67 Gloucester Avenue
Primrose Hill
London
NW1 8LD
020 7722 4442
Rachel@shikasuki.com www.shikasuki.com

Who: Rachel Ducker
“My interest in vintage started when I was 11. My Mum wore vintage in the 1970s and I remember the original 1930s dresses hanging in her wardrobe next to the Ossie Clarks. Over the years I have gravitated to and from different eras; today I find items and styles from every decade that I love and happily mix together. The best way to wear vintage is however it feels right to you and fits in with your style. My aim is to provide a different shopping experience for the vintage shopper and collector, as well as bringing vintage to a whole new audience. You shouldn’t have to “rummage” or put up with a draughty changing corner, just because the clothes are older – this makes them more, not less precious, and so they should be handled and displayed accordingly. Shopping for treasures should be a fun and pleasurable experience, not a struggle! I carry many labels though my favourite designer is Ossie Clark, and I don't judge items by their labels. All items in a collection can be there by their design and quality alone.”

What: Two floors of vintage treats and contemporary art. Upstairs there’s a flamboyant selection of dresses mixed with jewellery and contemporary art – this is where Sadie Frost comes to accessorise and Sophie Ellis Bextor to dress. The art you see on the walls is by Rachel herself, charcoal sketched female forms inspired by the post-war era when suddenly women who had been holding the country together had to return to the home and kitchen. The images have been printed on gorgeous fine bone china plates. They'd make an amazing wedding present – six for £175.

Why: This is a vintage shop you really want to spend time in. All the clothes are organised by colour and all set against the cleanest, whitest, freshest interior décor you ever did see. Rachel rates each garment on an A-E scale to take note of any damage or wear and prices accordingly. The dressing room is a real pleasure – about three times the usual size, with mirrors and glamorous black shiny walls – you take your time and you feel like a movie star which is just how you should feel when trying on vintage. Also check out the full-size photographs of Caroline, Ossie Clark’s first muse and model.

Where: Nearest tube is Chalk Farm. Turn right out of the tube and then cross over the bridge. Carry straight onto Gloucester Avenue, then it's a five minute walk until you come to Shikasuki on the right hand side. It's just before you come to The Engineer pub. It’s a white shop front and the name is on the window panes.

When: Monday-Saturday 11am-9pm. Sunday 12 noon-6pm.

Photograph: Lisa Marker