When I started my year of dressing ethically, I did the obvious and headed to the charity shops. It was a miserable experience; years of shoppers purchasing polyester at Primark have meant that many stores are packed with poor quality garments. The rise in obesity rates have resulted in fewer small sizes and the majority of the shops are laid out with Alice in Wonderland logic minus the Carroll charm. No wonder we need Mary to queen over the charity shops. Finding a pair of knickers and a dirty tissue in a handbag was the sartorial equivalent of watching a cockroach scuttle across the floor in a restaurant.

Yet second-hand is the way to go - it’s estimated that we throw away over a million tons of textiles a year, half of which could be recycled. Synthetic fibres take years to decompose and natural ones, like wool, release methane and contribute to around 2% of global warming emissions. If everyone in the UK bought one reclaimed woollen item, we would save 371 million gallons of water and 480 tons of chemicals. I thought I’d try vintage shopping instead.

As I headed to London, though, I had notions of mad prints, weird cuts and generally ending up looking like a little old lady on speed. My sister and I started in Mint in Covent Garden, just round the corner from two of my favourite shops, Terra Plana and Monmouth Coffee. Mint is bang on trend with its racks of Liberty print shirts, sailor suits and dresses with fringe details – but my sister nearly chocked on her apple juice at the prices – and suggested we head out to Spitalfields where some of the biggest and most famous vintage stores are found.

Blondie was her way of easing me into vintage. The sister shop of Absolute Vintage, this is the destination to head for if you want to dress ethically, stylishly, individually and you don’t have much time or patience. Laid out like a cross between a designer boutique and a fantasy grandmother’s attic, it’s full of hand-picked outfits and chic accessories. It’s not particularly cheap – a pair of shoes or a dress start at £40-60.

Absolute Vintage has been voted the best vintage destination in London. You have to work a little harder than in Blondie: it’s an old warehouse crammed full, from knee high boots to battered Burberry to little lace dresses. Another warehouse style emporium is Beyond Retro, which made my eyes go funny: the choice and scale of over a century’s worth of clothes is overwhelming. It’s slightly more kitsch than Absolute Vintage, with stacks of silk flower corsages and net petticoats near the door.

The smaller shops nearby are worth visiting too although a new outfit won’t be laid out for you. The Shop (3 Cheshire St), for instance, has a fabulous collection of fabric and scarves but was laid out with all the aplomb of a frock fight in a flea market. The day we were in London there was a pop-up vintage fair at The Boiler House, run by The Truman Brewery, a screamingly trendy place off Brick Lane with a Thai caf in a bus and fabulous people sipping lattes in the American diner round the corner. This was a veritable treasure trove – I loved 4Eva’s stall. Argentinan costume designer, Eva Russo, customises vintage pieces and makes beautiful and delicate kimono-style belts and Victorian-esque ruffled collars and cuffs. My sister was so inspired, she'll be holding a stall there called Dee Dee May's (Fri 17 July - Sun 19 July at The Boiler House, 152 Brick Lane).

My favourite place, though, was Spitalfield’s market. If you have a bit of cash, this is the place to go for a completely unique look by young, talented designers. Amongst the disco balls and Moroccan lanterns, at one vintage stall, I spotted an olive-grey Armani jacket, a vintage cream and gold TM Lewin shirt, a Parisian tunic and buttery soft Italian shoes.

If this is all sounding London-centric, I travelled to London on a cheap coach ticket and many of the bigger stores also do mail order. The vintage market is growing outside of the big city. Blind Lemon Vintage, for instance, run fairs in Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham and Exeter. Altogether a much more enjoyable experience and not a pair of dirty pants in sight.  

Photo: Sanjida wearing vintage from Camden