19 August 2008

Past Life

Deborah Woolf Vintage Shop Opens

Some people say you have to let go of the past in order to move on.

Obviously they haven’t met Deborah Woolf, a vintage dealer who has held onto the past — in the form of clothes, accessories and toys — for the last 30 years. So successfully has she clung, she’s just opened her own boutique.

Step back in time amongst originals by Biba, Ossie Clark and Bill Blass. Accessorize with Victorian beaded bags, Trifari necklaces, and alligator and sealskin purses. Get global with 1930s Slovakian folk dresses or nostalgic with 1950s raffia skirts and bathing suits.

The sign above Woolf’s door reads Joe’s Confectionery Stores — a 1920s artefact she plans to keep.

Until, of course, she moves on.

Deborah Woolf Vintage, at Joe’s Confectionery Stores, 28 Church Street, NW8 8EP (deborahwoolf.com).