Voyage Into Vintage
The biggest thrill of secondhand shopping is the hunt. Or maybe it's the find
On only the third store in my tour through the discarded duds of Angelenos, I was ready to stop. I'd come to the conclusion, rather quickly, that vintage shopping in L.A. is only for people who possess two key virtues: patience, and a 24-inch waist. Neither of which I have.
I began my journey into the world of L.A. secondhand shops on the über-trendy Melrose Avenue: With dozens of shops crowding just a few city blocks, it was an obvious choice. From store windows everywhere, castoffs were begging for someone to give them new life.
I took pity on the peasant dresses of white eyelet cotton and lace in the window of American Vintage (7377 Melrose Ave., 323-852-0969). Inside, I browsed the crammed racks of funky skirts and feminine dresses. Jewel-toned velvet jackets drew me to the back of the place, where a round rack of glitzy sequined blouses, of the Golden Girls variety, twinkled. I took several items into the dressing room, but left with none. Nothing fit. That's the bad part about one-of-a-kind finds: They only come in one size.
Down the street at Crossroads Trading Co. (7409 Melrose Ave., 323-782-8100), I battled for aisle space with L.A. fashionistas and sifted through unexciting hand-me-downs, from the likes of cookie-cutter chains such as the Gap and Old Navy. But part of vintage shopping is the hunt, so I kept digging. A pleated black DKNY skirt almost fit, and I found a great pair of silver slingback wedges for $16.50, but put them back, not convinced they were worth the money.
Defeated and empty-handed, I wanted to give up. Either the original owners of these clothes had simply been trying to keep up with the ebb and flow of fashion, by discarding outdated items for new styles, or their waistlines had gotten bigger, forcing them to banish their skinny jeans and outgrown camisoles to the racks I now hopelessly perused. I was leaning toward the latter.
Near my breaking point, I finally reached Slow (7474 Melrose Ave., 323-655-3725) - a two-story boutique on the corner of Melrose and Gardner - and began to search among the color-coordinated castoffs. It didn't take me long to spot a playful flowered navy blue tube dress among a rack of retro frocks near the entrance.
Putting all my hopes on this one item, I skipped past the rows of ruffled blouses and patterned '80s skirts - where I normally would have spent hours - and just barely squeezed past the oversized puffed sleeves of prom-night rejects.
In the fitting room, I slipped the dress over my head and adjusted it around my waist. It fit. Victory!
Just outside the dressing room, a rack of oversized belts offered up a vintage spin on a current trend. I snatched one. At $18, the wide, mustard-yellow accessory was a perfect match.
"Good choice," said the guy at the register as I put the belt and the $24 dress on the counter. I thought so, too.
Things were looking up.
Dress and belt in hand, I remembered the silver shoes back at Crossroads. I realized how perfectly they would go with the outfit ... and their value suddenly skyrocketed. Luckily, no one had snagged them while I was gone; they were right where I'd left them.
Not wanting to limit myself to Melrose vintage, I ventured outside the crowded Mecca of shops. Just a few blocks away on La Brea is Golyester (136 S. La Brea Ave., 323-931-1339), full of high-end designer threads from the 1900s to the 1960s - pure vintage, hand-picked from around the world by the owner. Dresses and beaded cashmere cardigans can fetch prices around $300.
But, unlike L.A. vintage shops that carry high-end couture - such as The Paper Bag Princess (8818 Olympic Blvd., 310-385-9036; Thepaperbagprincess.com) in Beverly Hills, which sees customers like Jennifer Aniston and Kelly Clarkson, and has prices to match its A-list clientele - Golyester isn't showy. Shoppers will feel comfortable browsing the racks in the dark, parlor-like setting and seeing what they can uncover.
Indeed, it took some time before I settled on a boxy, navy blue clutch for $15 (the thriftiest item of the day) and a cream sweater with red ribbon trim for $32.
Here I am, all dressed up. Now, where to?
Published: 08/03/2006
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