Vintage Hunting with Beyond Retro | Brighton

We're super lucky in Brighton and vintage shops are a dime a dozen in the North Laine area, I love getting lost in the rails of clothes so today I thought I'd take you on a tour of our gorgeous Beyond Retro.

The huge Brighton store stretches back so far it's almost like a Tardis when you look at it from the outside. As you move further into the shop your eye catches on everything from embellished denim waistcoats, to gaudy 70's patterned crop shirts and suitcases bursting with bow ties and braces. It's impossible to look at everything, to see everything, but I'd love to try one day!

When you walk in, you're greeted by a selection of reimagined t-shirts and shirts, a sassy looking mannequin kitted out in full 90's Adidas glory and my personal favourite section - rails and rails of second hand American college jumpers spanning Nebraska, Notre Dame, Minnesota and everywhere in between - it was all I had in me to walk away without buying them all! 

As you turn the corner you'll be met with a chest of drawers overflowing with bright silky scarves adorned with every pattern you can possibly think of - think cats and dogs, flowers, diamonds, geometric 60's jazz and that much loved bandana style print all mixed up together ready and waiting to be rummaged through! 

If scarves aren't your thing then just turn around and you'll be faced with more shirts than you could wear in a lifetime, some have been altered and cropped and some are still in their sheer, flowing 70's glory. There are bright popping Hawaiian prints, stripes, a gorgeous mix of lilac and mint that definitely came from the 90's and some really cool and versatile checkered "lumberjack" styles too, if you're searching for something a little more toned down.

If you make it all the way to the back it will definitely be worth it! There's an amazing little hidden photobooth just before the changing rooms - it costs just £3 and it's so much fun and in the most perfect location! Such a cute little keepsake from your Vintage Hunting experience in Beyond Retro.

 It's true that there are a lot of places to go for your vintage clothes, especially if you live in Brighton and Hove. Beyond Retro is probably the biggest, maybe one of the most organised but definitely the friendliest. I was in there for about forty-five minutes and every single time someone came into the store they were greeted warmly by a member of the Beyond Retro team, headed up by managers Joe and Davey. Each customer I saw come in was asked how their day was going, if they needed any help with anything specific and the team were always chatting and laughing and helping. Attitudes like that make such a big difference, especially in a big store like this one where it could be quite intimidating even knowing where to start!

I'm really excited to go back to Beyond Retro soon and do a little vintage haul, I have my eye on some specific styles of shirts - they're dungaree selection is second to none and did I mention those college jumpers? Yeah, them.

You can find Beyond Retro in their Brighton Store in Vine Street and in their 3 London Stores in Soho and Central London. If you don't live near Brighton or London you can find them online here.

Happy vintage hunting!