Where can I buy vintage clothing?

Where can I buy good vintage clothing? Thanks.

That depends on what period you are looking for. I've found 3 fantastic shops in Hilcrest.

Play it again sam has a nice collection of formal 1920-1950s wear. About half are actual vintage and the rest are replicas. The staff is fantastic, they are very friendly and helpful (although some are more knowledgeable than others).

There is another a few doors down which has mostly 1960s clothing with some nice formal and casual wear. (The workers I've met at this one really don't know anything about historic fashion but they have a very wide selection). Not to mention the Buffalo Trader accross the street.


But I prefer to buy my vintage clothing online due to my inability to parallel park. :-) I'm an avid ebayer and most of my clothes come from there.

Jeez. I didn't mean for this to be so long-winded! Sorry! -- K.

My favorite places: (All in Hillcrest/ North Park)
FlashBack (best deals, good for 50's and 60's, in my experience)
Frock You! (Best stuff, hands down, can be pricey. Mostly 40's - 50's, some 30's)

Wear it Again Sam (Also excellent clothing and can be pricey. These guys have sometimes even had shawls and reproduction underthings circa 1890's. Everything else is mostly pre-1960's)

Buffalo Breath (affordable, but hit or miss with selection. Sometimes you can find something.)
I've also found some good things at an antique store called What Mama Had. This guy is really picky about what he carries, so he can be expensive, but I found an ACTUAL 1920's garden party dress there once. Wearable, even! Pretty rare since not much clothing from the 20's and 30's survives because of the delicate fabrics they used.

Otherwise, if you have time to DIG, wear some non-bulky clothes and hit the thrift stores, particularly ones in more affluent parts of town. You can pull on the cocktail dresses over what you're wearing to check sizing, and THAT's where you find the REALLY great deals. Just don't assume items have already been dry cleaned. Send it in yourself before you wear it. Sometimes thrift store items can be musty, smell of camphor or (as happened to me once) even give you a rash. Not pleasant.

In lieu of vintage, Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack often have new cocktail dresses on the sale racks with a vintage flair. Pair one with vintage shoes, bag, makeup or jewelry and the look is totally retro. That's what I'm doing tomorrow night. My dress is new, but I'll probably be wearing a vintage wrap, jewelry and retro makeup/hair to for a 50's look.