If there’s one thing Brighton is known for it’s the quirky style and open-minded spirit. You are probably never more than 10 metres from an independent shop. That is what makes it so great for fashion and thrift shopping. The lanes are famous for their indie style and vintage shops but there are plenty of other places to shop second-hand.
I have to admit, I wrote this blog in 2021 before I moved to London, so shops may have changed, there may be may be new, better ones I haven’t visited yet, and this is completely my personal experience.
The North Laines
It is only right to start at this iconic part of Brighton. Here you will find amazing jewellers, vintage shops and independent brands such as Lucy & Yak.
For Vintage Garms
Some of these shops are more expensive than others and different garments will be priced differently in each shop. If it has a brand logo on it, then it will probably double the price but you can find some gems pretty easily. My favourite vintage shops are To Be Worn Again (there are two of these in the lanes), Independent Rag, Dirty Harry and Beyond Retro. All of these except the latter have rails outside that have great deals on – pretty much everything is less than £20, with a fair amount being a £5 rail.
Beyond Retro does have stores in London and Bristol also so it can sometimes be more expensive, however I did get a trench coat in there for less than £50, whereas everywhere else was way more than that. Also, if you’re ever in doubt of where you’ll be able to find something, I always go here. To Be Worn Again is an emporium of pretty much everything and anything, it’s a proper retro and vintage shop with some very random but cool finds. I’ve probably shopped here more than any other shop in the Lanes. They also have a huge warehouse in Worthing that does £15 kilo sales with amazing garments in for such a good price. Independent rag is quite a small shop so it has a more select stock meaning you’ll be likely to find some really cool garments in here. Dirty Harry is sort of a mix of them all, it has an amazing denim section and they often have cool accessories like bucket hats, and bum bags and the items are mostly all pretty trendy.
My favourite finds: vintage jeans – you can find these in pretty much any second hand shop in the Lanes, Dirty Harry, Beyond Retro and To Be Worn Again have big jeans sections with an array of sizes. Coats – from trench coats to leather jackets you’ll find pretty much any coat you want in one of the shops. Slip dresses – I haven’t bought one yet but you’ll often find beautiful, vintage slip dresses or nighties that could be layered and worn out. Oversized sweatshirts and fleeces – these are pretty much a staple of every independent shop in the lanes, especially as the colder months start to come in.
Designer Vintage
If you are happy to spend a fair chunk of money on designer vintage clothes then head to Wolf & Gypsy Vintage. They stock garments from designers like Prada, Moschino, Valentino and so much more. You can also look at their stock on their website. Their garments are so gorgeous!!
Jewellery
I love getting my rings from the Lanes in Brighton. Outside some of the shops like Snoopers Paradise and Brighton Silver they have stalls with a variety of rings and earrings. You can get gorgeous sterling silver rings for less than £15. There are also jewellers like Silverado that do beautiful pieces. You can also head to the narrow streets of the south lanes where there are lots of independent jewellers.
Antiques
If you want some cute antiques for your home then Snoopers Paradise is an antique emporium. I’ve loved this shop since the first time I came to Brighton. It has everything from antique furniture to vinyls, clothes and film cameras. I’ve bought two film cameras from here and they’ve brought me so many good memories, you can also find amazing vinyls for a fraction of the price they are sold for in chains.
London Road
Charity Shops
A little bit more out of town but if you want to do some thrifting in charity shops then there is loads of options on London Road. To name a few: British Heart Foundation, Mind, Oxfam, pdsa, Martlets, Age UK, and Chestnut Tree House. You can find some really cute clothes in these shops and of good quality. There’s also amazing books and homeware.
