Archives for “vintage” tag

Jostling with its Oldham Street neighbour Pop Boutique for the title of most appealing vintage stockist, Retro Rehab specialises in selecting the most wearable clothes and accessories from decades past. Yes, it’s another vintage store but in this part of town you can’t move for them, and surely you didn’t come to Manchester to visit the Gap?

In this modestly sized but packed outlet dresses and skirts from the 50s to the 80s sit alongside racks of knitwear, shoes, bags and jewellery. There’s a strong emphasis on prints, from the bold and quirky to more sedate florals, and RR’s enviable collection of scarves ensures there’s always something you can see yourself wearing.

Items are imported from around the world and, where necessary, “lovingly reworked” by the team, to ensure the style and cut hit the right notes for the 21st century fashionista. And, as with almost all Manchester’s vintagewear, the prices give the high street a serious run for its money – there’s really no excuse for dressing with the mainstream in this city.

Manchester’s Afflecks, or Affleck’s Palace as it was once known, is – in theory – a clothing, music and knick-knack market across four floors of an ex-department store. In practice, despite now being owned by a leading property management corporation, it’s a bit of an indie institution, and an invaluable antidote to the high street’s ubiquitous chain stores.

A kind of gothic Arndale Centre when I first discovered it in my teens, Afflecks’ shops and stalls are much more diverse since it hit its 30th anniversary. Many stallholders are designer-makers at early stages of their fashion careers while others specialise in selecting or re-modelling wearable vintage, making this a great place to construct a look you’re unlikely to see replicated. With the All Saints empire having made dark and distressed a fashion mainstay there’s still a seam of goth- and punk-inspired attire, but you’re just as likely to find a polka dot tea dress, hand-crafted handbag or 80s bangle.

There’s no shortage of cheap and cheerful jewellery on sale, as well as posters and music memorabilia, soap, candles and incense and a smattering of vintage homeware. This is also the place to find specialist vendors now uncommon on the high street, with dedicated shops for skateboards, beads, undies and condoms.

Should you need fancy dress while you’re in Manchester Afflecks can help, and its airy cafe is the ideal place for a mid-shop pitstop. Which, given the excitable crowds in here on a Saturday afternoon, you may find yourself in need of…

What’s now known as Manchester’s Northern Quarter was traditionally home to its garment district, so it’s fitting that the area’s become a Mecca for quirky-clothes shoppers of both sexes. These days the district’s brimming over with vintage outlets but, for me, one of the first takes some beating: bold and breezy Pop Boutique on Oldham Street.

Like the best high street stores Pop has a distinctive and reliable house style; so if you’re after wearable, fun classics from the 60s to the 80s you can rest assured it’s worth diving into its dress, knitwear and separates rails. Unlike many less-established competitors Pop won’t waste your time with garments that look worn, or are just plain old rather than vintage, and if the fabric’s great but the style needs updating they’ll create a whole new dress, pinafore or skirt from it.

Most excitingly for me, Pop’s one of the few vintage shops in the city with a (sadly shrinking) dedicated homeware section, stocking spike-legged coffee tables and far-out 60s glassware and the kitsch-est of 70s kitchenware. The shop also has extensive menswear and accessories sections and there’s even an in-store barber, should you suddenly need some quiffage to go with your new 501s.

When it comes to clothes shopping in Manchester, the Northern Quarter has been the place for vintage since Afflecks started selling trench coats 30 years ago. But if your tastes tend towards the 80s themselves step out of that zone and across Piccadilly Gardens, where Cow sits among the mini-supermarkets of Parker Street.

Its brightly-lit shop floor groups similar items together in huge, rainbow-coloured displays, from sloganed crop tops and asymmetrical dresses to denim mini-skirts and cycling jerseys. This approach makes it look more like a branch of American Apparel than a vintage store and means you can head straight for the section you need – highly appealing to those more used to shopping on the high street.

Although you’re spared the pain of ploughing through a jumble of cast-offs you may have to steel your nerve to wear some of the items on offer – especially if you’ve already lived the 80s once. The diverse handbag and accessories ranges offer an easy way in for the faint-hearted (most girls can rock an envelope-style clutch), or you could quirk-up your outfit with jazzy pre-owned court shoes if your 21st century feet allow.

As part of a small chain Cow is organised on a semi-industrial scale, and the quantity of stock for both men and women is mind-blowing. New items arrive daily so this is definitely a place to keep coming back to – just make sure you’ve got the time (and taste!) to be discerning.