Hilary Proctor

I’ve been buying from Hilary for many years and i can only recall great experiences and true passion for finding the right garments for everyone - definitely a gem and a piece of history in Portobello, please visit her shop im sure you will find the unique piece you didn’t know you needed!

I travelled 45 minutes to visit the shop in search of a vintage white fur jacket for an event I will be attending. Unfortunately they closed the inside due to staff shortage (even though they appeared to have 3 or 4 people working outside). When I asked to see a specific jacket inside, the owner was extremely rude. Rather than apologizing for the inconvenience by closing half her shop, she literally scoffed at me, ignored my request and demanded I move out of the way for another customer. Not sure why you would be so rude to anyone trying to make a purchase. I was literally ready to give her my money but I guess she didn’t want it. Needless to say, I left and won’t be going back. Please don’t support this awful business. Hopefully she’ll go out of business soon and make room for someone who deserves to be on Portobello Road.

Hilary and her staff couldn’t have been more helpful, as soon as my partner and I walked in we were instantly greeted, we were allowed to look around without being pestered to buy - Hilary found four coats straight away that she thought would suit my partner. We liked it so much that I ended up going back and buying the coat he didn’t like on himself for me! Really reasonable pricing for the quality of fur. We will definitely visit again!

Hilary is a true addict of furs :) We are now returning guests. We have bought 4 different pieces from her over time. Every time she knew exactly what would suit us the best. We have gone with my fiancé several times and every time we left we felt we got the best item for the best value for money" price. We will continue going back to her as long as her enthusiasm and love for furs continues. Plus she is the nicest and bubbliest person. She always gave us a departing gift to show her appreciation towards other "fur-lovers""

I can truthfully say I don’t picture myself ever returning to this store.As I have been searching for a fur coat for some time now, I decided to visit Hilary Proctor to view their selection.Hmmm where can I begin with this business? The extremely off putting stench of cigarettes and sweat? The unflattering collection of coats? Or the horrific quality of service? Let’s begin with the service.As I began to browse the store (which consisted of the most hideous coats you could possibly encounter). I was approached by an attendant who stated “do you know this is REAL fur?” Yes ma’am I am well aware this is real fur! That’s why I am here. “Since this is real fur, you are aware that this is VERY EXPENSIVE?”…. Are you insinuating that I don’t know how coat shopping works? Let’s be serious here. She then proceeded to state “You know everything is real, if you want vintage stuff it’s not here it’s a couple of blocks down”.How are you one to judge whether or not I can afford an item? This is absolutely not what you would say to a shopper if you’re looking to do business. As a Latina, I can’t help but wonder if these comments bordered on discriminatory as I suppose I do not fit their criteria for a “potential customer”. How bigoted, and there’s nothing more I hate than a bigot.I can’t even imagine why there would be such a fuss over coats I wouldn’t be caught dead in.Hilary Proctor doesn’t do itself any favors either by smelling like your great aunt’s dusty, musky-smelling closet.Please don’t give this store your hard earned money and avoid it like the plague. I know I will.EDIT: Firstly, it’s MISS if you couldn’t clearly read the word LATINA in my review.I am completely sure I entered your shop, otherwise I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to write such a review.The attendant was an older, white woman and yes, she did approach me as I entered the store. This colleague didn’t “suggest any alternatives” but rather condescendingly suggested that I apparently couldn’t afford any of the ghastly items in the store.Look, I didn’t go out of my way to travel close to an hour to this shop to be talked down to and lectured to by a white woman as I shopped. The fact of the matter is is that this business is clearly not POC friendly and elitist.I couldn’t give less of a care if you sold fifty items yesterday, was that supposed to convince me that this place’s business practices weren’t questionable?If this shop’s professionalism weren’t bad enough, I’d suggest running a spell and grammar check for your response to your next (inevitable) bad review as it was barely legible.EDIT: Firstly, it’s MISS if you couldn’t clearly read the word LATINA in my review.I am completely sure I entered your shop, otherwise I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to write such a review.The attendant was an older, white woman and yes, she did approach me as I entered the store. This colleague didn’t “suggest any alternatives” but rather condescendingly suggested that I apparently couldn’t afford any of the ghastly items in the store.Look, I didn’t go out of my way to travel close to an hour to this shop to be talked down to and lectured to by a white woman as I shopped. The fact of the matter is is that this business is clearly not POC friendly and elitist.I couldn’t give less of a care if you sold fifty items yesterday, was that supposed to convince me that this place’s business practices weren’t questionable?If this shop’s professionalism weren’t bad enough, I’d suggest running a spell and grammar check for your response to your next (inevitable) bad review as it was barely legible.

Astonishingly Rude. Whilst browsing through a rather overpriced collection of macs, an extremely rude lady informed me that I ‘was blocking her doorway’ we were then further chastised for taking pictures of the wonderful views of Portebello Road and not the tawdry selection of bags on display. What a novel way to do business, insulting the customer will surely increase sales. You may want to have a long think about how you treat potential customers in future. Would avoid like the plague.

Bought a nice rabbit headband a few years ago. Returned to purchase another for a Christmas gift and the man was not super helpful, he claimed 1 in 4 people are allergic to rabbit fur which I later found out is not true. Bit of a weird experience.

The best selection of vintage furs and trench coats in London, easily! Really lovely customer service from all the staff, too: friendly and chatty without being pushy. I bought a fabulous Burberry trench coat and couldn’t recommend Hilary Proctor enough!

My girlfriend recently bought a skirt from Hilary Proctor Exclusive and she's overjoyed with it. The store layout is beautifully precise, with clothing subdivided into its relevant sections, so like clothing is near each-other. In addition, clothing is arranged into sizes, which make shopping for a specific size very easy, and means you do not have to spend ages looking through clothing that just is not your size.Hilary herself was extremely friendly and explained the sizing system and layout to all customers. She has an extremely approachable demeanour, which means that you do not feel like you cannot ask about clothing items.London traders can often inflate the prices of very simple 'vintage' garments, but Hilary's shop does not fall foul to this. Every clothing item is not only of exceptional quality and brand, but the prices are very reasonable, and some of the most agreeable and cheap I've seen throughout London.I cannot recommend Hilary's shop enough. Do not waste your time anywhere else in London; if you're looking for a very special and well-maintained vintage garment, Hilary Proctors is where you should go.