Vintage treasures at Kate and Aud

If there’s one thing that Brighton isn’t lacking, it’s vintage boutiques and independent jewellery shops. But the former are often too cool for school – I’ll pass on the neon shell-suit at £50 thanks – and the latter overpriced. So I was delighted last weekend to stumble across a vintage treasure trove stacked full of cherry-picked pretty pieces and boasting decent prices.

On the cusp of the North Laine, just before you dive into Brighton’s best independent shopping district, Kate and Aud’s vintage and ethically-made gems spill out of their small boutique as if a well-stocked dressing-up box has burst open.
Kate (Katy Whittingham) and Aud (Audrey Taylor) had been selling their wares on markets independently for many years, Katy dresses and leather bags and Audrey charm jewellery, before they decided to join forces and move into the compact two-storey Trafalgar Street unit in November 2009.

“We both always wanted to have our own little boutique selling things we love,” Audrey enthuses. “We knew that we were hard working and passionate about what we did and if we brought our businesses together we would do really well if we had the right location. And so here we are.”
The shop offers a mix of vintage and modern pieces, bespoke charm jewellery made with beads, charms and unusual trinkets from Japan and America and hand-made leather bags and floaty summer dresses ethically-sourced from India.

The separate styles the pair bring to the boutique create a unique dynamic. “The good thing about us both is that we have very different tastes to one another,” says Audrey. “Katy is more classic and smart, where I would say I’m more kitsch so we buy things that are totally different to the other person. It works really well.”
The two employ people to source vintage items for them from all over the UK and America, with Audrey’s dad also picking up the odd piece when he’s in Scotland.

She explains: “We tell them what we are after at the time and they source them out. We have used wholesalers in the past, but sometimes you end up with a few goodies and the rest non-sellable. We might have to pay more money for each item this way but it’s so worth it.”
Prices in the shop range from £4.99 for a pair of charm earrings to £59 for a leather laptop satchel, with the majority of clothing under £50 - apart from the odd designer piece.

Kate and Audrey buy the majority of their own clothes from vintage shops and Ebay, name their style icons as Katherine Hepburn and Doris Day respectively and enjoy “rummaging around markets, charity shops and car boot sales”, so obviously understand their customer.

“You’ll always be able to get something totally different in a vintage shop and I think people are just getting fed up of the high street, you see the same thing in al the shops and it gets boring.”
Audrey names the boutique’s pocket watches, swallow, teacup and locket necklaces and silk chiffon mini dresses among her personal favourites. “We also have a couple of lace dresses that are amazing and an old Forties’ frilly umbrella and we’re going to try and get hold of some vintage wedding dresses too.”

Kate and Aud will soon be online via Ebay, but a visit to the over-sized dress-up box is a must for any vintage lover rooting for gems in Brighton.
Top image: Audrey feels right at home amongst the beautiful things