Talking Style with Top of the Shops vintage dealer Anja Dietze

Next up in our series ‘Talking Style With…’ we chat to Top of the Shops vintage online boutique owner Anja Dietze, above wearing our classic No10s, on her love of adventure, passion for all things 60s and 70s and how Ops&Ops boosted her footwear devotion.

The adventure begins

Anja grew up in Altenburg, East Germany, and “fell in love” with London on a trip with her best friend, aged 16, as it felt so “bohemian.” When she finished college, she planned a year-long sojourn: “I left on 9 November 1997 and as I flew over London and saw it lit up, I felt sick with excitement and knew it was game over, I’d stay.”

“I started wearing my grandad’s 1940s waistcoats when I was about 13 and got the vintage bug, my interest in fashion grew from there. Shoes in particular, I never got rid of any footwear and by default my wardrobe expanded”

Anja’s love of vintage took off once in London, where she worked first at collector Caspar de la Mare’s stall in Portobello Market. “He said I reminded him of a ‘dolly bird’ and later at Camden with François Nordmann.

Away from work, she “dived” into the mod scene and was a regular at Mousetrap, where she met life-long friends such as Rhys Webb of The Horrors and worked shifts at The 100 Club, where, among other big names, she saw Alice Cooper playing with Johnny Depp. There’s one she missed that she’s constantly reminded of by her husband Innes – asked if she could make it for an afternoon gig, it was snowing and she says she “couldn’t be bothered” and they’d play there again, so she said no. It was Paul McCartney. 

She moved to Ramsgate almost a decade ago, after a day trip with Innes and a couple of friends and fell for the “whole vibe – with the harbour, it reminded us of Maine on the East Coast of US.”

It’s from here that she runs her business, selling to vintage lovers, TV and film companies and collectors – one customer invited her to Portland, Oregon, where his purchases were on display at the Portland Art Museum’s Psychedelic Rock Posters and Fashion of the 1960s exhibition.

She still makes regular trips to London to hang with her friends, including monthly door duty at Rhys’s Cave Club held at the Moth Club in Hackney.

Top of the Shops

When did you decide to go into business and how did the name come about? I started in 2010 trading every Sunday at Up Market in Brick Lane’s  Truman Brewery. That led to vintage fairs and pop-ups around London, such as Judy’s, and eventually I decided to go for it full-time – built a website, got signage and I haven’t looked back. I’m in Margate Old Town Market every Saturday – you can’t miss me, the stall is a blur of colour.

The name is a play on Top of the Pops – I went to a party and one whole wall was covered in old TOTPs LPs – it looked very 68!

Anja on Ops&Ops

How would you describe them? Timeless, versatile and sleek. I love the simple design and I’m a sucker for colour and metallics.

What makes them unique? They’re funky and fun and so well made – I’m still wearing pairs I bought eight years ago. I’d have all of them if I could!

How do you style them? Mainly with tailor-made mini dresses in primary colours that my mum makes for me – and a different colour shoe. Colour-blocking is my trademark look.

What’s your personal style Balloon-sleeve dresses and statement jewellery – 1967 to 1973 dolly bird. And with Ops I can switch in an instant – 67, I go for No10s; 73, it’s No 15 wedges. And everything in The Rudy Gernreich Book!

What’s your favourite

Record The Rolling Stones’ Goats Head Soup and Traffic’s Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.
Book I’m with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie by Pamela Des Barres, which was a platform for me.
Work of art I love pop art and Americana – Warhol, The Red Popsicle, a sculpture by Catherine Mayer in Seattle. Also, the Space Needle in Seattle and TV tower in Berlin.
Decade 1960s, obviously!
Film Stand By Me – it’s about going on an adventure and it’s defined my whole life.
Night out Going to the pub, on to a gig and then back to mine for karaoke – the machine is always ready to go.
City Portland, LA and Berlin.
Holiday destination Road trip around the US. I’ve done quite a few now – I even got married on one of them in Vegas – we picked a great Elvis.

Next move? My calendar is filling up – I’ll be at @judysvintage Mile End Park on Sunday 21 September and the week after, 28 September, at King’s Cross @classiccarbootsale.

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