As a bona fide vintage fan and sometime purveyor, I'm almost ashamed to have only discovered the…read morelegendary London Vintage Fashion Fair earlier this year. Taking place every 4 - 5 weeks at the great Modernist Hammersmith Town Hall, The Vintage Fashion Fair is where celebrities, stylists and many of London's overpriced vintage boutiques go to get their vintage wares. For a first timer the fair can be a little overwhelming, with dozens of knowledgeable sellers offering vintage fashion, accessories and textiles dating from Victorian times to the eighties and early nineties. Prices, predictably, are not cheap, but then this is high-end vintage. An original full length seventies Janice Wainwright dress will set you back around £100, a vintage Yves Saint Laurent jacket around £250 and original costume jewellery by the likes of Kenneth Jay Lane and Givenchy starts at around £50. My only criticism is the changing room situation. Although my reticence about stripping in front of dozens of other shoppers has decreased a little over years of buying at sample sales, the incongruity of trying on sixties Parisian couture in a town hall's toilets was not lost on me. Nevertheless, this hallowed fair is definitely worth a visit. Even if only for a browse because its friendly, charming sellers and magical atmosphere make this much more than a vintage shopping trip, The Vintage Fashion Fair is an experience.

This is a great place to go if you want vintage fashion away from Brick Lane, as the fair is quite…read moreestablished and usually has some great finds if you know where to look. It's not the cheapest place to buy vintage, but it is usually of a high standard, so you end up saving time by not having to trawl through so many piles of junk. Some of the sellers really know what they're talking about and have beautiful clothes. The reason I haven't given this five stars is that because due to the fact that it's indoors, it can feel a little crowded and chaotic, but as far as vintage fairs go it's comparativeley well organised, and the crowds are inevitable.

I'm not a great charity shop shopper, really - I haven't got one of those waifish frames that crap…read moreclothes hang well off. But I do like this one. It's in support of the Notting Hill Housing Association, and we've given a lot to it over the years - and maybe it's because it's local that it has good stuff - last week I found a really fantastic suit, perfect fit, for £20. Probably belonged to someone dead, come to think of it. Or someone who got even fatter than me. I guess this doubles as our local second hand bookstore, too - in that way that bookstores are being replaced by charity shops. And it has a good range of VHS and DVDs, and all kinds of pretty things for gifts.

My mom and I popped in here to see what items they had. They had decent stuff but the blonde woman…read morebehind the counter was beyond unfriendly. Everytime I looked up she was glaring at me and making it obvious there was some form of issue. She hovered around me looking at the racks and every-time I walked away from a rack she hurriedly went through and checked every Single item. It was like she thought I was stealing although I had not done anything to indicate such. Recommend literally any other charity shop, I can assure I've never had an experience like this before

You can tell by the pair of Jimmy Choo's in the window, that this charity shop has a little extra…read moreflair. Although the name is a little hard to read from the outside, because it's not up yet. You can find the shop by address or the letters that read "Ollamar Travel" in spray paint. There was a nice selection of coats and a few lovely dresses when I visited. I also found cute table top accessories, candle holders and pull out organizers that look like dresser draws. You can also donate your old clothing in-store.

What a great find! I found this store while wandering the streets of Portobello, away from the…read morecrowd. This store is located at the end of the street. They have some great vintage coats, purses, luggage bags, and BOOTS BOOTS BOOTS!!! I say BOOTS BOOTS BOOTS because I've never considered buying a pair until I came to this store. When I saw the mass amount of vintage boots this store had, my mouth dropped! It was amazing. I kept thinking, "Now I'm really going to look like a Londonian (do they even use the term Londonian?)" I was happy with my vintage boot purchase. I loved it and it was way more comfortable then most of the shoes I had. The people there were really nice and they helped me pick out the best one. They were very welcoming which made my visit even better. I asked if I could take a picture of the place and told them I'm a Yelper. They didn't know what a Yelper was until I explained to them my job description. HAHA! Keep in mind this YELP was still being established in the UK when I visit back in Feb 2009.

I walk downstairs in 282 Portobello Rd, "The Antique Clothing Shop". I browse a while, and come…read moreback up. Snobbish shop lady (I think it was owner Claudia Vispi): "Downstairs is out of bounds, (mutters) f*cking hell" Me: "I didn't realise it was out of bounds, sorry. But no need to swear." Lady: "Well, you freaked me out!" Me: "I didn't do it on purpose. The stairs weren't cordoned off so that wasn't clear to me, at all." Lady: "Well, it's clear to me" Well, glad that's cleared up then (!) Obviously, that's meaningful to the customer who comes into the store with ZERO information about your store layout. Oh, and note to self: "freaking out" a lady in a shop is legitimate grounds to be sworn at. Shame really, because the shop is nice.

A small charity shop with quite a bit a variety for its size - very close to the South Kensington…read moreTube station. I'm sure most people come in here looking for the locals' cast-offs... and while there are a couple of slightly interesting pieces, this shop is certainly not a bevy of buried fashionista treasure. But you're a die-hard thrift store browser, I would definitely recommend persistence when it comes to this place - from what I can tell, they have a good influx of stock, and if you get here early, there's certainly a chance you'll find something worthwhile before it all gets picked over. In addition to clothes (and shoes), there's also a decent selection of books and accessories, as well as some home accents. Men should also know that there's a section for them as large as the women's - pretty unusual for such shops! If you have any interest in browsing charity shops, definitely stop in if you're in the area - it's so small it certainly won't take you long to have a look around!

Old Hat is *the* place for vintage menswear / vintage men's suits. It's a great shop. My boyfriend…read morewas always moaning that East London and other vintage shops just don't have really high class, proper matching suits for *all* sizes (he's quite slim and not a big tall buff guy, if you know what I mean but not a whippet either), he always finds it hard to get fitted suits that are vintage. This place is now his mecca. The attire is proper gentlemen's clothes / suits and something a little more special than some of the trash in East London or the cheap nonsense in Central London. If you are a man and a fan of vintage clothes, this should be your first stop - these guys pride themselves on specialising on vintage suits and they really are the best I've found.

Does what it says on the tin…read more This Aladdin's cave of an emporium, just North of Putney Bridge is a great place to get second hand clothes. Especially good if you want to get things like Morning Suits or DJs. There is a lot of stock, so you may have to search for what you need. Go and have a browse around if you have a spare minute or two. They also do alterations. I still have the wedding outfit I got from there, and it has paid itself back many times now. This is the second hand part of David Saxby (http://www.qype.co.uk/place/preview/uk-2231579-david-saxby-fulham-london) a couple of doors away

This is a funny little place in an odd location. Not sure…read morehow they survive as this is mainly a residential area. On the few occasions that I visited the shop I was alone in the shop. They stock an eclectic mix of vintage-style furniture and accessories. It's a lovely place and I hope it's here to stay.

a good place to get old-skool furniture at a reasonable price the old stuff doesnt fall apart!…read moretake note ikea!

A real blast from the past this one, Located on Chiswick High Road near the High Road Brasserie,…read moreyou will find a small and unimpressive entrance to this weird and wonderful collection on nostalgia, antiques, American, art deco and retro furniture and other household items. It is a labyrinth of corridors, stairways, rooms and mini shops offering an amazing collection of everything old and antique that you may want to buy for your castle. Go there just for the spectacle, it is a truly amazing experience to walk among all of this clutter and stuff (I wanted to say junk) but I am sure they have some really expensive pieces. 1950's and 60's table lamps, fashion, table, chairs and chest of drawers are everywhere, as are the chandeliers - you don't go here to buy something, you go here to find something.

This has got to be one of the more interesting shops on Chiswick High Street. The Old Cinema is…read moreLondon's only department store selling antiques, vintage and retro furniture, décor, lights and gifts. It's a great place to come if you're looking for something to complement the IKEA or whatever brand forms the majority of your household furnishings. I didn't go with anything particular in mind but then I think that's probably the best frame of mind to be in when it comes to this sort of shopping. This way you allow yourself the true novelty of emotion when you realize you've found the stuffed owl you never knew you wanted. I quite liked the look of a few of 1950's American diner style kitchen stuff, cocktail shakers and drinks trolleys, that sort of thing but on this occasion I left as I came in. It's all about taste somewhere like this, it's eclectic and nothing will appeal to everyone but pop in, have a look around, something probably will.

Such a hidden gem! The staff are wonderful, the overall selection of items is unmatched, and the…read moreprices are remarkable. I adore this shop.

Really cute selection of women's clothing upstairs! Items and men's clothing downstairs. I thought…read morethey had picked a wonderful selection of modern clothes for quite cheap. Large selection of books and some knifty trinkets. I bought a very cool princess rubber duck!