What do Dermot O’ Leary’s wife and Dancing on Ice judge Louie Spence have in common? Pennies.
As I walk in the door a Beyonce track is playing and sequins are shimmering. This is not the set of Towie, this is Pennies, Islington’s hub for vintage fashion in Clerkenwell.
Nestled between a florist and a pharmacy is the Dee Koppang and Louie Spence’s new favourite store. So why are celebs venturing to Islington for their red carpet garb?
Oliver Ross, co-founder of the vintage den, spills the beans: “My mother (Penny) has owned antiques shops for around 30 years. Six years ago we were running a shop in Camden Passage, which was fairly successful, but we decided to start selling vintage clothing, as that was what the area seemed most famous for. It was a steep learning curve!”
As rents climbed, Oliver and his mother decided to move out of their Camden Passage spot and into the tiny space below their house in Clerkenwell.
Penny was the antiques guru and Oliver was the fashionista. Tastes merged and vintage items including old-fashioned wedding dresses and Victorian homeware were put together.
And yet Oliver is not your average fashion junkie. He is a professor at Cambridge University by day and vintage shopper by night.
“It’s hard to rationalise my love of vintage clothing,” he tells me, “like most passions, I suppose. I like the 1920s in particular because I’m a magpie and I appreciate the incredible intricacy of much of the beadwork.”
Oliver travels high and low for his stock, from Paris to the West Country and (virtually) to the sites of US vendors.
When I visit the shop, Iyesha the resident tailor is busy at work, stitching sequins onto a 1920’s garment. Behind her sit two flapper dresses, communally worth over £2,000.
As she sews she explains that the sequins on the dresses behind her are made of gelatine whereas modern sequins are made of plastic.
“Get too hot or stand out in the rain,” she tells me, “and the sequins will turn into jelly and disintegrate”.
She goes on to parade the wedding dresses on offer, priced between £175 and £390.
“The market is buying vintage bridal wear, that’s what they want,” she says.
With traditional brides spending thousands on the outfit for the big day, I ask her how vintage brides are different.
“They are still brides so they are very indecisive,” she says.
“They know they are getting a vintage dress so there will be little imperfections but some want it to be as perfect as new and that’s difficult”.
But if you’re not looking to get hitched yet, fear not. Pennies has plenty to offer, from quirky cards to chunky jewellery and Victorian-style nighties.
With Pennies providing costumes for the Downton Abbey set, you may want to get there before the stars swoop in.
