Vintage Shopping In Manchester

BEFORE the Nineties, ‘vintage shopping’ as we know it today was practically unheard of. There were of course second hand shops, but they sold the same overpriced polyester t-shirts available on the high street. No wonder no one really bothered.

Blue Rinse sells the basic essentials of a vintage wardrobe with plaid shirts, college jumpers and Barbour jackets, whereas Wanderland acts as a more up-market vintage boutique, complete with lace blouses and peasant skirts.

It wasn’t too long ago when everyone started going really crazy for vintage. The stock was plentiful and prices were as cheap as chips. Fast forward to 2011 and what once belonged to the skint students of this nation and the old dears at your local Oxfam, now finds itself in all the cool shopping areas and on the backs of the rich and famous. Vintage is even the inspiration of many new designs. The shabby-chic look has never been more fashionable.

CowThe success of vintage shops has also welcomed more vintage markets and fairs. Usually restricted to one date per month and often taking place in some of the most unlikely settings, vintage on sale is usually at least twenty years old with some lucky finds dating back as early as the Twenties. Most of the vintage fairs in Manchester sell tea and scones which help add to the retro atmosphere. Prices tend to be cheaper than vintage shops too, so it helps to note down the dates in advance and get down early.

So what has prompted such a huge turnaround for what once meant finding a pair of jeans that kinda fitted, to this now major player of the fashion industry?

In large areas of cities such as Manchester’s Northern Quarter, every second shop seems to be some sort of vintage clothing. What was once hidden in the dark corners of Manchester's Affleck’s Palace, now finds itself in chain stores around the nation such as Cow and Blue Rinse and on an even grander scale, Topshop and Miss Selfridge.

The rise of vintage certainly started accelerating from the mid-noughties when supermodels such as Kate Moss proudly boasted about wearing clothes that used to belong to someone else. Funnily enough, years later the Ms Moss was to set up her own vintage inspired label at Topshop.

WanderlandThe main problem with vintage these days seems to be the lack of quality and rising prices in what is now an oversaturated market with little quality control. No one wants to spend £15 on a 'vintage' t-shirt you could have bought from New Look three years ago. The misinterpretation of the word vintage also seems to annoy those at the top of the fashion spectrum, with uber stylist Katie Grand preferring to call it “second hand”.

On Manchester’s vintage scene, there are clearly those that cut it, and those that don't. The Northern Quarter in particular has witnessed the high and lows of keeping a vintage shop afloat. Rags to Bitches and Best Vintage both closed down, as did Re-wear, but as is the case with this part of town, there’s always a new contender waiting to take over.

Both Blue Rinse and Wanderland recently set up shop in the Northern Quarter. Both offer some of the best vintage in the city with significantly lower prices than their competitive neighbours. Blue Rinse sells the basic essentials of a vintage wardrobe with plaid shirts, college jumpers and Barbour jackets, whereas Wanderland acts as a more up-market vintage boutique, complete with lace blouses and peasant skirts.

WanderlandWith a prime location in Piccadilly, Cow Vintage is doing things a bit differently than the rest and is also one to watch. With a large retail space which was once a discounted clothing store, Cow has to be one of the biggest vintage retailers in the city. Mannequins in the window are constantly draped in vintage offerings, and even manage to make shell suit jackets look wearable. Well, almost.

The clothing on offer ranges from Sixties preppy with penny loafers and shift dresses, to Nineties grunge with plaid shirts and mohair jumpers. The price points are also worth mentioning, with handbags and varsity t-shirts costing as little as £12.

It's not easy to predict the future of vintage fashion. I guess it’s all dependent on supplies from the past. While there will always be vintage Ossie Clark and YSL to purchase, the rise in fast-fashion and replica vintage on the high street could take away from the independence of vintage shops. Still, there’s nothing quite like the smell of a real, authentic vintage find.