Hello from the beautiful city of Bristol! This post – a guide to vintage and secondhand shopping in Bristol – is long overdue. I have always been a thrifter, a bargain hunter and a vintage admirer so without further ado, here are the best of the best by a proud Bristolian born and bred. It is a long ‘un – I’ve been very thorough – so grab yourself a cuppa and enjoy!
GLOUCESTER ROAD
REPSYCHO – 85 Gloucester Road
Repsycho is certainly to thank for my early love of vintage as I grew up near Gloucester Road, a unique road filled with independent shops, restaurants and pubs. In my teens, I would come here regularly to search out cute dresses and patterned jumpers and while my style has moved on since then, Repsycho is still my go to store for retro clothing in Bristol. On the ground floor, you’ll find everything (for men and women) from beaten up leather jackets, cute blouses and faux fur to 90s sports jackets and Levi’s jeans. On this visit, I was particularly impressed by their fringed and embroidered women’s suede jackets from as little as £30. Up a winding staircase is everything you could wish for to create the perfect retro home like mirrors, armchairs and just general knick knacks, all at reasonable prices. Finally, downstairs they sell vinyls. So if you want lots of variety in one small space – check out Repsycho!
Half charity shop, half vintage shop, Clic Sargent’s Shop On The Gloucester Road offers the best vintage and secondhand goodies, carefully selected from public donations. From the inside, this place is so well merchandised that could definitely pass for a proper vintage store…until you see the low low prices. Oh wow this place is thrifter’s heaven! Most items do not cost over £10, even coats, and they have a great selection from colourful blouses and jumpers to retro jewellery and leather bags. They also sell their own range of up cycled clothing under the brand name ‘Fix Up Look Sharp’. So go find your best bargain and help a charity at the same time.
There are many other excellent charity shops on the Gloucester Road – on the same strip as REPSYCHO and CLIC – including Marie Currie, St Peter’s Hospice and British Heart Foundation. The one that I particularly like is Cancer Research UK because the choice is excellent and they have their own ‘Vintage with Love’ section, which is pretty darn good!
Once just an independent music store, Rise has gone through many changes since its opening but their current formula seems to have stuck. Downstairs is a noodle bar but upstairs is the home to music, books and their Rise Revival vintage clothing brand. The selection ranges from secondhand denim jackets, Levi’s shorts and patterned jumpers to vintage style new shirts, printed dresses and reworked wax Barbour-style coats for just £45.
I always think of Uncle Sam’s as the dark horse in Bristol’s vintage clothing game because I am never sure if it will be open when I go there. But if you are lucky to catch them open (I have no idea what the deal is with their opening hours), then you will be in for a right treat. This shop is raw, rugged and filled with authentic American vintage at decent prices. Find your perfect western style shoes from £35, cute silk shirts for £9 and a large selection of dungarees for £30.
SOBEYS – 24 Park Street Formerly consisting a small corner in multi-brand store BS8 just up the road, Sobeys expanded and moved into MOTEL ROCKS‘ former flagship when they sadly closed. The clothing is a nice mix of new vintage style pieces, reworked items and genuine vintage but of course I was particularly interested in their choice of old Dr Martens. The shop itself is extremely aesthetically pleasing – just look at those cute changing room doors (below)!
URBAN FOX – 58 Corn Street Owned by the same retro genius as Gloucester Road’s Repsycho, Urban Fox feels more upmarket thanks to its impeccable visual merchandising and super central location. There are not many shops on Corn Street (mainly restaurants and bars) so Urban Fox is really owning this strip. There is the perfect selection of everything that is bang on trend from gorgeous sheepskin coats, sparkly sequins and a suede skirt collection to die for! Their bag and boots collection ain’t half bad either with lots of cowboy boots, chunky DMs and pointy lace ups. The clothes are pretty reasonably priced despite its central location – you’ll pay £20 for a shirt, £30 for cute retro dress and £50 for a super warm and sturdy sheepskin coat.
CLIFTON
FOCUS ON THE PAST – 25 Waterloo Street, Clifton Village Focus On The Past is a bit different from the other shops in list because, although it boasts a decent section of vintage clothing, handbags and jewellery, its main trade is in homeware and bric-a-brac. I absolutely love coming here for a rummage whenever I am in Clifton Village – the shop is just such a mess, especially in comparison to its super sleek surroundings, which makes it extra charming. They sell everything from anything from Bristol related books, furniture and kitchenware to gorgeous rugs and retro lamps. This is an absolute must visit if you are looking to deck out your home with reasonably priced secondhand gems.
Elsewhere in Clifton, you will find some charities shops worth visiting on Whiteladies Road, Cotham Hill and Regent Street back in Clifton Village.
So there you have it! I hope you have enjoyed this very in-depth guide to vintage and secondhand shopping in Bristol. I must admit that when I started thinking up this blog post, I did not fully appreciate how amazing Bristol is for your bargain hunters and vintage lovers out there!
Let me know if you have been to any of these shops and which are your favourite!
Faux fur coat – KILO SHOP, Jumper – PRIMARK (old), Trousers – ASOS (old), Shoes – ASOS (sold out)
Location: Royal York Crescent, Bristol
Hello my lovelies! I hope you all had a lovely weekend and that this Monday is not too much of a struggle. I have had the most wonderful 48 hours being back in England where I will be for the next week. I am currently back home in Bristol (before going to London at the weekend) where I shot this outfit with my lovely mamma in the beautiful area of Clifton Village.
I am so psyched to have finally got hold of these gorgeous block heel ballet pumps by ASOS. I had been looking for a pair of shoes in this style for a few months and when these instantly sold out, I was super sad. But after stalking the stock daily, I eventually managed to get myself perhaps the last size 4s!
So it is pretty damn cold in Bristol but that’s ok because I am loving snuggling up in my favourite blue faux fur coat. It’s like a giant hug. Underneath I paired an old PRIMARK cream high neck jumper with some old ASOS cropped trousers. Sorry most of these items are ‘old’ but it is so nice to be able to rummage through my clothes left behind at home. I love this look – which has something a bit sixties/seventies about it – and think it goes perfectly with the beautiful backdrop of Royal York Crescent.
Coucou mes choux! J’espère que vous avez passé un bon week-end et que ce lundi n’est pas trop dûr. Moi, je suis rentrée en Angleterre samedi et j’ai passé un très beau week-end. Je reste dans ma ville, Bristol pendant cette semaine avant d’aller à Londres le week-end prochain. Hier, j’ai pris ces photos avec ma belle maman dans un très beau quartier de Bristol – Clifton Village.
Je suis trop contente qu’enfin j’ai ces escarpins super mignons d’ASOS. Ça fait longtemps que je cherche une paire de ce genre et quand tout a été vendu de ceux-ci, j’étais vraiment déçue. Cependant, après avoir regardé le stock pendant toute la semaine, enfin j’ai réussi à prendre (je pense) les derniers 37s.
Il fait super froid à Bristol mais cela ma plaît parce que je peux porter mon manteau en fausse fourrure bleue préféré. En dessous, j’ai mis un vieux pull avec un col haut de PRIMARK avec mon vieux pantacourt noir d’ASOS. Je suis désolée que je vous montre les ‘vieilles’ pièces mais c’est parce que je suis avec mon anciens vêtements! Je kiffe ce look qui est super sixties/seventies et il va super bien avec le beau fond de Royal York Crescent.
PALO ALTO MARKET is without a doubt the hippest market I have ever been too. Now let’s be honest – we all love indulging in a bit of hipster which is why I will definitely be back. Palo Alto takes place on the first weekend of each month in Barcelona’s up-and-coming Poble Nou neighbourhood. This area is usually pretty quiet so you are unlikely to bump into lots of tourists here – win – but do be prepared to queue as it is pretty popular.
LE MARCHÉ PALO ALTO à Barcelone est, sans doute, le marché la plus tendance que je ne suis jamais été. Pour être honnête, tout le monde aime un peu de “hipster” de temps en temps et cela est pourquoi je sais que je reviendrai. Palo Alto se passe chaque premier weekend du mois dans un quartier montant qui s’appelle Poble Nou. Normalement ce coin est super tranquille du coup vous ne risquez pas d’être entouré de touristes mais préparez-vous de faire la queue comme ce marché est très populaire.
I was expecting the kitsch food trucks, similar to those that I had seen at other smaller events in Barcelona, which despite being nothing new these days are still super cute. There was quite good a range of gastronomic options from traditional Catalan food to Mexican and Indian. As we had been missing a good old French crepe, we decided to go for a yummy Galette Bretonne with lots of cheese. After filling our bellies with food, we were ready to navigate the winding pathways and very busy market.
J’avais attendu ce style de caravanes qui servent de la nourriture car je les ai vues aux autres événements à Barcelone et même si elles ne sont pas une nouvelle idée aujourd’hui, je les trouve super mignon comme même. Il y a une bonne gamme de choix comme la bouffe catalane, mexicaine et indienne. Nous avons choisi une miam galette bretonne avec beaucoup de fromage parce que ça fait longtemps qu’elle nous manque! Après avoir bien mangé, nous étions prêts d’explorer le marché très occupé.
If I am honest, I had expected a market that was a bit less “well curated”. I wanted crammed rails, piles of clothes for rummaging and second hand crap that costed next to nothing but none of that will you find here. Instead there are different halls that contained designers’ collections, workshops and exhibitions as well as smaller outside stalls. Lewis was deeply unimpressed by the hall containing male grooming products and lots of motorbikes sold by men with the best trimmed beards in Catalunya. It was a hipster’s paradise but despite being interesting, it was not really our kind of thing.
Si je suis honnête, j’avais attendu un marché un peu moins “organisé”. J’ai voulu des rayons blindés, des montagnes de vêtements dans lesquelles il faudrait fouiller et plein de conneries à second main qui coûte presque rien. Par contre, il y a plusieurs “halles” qui contiennent des collections de créateurs, des ateliers et des expositions ainsi que des petits stands à l’extérieur. Lewis n’étais pas impressionné par la halle où il y avait des produits de la tenue masculine et plein de motos, vendu par des hommes avec les barbes les plus bien coiffés en Catalunya. C’était un paradis pour un hipster et même s’il est intéressant, ce n’était pas vraiment notre truc.
Whether you are into trendy markets or not, I would definitely recommend that you check out Palo Alto Market, for the beautiful setting if nothing else. Surrounded by palm trees and flower-covered buildings, enjoy some good food, chill with some beers amongst friends or explore what up-and-coming designers have to offer. There is something to suit everything and the crowd varies from stylish youngsters, families and middle-aged couples. ¡Vamos!
Si vous aimez des marchés à la mode ou non, je vous conseille sans doute d’aller jeter un coup d’oeil à Palo Alto – pour le cadre si rien d’autre. Vous etes entouré des palmiers et des bâtiments couverts de fleurs alors allez profiter de la bonne bouffe, détendez-vous avec des bières et vos amis ou explorer ce que les créateurs offrent. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde et la foule est varié entre des jeunes stylés, des familles et des couples d’âge mur. On y va!
Pleated skirt – vintage, SIMILAR, T-shirt – H&M (steal ya boyfriend’s), Leather jacket – ASOS (v. old), Belt – vintage, SIMILAR, Boots – ASOS, Hat – secondhand, SIMILAR/SIMILAR
Location: Circo Reluy, Passeig de Colom, Barcelona
I have been a big fan of the pleated skirt for a while now. In the vintage shop where I worked in Paris, we would get pleated skirts in on the reg so this one has been part of my collection for a while. Now they are a big ‘must-have’ for SS16 so I thought I would show you one of my favourites ways I style my pleated midi skirt.
Pleats can be quite girly so here I am toughening up my midi with black leather boots and jacket and finishing the look off with my favourite western belt and fedora hat. I thought it was the perfect outfit – having quite boho and WESTERN VIBES – to shoot next to these super cute circus trucks that I have been eyeing up for ages as a shoot location!
How are you wearing your pleated skirt this season?
Ça fait longtemps que je suis fan des jupes plissées. La friperie dans laquelle j’ai travaillé à Paris recevait des jupes plissées souvent du coup celle-ci fait partie de ma collection depuis longtemps. Elle est un must-have pour printemps/été 16 alors je voulais vous montrer comment je porte une jupe plissée.
Des plis peuvent être super féminins du coup je change cela en mettant ma jupe avec des bottes en cuir et un perfecto noir et je finis ce look avec ma ceinture préférée et un chapeau. J’ai pensé qu’il est le outfit parfait pour shooter devant ces caravanes super mignonnes – vu que ce look a des vibes bohème et western.
Hello huns and happy Sunday! So I have finalllllly gotten round to doing my next YouTube video! As I explain at the beginning of the video – I actually filmed the classic ’50 Facts About Me’ video but thought it was a bit too long for my second video so I have done a condensed ’10 Facts About Me’ version – enjoy!
Coucou mes choux et bon dimanche! Alors ENFIN j’ai fini mon deuxième video pour YouTube! Comme j’explique au début du video – j’avais filmé le video classique ’50 Faits Sur Moi’ mais je pense qu’il est trop long pour être mon deuxième video. Du coup, je vous présente une version condensée – ’10 Faits Sur Moi’ – j’espère que vous l’aimez! Bisous
