Tucked away down a quiet side street, just yards from the Lewes Arms, the Vintage Shirt Company sells period men's clothing. I was enticed in by an unbleached cotton bag in the window reading 'I [heart] Mr Darcy'. It's not typical of what the shop sells but it got me through the door.
If you've ever fancied the young fogey look, this is the perfect place to kit yourself out. They have collarless shirts, baggy corduroy trousers with a waistline half way up your chest and braces to match. They also sell loose white flounced shirts as worn by Colin Firth to go diving into ponds in Pride and Prejudice and striped flannelette night-shirts and night caps that might grace a Dickensian Scrooge. Classic accessories include top hats and boaters, monocles, sock suspenders and maroon silk scarves with small white polka dots that were sported by ex-RAF types back in my 1950s childhood.
The shop is an off-shoot of a theatrical costumier, not a fancy dress shop, so these are real clothes, made to authentic patterns in cotton, linen, wool and silk with prices to match.
The Vintage Shirt Company is a unique shop doing what it does extremely well. read more