JSLALALAND

CITY & ITS PEOPLE

The LA vintage map

In LA, on the same Sunday morning, you can score a piece for $1 or a Chanel for $1,000. LA vintage sorted into bargain digging, buy-sell-trade and designer vintage, plus a Sunday flea market calendar and two day routes, so there's a spot for any budget.

Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.

Key points

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  1. First, the three kinds of LA vintage stores

    Budget thrifting is cheap but takes time to dig; buy-sell-trade lets you sell or trade clothes and is better organized; designer vintage costs more and is in the best condition. Decide which kind you're doing today before you head out.

  2. Bargain digging | Jet Rag

    Budget vintage on La Brea. Every Sunday, everything in the parking lot is $1; get there before about 10, and around 10:45 they open the bags and everyone dives in, one of LA's liveliest Sunday mornings.

  3. Bargain digging | Squaresville

    Budget vintage in Los Feliz, cheap and fun, with tops often under $20. Afterward, grab a coffee nearby; Los Feliz is great for a slow stroll.

  4. Buy-sell-trade | Wasteland

    The original on Melrose, plus Silver Lake, Highland Park and Studio City locations. Well-curated vintage plus designer pieces, mid-range prices.

  5. Buy-sell-trade | Crossroads, Buffalo Exchange

    Crossroads has 9 locations in LA, with newer clothes and friendly prices; Buffalo Exchange is on Melrose and in Sherman Oaks and Pasadena. Staying in LA for a while? Bring clothes you don't wear to trade, and clear out your closet while you dig.

  6. Designer vintage | The RealReal

    Authenticated luxury consignment on Melrose, with a designer vintage section. If you want secondhand luxury but worry about fakes, start here.

  7. Designer vintage | High-end vintage on Melrose

    Scout goes avant-garde (Margiela, Comme des Garçons); What Goes Around Comes Around in Beverly Hills has Chanel, Hermès and vintage Levi's.

  8. Little shops in Echo Park

    Lemon Frog Shop is packed with women's vintage and treasure bins, Luxe De Ville has statement jackets and dresses, and Sleeper Vintage Underground specializes in antique silver jewelry. Vintage here has as much personality as the neighborhood.

  9. The Sunday flea market calendar

    1st and 4th Sundays: Santa Monica Airport Antique Market; 2nd Sunday: Rose Bowl ($15); 3rd Sunday: Long Beach ($10 cash); every Sunday: Melrose Trading Post ($6 cash).

  10. 8 tricks for picking vintage

    Feel the fabric first, check the underarms and collar for yellow stains, test the zippers and buttons, and hold it up to the light for holes. Lots of shops have no fitting rooms, so wear something fitted and try things on over it. If you love it, buy it; there's only one.

  11. Two day routes

    Melrose: Wasteland → Buffalo Exchange → The RealReal (on Sundays, hit Jet Rag first for the $1 rush). Eastside: Squaresville → little Echo Park shops → Wasteland Silver Lake.

  12. Bringing it back to Taiwan

    Before going back to Taiwan, wash or dry-clean everything, and pack leather goods and boots with desiccant (Taipei is humid). The duty-free allowance on arrival is NT$35,000 total for general goods.

  13. Two-city mirror

    In Taipei, vintage is an artsy little shop; in LA, vintage is a whole Sunday. 'Vintage isn't old clothes; it's a piece of clothing's second life.'

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An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).