The Best Online Vintage Shopping

Last month I wrote a guide to Auckland’s best vintage stores – and enjoyed it so much I vowed to scour the virtual world for the best online vintage shopping!

This is in no way definitive but rather a few sparkly corners of the Internet to get your vintage fix. Especially good for those of us living in odd locales or don’t enjoy the hours of rummaging in teeny musty store (though I am horrified and offer you my full support in learning to love it). I’ve divided it into 3 easy sections – the dot com store fronts, the reliable eBay stores and the etsy shoppes.

.COMS

Judith Leiber aqua snakeskin belt from Archive Vintage.

Archive Vintage – has a focus on classic designer pieces, in particular Chanel. Archive also sells a range of highly collectible fashion books which is worth keeping an eye on.

1918 Vintage – has great accessories; like their neat scarf deal called ‘scarfpalooza’, 6 vintage scarves at once! I like Meg’s blog too – she appreciates Man Man too!

iheartcheekychops – is based in the U.K. and has recently had a site refresh. It’s cheap, cheerful and there is a real cute 80’s flavour to their choices.

Nasty Gal – a very popular store with both vintage and new pieces. They seem to have the niche of more structurally extreme vintage covered! Think wacky cocktail dresses and suspenders. Expect to pay more but it saves you the hassle of bidding.

EBAY

Lullie Vintage – lush vintage pretties direct from Hollywood, California. Expect loads of fresh items every week and possibly a few bargains! Design That Kills has a great interview with Shae Acopian Detar, the lovely lady behind Lullie.

Lullie Vintage dress

Trashy Vintage – they also have a web store but I really like their ebay presence – they have a lot of items! And most seem to start at US$9.99 so you’re bound to find something sweet for cheap.

ETSY

Greasy Waitress Vintage describes itself as “vintage finds to discerning scenesters”, stocking a lot of brightly hued eighties gear for both gals and guys. I love the sequined butterfly cape – imagine it teamed with incredibly stacked stilettos and sprayed on black jeans.

Dancing Queen Cape from Greasy Waitress Vintage.

FreeStyleVintageCo wins my heart on sheer quantity alone – 200+ items and all relatively cheap! I like the pairs of wooden stacked heels very much.

Dewberry Vintage – a thoughtful wee collection and such a cute name! Who could help being charmed? You’ll find lots of woolen items here – natty sweaters and snuggly coats.

Santoki Vintage – is a trove of sexy boots and vintage delights. If you’re a size seven, don’t delay -please run and buy these boots and let me live vicariously through your joyous dancing in the streets. Urgggh.

Santoki Vintage Boots

TIPS

Sometimes it can be a mixed bag/varied experience when you buy something online but you can make it so much easier for yourself!

• I keep a giant list of vintage stores in a bookmark folder and look at them regularly for the best pieces. Open the entire folder in “all tabs” for maximum efficiency!
• It’s also handy to keep a text file where you can record every single measurement you may ever want. If I need to know my waist size, it’s right there – in both inches and centimetres. Simple.
• Always know that you can ask the purveyor for extra information – how wide are those sleeves, what material is it made of, what does the care label say? Nothing is too much to ask, honestly! If it makes your shopping experience better and with less worries – do it.
• On that note – don’t be afraid to let vintage sellers know what you are looking for if there is something in particular you’re after. They see a lot of stock and could keep an eye out or could have just what you need out the back… it does happen!
• Need new sources? Read online zines like N.E.E.T. for hot tips or browse flickr groups focused on vintage.

If you’ve got any fantastic online vintage resources, please share them in the comments. Sharing is wildly encouraged here!

Tagged as: Fashion, online, vintage