Category: All Things Vintage

Making your life easier one step at a time…

In my last post I walked you through my tricks of the trade for vintage shopping, but what’s the point of these tips if you can’t actually use them? So I’ve decided to making a guide for the best vintage and consignment stores in Paris, France. Even though I have only been living here for a little over a month, I’ve already found a plethora of shops and markets that I adore and I know you will too! In this guide I will not only list my favorite stores and what products they offer, but also their locations and price range. 

I am so lucky to be living in one of the best cities for vintage shopping. Paris is packed with all different types of vintage and consignment stores with a wide selection of products. I want to share my two favorite lower grade vintage stores, two luxury consignment stores, and one flea market.

Shop #1:

Marché Vernaison
Paris Flea Market
99 Rue des Rosiers, 93400 Saint-Ouen

Marché Vernaison is a large flea market that features antiques, fashion, art, and restaurants. It is a very open space, however they provide maps to navigate between the different vendors. Here you will find all different types of vintage and consignment ranging from now-name brands to designers including Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, and Dior. This market is the perfect way to get the full vintage and consignment experience all in one location. What’s also great about this market is that you can make it into an all day affair and stop and get lunch at the local resturants or shop for art and antique pieces as well! The price range is very wide for this location, one could easily spend less then 10 euro or up to 500 euro on an item. It all depends on what exactly you are looking for. I highly recommend checking out this location if you live in the Paris area and want to get the full vintage experience.  

Shop #2: 

Kilo Shop
69-71 Rue de la Verrerie, 75004 Paris

Kilo Shop is a large chain vintage/consignment store with multiple locations throughout Paris. KiloShop is one of the largest vintage shops I’ve visited so far. Each of their locations have two floors completely covered in racks and piles of clothing for men, women, and children. What makes Kilo Shop unique compared to other vintage stores of the same caliber is that most of the clothes do not have price tags on them. Instead, Kilo Shop bases the total price of your items on their weight. They even feature large scales and price charts to weigh your clothes and see how much it will cost. Kilo Shop is great store to visit for your average bargain shopper because you can really get a lot of items for a little amount of money. I would consider Kilo Shop a more lower-grade vintage shop, however, I highly recommend checking one of their locations out! 

Shop #3:

Le Dépôt Vente de Buci
4 Rue Bourbon-le-Château – 75006 Paris

Le Dépôt Vente de Buci is located  in the St-Germain area. Some of the designers featured within this store are Versace, Chanel, Moschino, Lagerfeld, Lacroix, and Saint Laurent. This would be considered a high-end/luxury consignment shop. You will easily be able to tell the difference because of how they are organized. Compared to Kilo Shop this store would seem very empty. Le Dépôt Vente de Buci is a relatively small store and only carries a small amount of product at a time. However, what they do carry is awesome. If you are looking for vintage designer pieces this is the place to go. The price range is decent, you definitely have to be willing to spend at minimum 100-200 euro if you want to get something nice, but they are open to bargaining for a better price. I was lucky enough to find a beautiful, camel color, wool coat from MaxMara that was a very fair price. If you are interested in more designer vintage shopping, this is the place! 

Shop #4:

Kiliwatch Paris
64 Rue Tiquetonne, 75002 Paris

Kiliwatch is a second-hand shop that specifies in street fashion and carries both emerging designers and well known name brands. Kiliwatch has been around since 1996 and has been providing ready-to-wear itemsthat are inspired by or from designers such as Christian Lacroix, Paul Smith, Jean-Paul Gauthier,and Isabel Marant. As far as price range goes, Kiliwatch is more expensive, on average, than Kilo Shop, however significantly cheaper than Le Dépôt Vente de Buci. I would consider this store to be more of a “digging” type store because of the variety of brands and products you will find, ranging from no-name labels to high-end designers. 

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Shop #5:

Citizen Concept Store
22 Rue de Thorigny, 75003 Paris

Citizen was actually the first consignment store I came across when I first moved here! Citizen Concept Store is definitely one of the more luxury stores I have listed today. Their products range from custom Comme des Garçons Nike sneakers, to one-of-a-kind Givenchy fur capes. You can really find a lot of unique designer pieces here and the staff is incredible. Citizen carries brands such as Chanel, Gucci, Dior, Givenchy, Comme des Garçons, Prada, and Louis Vuitton. Some of the shoe brands they offer are Golden Goose, Adidas, and Nike. While I would consider this store to be on the pricer-y side of the vintage market, I highly recommend at least checking this place out, even if it just to play dress up!

I hope that you guys can benefit from, at least, one of the stores I have listed. It may be odd that I love vintage shopping so much, but I promise once you’ve dipped your toes into this form of shopping, you’ll love it too!

-Virginia

Don’t be so quick to throw her valuables away!

Sometimes the best presents are already in your very home. Cliché I know, but it’s true! If you are lucky enough to have one or both of your grandparents still alive, they probably have a few vintage items laying in their closet that would totally still be in style today. More often than not grandparents always have hidden gems or keep sakes that could not only be really cute and useful, but also could be very valuable. 

Before I left the United States I spent the day with my mom’s mother. She needed help cleaning her house and getting rid of a few items she didn’t need or want anymore. I happily offered my services because it could really potentially benefit both of us. After shifting through mostly junk or donation items I came across a small Gucci purse that she told me was over 30 years old. While the purse wasn’t necessarily my style, when she offered for me to take it, I did not even hesitate. 

You never know what you are going to find in your own home so always keep an open mind and always save your valuables! Even if you don’t like them in the moment, you may like them later in life. If you don’t want something for yourself, save it and pass it on to your sister or maybe even your kids on day! 

I’m so grateful my grandmother decided to save her valuables. I now not only have a designer bag for free, but also a wonderful memory of my grandmother. 

-Stephanie 

 

Just when you thought shopping couldn’t get any better…

Are you sick of reading our posts about vintage shopping? Well, we are certainly not! We are just beginning to skim the surface, but in order to final take the plunge into the true world of vintage we need to talk about online consignment stores. Yes, you heard that right, there are online consignment stores. So now you don’t have to spend hours digging though piles and racks at vintage stores (even though we strongly encourage that you still do)! 

Online consignment shopping is essentially the same process as regular online shopping, just not as organized. Similar to how a luxury consignment store would be, online vintage stores feature clothing, shoes, bags, and accessories. Most of these sites organize their product buy the type of item or by the brand. So if you are shopping for something specific you’ll be able to locate it at a much faster rate. 

 We picked out our top four favorite consignment stores to share with you guys today: 

The RealReal

https://www.therealreal.com/

Etsy

https://www.etsy.com/

LXRand Co

https://www.lxrco.com/en-US

ThredUp

https://www.thredup.com/

We have found these websites to have the best selection of products for the best prices. Our personal favorite is The RealReal. We have had the most luck on finding the exact items we want, in the sizes we need, and for the prices we are willing to pay for. The RealReal is also super convenient when it comes to their shipping process. They handle ever item with great care and wrap or box everything so delicately.

Sometimes it can be tricky ordering used items online because you don’t truly know what kind of shape it is going to be in. Luckily these websites have thought of it all and provide multiple different pictures of each products, along with descriptions of them and how much they were used, and the exact condition that it is in. And you want to know the best part about these sites, they have sales! How often can you go to a vintage store to find things on sale, not that often! These sites do however, especially during the holiday season, so its the perfect place to pick up some presents for yourself or your loved ones. 

We truly don’t know where our wardrobes would be without these sites, and we hope that you guys find the same luck that we did! 

-Stephanie and Virginia 

What’s all the hype about? 

If I have not made it obvious or not by now I am a big advocate for vintage clothing. I honestly can’t even remember the last time I went into a normal retail store to buy something other than a basic t-shirt or socks. That may seem crazy to some people, but really there is an entire culture much like myself, who base their wardrobes almost entirely on vintage clothes. I wanted to research this concept further and see why exactly vintage shopping has gained so much popularity over the past few years and who is responsible for this increase. 

The first major contributor to why the idea vintage stores and clothes has been heightened recently is largely because of celebrity endorsement. Celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Bella Hadid, and Kendall Jenner are at the forefront of promoting the buying and wearing of vintage items. They often post about it their finds on social media or speak publicly about who their are wearing at social events. Similar to most trends, they eventually trickle down and soon everyone is wanting to shop vintage, “because Kendall Jenner does it.” There is also a whole other side of the spectrum which explains that celebrities choose to wear vintage in order to stand out more and not be so similar to their friends and other celebrities. And because trends are always coming full circle it puts these vintage-wearing celebrities ahead of the trends, i.e. making them a trendsetter. 

The second factor as to why vintage shopping has increased so much is because it allows the opportunity for self expression. Just as celebrities want to be different, normal people do as well! By shopping vintage instead of fast fashion stores such as Zara, H&M, and Forever 21 you are getting unique pieces that really no one else can get. What’s awesome about vintage stores is that they rarely stick to one sort of vibe (or theme) so there really is something for everyone. You can completely change your whole style everyday if you wanted to by wearing vintage clothes. What’s also awesome about shopping vintage is that each piece of clothing, accessory, or shoe you buy has a history and thats something you definitely can’t get at Zara! 

Lastly, recycled (vintage) clothes are good for our environment! I never really thought about it in this way until now, but just like plastic is good to recycle, so it clothes. At one point someone, somewhere spent their time making that shoe or pair of jeans and by you buying them instead of letting them go to waste you are capitalizing on an opportunity to save the environment, one shirt at a time. 

Wow! All this talk about shopping has gotten me in the mood to do a little digging around some stores myself, and now knowing the benefits to vintage shopping will only make my experience better!

-Virginia

Five tips for vintage shopping success…

I have been blessed (or cursed) with a love for the finer things in life. However my bank account seems to agree otherwise. So I ask myself, how can I manage a lifestyle of dressing the way I want without tearing through my budget in one shopping spree? The answer is simple: vintage and consignment. 

Over the past year or two I believe I have mastered the art of vintage and consignment shopping, and it would only be fair to share my thoughts with everyone. It may sound silly…because how is shopping an “art form?” In reality, though, there really are specific techniques to shopping vintage and consignment. I have come up with my five best tips that have proven to be the most beneficial to me.

Tip #1: Bargain, Bargain, Bargain

It is very important to always consider asking for a better price when vintage shopping. Even if they turn you down, it never hurts to try and save yourself some extra money. If you are unsure you are getting a fair price, look up the brand and see how their clothes or accessories are priced retail. Remember, the whole point of vintage and consignment shopping is to find the designer items you want for a cheaper price! 

Tip #2: Take Your Time

Look at vintage shopping as a marathon, not a sprint. Good things always take time so always allow yourself an ample amount in a store so that you really get to look through everything you want to. Of course it doesn’t hurt to stop by a store and glance through, but if you really want to find good pieces, you will have to be more patient. Most of the time these stores are fairly cluttered and disorganized so you often have to almost dig through the racks and piles to find just one good piece. But trust me, when you find it, it’s so worth it! You never know what you are going to find if you don’t at least try. 

Tip #3: Have an Open Mind

When I first started vintage shopping I often found myself disappointed when I left a store empty handed, but you shouldn’t feel that way. You should walk into every store with an open mind, even if you have a specific look in your head, odds are you probably won’t find it at the first store you stop in. Hidden treasures and brands are everywhere, you just have to be willing to accept them. Also, most vintage and consignment stores, especially the more high-end ones, change their products pretty frequently so if you don’t have any luck one time don’t discredit the store completely. Try going back in a few weeks, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised!

Tip #4: Test Out Your Products

Most of the time the items you are looking at are final sale, so if the store offers a fitting room to try things on definitely utilize it! If you’re going to spend the money it should be worth it, and items always look different on the hanger than they do on your body so test it out and see if you really like it. Even if you a buying a brand that you know your size in, sometimes the item can be ten years old so the fit could have changed over the years. Also, don’t let the idea of your item being worn before deter you from buying it. If the piece is in good shape and you love it does it really matter that someone may have worn it first? It shouldn’t! If anything, it gives your clothes more character. And on the off-chance it looks a little dirty, just wash or dry-clean it and it will be as good as new. 

Tip #5: Have Fun

If you love shopping, then it should never feel like a chore. I used to think of vintage and consignment shopping as more of a task than a treasure, but once I got the hang of it I couldn’t wait to find new stores. This should be an exciting experience! A lot of the times you can find amazing luxury pieces for less then half of their original price, which is awesome! And on rare occasions you can even find one-of-a-kind items. Just remember to always have fun and it will be worth it every time. 

-Virginia

Creating your own signature self in a media crazed society.

In today’s social climate it is really hard to stand out. With so many different social media platforms it seems like every kind of person you can be is already taken. I too struggled with figuring out who I am as a person for a long time. That is when I turned to fashion as a outlet to be the creative person that I am. I started to let me clothes do the talking instead of my words. 

I credit a lot of my now signature style to vintage shopping. Going into different stores that were completely different than the shops my friends were frequenting gave me the opportunity to be original and find pieces that I believed truly spoke to my personality. Because every experience at a vintage store is different, I never knew what I was going to find or where new inspiration would strike. 

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I’ve developed a sort of retro-90s vibe currently with my style, which is perfect because consignment stores are filled with high-waisted Levi’s and funky t-shirts. I like to add my own personal twist to my clothes though. I like to distress my jeans or cut my shirts a specific way so that each piece of clothing has a part of me attached to it. I turn to blogs on tumblr to further my inspirations and keep photos of outfits I like on my phone at all times. 

I truly believe vintage stores have helped shape my personal style and that is why I want to share it with you guys. 

-Virginia