Secondhand shopping in 1980s London
I have always loved secondhand shopping, finding something unusual and quirky that no-one else will be wearing. When I moved to London in the late 70s, charity shops were not a yet a treasure hunting destination and didn't yield many gems. I found more luck in secondhand and vintage stores and, of course, jumble sales (particularly in wealthy areas like Hampstead).
I made a lot of my own clothes but I've been trying to remember where I shopped when not on the high street (and I didn't do much of that).
Cornucopia
I recall stumbling across this shop near Vauxhall Bridge Road by accident and feeling I had entered another world. Stuffed to the gills with an eclectic collection of vintage and secondhand clothes, you couldn't fail to find something amazing on the rails. I bought a top hat and tails there which I wore with yards of black lace. Apparently it was the haunt of many famous actors and musicians but I never knowingly saw any of them there.
Laurence Corner
Nearly everyone I knew shopped at this army surplus store. I bought camo trousers (yes, I’ve loved always loved camo), a green military trench coat belted mac (which got me into trouble when flying to Dublin). This military wear was very much part of the 80s uniform. The store has long since closed but the building now has a blue plaque and the history of Laurence Corner has recently been turned into a play.
Photo courtesy of London Remembers
FLIP
FLIP sold mainly American clothing including baseball jackets, lumberjack shirts, 50s skirts, 501s, Hawaiian shirts, and flying jackets. I seem to recall the branch in Covent Garden stayed open until midnight. You were very cool if you visited the warehouse in Curtain Road, Shoreditch, a less than salubrious place in the 80s with abandoned and decaying buildings. But FLIP was a magnet for those of us looking for alternative clothing.
282 Portobello Road
This vintage boutique was owned by my friend Sandy Stagg. . To be honest, I didn’t realise until I read this article that designers like John Galliano, Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen took inspiration from Sandy’s hand-picked collection. What I do remember is her asking me to put some shelves up for her. When I got there the only tool she had was an ancient hand drill. It was an impossible task and I ended up finding some workmen up the street who loaned me a power drill.
Sandy was known as the Queen of Toronto and was co-owner of the Peter Pan restaurant when it was host to raucous parties and art-scene debauchery. Interesting fact: 28 years ago when I met my husband's sister who lives in Toronto, I mentioned that a friend of mine was from also from the City although living in London then. Her mouth fell open in shock. Apparently an unrealised ambition of hers was to get an invite to one of Sandy's infamous events with the 'in crowd'.
Camden Market
As well as shopping at Camden Market, I used to sell secondhand clothes there on weekends for someone else. Mainly to supplement my income, but also because I loved the atmosphere. This is when I started buying and selling secondhand clothes myself. It was an incredibly popular place, nowhere near as touristy as now (it’s been ruined really) and extremely difficult to get a pitch. However, a few years later when I set up my first clothing label, Mama Oclo, I did manage to get my own stall there.
I love these memories of Camden Market.
Kensington Market
In the 80s this massive indoor market catered to punks, new romantics and goths like me. It was a hotch-potch of a department store with a diverse range of clothes from psychedelia to Edwardian velvets. You could also get tattooed, pierced or a haircut. I bought some bright pink crazy colour for my hair and ended up accidentally dying towels, the bath, clothes – it was a nightmare to wash it out and my more conservative flatmates were furious.
What I loved was the fact that many of the stall holders were selling their own designs. It was definitely a place of inspiration for me. Within the market was a unit called Hyper Hyper which provided space for new designers like Pam Hogg and Leigh Bowery. I think this may have moved into its own premises at some point.
Dig deeper here for more history on Kensington Market.
More reading matter
The way we wore: a life in threads by Robert Elms
Outlaws: fashion renegades of Leigh Bowery's 1980s London
Behind the seams by Esme Young
Vivienne Westwood by Ian Kelly
