Week 4 - Vintage Treasure Troves in Bath

If you love vintage or retro fashion finds, look no further for some tips on the best places to stock up on a day out shopping in Bath. 

If you can time your visit between 25^th March and 1^st April, you can grab some great discounts and get tickets for some great fashion events too as it is Bath Fashion week.  Visit bathinfashion.co.uk to book. Some designer greats are hosting shows, talks and workshops, including Bath dweller, Manolo Blahnik, Amanda Wakeley and top stylist to models such as Kate Moss - Rebekah Roy.

Tweeds for the country couple

So back to Baths' vintage retail offerings.  Working forwards in time, the most longstanding vintage resident in Bath has to be Vintage to Vogue which has a stunning collection of women’s and men’s garments, antiques and shoes dating way back from late 1800’s/early 1900’s through to flapper dresses, 50’s prom dresses and Sherlock style tweeds.  The staff are friendly, helpful and know their vintage.

Scarlet Vintage www.scarletvintage.co.uk  tucked away on Queen Street is a real find.  With flapper dresses from the 20’s, more recent joys from Biba or Pucci and spotted today, a luxurious floor-length black velvet cloak from the 1930’s – very Scottish widow!  The owner is an ex-air hostess who did the London to LA haul where she found some of her fabulous designer pieces.  Staff are really helpful and called me months after I’d asked them to locate me a vintage Hermes scarf with the perfect one -  in the very periwinkle blues I’d requested. My last birthday present to myself!

 

Similarly, Heaven’s Bazaar, again off the main drag on St Margaret’s Buildings, is a feast for the eye with lots of fantastic vintage paste and dress jewellery. Gorgeous lizard bags and beautiful Dior scarves nestle alongside some vintage dresses and many more current second hand designer bits – Prada shoes, Miu Miu and Gucci, to name a few I’ve coveted.

Bringing us slightly more up to the present day, Mint, beautifully laid out and the clothes in immaculate condition, sells high end designer second hand clothing.  Buyer and blogger, the flower girl, www.theflowergirlblog.com has an excellent eye and I have had my beady eye on dresses by Valentino, Herve Leger and a vintage Coach bag, as well as some pre-loved Burberry trenches.

Check out those 50's lampshades!

Black and White lends more of a nod to the retro with some great pieces of 50’s furniture and prints rubbing alongside contemporary and old second hand fashion .  High street brands sit together with some great designer pieces, as long as the clothing is in good condition and marketable.

The Yellow Shop on Walcot Street is also a Bath old timer.  Full of second and retro denim, 80’s plastic hoops and some great Nordic knits, the Yellow shop has great second hand cowboy boots as well as pretty floral dresses sold as new.

Finally, bling it all up with some fabulous beads and paste from Bath's Guildhall Market. This hidden vintage jewellery concession is a riot of colour for the senses and at reasonable prices too.

Tip of the Week:  From 24^th March until 8^th May, the Holbourne Museum is hosting an exquisite display of hats curated by and sourced from Stephen Jones’ own collection.  Don’t miss out.

Next Week:  Fit in Bath – in honour of last Sunday’s Bath Half Marathon!

Spoilt for choice?!

After last week’s marathon shop when I left you no room to pause for breath let alone caffeine, I thought I’d remedy it this week with great places for coffee breaks and light lunches to break up the retail therapy.  With the onslaught from hemispheres Southern and Eastern of coffee culture, Bath as a tourist haven has wasted no time joining the ‘non-fat, vanilla, no whip latte, to go’ bandwagon.  

The great thing is you don’t have to go to the chain stalwarts (Starbucks, Caffé Nero, Costa etc…) unless you have your staple fix, there are plenty of great deli-style cafes all serving fantastic quality coffee and food.

Loft's egg inspired Easter window

So lets start at the top of town again.  The Loft www.theloft-bath.com is a homewares and designer clothing shop situated in a spacious department store sized space on tucked away Bartlett Street.  Whilst the clothing and interiors are high end and lovely it is also host to the cosy Café Lucca with quiet and intimate surroundings for a really good catch up – preferably child free.  It’s the place I took my Mum for a light bite if you catch my drift?! (excellent salads, quiches and delicious and unusual cakes).

Moving down onto George Street, the Adventure Café has been a Bath staple for a long time. Food tends to be plentiful, sandwiches and dishes with a tex mex twist – and a really good range of smoothies and chocolate milkshake that are hard to resist.  It's family friendly during the day and has a great garden space at the rear for summer chilling.  Next door’s Jika Jika is newer to Bath and owned by ex Bath rugby player Matt Stevens, so encourages a rugby supported crowd. It’s much more about the coffee and unusual and delicious range of suko teas. Barista’s in here are well trained and keen and don’t like to heat the milk too high! (destroys the quality of the coffee apparently!!)

Head further off the beaten track to Walcot Street – home to some great retro, specialist interior and vintage shops and you will happen across some great foody finds.  The Fine Cheese Company at the bottom of the street has the best selection of deli goods, breads and, of course, cheeses in Bath and its adjoining café has great lunchtime food and a mouthwatering selection of cakes and great coffee.  

Further up the road, relative newcomer to Bath, Sam’s Kitchen, has a tapas feel and is great for healthy but wholesome lunches and has a small but rustic and relaxed interior.

For a more kid friendly venue, head to the cafe at the Egg, Bath’s children’s theatre venue, which  has a spacious interior and plenty of toys and hidey houses for children to enjoy.  It has basic but fine coffee, sandwiches and organic snacks for parents and children alike.

Play den in the Egg

Finally, the Chapel Arts cafe is a great venue hosting a really eclectic range of music gigs from all over the globe.  By day it has the best cafe with great food and displays by local artists and craftspeople. www.chapelarts.org


Tip of the Week: If you fancy watching the thousands that rush into Bath this Sunday for the Bath Half Marathon 2012, head to Widcombe School where you can send your kids into the park whilst you watch the runners and enjoy great cakes at the pop up cafe...


Next Week: Vintage and Retro clothing in Bath as the Vintage Fashion celebrations hit town...