It's Blitz

I know why they call shopping retail therapy, but it doesn't hurt to remind myself once in a while. So off I went on Saturday to what's dubbing itself the 'Vintage Department Store' - Blitz, just off Brick Lane in Shoreditch. I say just off Brick Lane, it wasn't the easiest place to find on a rainy day. It's kind of tucked away on the unassuming Hanbury Street and with its unremarkable doorway, you could easily walk past. That's the trouble with name tag association (I might have just made that phrase up). 'Department store' conjures up images of grand old multi-storey buildings, with elaborate window displays and bright lights to lure you in. You expect big things. So maybe from the outside I was let down by Blitz, but that soon changed once I was inside.

The ground floor is really spacious with initial rails of womenswear - maxi jumpsuits, denim cut-off shorts, polka dot blouses, pleated skirts, cleverly (and subtly) a lot of key trends for spring/summer. To the right is a coffee station with a book shop and then towards the back, a record store with more rails of clothes and vintage furniture. If that were it (as I, erm, first thought it was) it would be cool concept boutique but a long way off being a department store. That's when I clocked the stairs...

The lower ground floor is amazing, the kind of space where you don't know where to look because there is just so much going on. It really reminded me of the vintage department stores they have in Paris or Milan where you can while a way a few hours just catching flies in your gob. They had some really cute summer dresses (and cheap too for London, about 30-40 quid on average a dress). So I piled into the changing room with about ten of them before it dawned on me we're coming to the end of August and it's unlikely I'll be able to wear them until the next freaky heat wave (and who even knows when that'll be). So, I left empty handed but that's the nature of vintage shopping. And it's an excuse to go back very soon. Highly recommend it. 

So my 'therapy' mission continued, and as I always say, when in doubt, buy shoes. 

I picked up these sky-scrapers in Office later that afternoon. I've found recently I've been living in (and probably ruining in the process) my leopard print wedges from Office, so I really wanted to invest in something similar (comfort and height-wise) but that was a bit more versatile. I love them, but man, my carves ache from wearing them on Saturday night! I didn't realise breaking in new heels could hurt anything other than your actual feet...

So this is them teamed with leggings and a floral tunic I found in Urban Outfitters in the re-worked section. It's not my usual style at all but a change is as good as a rest. And let's face it I won't be going on another Vietnam jaunt any time soon...