The City Retro Fashion

There comes a time in a mans life where he looks at his clothes collection and thinks… ‘tartan, I need more tartan.’ No? Just me then? Screw you guys.
So, with this in mind I set about scouring all available charity and retro shops for the odd bit of funky tartan. After grabbing a rather nifty pair of tartan troos from a charity shop a few months ago, I’ve since been on the trail of a nice tartan waistcoat to join my growing collection of man girdles… I mean, waistcoats… ahem…
Aye, so I popped in here after a wee mop chop at the neighbouring Mo Hair and spotted a kick ass wee tartan job for about a tenner. Sold.
This place is very reasonable and jam packed with a ton of vintage gear ranging in styles. Good service. Good prices. Good heavens I’ll be back!

I nearly bought out the whole store — lots of missing price tags but a quick chat with the clerk got me sorted, and nothing was unreasonable. Heaps of silk scarves and really bangin’ fall & winter coats with Peter Pan or faux-​fur collars. The leather section is maddeningly good — tons of handbags and even more shoes.
What I bought:
— two silk scarves (black & white geometric and olive, red & gold graphic print)
— navy blue pleated silk skirt with tiny white heart print
— knit black/​white/​red tunic
— nicely worn in police boots
— royal blue pea coat with military gold buttons
Cash only and the nearest ATM (Tesco Express) is a fair walk away so come prepared with scads of cash to spend — you’ll want to, and you’d be right to do so. Vintage like this can’t be had just anywhere; my only wish was that there was more room to groove — the fitting room was a small closet and the store itself is quite small with not a lot of browsing space.

The City is a recent addition to Glasgow’s vintage scene, and jam packed with clothes!
It’s a wonder the rales withstand all these items hanging on them; and you’d need a good 6 hours to spare to get through everything they’ve got in here. From old bat wing jumpers to spangly velvet prom dresses, it’s enough to beat the 80s out your system by snaffling up these goodies.
The store is split evenly into guys and doll’s clothes, although choice for the señorita’s seems to top the bill as they have an extensive range of long dresses, dating as far back as the 50s. But most of their clothing seems to be from the 70s and beyond as there are a lot of old tennis tops to be had for men, and brown prarie dresses for women.
Items look evenly and fairly priced, so you’re looking to spend roughly £20 on a dress, £15 on a skirt, £10 on a jumper and the tops are super cheap. For guys, they have decent priced Wrangler denim shirts (which as I’m writing this are very in), sports jackets galore (so you can look like an 80s footballer) and loads of jeans in really good condition. The rails are crammed with choice.
The girls who work in here are lovely — very chipper, helpful and you can hear them singing along to their CD’s! I got a plaid shirt out of here today so I was chatting away to one of the girls. She sounds like she’s Spanish, I’m not sure, but she says they source their stock from as far away as Germany and Holland. It explains the variety of clothing, as you can always find something different in here. And it’s cheap, so I will be taking advantage of their nautical selections since they are so affordable!

Following the popularity of vintage, there has suddenly been an influx of the stores in Glasgow. This one is based in Candleriggs and is much smaller and quieter than its counterpart Mr Ben just round the corner.
However, The City Retro Fashion is definitely worth checking out as it has a great selection of clothes and accessories. I also love the atmosphere of the store; the back wall is framed by a huge black and white retro photo of Glasgow, sixties music plays on the stereo and the stylish assistant had an unidentifiable exotic accent.
A must stop on the city retro trail.

A vintage lover, I am not. It’s just not my thing. I can’t pull it off nor do I have the money to even experiment with it.
But, you know, I actually kind of like this small boutique situated in the Candleriggs area of Glasgow. For one, the old black and white pictures of the city are enough to keep me entertained while my girlfriend rifles through the rails as if she were a contestant on Finders Keepers (retro TV, I am a fan of).
I particularly like the floor to ceiling image which covers the back wall of the shop and adds to the throwback feel. I like the vintage radios dotted around and I like the music, which is modern but laid-​back, and adds to the relaxed vibe which resonates throughout the store.
Although small, this is a nice, relaxed shopping experience with the staff member on duty content to sit idly by as you negotiate the rails which appear, to my uneducated eye at least, to hold a massive variety of vintage dresses, t-​shirts, jackets etc… It is certainly easy to see how a unique item could be uncovered within 15 minutes to half an hour of rummaging around.
However, it’s upon our departure I spot the shop’s piece de resistance — an entire section dedicated to football tops. While my girlfriend joyously restarts her own search, I’m in my element as I’m left to study tops from across the world ranging from the 1950s to the present.
We’re both happy, and any vintage clothing shop which succeeds in doing that is a winner in my book.

The latest vintage clothing store to pop up in Glasgow, The City is cheekily situated just around the corner from the infamous Mr Ben.
This competing vintage vendor packs a punch, with rails filled with retro and vintage goodies, including old school Adidas tshirts and gorgeous couture dresses.
Although items are often a little pricey, it’s refreshing to have a hip new place in town where vintage lovers can go in hunt of some gorgeous pieces.