Vintage Dublin: Sightseeing & Shopping

I've had quite the adventure the other weekend, with my first trip to Dublin, Ireland.  My dear friend Linda has moved there from London, to start a new chapter of her life and have some more adventures.  I loved the city, and found it had quite a lot to interest the vintage-obsessed.  Here's my little guide to where to shop, and what sights to see!  I'll follow it up with a guide of where to drink cocktails and eat cake.

Vintage Sights
Just wandering around the streets of Dublin is a treat - I hadn't realised that large parts of the city have Georgian architecture.  There are also lots of pockets of Art Nouveau, a smattering of Art Deco, Victorian suburbs and a very old medieval area.  If it's a dry day, you can happily spend a good few hours taking it all in.

If it's a rainy day (highly likely) then another good free option is to go to National Museum of Ireland.  The Decorative Arts & History building is a little stroll along the Liffey from the central shopping area, and has exhibitions that might interest the vintage-minded such as a costume section and reconstructed rooms showcasing furniture over four centuries.

My final sightseeing suggestion (also free, there's a theme here!) is to go to the wonderful National Botanic Gardens.  North of the city centre, you'll either need to get the bus or be prepared for a good half an hour walk.  We got a bit lost, so it turned into more of a 45 minute walk, including a detour around a large cemetery and a 1930s housing estate.  Still, we certainly got to see more of Dublin's suburbs!

The Victorian glass houses are spectacular, and the large grounds include a walled garden, bluebell filled woodland, and large lawned areas.

Vintage Shopping
For vintage repro, there's one place to go: Retro, in St George's Street Arcade.  The staff were lovely, and it's filled to the rafters with Miss Candyfloss, Stop Staring, Bettie Page, Pinup Couture and more.  The best part was that there's a sale rail, with all dresses 50 Euros!  My friend found a fab Bettie Page dress to wear to an upcoming wedding.  Alas, there were very few size Mediums left on the rail - lots of other sizes though, so if you're in the area I recommend you go and have a rummage.  The staff were super nice.

Charity shops, mostly connected to churches, are all over the place.  If you go down from Retro on South St George's Street, it goes into Wexford Street and I spotted a couple there.

For high class, true vintage, it has to be: Jenny Vander, Drury Street.  It's a real treat, especially if you're into vintage jewellery, as there's a vast, sparkly collection!  I spotted a gorgeous red raw silk 1950's cocoon coat for 400 Euros, and a 1930's coffee lace dress for 190 Euros.  Not cheap, but free to window shop!

Phew, after all that sightseeing and shopping, you could do with a cup of tea or maybe a cocktail.  Lucky, then, that the next part of my Vintage Dublin guide will focus on Cocktails and Tea & Cake!