Go Thrifting With Hilda

The rails at Hilda feature a mix of new ready-to-wear collections from some great indie brands and carefully selected vintage pieces, a testament to Charlotte’s ability to pick out real gems. If you want to up your vintage game, here’s how to do it.

If you’re a natural born thrifter, then I urge you to jump on a train out of the city. Make a day of it when the sun’s out. Find a place that has more charity shops than betting shops and you’ll have a good day finding labels like Jaeger and Aquascutum (without the Marylebone price tag.)

Have faith that each shop you go into has something in there that you’re gonna love. I used to do this when I was a serial charity shopper in my twenties. Manifesting treasures before they appeared. I once manifested some vintage Kickers before heading out one morning to the Princess May carboot, and miraculously – a box fresh pair of 37’s were on my feet within the hour. Shopping with a positive head is key. Makes good stuff appear. I promise you. 

It’s pretty liberating to know that any garment can be mended, altered and adjusted to your liking once you find a good tailor. Makes suit shopping all the sweeter just knowing that. (And I can recommend a very special one down Portobello Road called Steve Bell. He’s been  there since 1984. Ray Winston is a regular.) 

I’ve never really been an online shopper. Part of my shopping joy is that connection between me, the garment, the people around me, things said, things heard, the space. It’s all part of the experience. I think we are poorer for not having that more. And that lonely scroll, no matter how compulsive, won’t ever match the dopamine air punch of a charity shop find. It just won’t.

I always love it when I meet vintage dealers who really know their stuff. So my tip is to just let them talk. Allow them to be the sommelier to your sartorial tasting session. I guarantee it’ll make your shopping experience all the richer for it. Vintage vendors almost always have a good story to tell (when they’re in the mood.)