The JVB Vintage Shopping Guide series visits New York City, bringing you our favorite must-see stories for inspiration, vintage treasures and a sustainable way to shop.
Vintage shops have long been home to timeless pieces that have fallen out of the public eye. Like a book anthology, fashion has an encyclopedia of styles to draw from and New York’s vintage shops are a treasure trove of clothing you can’t get anywhere else. Here are the ones I think are worth the visit.
What Goes Around Comes Around
What Goes Around Comes Around is the holy grail of vintage, where you can find everything from the logo-laden pieces from the early 2000s to rare limited editions. Whatever you’re looking for, they have it. I like that they arrange their items into little “stories” (a lookbook, essentially), showing how each piece can work together.
351 West Broadway between Broome and Grand St, New York, NY 10013
The Real Real
I can always find a good statement piece at The Real Real. Most of the items are gently worn or brand new designer clothes, at a fraction of the price. They carry a mix of vintage and contemporary items and are a great destination for when you’re looking to mix-and-match a variety of styles.
Soho flagship: 80 Wooster St, New York, NY 10012, Upper East Side location: 870 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10021
New York Vintage
As one of the oldest vintage shops in the city, New York Vintage has a wide-ranging collection of couture and designer goods dating back hundreds of years. They don’t sell anything contemporary or modern, and their rotation is somewhat infrequent compared with other stores, But that is the beauty – you know you are getting something truly valuable.
117 W 25th St, New York, NY 10001
Pilgrim New York
If you love Chanel, this is the shop for you. This high-end boutique has an enormous selection of vintage Chanel handbags and jewelry, alongside contemporary pieces from Lanvin, YSL, and Celine. They also source incredible pieces from international brands like Comme, Yohji, Issey Miyake, and Sacai – often difficult finds on the vintage NY scene.
70 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002
Collette Consignment
Collette’s specialty is that they offer a well-edited selection of vintage. Their items tend to fall into two categories: statement pieces or unique finds with a statement personality. All of their items are in excellent condition, which is what holds them in such high regard. Their selection of ball gowns from Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera are hard to beat.
2044 Montauk Hwy, Commons Suite 16, Bridgehampton, NY 11932
BIS Designer Resale
For a more luxurious shopping experience, this Upper East Side shop is the place for one-off Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo and Prada. Their selection of rare pieces is one of the best in the city, hand-picked by very discerning eyes. I find their shoes and handbags selection to be most appealing.
1134 Madison Ave # 2, New York, NY 10028
James Veloria
This eclectic collection of vintage is curated by Brandon Giordano and Collin James Weber. The James Veloria brand started as a side project stemming from their love of avant-garde and experimental fashion design. Always stocked with high quality vintage, archive and contemporary pieces, the shop started as an online retailer and now has a brick-and-mortar shop located in a mall under the Manhattan Bridge. From monochrome looks to rare shoes and brightly colored finds, on-of-kind and coveted describes the James Veloria selection. They also regularly share available items to their instagram, styled in creative and expressive ways.
75 E Broadway #203A, New York, NY 10002
