Rusty Zip

A relative of the famous Armstrong’s vintage store, the Rusty Zip has a funky name and some seriously cool retro clothes.
It’s small, really small, but everything is laid out well so you don’t feel cramped in. Their shoes are particularly nice, and are in pretty good condition, making them all the more appealing to me as I usually don’t do retro very well! You can get a range of cute scarfs and bags too which are in equally good nick.
In saying this, Rusty Zip isn’t exactly cheap and I would totally begrudge paying a wad of cash for someone’s pre-​worn jacket. Or maybe I’m just missing the point.

As previous reviewers have mentioned, the Rusty Zip is a little sister of Armstrong’s, one of the biggest vintage clothes stores in the City.
The Rusty Zip is quite small but crammed full with garments, trinkets and accessories. I personally am a fan of their leather post man bags. My flatmate loved their shoes, which were in very good condition, and not to mention affordable, considering they were leather boots. Their cashmere jumpers are quite nice, and they have a good selection of men’s clothing as well.
Prices vary depending on the garment in question, and their are some true vintage pieces in here. Whether or not you would ever wear them, or if you question if vintage shops are just over-​priced second-​hand shops I will leave that to you. I still like the quirky finds in this shop and it’s down-​to-​earth attitude to it’s stock. (they even have 70’s disco glitter boots for your Abba fever party– not just brand stuff)

Rusty Zip is a spin off of Armstrong’s, and has all the quality of the vintage outlet crammed into this compact shop.
Armstrong’s is sprawled out in a vast space, but I quite liked being able to pick through the packed railings in here without having to travel too far! Garments are nicely ordered, well displayed (as you would expect from an Armstrong’s store) and have the same fun, frilly vintage appeal. There are spangles galore, not to mention a decent selection of beaten up cowboy boots.
It’s worth noting that the clothes shipped off to this outlet are considerably cheaper than in Armstrong’s proper, with sparkly 70s disco boob tubes coming in at a fiver! They had some nice leather jackets cheaper than I’ve seen elsewhere, and a good selection of clothing for guys. They had some great offers on denim shirts — if you buy a denim jacket you get one for free! The shirts were dirt cheap as it was and with denim making a big comeback this season, I can see their Lee shirts selling out faster than a speeding bullet.
The staff were friendly and relaxed, going about their business while leaving me free to browse. It’s a bit more laid back than Armstrong’s and with more bargains. Love it!

Ahh Vintage shops, when did you get so overpriced? Rusty Zip actually, shock horror, has some things in for under a tenner. Some reasonably priced Burbery macs, some retro sunglasses which won’t break the band. I’m glad to see that what’s essentially a second hand shop hasn’t got too big for it’s 80’s cowboy boots and is still a good place to find a bargain. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not a bargain basement but they’ve definitely got integrity.

Rusty Zip is fab! They probably have a larger selection of «wearable», everyday stuff in comparison to the other two Armstrongs stores — you can get everyday jeans, shirts, jumpers and fab shoes here, all in great secondhand condition and for bargainous prices. They have great everything-​a-​fiver jeans sales and halfprice or bogof shoe sales all the time which always yield brilliant bargainous finds. The staff, like Armstrongs’ staff, are all lovely and friendly and willing to help with an opinion or recommendation any time. TRZ is a bit smaller than the other two stores and can get busy but stand your ground and rummage because you’ll find gold! Must visit!

The folks who own Armstrongs also own Rusty Zip so the selection is quite similar in both stores. The window display can be quite creepy sometimes (freaky mannequins) but they do have some good selection of vintage apparel

It’s strange, isn’t it, how life seems to be just one big everlasting cyclical pattern? Like the pattern on a hawaiian beach shirt, perhaps. How what was fashionable thirty, forty, fifty years ago is suddenly hip again. Rusty zip is certainly testament to that, and while it may feel slightly like you’re walking into a museum when you go in, once mingled into your wardrobe i’m sure that pair of dark red polka dot braces will look just tops.
With everything from knee-​high leather boots through smoking jackets and seventies shirts to full-​on ball-​gowns, there’s certainly the proverbial something for everyone.
Its fairly small too, so you’re (possibly) less likely to spend hours and hours serching through endless racks like you might do in campden market… Definately worth a pop-​in.