L.A. Designer Resale Shops
- Leslie Price (Racked Magazine)
- Dec 11, 2015
- 8 min read
From an original article, Nov 29, 2012
The 38 Best Places to Shop for Vintage in Los Angeles. The list is not conclusive, of course. I would add my personal favorite, which is in Santa Monica: The Closet Trading Co., 2708 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405.
1 The Way We Wore
If you can't be bothered with scouring picked-over piles at thrift stores to uncover key designer pieces, let The Way We Wore do the dirty work for you. Frequented by Hollywood stars and their stylists, this expertly-curated haven is the perfect place to nab that chic Chanel brooch, Valentino gown or Yves Saint Laurent blazer that you never won on eBay.
334 S La Brea
Los Angeles, CA
2 Sielian's Vintage Apparel
Sielian and her husband are insanely knowledgeable about fashion and have pulled together a to-die-for collection of designer frocks in perfect condition at very fair prices. Don't let the fact that Rachel Zoe shops here turn you away!
9013 Melrose Ave.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
3 Hidden Treasures
Hidden in an elbow of winding Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Hidden Treasures is an apt name for this shack filled with retro clothes and accessories. Style hounds as famed as Kate Moss shop here.
154 S Topanga Canyon Blvd
Topanga, CA 90290
4 Resurrection
A top shopping destination for vintage-obsessed out-of-towners, this boutique carries a tightly-edited selection of collectible and historic clothing from a host of stories fashion houses. Be prepared to pay top dollar for jaw-dropping pieces by Halston, Alaïa and Hermès.
8006 Melrose
Los Angeles, CA
5 Squaresville
A fashion connoisseur of no less a magnitude than Christian Louboutin has admitted that this is one of his favorite shops. Who are we to argue? The store boasts a wide array of vintage, most of it not particularly high end, but in good condition. As an added bonus, they regularly feature hilarious window displays.
1800 N. Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90027
6 Shareen Vintage
Whether you're looking for something casual or a dress to wear to a wedding, you'll find it in this massive vintage warehouse. No boys are allowed (seriously, leave them at home) so patrons can drop trou to try on the wares anywhere throughout the store.
1721 N Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA
7 Tavin Boutique
After vending her wares at the Rose Bowl Flea, buyer and stylist Erin Julie Tavin opened her own Echo Park shop in 2009. It's filled with a curated mix of glamourous and bohemian garb; vintage pieces hang alongside items from local designers.
1543 Echo Park Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90026
8 Wasteland
Whether you're looking for last-season Marc Jacobs, vintage dresses or just seriously cleaned out your closet, Wasteland is the perfect spot for LA recycling at it's chicest. The kids at the counter perusing your used goods are picky and we wouldn't have it any other way: they ensure that a walk through the racks yields steals and surprises.
7428 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
& 1330 4th St,
Santa Monica, CA 90401
9 Decades
Decades is one of the finest pre-2000 designer resale boutiques in the world; its sister store, also named Decades, is of the same caliber, specializing in post-millennial goodness. With access to celebrity closets, it's no wonder they consistently have amazing wares.
8214 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, California
10 Rose Bowl Flea Market
On the second Sunday of every month, more than 2,500 vintage and antiques vendors set up outside the Rose Bowl stadium for thousands of shoppers, some of whom get there as early as 5am. On offer: art, furniture, housewares, clothes, accessories and odds and ends of all sorts.
1001 Rose Bowl Drive
Pasadena, CA 91103
11 Virgo
We're huge fans of Virgo's vintage and reworked offerings, much of which skews '80s and '90s. The clothing is priced right: almost all of it is $10-$85, except for the leather motorcycle jackets. For those bad boys, you will have to fork over a Benjamin and some change.
216 E 9th St
Los Angeles, CA 90015
12 Gentlemen's Breakfast
When your dude needs frames and LensCrafters won’t cut it, send him to the Echo Park spot that specializes in vintage eyeglasses, sunglasses, repairs and“various gentlemanly accessories.” He’ll see (get it?) what we mean.
1101 Mohawk St
Los Angeles, CA 90026
13 Scout
From a '70s Missoni dress to an '80s Jimmy Z skirt to a '90s Ann Demeulemeester gown, Scout is the spot for anyone looking to inject their style with too-cool retro flavor. Curated by designer/owner Joey Grana, the boutique also carries Scout's namesake line as well as a wide selection of hard-to-find baubles.
1646 N Cherokee Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
14 Jet Rag
There's a reason why this is one of Gwen Stefani's favorite vintage stops in LA. Known for its unique array of secondhand apparel, accessories and footwear, Jet Rag is every retro-inspired style star's secret weapon. Serious bargain hunters (and those with serious scavenging skills) should hit up the megastore's famous $1 yard sale that goes down every Sunday.
825 N La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
15 Chuck's Vintage
Chuck's specializes in old-school denim from Levi's and Wrangler as well as really-hard-to-source labels like Can't Bust'em and Boss of the Road. You'll also find vintage tees, cowboy boots, leather jackets and accessories.
8012 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90048
16 entre nous
A must for serious label lovers, this designer resale boutique is brimming with covetable gems from the likes of Louis Vuitton, Pucci, Prada and Balenciaga. Charmed with a superior selection of shoes, footwear fiends can expect Manolos, Louboutins and more.
8430 W 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 91403
17 Iguana Vintage Clothing
Come to Iguana with lots of time to shop: There are three floors filled with racks and racks of clothes, all very neatly organized by decade, color and type of garment.
6320 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028
18 Painted Bird
Painted Bird owners Sunny and Nate Archer started selling vintage in San Francisco in 2005, and opened a Silver Lake spinoff in 2011. Their vintage finds, all perfectly on-trend, are displayed alongside contemporary pieces—everything is affordably priced.
4208 Santa Monica Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90059
19 My Ulrika
This is not your neighborhood rummage shop. Ulrika Krivanek selects only the most gorgeous gowns, unblemished alligator bags and elegant crystal tableware (among other things) for her La Brea salon; fans include Mad Men's Christina Hendricks.
353 S La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
20 Golyester
Focussing on clothes, shoes and accessories from the 1902s to the 1970s, Golyester's mint-condition duds often come with sticker-shock.
450 S La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
21 Mister Freedom
French expat Christophe Loiron poured his fascination with selvedge denim, military memorabilia, and NOS (new old stock) fabric into this Beverly Boulevard outpost, a combination retail space and design studio. Here you'll find styles both old and new (Loiron collaborates with Japanese brand Sugar Cane Co) as well as boots, bags, tees and accessories.
7161 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
22 Playclothes
Specializing in styles from the '40s, '50s and '60s, this Burbank resource also has a small men's section and even stocks vintage housewares.
3100 W Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA 91505
23 Gotta Have It
Eco-holistic blogger Shiva Rose clued us in to this eclectic shop, which carries duds from the '40s to the '90s.
1516 Pacific Ave
Venice, CA 90291
24 Flounce Vintage
This tiny Echo Park boutique is packed full of pretty dresses from beaded to chiffon to rayon. If you can't find what you're looking for, ask owner Lisa Gerstein for assistance—she's got much more stocked in back.
1555 Echo Park Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
25 Ragg Mopp Vintage
Mad Men costumer and vintage aficionado Janie Bryant swears by Ragg Mopp, and we're including it on this list due to its sellar assortment of pretty dresses
3816 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
26 Re-Mix Shoes
Gravitate towards the shoe rack when shopping vintage? Re-Mix has rows and rows of old-school styles alongside the owner's own collection of throwback-inspired footwear.
7605 1/2 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, California 90036
27 Buttons & Bows
A newcomer to the Downtown retail scene, Buttons & Bows is part consignment shop, part vintage boutique. This means you'll find up-to-date pieces from brands like Tory Burch and 3.1 Phillip Lim as well as older designer items with a contemporary flair.
111 W Seventh Suite r11
Los Angeles, California 90014
28 Hotel de Ville Vintage Eyewear
Decorated with vintage ephemera and furnishings such as old photos and flocked velvet couches, this eyewear chainlet (there are also locations on the East and Westside) has shelves of deadstock frames as well as new styles from Europe and their own line of glasses and sunnies.
7422 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
29 Lemon Frog
Lemon Frog is crammed full of women's garb and accessories from the '50s through the '80s, all meticulously organized by energetic owner Micki Curtis.
1202-B N Alvarado St
Los Angeles, CA
30 Swift Vintage
Loaded with dresses both vintage and reworked in house, this girly Burbank gem also offers sewing classes.
3212 W Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA 91505
31 A Current Affair
This pop-up vintage marketplace is known for its exciting semi-annual showcases filled with retro gems from over 30 retailers and private dealers. If you missed A Current Affair's Cooper Building event last month, be sure to secure your spot for the highly-anticipated holiday show on December 1st.
860 S Los Angeles St
Los Angeles, CA 90014
32 Melrose Trading Post
Held every Sunday in the parking lot of Fairfax High School, this weekly outdoor marketplace boasts nearly 200 vendors. Whether you're looking for antique furniture or a perfectly worn-in leather moto jacket, this places has it all. Known for great people-watching, it's also one of our go-to venues for Street Scene scouting.
7850 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
33 Society of St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store
Diehard vintage vets know all about this Lincoln Heights landmark. Coined on Yelp as the "Costco of Thrift Stores," St. Vincent is set in a massive warehouse and offers a crazy amount of pre-loved items in a host of categories. From scoring a $1 James Perse top to a $20 couch in mint condition, this place almost seems too good to be true.
210 N Ave 21
Los Angeles, CA 90031
34 Reformation
Founded by designer Yael Aflalo, this stellar sustainable retailer with a cult-like following is known for producing instantly covetable garments made from repurposed vintage and surplus. This boutique is your best bet for retro-inspired pieces infused with modern flair.
8253 melrose ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046
35 Goodwill Retail Store & Donation Center
This non-profit thrift chain serves double duty as a donation center and a must-stop for inexpensive vintage gems. Although Goodwill is stacked with racks of rad throwback pieces by random brands, hawk-eyed treasure hunters have been known to score designer duds from the likes of D&G, Gucci and Versace. Beeline to the Beverly location for the best selection.
7919 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
36 Myrtle
Tiny and pink-walled, this shop is predominately filled with indie lines from female designers. Regulars, however, know about its small-but-excellent vintage rack.
2213 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
37 Revamp
Revamp isn't exactly a vintage store. Instead, it's a store that offers customized vintage recreations as well as lessons on vintage hair and makeup looks.
834 S Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90014
38 Owl Talk
Eagle Rock's very reasonably priced thrift, consignment and vintage shop offers a bit of everything—jewelry, denim, dresses and the like—in a cozy space.
5060 Eagle Rock Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
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