I often get asked where my favorite place to vintage shop is in NYC. There's not one particular store, but a whole neighborhood I like to frequent for vintage and thrift shopping, and that is East Village. I've mentioned some of these stores in a previous blog post, but I wanted to put together a guide of my favorite stores in this specific area of NYC. Cure Thrift Shop 111 E 12th Street (between 3rd and 4th Ave) Open 12-9pm daily Come Here For: •women's clothing •men's clothing •home decor tip: don't be turned off by the "high" prices of this thrift store, they run a half off sale everyday. plus this store is a non profit and all proceeds go to diabetes research. No Relation Vintage 204 First Ave (between 12th and 13th Street) Open 12-8pm daily Come Here For: •women's clothing •men's clothing this is a no frills vintage store with tons of merchandise and dirt cheap prices. product is organized but not super curated so shopping here is very hit or miss. Academy Records 415 E 12th Street (between 1st Ave and Ave A) Open 12-8pm daily Come Here For: •Records (duh) good prices and selection, they even have a $1 section where I've scored some good finds. records are well organized and categorized by popular artists. East Village Vintage Collective 545 E 12th Street (between Ave A and B) Open 12-8pm daily Come Here For: •women's clothing •men's clothing •kids clothing •records •home decor and gifts I've saved the best for last! this is my favorite vintage store because it is well curated, but still has affordable prices, which is rare in NYC. let me know if you like this mini shopping guide, and if you'd like to see more for other areas of NYC or other cities I travel to.
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I finally got a record player for Christmas and I have seriously been obsessed with it ever since. I love scouring record stores on the weekends to look for vinyls to add to my collection. So far I've been able to get my hands on several 60's classics from The Monkees to The Mamas and The Papas. I decided to do a blog post of my favorite places to record shop in NYC.
Academy Records (East Village & Flat Iron): Academy Records is my absolute favorite record store. I end up leaving with something nearly every time I go. What I love most about their store is that not only are the records organized alphabetically, but they are also broken out by popular artists. They have specific sections for The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Elvis, and more of my favorite artists. They also have a $1 section where I've scored some great finds. They have two locations, one in East Village and one in Flat Iron. I've been to both locations, but I'm definitely partial to the East Village location. Brooklyn Flea (location varies): If you're not familiar with the Brooklyn Flea, it is a large flea market with multiple vendors that occurs every weekend in Brooklyn. The location varies by day and time of year, so make sure you check out their website for specific location details. Anyway, they always have several vendors selling tons of records. They are usually very fairly priced as well. I scored The Mamas and The Papas record pictured here at the flea. Record Grouch (Greenpoint, Brooklyn) I've mentioned this store in a previous blog post, but Record Grouch is another record store I've enjoyed browsing at. It has a similar feel to Academy. The records felt easy to navigate and were well organized. Definitely a spot worth checking out if you find yourself in Brooklyn! P.S.- This dress is part of Karina Dresses Spring collection. I am wearing the "Tina" style. The new collection will be up on the website tomorrow! You can check it out here: https://www.karinadresses.com/ Dress: c/o Karina Dresses Tights: Target, Shoes: Asos If you've been following along with my Instagram stories for the last few months, by now you probably know I'm the queen of turning vintage maxis dresses into minis. When I'm thrift or vintage shopping, I often find a lot of dresses from the late sixties with amazing prints, but are ankle length, which is just not my style at all. Since I can't pull of the prairie dress look, but can't pass up the print, I end up chopping several inches (sometimes up to 16") off the bottom and turn it into a mini dress.
Lexi from Lexi Goes Thrifting, who is one of my Instagram pals, reached out to me and said she'd love to send me a dress to deconstruct. Lexi is a vintage seller and blogger. You can check out her blog and Etsy shop here: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/lgtvintage Blog: http://lexigoesthrifting.com/blog-2/ Instead of just chopping off the bottom as usual, I knew I wanted to make something out of the excess fabric, so I decided to go with a wire headband. I put up a step by step DIY on my Instagram stories, and will keep it in my story highlights if you're interested in trying this sewing tutorial for yourself! Dress: c/o Lexi Goes Thrifting http://lexigoesthrifting.com/ Ring: FlowerMoon by Kittoune; Tights: Target; Shoes: LF/Life Location: Hoboken, NJ Last Sunday, I spent the day in Cold Spring, New York. It's a cute little town that is only a short train ride away from Grand Central Station. Cold Spring has a ton of vintage and antique shops, so that was the main reason for my trip.
I decided to wear this vintage dress I received from The Art of Hannah Jane. I'm guessing this dress was from the 80's or early 90's. It was originally calf length, but I chopped it to make it above the knee, and also removed the shoulder pads and shortened the sleeves. With the holiday season upon us, when it's easy to feel overwhelmed by bloggers or brands encouraging us to buy, buy, buy, I wanted to put up a post with the benefits of shopping second hand. •it's cheaper Vintage can be expensive, but in general shopping second hand is significantly cheaper, especially if you are shopping at a thrift store as opposed to a more curated vintage shop. •creates a more unique wardrobe One of the reasons I like shopping at vintage and thrift stores is actually a selfish reason. I love getting my hands on things that nobody else can, so that's why I'd rather shop second hand, instead of shopping fast fashion stores where everyone else is. •helps the environment Fabric cannot naturally decompose, so any clothing thrift stores cannot accept ends up sitting in a landfill, which is terrible for the environment. Anytime you make a purchase from a thrift store, that's one less piece to get discarded into a landfill. •benefits charities Lots of thrift stores benefit charities. One of my favorites in NYC benefits diabetes research, while another takes its profits to fight against AIDS and homelessness. •better quality clothes when you buy vintage The old saying, “they don’t make them like they used to” is around for a reason. Vintage clothing withstands the test of time, and is just better quality all around, from the fabric to the construction of the garments. •supporting small business supports someone's dreams Lastly, when you're shopping thrift or vintage, whether it be a brick and mortar location or online shop, you're supporting someone's dream, rather than contributing to a larger corporation. I'm definitely going to be buying as many gifts as I can from vintage or small busisnesses this year. Happy shopping! Dress: c/o The Art of Hannah Jane https://www.artofhannahjane.com/ Belt & Tights: Anthropologie; Beret: Top Shop; Shoes: Franco Sarto (bought from Century 21) Location: Cold Spring, New York Stopping by with a quick blog post to share some more photos of this polka dot shift dress. Although it looks sixties, it’s actually an Esprit dress from the 90’s. It was handpicked especially for me by my friend Emily. I met Emily at the first job I worked at after graduating college. Like me, she works full time as a fashion designer, but is also a lover of all things retro, and resells vintage pieces on Etsy as a side business. You can check out her shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Lulaverse We had a lovely day in Brooklyn catching up. We started out with brunch at Esme (the food was delicious, I highly recommend if you are in the neighborhood). Then we bounced around to a few vintage stores, while taking photos in between. We started at Record Grouch, where these photos were taken. We also popped into Monk Vintage, where Emily picked up a few pieces. Lastly, we stopped into Fox and Fawn, where I bought a sweater (and it is also the store where Emily found this dress I am wearing). All three stores had an excellent selection, with reasonable prices, I will definitely be visiting these stores again in the future. Dress & Sunglasses: Vintage; Socks: Hansel From Basel; Shoes: LF Life; Ring: Kate Spade; Watch: Hyper Grand Location: Record Grouch (Greenpoint, Brooklyn) By now you probably all know I love vintage and thrift shopping. However, I am very selective about what I purchase, because I never want my wardrobe to look like it's full of costumes. If you're new to vintage shopping and not sure which items are worth buying, I've put together a guide to help you.
Pass: -classic prints (polka dots, gingham, simple stripes, etc) I usually pass on items in any of the above prints because it is easy to find modern garments in these prints, so you don't have to waste time altering your vintage find to look current. -white garments Garments yellow over time, so I usually try to avoid all white garments or garments that have white in sweat prone areas, such as the neck/collar, armpits, etc -tee shirts I know a lot of people love a good vintage band tee, but personally this is something I would not buy vintage. Vintage tees always look super worn and pilled (and for good reason). Plus it's so easy to find a reproduction of vintage tees nowadays, where they have a retro feel without all the wear. Buy: -interesting collars and necklines Even though oversized collars or exaggerated necklines can look very specific to certain time periods, these are the types of pieces I am always drawn to when I'm vintage shopping. If I do decide to buy something that looks super retro looking, I make sure I alter it to look more current or modernize it with my styling. -unique prints Bold and unique prints are also a guilty pleasure for me, but again, they can look very dated very quickly. Again, styling or alterations can easily tone down an amazing vintage print. -denim Denim is stain resistant and holds up amazingly over time, so I love buying denim pieces second hand. Because denim shorts or jeans are so abundant, you can easily find vintage denim pieces on the cheap too. PS: if you are in NYC, checkout No Relation Vintage in East Village if you are in the market for denim cut off shorts. They have two whole walls and each pair is only about $8. If you're still on the fence about whether or not to purchase a vintage piece, a good rule of thumb is to weigh the cost vs the amount of time it will take to alter. If I’m not confident I can fix a piece or if I feel l can easily find a modern replica, especially if it’s not super cheap, I won’t waste my time or money attempting to bring it back to life. Cardigan: c/o Rip and Rose https://ripandrose.patternbyetsy.com/ Dress: Forever 21; Shoes: Franco Sarto (bought at Century 21); Watch: Hypergrand; Pin: Copper Cactus Vintage https://www.etsy.com/shop/coppercactusvintage Location: Jim’s Steaks (South Street, Philadelphia) Confession: although I've had a love and appreciation for 1950's and 60's fashion since high school, I must admit to the fact that I didn't actually start buying vintage pieces until recently. I've always liked admiring vintage from afar, but I am a germaphobe, and I sometimes used to get grossed out by sorting through or trying on used clothing. Vintage clothing, especially in NYC, can also get expensive, so it can sometimes be hard to justify spending large amounts of money on a used item. However, for various reasons, I slowly started exploring more vintage and thrift stores and became more comfortable with buying second hand. Below is a list of my top five places to find affordable vintage pieces in NYC: Arbor Vitae 309 Bedford Avenue Brooklyn (Williamsburg) Located in Brooklyn, but very easy to get to from Manhattan (it's the first stop in Brooklyn on the L train). They sell clothing, shoes and accessories for both men and women. I love this store because they always have a $5 rack, which is where I scored this plaid skirt I am wearing in this photo. Cure Thrift Shop 111 E 12th Street (between 3rd and 4th Ave) Manhattan (East Village) Clothing wise, this store mostly consists of second hand items, but it is possible to score vintage and higher end designer items here. They also have lots of vintage jewelry and home items. The prices are reasonable, and they always offer 50% off all clothing, which makes the prices even better. Even more of a reason to check this place out, it is completely non-profit and all proceeds go to diabetes research. East Village Vintage Collective 545 E 12th Street (between Ave A and B) Manhattan (East Village) This shop is super well curated, and the prices are extremely affordable. It seems small upon entering, but there are two floors to explore, so make sure you check out both levels! They have everything, including clothing for men, women and children, as well as records, pins, home goods, you name it. I got this dress here for around $25-30 (fun fact, it was originally much longer, but I hemmed it to be mini length) Brooklyn Flea Saturday location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn Sunday location: Dumbo, Brooklyn Brooklyn Flea is an outdoor market with nearly a hundred vendors that runs from April to October, so it's a great place to peruse through vintage pieces when the weather is nice. They have everything from apparel, to furniture, to antiques and collectibles. They also have a handful of local artist and food vendors as well. The market is located at different locations on Saturday and Sunday, so make sure you go to the correct spot! Housing Works (they have various stores around Manhattan, check out www.housingworks.org for exact locations) Similar to Cure, Housing Works is a mix of both vintage and thrift. Each location is different, so some offer more vintage, and others offer more second hand. Their prices are very affordable, I scored this vintage animal print coat for $35, which was one of the best purchases I've ever made. You'll also be supporting a good cause by shopping at Housing Works, as the proceeds help to fight against homelessness and AIDS in NYC. I hope this list is helpful, but feel free to comment or DM me with any other questions about thrift and vintage shopping in NYC!
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