These days there are loads of different ways to shop for vintage clothing and accessories, especially if you are willing to shop online. Which store you should visit depends on your specific style, the type of item you are looking for, and your shopping budget. These days there are a lot of different ways to shop for vintage clothing and accessories, especially if you are willing to shop online. Which store you should visit depends on your specific style, the type of item you are looking for, and your shopping budget. Here are some of the most common types of stores offering vintage and premium second hand clothing and accessories.
Vintage Boutiques
Offer a highly curated selection of unique and authenticated vintage clothing and accessories. Oftentimes the selection is based on a particular style, era, or even type of clothing, like vintage denim or haute couture to suit a specific niche of customers. These types of stores are usually small and can offer specialized services.
Consignment stores
Stores re-selling items that people bring in, with the store taking a cut of the price of the item when sold. These stores often offer a curated selection of vintage and/or premium second hand clothing and accessories from famous designer brands, mixed with unique high quality unbranded vintage items in similar styles. Consignment stores are slightly less niche than Vintage Boutiques, but still make it easy to find high quality, authentic items in a specific style.
Flea markets
Can be a great place to find vintage clothing, especially the larger ones! They are often outdoors with a lot of different sellers offering a wide variety of items. When visiting a flea market, head straight for the people selling clothing and accessories and be prepared to flip though rack after rack of clothing to find what you are looking for. You can make fantastic vintage finds at flea markets, especially if you are prepared to haggle.
Thrift stores
Larger stores offering discounted second hand clothing and accessories. Oftentimes run by a specific charity selling donated items. You can make fantastic vintage finds in thrift stores but it takes a lot more effort, experience and sifting through loads of items to find hidden gems. Make sure you plan ahead and set a time limit for your vintage search to avoid thrifting fatigue!
Online
This one is a whole world in itself. In one way or another, all of the vintage store types mentioned above exists online. On most vintage and second hand clothing sites you can filter items to easily find what your'e looking for, and some even offer authentication of designer items. Others act more like thrift stores and online flea markets with private sellers offering items of varying quality. Make sure you know your measurements to find items that fit the way you want them to (focus less on size since vintage sizes differ quite a lot from modern ones) and don't be afraid to ask for more images or measurements.
Further reading
Masterclass has a great article on Vintage shopping by Tan Francis.