The Vintage Style Maven

If you've been to New York before, you know the shopping's great. Although Fifth and Madison Avenues may draw the biggest spenders and the swankiest names in fashion, it's the vintage boutiques that are coveted by natives and visitors alike. Everyone... more
If you've been to New York before, you know the shopping's great. Although Fifth and Madison Avenues may draw the biggest spenders and the swankiest names in fashion, it's the vintage boutiques that are coveted by natives and visitors alike. Everyone from hipster darlings like Kirsten Dunst, to high fashion mavens like Chloe Sevigny swear by the vintage wares found in Manhattan and across the bridge in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. These are the kind of stores that are found when you stumble across them as you're wandering around the streets, treasure troves of one-of-a-kind wares. To help you get started we've rounded up a list of the best to date, both vintage and consignment —because those brown fringed boots from 2 seasons ago will always come back around.… <a href="http://www.nyc.com/shop/screaming_mimis.1373899/>Screaming Mimi’s at 240 West 14th: Cyndi Lauper used to work here and costume designers find their stars outfits at this classic vintage stop. Incredible jewelry selection and fantastic, iconic T-shirts. Beacon’s Closet at 88 North 11th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn: This is a personal staff favorite, and possibly the most wonderfully overwhelming shopping exper... more

If you've been to New York before, you know the shopping's great. Although Fifth and Madison Avenues may draw the biggest spenders and the swankiest names in fashion, it's the vintage boutiques that are coveted by natives and visitors alike.

Everyone from hipster darlings like Kirsten Dunst, to high fashion mavens like Chloe Sevigny swear by the vintage wares found in Manhattan and across the bridge in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. These are the kind of stores that are found when you stumble across them as you're wandering around the streets, treasure troves of one-of-a-kind wares.

To help you get started we've rounded up a list of the best to date, both vintage and consignment —because those brown fringed boots from 2 seasons ago will always come back around.…

<a href="http://www.nyc.com/shop/screaming_mimis.1373899/>Screaming Mimi’s at 240 West 14th: Cyndi Lauper used to work here and costume designers find their stars outfits at this classic vintage stop. Incredible jewelry selection and fantastic, iconic T-shirts.

Beacon’s Closet at 88 North 11th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn: This is a personal staff favorite, and possibly the most wonderfully overwhelming shopping experience in NY. Located just 1 stop into Brooklyn off the L subway train, you can literally find anything here. Vintage and consignment, designer and untagged—you will never leave here empty handed.

Buffalo Exchange at 504 Driggs Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn: Great vintage jeans selection, and the store is organized by style and size. Although you may have to search a bit for some hidden gems, it's pretty cheap and they have fantastic accessories and tees.

Ellen at 123 Ludlow Street: Features designer vintage and some designer-esque vintage, with tags from the owner that say things such as "Looks like Gucci to me."

Eleven at 180 First Ave: Insanely cute collection of shoes and boots in every shape and size, and mostly under $125. The vintage leather jackets are also very well stocked and the jewelry (vintage and new) is to die for. World's comfiest and cutest sneakers also sold here in 6 colors for $18.

Amarcord at 84 East 7th Street: Shop here and you'll find yourself collecting wearable art you couldn't find anywhere else. Your wallet will be noticeably lighter but your closet will thank you forever.

Resurrection at 217 Mott Street: Undoubtedly the most expensive on the list, but also one of the most exceptional. This one stop designer shop is very selective and features items only from the best past collections of fashion's superstars, like YSL, Chanel, and Lanvin. If you're craving something for a special occasion, look no further.

A Second Chance at 1109 Lexington Ave # 2: Shop here for the best designer bags at pocket-friendly prices: huge selections from Louis Vuitton, Chloe, Prada, Chanel, Sonia Rykiel, Mulberry, and more. Also features loads of jeans, sweaters, and shoes, all on consignment. You can also bring last season's stuff in and the staff will sell it for you for a good price!

INA at 15 Bleecker Street,101 Thompson Street and 21 Prince Street: A bona-fide NYC legend, Ina is where all the ladies who work in the fashion industry head to deck themselves out head to toe in the best designer clothing at consignment prices as well as to sell their "gently used" high fashion duds. You can find almost anything here for a good rate, although don't be surprised if the prices are high—some of their stuff won't be found anywhere else.

Tokio at 64 East 7th Street: Cheap and chic—well, kind of. This is an East Village treasure chest that has everything from Gucci glasses and loafers to Sass and Bide dresses to Lanvin Opera gloves. High end and low end meet in this well organized downtown shop.

Rags a GoGo at 218 West 14th Street: Specializes in menswear, which means, lots of great blazers, lots of great waistcoats, and lots of great ways to dress up your boyfriend, brother, or father.


Drag the street view to look around 360°.
Use the arrow buttons to navigate down the street and around the neighborhood!

East Village Description

The Vintage Style Maven is located in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan. Long before the musical "Rent" brought in legions of pierced, tattooed teenagers from every corner of America (and drove up the rents), the East Village was an eclectic mix of elderly Ukranians and Poles, Dominican and Puerto Rican families, and assorted artists, wanna-be bohemians, punks, their followers, lovers and friends. (Did we leave anyone out?) Largely gone are the heroin dealers, all night parties, punk music extravaganzas and infamous Bagel Tree of the 1980s and early 1990s, but the real landmarks remain, including the Joseph Papp Public Theater, Tompkins Square Park, and Cooper Union. The Public offers some of New York’s finest Off-Broadway Theater as well as Joe’s Pub, with a diverse variety of live shows. Beautiful Tompkins Square Park offers something for everyone, including dog runs, basketball courts, a weekly market, outdoor music events, and occasionally local characters chatting late into the night to infrequent riots. To be fair, few other parks in America have played such an important role in radical or anarchist history. Many long-time residents complain of the neighborhood’s recent gentrification, and skyrocketing rents forced even legendary punk club CBGB's to exit the neighborhood, replaced by a John Varvatos boutique. And while there are truly many new restaurants and boutiques dotting Avenues A, B and C, lots of the famous watering holes, dives, and other unclassifiably scrappy bars remain. Some of our favorites include Mars on lower First Avenue, Zum Schneider on Avenue C, 2A on the corner of Second Street and Avenue A, and Lit Lounge, with its adjoining Fuse Gallery. Make sure to check out the Polish butcher stores on First Avenue and the nearby Italian pastry shops, walk along the Ukranian strip of Second Avenue, try one of the Japanese restaurants on East Ninth Street, and also walk along St. Marks Place, one of New York’s most eclectic streets. East 4th Street's Theater Row boasts cultural buildings which house eight theaters and twelve dance companies as well as a couple of community development groups. Among its members are New York Theater Workshop, La MaMa Experimental Theatre, Rod Rodgers Dance Co., WOW Cafe Theatre, Millennium Film Workshop, Duo Multicultural Arts Center, Teatro Circulo, Downtown Art, Alpha Omega Dance Co., Choices Theater, Teatro IATI, Cooper Square Committee and Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association. The Nuyorican Poets Café is still going strong on East Third Street between Avenues B and C. Since 1973 its mission has been to create a multi-cultural venue that provides a stage for artists traditionally underrepresented in the mainstream media and culture. Poetry slams, theater performances, open jam sessions for hip-hop, poetry and jazz, as well as unique screenplay readings all take place on a weekly basis in this intimate cultural setting. For film buffs, we would be remiss not to mention the Anthology Film Archives on East 2nd Street, a local theater best known for consistently showing the finest in avant-garde and experimental cinema. We also recommend the Landmark Sunshine Cinema on East Houston Street, home away from home for those who enjoy great acoustics and the company of die hard independent film fans. The East Village is also home to the trendy Cooper Square Hotel as well as the charming Gem Hotel, making it a great neighborhood to enjoy your stay in New York.

Editorial Rating