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Exploration of Vintage Fashion In and Around San Francisco

Megumi Hiramoto
Oct 20, 2016
2 min read

In my search for some interesting fashion articles for one of my classes, one caught my eye, Vintage clothes priced by weight attract young shoppers from BBC.com. In the UK, pop-up venues of vintage clothes appear often at universities. The interesting thing is, as you can see in the headline, that these clothes are priced by weight, not by the number of items. The clothing wholesaler John Hickling and Judy Berger, who are mentioned in this article, charge 15 euros /kg.

I usually do not wear vintage/secondhand clothes, but since I live in San Francisco, this article made me think I want to explore vintage shops here.

Fall Vintage Fashion Fair 10/14-15,2016

@2701 Monarch St

I went to a vintage fashion fair in Oakland with my friend, Lee (who is actually one of the 6 + done. writers) on October 15. There were more than 50 booths including couture, jewelry, and accessories. They have both women’s and men’s items.

When we entered there were men (staff) wearing shirts and vents. They had interesting ties (photo in the middle) and cuff bottoms. I could find many men’s Hawaiian shirts in this fair, but each was different and very unique.

There were more women’s items than men’s. The good thing about this fair was that I could found a variety of items from rock T-shirts to a Chanel coat. It depends on the person, but personally I do not want to call very damaged/bad conditioned items “vintage." I feel like “Vintage” can be recognized as a brand. The conditions of the items there were very good. I really felt I was surrounded by vintage clothes.

The vintage fashion fair was an event that has already passed, but there are exciting vintage stores in San Francisco and Oakland. Here are two very different stores found here the in Mission district.

Mission Thrift

@2330 Mission St

If you stumble upon a green store with a pink sign, its Mission Thrift. They have a lot of second hand clothes in the store. These are very reasonably priced. You can find some shorts under $20. The items they have are for teens or younger shoppers who like unique and casual styles. I feel it is difficult for me to style my outfit with clothes from this store because many of the clothes look interesting, but finding your favorite in tons of unique items must be a fun way to spend Saturday afternoon.

RETRO FIT

@910 Valencia St

Unlike Mission Thrift, Retro Fit is not very easy to find. Once I entered the store, my excitement level reached the max! The store is not that big, but very clean and organized. What they have are very good quality, stylish, and well selected clothing. I found beautiful costumes, wigs, nice ties, and accessories too. The staff member I spoke to was a very friendly and talkative guy. It does, however, cost you a little more than Mission Thrift does. If you are not familiar with vintage/secondhand clothes much (like me), this is a good place to start looking. I am sure Retro Fit will never disappoint you.