Downtown L.A. | September 20, 2023
Los Angeles Vintage Fashion Bible
Los Angeles is the vintage capital of the world, renowned for attracting stylists, celebrities, and vintage fans from all over the world. Discover our selection of the city’s most cutting-edge vintage boutiques, from West Hollywood and the Arts District to Los Feliz and Silver Lake.
On La Brea Avenue, vintage expert Marie Monsod’s boutique boasts one of the most sophisticated vintage fashion selections in L.A. In the left wing of the store, curated racks display everything from rock T-shirts and vintage denim to evening gowns from the 1920s to modern luxury finds, including designers like Balmain, Saint Laurent, Versace, Gucci, and Y Project. There’s also a stunning collection of accessories, necklaces, and bracelets from the extravagant collections of William de Lillo, Bill Schiffer, and Christian Lacroix. The opposite side of the store is dedicated to home decor, with a flamboyant selection including sculpted bust planters, marble tables, Brutalist chandeliers, and more.
111 N La Brea Avenue, Inglewood
Closed Sundays
Open by appointment only, Vintage on Hollywood is the vision of Brian Cohen, a relentless collector trained in vintage by Bobby Garnett, a pioneer of the genre, who brings together thousands of rare pieces from the 1950s-80s in two spaces, with a predilection for prints and color. Look for finds including Michigan Rag’s unobtainable pieces, a wide selection of Hawaiian shirts, silk teddies with creative and eccentric embroidery, psychedelic dresses, jumpsuits, 80s cropped jackets, workwear, and the list goes on…
4659 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Feliz
Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Kim Kardashian, Christina Aguilera, and Miley Cyrus are just a few of the celebrities who have found treasures at Resurrection. Founded in 1996 in New York by Mark Haddawy and Katy Rodriguez, the now L.A-based boutique presents masterpieces by Chanel, Courrèges, Pierre Cardin, Thierry Mugler, Yves Saint Laurent, and Versace in a chic black-and-white space adorned with drawings by Raymond Pettibon. The by-appointment-only shop also boasts a year-round catalog offering archival pieces for the fashion, media, and film industries.
8006 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood
Closed Saturday and Sunday
Richard Wainwright, founder of A Current Affair, opened Arcade vintage boutique at Row DTLA in 2022. The West Coast counterpart to his Brooklyn boutique, Arcade brings together everything from Western boots, cameo rings, and charm bracelets to designer vintage from names like Lanvin, Valentino, Helmut Lang, and Diane Von Furstenberg. Across the street, stop off at General Store, where duo Crystal Nobles and Ricky Li present a streetwear curation from the 80s-90s. The same duo is also behind vintage space Apt.4B, which offers a selection of T-shirts, Olympic sweatshirts, and varsity jackets.
777 South Alameda Street, Arts District
Everyone in the film world (and lovers of rare, high-end luxury vintage) know about Golyester. The boutique, curated by Esther Ginsberg with Kelly Rauch, brings together an extensive collection, spanning silk printed cocktail dresses, sequined 80s jackets, embroidered vests, 1950s nightgowns, French capes, and more. Golyester is also a regular host to fashion masterclasses, such as The Art of Dressing with guest Tziporah Salamon.
450 South La Brea Avenue, Hancock Park
Susan Lee, long involved in mainstream fashion with brands like Abercrombie & Fitch and Urban Outfitters, has transformed her passion and knowledge of denim into her own specialty store, Wilder. Here, denim lovers will find a wide selection of jeans, jumpsuits, and Levi’s jackets alongside many upcycled or naturally dyed pieces. Susan, also a fixture at markets like The Rose Bowl, also curates a selection of T-shirts, Western boots, hats, a stand of homemade soaps, and the collection of cosmetic products from Flamingo Estate.
2151 West Sunset Boulevard, Echo Park
Closed Mondays
A vintage institution since 1984, American Rag’s 17,000 square foot La Brea space brings together vintage; emerging new brands like House of Sunny and Drôle de Monsieur; local LA labels, golf apparel, shoes, accessories, furnishings, and housewares. Recently reorganized, the boutique now features all its vintage by category, including military fashion, Hawaiian shirts, tank tops, basketball jerseys, leather jackets, and denim for men, women, and children. A favorite for stylists and celebrities, its affordable prices are worth coming back for time and again.
150 South La Brea Avenue, La Brea
Showcasing evening gowns in its front windows, step into Decades’ picturesque 1930s building to discover the collection of Cameron Silver, supplier of dresses and suits to the red carpet for over 30 years. Silver has dressed the likes of Julia Roberts, Lauren Bacall, Nicole Kidman, and Vanessa Paradis for The Oscars and the Met Gala, and is a longtime collector of vintage and contemporary pieces. With over a thousand pieces in his collection (and almost as many pairs of shoes), the two-story space includes haute couture dresses by Burberry, Thierry Mugler, Chanel, Jacquemus, and Jean Paul Gaultier as well as jewelry created by Alex and Lee in the 1970s. The men’s selection is equally brilliant, featuring Alexander McQueen, Paco Rabanne, Rick Owens, and John Galliano among others.
8214 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood
Closed Sundays
In Highland Park, recently-expanded Soft Humans boutique brings together Dominique Derouen’s rare finds from the 80s-90s, ranging from ESPRIT to the Plantation label created by Issey Miyake in 1981, via Vivienne Westwood, Yohji Yamamoto, and Comme des Garçons. On the racks, collectable band T-shirts feature merch from Deee-Lite, Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones, and Nirvana, while the shelves spotlight vinyl, tapes, and vintage crockery. Every first and third Saturday of the month, Soft Humans also organizes its Vintage & Craft Market in the parking lot next door, welcomes a dozen or so vendors for the occasion.
112 North Avenue 58, Highland Park
Closed Mondays
In Echo Park, follow the “Vintage Underground” sign down a few steps to discover artist and painter Matt Momchilov’s vintage selection. With a tight, cutting-edge selection of men’s and women’s clothing from the 1970s-2000s, Sleeper has a predilection for Japanese brands like Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, and Comme des Garçons, as well as curating offerings of vintage Jean Paul Gaultier, Marni, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton.
2002 Sunset Boulevard, Echo Park
