Hope and Harlequin

Florence alert!
Hope & Harlequin is exactly the kind of vintage fashion boutique that Florence and The Machine would visit religiously if she lived in Brighton. Run by a devoted fashion lover, its an adorable store that specialises in unique, distinctive and gorgeous clothes from the late 1800s to the 1970s. If you’re looking for a Celia Birtwell blouse, an Ossie Clark dress or Vivienne Westwood jacket, this is the shop. Price tags are pretty steep but we’re talking about seriously special dresses, coats, capes and gowns that will bring out your inner goddess!

Hope & Harlequin is another vintage shop in the North Laines, but this one is high-​end-​designer-​duds-​vintage. I didn’t see very much for under £200 until I reached the jewellery case and even then, things weren’t under by much.
The dresses and coats have detailed tags, listing the year, designer, the price and some carefully chosen adjective rationalising the price: fantastic grey smock dress, for example.
The shoes and accessories were interesting to look at, but the sales clerk was a bit overzealous and felt like hovering — so I left to find a slightly more low key shop.

Hope and Harlequin is a gorgeous shop, there’s no doubt about it. It feels more like a museum of vintage ladies wear, than a real shop though, which can be a little off-​putting. With beautiful dresses and evening wear from the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s, much of their collection wouldn’t look out of place in the Fashion museum or the V&A!
There is always, without fail, an absolutely stunning dress hanging in the window, beckoning for me to enter the stylish boutique and part with more money then I have. If you’re looking for a unique original vintage item, you need look no further. Beautiful dresses, stoles, shawls and more line the rails… many of the items are delicately embroidered and embellished. As well as original vintage items, they sell their own bespoke imitation pieces, which are equally as pretty, and probably a little sturdier! They also sell lovely little home décor items and specialize in vintage and new wedding dresses– they have an impressive selection and some of them are really unusual. In fact this shop is so pretty and pastelly, it would be a great place to look for wedding design inspiration in general!

The selection of vintage on offer at hope and Harlequin is totally wonderful and the staff are always incredibly helpful. I have been personally visiting the store for nearly 3 years, and have purchased some of my most coveted vintage pieces there. The prices are quite high, but they definitely offer the best selection of quality vintage in Brighton.
To see what kind of stock Hope and harlequin stocks, check out my blog where i have uploaded many of my purchases