typically takes inspiration from vintage styles, with classic purse shapes including brass wiring and clips.

Nature is a clear passion for Sheridan, which is transferred to many of her accessories pieces. Beautiful ink patterns often adorn her creations, with wolves, birds, berries and flowers a typical focus, looking a little like a snippet of an ornate Arthur Rackham illustration. Her work is certainly not girlie, however, it simply appeals to the more tender, genial side that we all have. Indeed, much of her new collection for A/W 2011 is quite androgynous. There are lots of navies, tans and blacks, constructed in utilitarian cotton twill and sometimes decorated with understated Aztec prints. Any man with a bit of style would be hard pushed to dislike her new wallets.

Kate Sheridan’s current collection is available online, at numerous boutique stores across London, as well as in Harvey Nichols and Urban Outfitters stores across the country. The leather items can be a bit dear, but her fabric bags are very reasonably priced, and you can get excellent bargains, either during her online sale, or there is a discount stall at Spitalfields Market on Sunday’s.

http://www.katesheridan.com/index.html

Beyond the Valley

 Beyond the Valley is an incredibly artistic, high-end boutique and gallery space just off Carnaby Street in the heart of Soho. Heralded as “the space for new designers”, this concept store pushes the boundaries and conventions of art and clothing. In store and online the company offers clothing, jewellery, furniture, fine art and graphic design for sale, but there is also an in store galley space for new and emerging artists.

Beyond the Valley has become renowned for sourcing fresh, new artistic talent and innovative diverse pieces. The boutique was set up by Jo Jackson, Kate Harwood, Kristjana S. Williams, three ex Central St. Martin’s students who set up the store in 2005 after becoming disillusioned and unable to secure permanent, professional design work. The studio/boutique developed as a showcase for emerging artists and designers, and since its inception, the girls, through Beyond the Valley have curated a number of exhibitions, set up guerrilla stores, and at one point created an exclusive collection for Topshop. The brand has since become a favourite of the likes of Roisin Murphy and Lily Cole.

As well as stocking high-end fashion brands such as Anglomania for Vivienne Westwood, Melissa and Fabrica, Beyond the Valley also have an eponymous label. Their own label this season falls into a pre-Raphaelite/neo-classical style, with plenty of rich, deep colours, deep patterns, golds, blacks and embellishments. In general though, Beyond the Valley has a specific aesthetic, filled with whimsical, artistic photo-prints, plenty of chiffon and silk, with a generally grandiose, innovative and unique approach.

Beyond the Valley offer luxurious pieces, which for the most part are not cheap, although you can get some fantastic bargains in the sale. Their pieces are ideal for special occasions, key pieces and treats. I personally bought a dressing gown from them recently in the summer sale for £100, reduced from £250. A large expense, perhaps, but the dressing gown is 100% silk – proper silk too, not synthetic, and it is something I will wear most days for 10 years plus. Most importantly though, it has a beautiful 3D photo print of a forest, and even comes equipped with 3D glasses. If art and aesthetics are important to you, Beyond the Valley offers a wonderful box of treats.

http://www.beyondthevalleystore.com/

Dahlia

Dahlia create clothing for women based on a nostalgic spirit for traditional attire. Clearly influenced by a vintage aesthetic, Dahlia base their sartorial collections on that special area where classic British tailoring meet eccentric eclecticism, and the result is sweet, quirky, yet understated items that have a tailored edge, and will look good in a any wardrobe for years to come.

 

Sisters Tracey and Leigh created the Dahlia fashion line in 2000, who first showcased their collections at Portobello Road and Spitalfields markets. A few years later their boutique store open in London down a little alley off Carnaby Street, and since then their clothes have experienced continuing popularity, being regularly featured in the pages of Look and Grazia magazines.

Dahlia are known for the girlish, playful style of their clothing, which is conveyed in both the fabric and the cuts they choose. The light-hearted vibe of their spring/summer 2011 collection demonstrated this perfectly, with plenty of heart, flower and nautical prints, emblazed on short-skirted dresses and playsuits. Dahlia do summer clothes perfectly, with their dainty shapes, soft peaches and creams and light poly-cotton fabric blends. They also do utterly fantastic winter clothing however. Their palette dives suitably deeper, focusing typically on navy, red and mustard, with demure, structured dresses made from heavier fabrics.

In winter though, the brand really comes into its own with the design of their coats. Every year Dahlia release quite an extensive coat collection, with a number of different designs, each one focusing on a mash of general classic tailoring concepts and quirky modern twists. The cut of Dahlia’s winter coats are always interesting and unusual, unlike anything found on the high street, yet each item is completely wearable. In edition, they are often very practical coats, typically with hoods and plenty of concealed padding, to keep you warm and dry in winter whilst still looking fantastic.

To get the true Dahlia experience you best get yourself to their boutique at 8, Fouberts Place, London. W1F 7PD. Their staff are really friendly and helpful, and you can get 10% off if you are a student. For simplicities sake, however, you can find a large collection of their clothes in the boutique section of Topshop’s flagship store on Oxford Circus, and some of their clothes are also stocked by ASOS.com. They have yet to release their full autumn/winter range yet, but I myself am definitely saving up for a new coat from them this autumn.

http://www.dahliafashion.co.uk/

The Village Green

The Village Green make self professed “quintessentially British clothing” for both men and women, which is perfect for our moderately mild summer days and cold, sombre winter nights. The owners of The Village Green were vintage clothing retailers for 20 years prior to opening their new store, and all of their collections have had a strong flavour of traditional attire, though beneficially sans the danger of pit stains and the smell of mothballs.

Each item of clothing by The Village Green has a new-classic vibe – modern, fresh and multi-dimensional, but with a twist of the good old-fashioned debonair. Their recent summer collection saw a muted palette focusing on navy, cranberry red and power pink, placed on classic slacks, preppy blazers and chunky knits. This is clothing that will stay in fashion for years, whilst continuing to maintain that vital tight edge.

 

Prices at The Village Green can be a little over the odds, but all items are made out of quality fabrics (typically pure wool or cotton), are perfectly made, and will last decades with care. The old adage “buy cheap by twice” really stands up here, plus its very easy to get some excellent deals from these guys at sales time. 

The Village Green’s main boutique can be found in Seven Dials, Covent Garden, and a selection of their clothing can be easily found in the boutique section in Topshop’s flagship store on Oxford Circus. You can also order some items online through both The Village Green and Topshop/Topman websites.

http://www.thevillagegreenlondon.com/