wethrift

Where to thrift in London this November (and the first week of December)

Rails of second-hand clothes and market stalls under the glass roof of Old Spitalfields Market, with an old Citroën van parked between them
Photo: Andy Li, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

November is when the good coats come out. People clear their wardrobes before Christmas, dealers want stock shifted before January, and the organisers put on their bigger events. If you only do one month of proper thrifting a year, make it this one.

I've checked every date here against a listing, mostly the organisers' own. Things still move, so click through before you set off.

Sunbury Antiques Market, Kempton Park: Tuesday 10 and Tuesday 24 November

Yes, it's a Tuesday. Yes, it starts at 6.30am. That's exactly why it's good. The early crowd is mostly traders with torches and flasks, and plenty of what turns up at weekend fairs in town started life on a pitch here.

It runs on the second and last Tuesday of every month at the racecourse, from 6.30am until about 2pm. Entry is £5 before 8am and free after that, and parking is free. Technically it's Surrey, not London, but it's a short drive from Richmond and nobody's checking.

Pay the fiver. By 9am the clothes rails have been gone through by people who do this for a living. Bring cash for the smaller pitches and a big bag.

Goldsmith Vintage Kilo Sale, Covent Garden: Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November

A kilo sale in St Paul's, the actors' church on Bedford Street. Doors at 11am, or 10am if you buy the early ticket.

Tickets are on Eventbrite. It's £2 to get in, £3 for the early slot, and under-12s are free. Clothes are £20 a kilo, which is the top end for a kilo sale, so shop light. Shirts, silk, slips and summer dresses are where the value is. A wool overcoat can weigh two kilos on its own, and suddenly your bargain costs forty quid.

They take cash and card, but there are no refunds, so try things on. Go on the Friday if you can, because Saturday gets whatever Friday left.

Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair, Victoria: Sunday 15 November

Frock Me! is the fair the serious vintage crowd turns up to. This one is at the Lindley Hall in the Royal Horticultural Halls on Elverton Street, SW1, from 11am to 5.30pm.

Be clear about what it is. These are dealers, and the prices are dealer prices. You're not filling a bag here. You're finding the one 1970s suede coat that fits like it was made for you, and paying properly for it.

It's also the best free education in London. Handle the good stuff, look at the labels and the seams, and ask the stallholders questions. Most of them are happy to talk, and you'll spot the good pieces faster at a kilo sale afterwards.

Hackney Flea Market, Stoke Newington: Saturday 28 November

A proper neighbourhood flea, with records, homeware, odd bits of furniture and a fair amount of clothing. It's listed for 10am to 5pm at Abney Public Hall on Stoke Newington Church Street.

One warning. I can only find this date on a listings site, not from the organisers themselves. Check their socials on the Friday before you trek over.

Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair, Chelsea: Sunday 6 December

The last Frock Me! of the year is at Chelsea Old Town Hall on the King's Road. If you need a party outfit, this is where I'd go, because December is when the sequins and velvet come out of storage.

It also works for presents. A good vintage scarf or brooch beats anything on the high street, and nobody else will turn up with the same one.

Every week, in between

If none of those dates work, two markets run every week and are worth building a day around.

Old Spitalfields on a Thursday. The antiques and vintage market has been running every Thursday since 2003, with 80-odd stalls of jewellery, homeware, maps, furniture and a good amount of clothing, 8am to 5pm. It's free to get in and a few minutes' walk from Liverpool Street. Go early for the jewellery and late for the haggling.

Portobello Road on a Friday. Saturday is the famous day and it's rammed with tourists. Friday is calmer around the fashion stalls up at the Ladbroke Grove end, where second-hand rails sit next to young designers. Walk past the antique arcades at the Notting Hill end, they're priced for visitors.

A street on Portobello Road with a graffiti-covered van, parked cars and people walking past shopfronts

Portobello Road. Photo: Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A few things I'd tell a mate

Take a tote bag that folds up small, and a bit of cash even though most places take cards. Church halls and racecourse car parks don't always have signal.

Check the armpits, the zips and the hem before you pay. Nobody at a kilo sale is doing returns.

And go early to the fairs, but don't panic at the kilo sales. Some of them top up the tables during the day, so a second rummage can turn up things the first one missed.