Blue Rinse

In need of a suitably colourful Hawaiian shirt for an event, it was thanks to ‘ask Twitter’ that I became aware of Blue Rinse’s existence. Their flagship store opened in Leeds in 1997 and they subsequently opened their Manchester one a few years later. Though technically they’re in the NQ, they’re just a stone’s throw from Piccadilly Gardens so have a higher foot fall of customers passing by.
Primarily selling vintage clothes and accessories (though they also have garments that they have cut up and restitched — their ‘Remade in England’ range) — we were bowled over at how much there was on offer. Racks, racks and more racks of stuff up to the ceiling.
I think if we weren’t running against the clock we could have spent a couple of hours rifling through the clobber and trying some of the many 80s shell suits, bum bags, sportswear and clothing our parents were probably rocking when Margaret Thatcher was in power. Shoulder pads galore, ladies. Come here if you want to look like your Dad from 1983, fellas.
Having found a load of suitably gaudy (yet brilliant) Hawaiian shirts and by process of elimination getting to my preferred choice, it was just a case of paying up (they accept both cash and card) and I left a very happy customer — £15 for what is probably a unique item which will truly bedazzle all who see it at Caribbean parties for years to come ;)
Tip: they have their own eBay store for online ordering