Hilary Proctor Exclusive — Local services in London

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...

My family visited this shop today and had such a terrible experience (no surprise there considering how abysmal these reviews are - wish we saw them first). We took my 86 year old grandfather there to get a new tweed coat and while we were browsing, we started talking to another customer who was trying on a coat my grandpa liked. This customer was slender, tall, and young. My grandpa, who again is 86 years old, is a bit shorter and thinks he’s on the heavier side and so as he’s looking at this tall, thin man getting a jacket that he’s admiring he says “I’d get that if it were bigger.” As in, I’d get that for myself if it were bigger, aka making a self-deprecating joke (which if you saw the contrast of him and the customer he was talking to, it was clearly beyond obvious - even the customer he said it to understood). That customer ended up not getting the coat for whatever his own personal reasons were, surely not because of what my 86 year old grandpa said about his own figure! Hilary, the store owner, then stormed over and in the nastiest tone, paired with the nastiest facial expressions, said “don’t you EVER talk to my customers again!” Both my mom and my grandpa were in shock (and as New Yorkers, that’s hard to do). My grandpa had tears welled up in his eyes as he exited the store because he never meant any harm and would’ve never done what Hilary accused him of doing which was telling a customer not to buy the jacket. Such a shame considering he was looking to buy a jacket worth even more than the £90 the other customer would’ve spent. So now, Hilary, you lost more than just the first customer’s money you accused my grandpa of running off; you also lost ours. But by the looks of these reviews of YOU yourself, you’re used to running your own customers away. Quite frankly, it’s amazing you’re still in business. I’d say I hope you learn to treat customers (and just everyone) with more respect and decency but quite a few of these reviews are from many years ago so it looks like the self-improvement ship has sailed, along with your class, many moons ago....

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...