When you think of exploring the big smoke, the fringes of southeast London generally don’t rate too high. Where the ‘East end’ manages to conjure up images of ‘boho’ meets little India, southeast London has always been a rough diamond, but without the diamond. Don’t be fooled by the rocks that they don’t have though, because amidst the rough and ready are a few middle-class suburban enclaves with fairly expensive shops, cafes, food delis and the like, however, while they are more expensive, they are worth visiting. East Dulwich is one such area. Don’t expect endless rows of shops, you can pretty much cover the bases in an hour. Here are my two favourite vintage haunts in East Dulwich that are guaranteed to make you drool.

The absolute king of vintage, concept store Ed Warehouse  instantly makes you want to ditch any form of etiquette you may have and just rummage through everything like a bag lady. Your one-stop shop for fashion, accessories, gifts galore, books and whatnot, with a cute coffee corner to boot. What’s not to like?

Through the trees: Next to Ed Warehouse, Through the trees (sans website) features more futuristic designs, mixing and matching different colours and fabrics together. Definitely a place to pick up something extraordinary. 

Oh, and after all that shopping, do have a spot of lunch at one of the local cafes or gastro pubs. Pretty’s, which serves delectable organic brunches and houses an organic greengrocer next door, comes highly recommended.