Fri 23 Sep 12:27pm
Every Thursday for as long as I can remember (apparently for 350 years!) there has been a fabulous antiques market at Old Spitalfields…Although it’s difficult to get down there as often as I would like, I succeeded this week and had a rather fabulous time. There is an array of old curiosities from homewear to antique electrics, taxidermy to textiles, and obviously the stuff I am particularly interested in – vintage clothing!
What a delight to see stalls with rows of rails of pre-1950’s treasures! The colours, the styles and the fabrics a real pleasure to ponder on. But don’t get too excited yet as these beauties come at a price – to me a pretty unaffordable price, yet still a delight to examine.
My advice on strolling the aisles is to look for the more unsuspecting displays – the stalls selling a variety of things from a variety of eras. These stalls often have gems without the more painful price tags from people that are wanting to sell, whether they be selling off a part of their own collection or just have a more reasonable sense of trade, it is well worth spending a bit of time looking out for a diamond in the rough so to speak.
It was from such a stall where I picked up a fabulous 1970’s black floral halterneck and stunning hand crocheted turquoise back buttoning 50’s top making me a very happy Hannah!
As a lesson in historic clothing, inspiration to a textile junky, or as a lovely spot to wander with a pal, Spitalfields will definitely not disappoint, but don’t expect a bargain to obviously present itself – to search and succeed is where the satisfaction lies!
