I’ve never been one for vintage shopping. I don’t know why. My mum is an avid rummager of charity shops and, because she has a keen eye for designs and brands, she always seems to come away with some amazing finds.
I suppose I’ve always thought of charity and vintage shops as a bit smelly – fausty if you will. The idea of possibly wearing something that somebody wore who is now no longer with us, left me feeling a bit queasy.
So, it was with great trepidation that I ventured into the new Beyond Retro store which has now opened in Cardiff. I honestly didn’t think I’d see or like anything. I thought I’d come away with my previous perceptions firmly intact. No so much as it turned out!
The shop, which is on two floors, didn’t smell fausty at all (I thought “old clothes, maybe a bit, you know”). In fact, the shop smells lovely. I don’t know how they were pushing the scent through the building, but it made the shopping experience very pleasant. Even more so than a non-scented shop if that makes sense. I remember years ago on a trip to a village in Spain, I walked into a boutique and the smell was gorgeous. I chatted to the shop owner, and she said when she first started using a scent in her shop, her customers commented on it, and so she had kept it ever since. Having enjoyed the scent in Beyond Retro, I now wonder why all shops don’t do it.
Beyond Retro is full of high-quality items, and I truly picked up something I liked from each and every rail. There were loads of jeans from quality brand names, leather and suede pieces, knitwear, shirts and blouses and shoes and boots.
I settled on a pair of black leather trousers, a creamy beige coloured pair, a green suede baggier pair, a funky jumper (which went with both the beige and green trousers) and a fabulous leather belt.
The dressing rooms were big and bright and didn’t have those horrible mirrors, which were reminiscent of an unforgiving fun fair attraction variety.
I was so impressed with all of the items, their quality, condition and price (unbelievably reasonable), that I had to have them all.
Even if they had not fitted, I think I would have still bought them and then paid a bit to have them tailored to fit as the quality was so good. Also, it would be highly unlikely that anyone else would be wearing the same items, so I would have a completely unique look.
Vintage items tend to be of higher quality than the fast fashion of today, and that certainly was the case with my purchases, so I will definitely be revisiting when I’m next in town.
Am I a vintage convert? You bet I am!
About Beyond Retro
Beyond Retro offers one of the largest selections of handpicked on-trend vintage clothing in-store and online, with more than seven million items sold since it launched in 2002. The new Cardiff outlet, which will eventually hold over 10,000 items of clothing, takes the chain’s UK store count to seven. Shop, Sip and witness creativity come to life.
Beyond Retro
Unit 4 The Hayes
St Davids Centre
Cardiff CF10 1AH
Opening Hours
Monday to Saturday 10am – 6pm
Sunday 12noon – 6pm
Socials
Search: Official Beyond Retro UK
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