Spring fever is here 🌡️☀️ Prep early for those not too hot and not too cold days by finding something you love ON SALE. SHOP THE SALE
Scoring a vintage designer piece must feel like uncovering buried treasure—there’s something so satisfying in finding a precious archive of fashion history. They don’t make them like they used to. We’re all familiar with the trope (usually said by the older and wiser, and perhaps not fully appreciated by less experienced enthusiasts). Yet, it’s an important message, one that honors the craftsmanship and creativity of fashion from another time. As a lover of all things vintage myself, I wonder what it would be like to witness the luxury industry’s evolution, from its roots in artisanal perfection to its current obsession with image and public relations.
I often think of the utterly chic ladies-who-lunch I waited on when I worked on the sales floor at Neiman Marcus—they’d proudly proclaim that their Chanel flap bag was from the late ’80s or that their Manolos had a good fifteen years to them. Their passionate broadcast was quickly followed by a “they don’t make them like they used to.” It’s all in the details. Canvas lining, for example, has become more commonplace, even in luxury leather handbags. In fact, it’s often an impeccable interior that makes a garment feel luxurious—French seams, grosgrain ribbon, invisible hems, etc. It’s the increasing absence of these details that cements a common shift for luxury labels—that what matters is solely on the outside. Vintage designer pieces offer a rare sartorial experience, one of high quality and one that tells an important story in the history of fashion.
In true Best of Vintage fashion, we’ve rounded up the crème de la crème of our selection just for you. Discover archive-worthy designer pieces from celebrated names like Issey Miyake, Alaïa, and Prada.
