The dream of the '90s vintage store
Is back. Plus Art Brut ceramics, chain-mail swag, and new fall pieces from independent designers
Welcome back to Concorde, Blackbird Spyplane’s “women’s vertical” that the fellas love as well. Every edition is archived here.
Here’s how to wear more color.
These sneakers are ugly genius.
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— Erin & Jonah
Erin back, kicking off today’s Concorde with a question I’ve had on the brain recently… When it comes to vintage, where are all the reasonably priced, well made, no-name bangers?
I’m talking about the kinds of pieces I scooped up on the regs from vintage shops in Philly and NYC throughout the ‘90s and ‘00s. These were the kinds of places where you could roll through at least once a month, if not weekly, and always find something good for well under $50… Something you didn’t know you were looking for, but once you found it, it entered heavy rotation for years … It wasn’t a $450 Björk tee. It wasn’t “archive Yohji.” Maybe it said something recognizable like “L.L. Bean” or “Banana Republic” on the tag, but more likely it said some delightfully unmemorable s--t you never saw before, and would never see again, like “Elegant Lifestyle” or “Sport Freedom by Mitchell.”
These were the kinds of clothes we relied on good vintage stores to source and surface for us. Because yes, there are techniques and search terms for finding stuff like this online today, but those will never equal a Shopkeep’s Gifted Eye, and they still require a lot of digging and luck on your part, as you scroll through 67 pages of results…
Do these kinds of vintage stores still exist? I was beginning to think that rising rents had combined with depleting supplies to send them into extinction. But then a brand new one opened up in our neighborhood last year, emerging as if out of a wormhole in time. Whenever I visit, the place is busy. Everything I’ve bought so far — including the European linen sleeping bloomers with Dorset buttons, sanforized-cotton fisherman smock, and regional radio-station tee printed with a panel from The Far Side, all collaged below — has cost me about $30, a fraction of what I’d expect to pay online.
And get this: The shop doesn’t sell anything online. We’ve written about the wave of small stores that are not just surviving but thriving while selling new clothes without e-comm, but when it comes to secondhand clothes, even Goodwill has a webshop these days.
For today’s ‘corde I tapped in with the owner to find out how he makes it work, and whether we might see more places take this based, throwback approach in the future.
Also today:
Sick new fall clothes are dropping at our favorite small stores. I’m earmarking rollneck sweaters, unisex waxed cotton jackets, wool tees, bombers, mules and new belts and bags, all from fantastic small lines
New Art Brut ceramics for your home
Accessories and décor with “Holy Grail Chainmail Swag”
A trove of surreal Swatch watches I’ve never seen before & more unbeatable recon!
Let’s get to it —