Ninety percent of these shops of course are simply selling dodgy old schmutter that nobody wanted in the first place, and trying to pass it off as ‘retro-vintage classics’ to people who have not done their homework, and don’t know the difference! This is however no excuse for taking advantage of consumer credulity! East London’s ‘trendy’ Brick Lane area is infested with these shops, and they are in the main, best avoided!
To be highly recommended though is London’s Portobello Road Vintage Fashion Street Market! Set in the legendary Notting Hill area of West London, Portobello is perhaps the worlds most famous street market! And justifiably so! For fifty years and more this has been the center of London’s Cool Arty Bohemian Subculture, in a way that the fake nuevo trendiness of East London could never hope to equal. Not only the Vintage Clothes Market, but indeed the adjoining area itself has a host of cool arty wonderfully bohemian authentic vintage/retro shops, where unlike their East London counterparts one can find some genuine ‘classics’! Indeed a Japanese friend of mine on a recent visit to London, was in a state of near euphoria, having found a pair of ‘classic’ Vivienne Westwood sandals in almost mint condition, and in the original box for twenty dollars! In the sixties, Portobello was the focal point for London’s arty bohemian subculture! Pink Floyd’s legendary eccentric front man, Syd Barrett, Mark Bolan, and a whole host of pop cultural movers, shakers and luminaries would be found hanging out here...swathed in velvet, satin, beads, Indian finery and vintage Victorian threads! The seventies saw Portobello hosting the emergence of UK Punk/Post Punk New Wave! With the then new Rough Trade Records and the various artists on the label, plus all the Reggae luminaries like Bob Marley, all to be found in this area! Future music legends and boho-fashion icons, The Slits,whom Madonna lifted her whole original look from (and with whom this writer worked) lived in Portobello, as did The Clash! And even today, Mick Jones and Paul Simenon can be seen here. Mr. Jones, looking these days like a rather stylish designer undertaker! With property prices through the roof since the movie ‘Notting Hill,’ it is no longer a cheap living option! And Indeed if you want to enjoys some serious celeb spotting, this is where you come to see the real ‘Faces’! Another music and fashion icon, often to be seen here, is legendary rock star Paul Weller…still very much the ‘Modfather,’ and certainly one of the most cooly-stylish and best dressed men around! What has to be remembered though, is that this is where fashion actually begins! And today’s cool arty boho street-chic, is tomorrow’s catwalk killer! In today’s Portobello Road Market one should avoid Saturday. Although overwhelmed with tourism, the cool day is Friday or Sunday for all you terminal celeb spotters. That’s when they are about! One can still find those hot little items…those authentic totally to-die-for vintage gems, if you look carefully! The days however when you could leave the market with a bag full of goodies for five dollars, are long gone! But for the serious fashion junky and style trainspotter, there are certainly bargains to be had, and most certainly fun to be had (if you can beat the girls from Central St Martins and the Royal College of Art, to the ultra-cool must have Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garcons or Issey Miyake Vintage Classics that is!). - Chris Garland, London. http://puremindclothing.com
http://fashion-faces.com | OCT 2013 115