Best Vintage Shopping

Chic for cheap

Second hand shopping puts the adventure back into shopping. Discovering that one special item you never knew you needed but can’t live without makes it a real treasure hunt.

The great thing about vintage is that it has a history, a character, an aura. Who did it belong to? You can only imagine who wore that dress, those shoes, that handbag before you found it. It adds an air of mystery, a personal touch from the past.

There is a whole range of second hand shops in Amsterdam, from thrift stores to cosy vintage boutiques.

The dons of Amsterdam vintage

The best-known vintage shops, each with a broad selection of second hand clothing, are all located in the 9 Streets district.

These are Lady Day, Episode, Zipper, Laura Dols. In vintage clothing there are trends too, just like in regular fashion. These shops have hand-picked clothes within these trends. Most carry 50s to 80s women’s and men’s fashion, and Lady Day has a good collection of men’s suits as well.

Laura Dols has a collection of women’s clothes from different decades. Dresses, camisoles, shoes, handbags and lovely vintage lingerie. Downstairs there are party dresses ranging from the 20s to the 90s, and a collection of wedding dresses.

If you have a party to dress up for, this may just be the place for you!

Market missions

At Waterlooplein there’s a permanent market, open from Monday to Saturday. Several stall have second hand clothing: there’s army wear, dresses and tons of shoes. At the Noordermarkt  there are stalls with vintage clothes every Monday morning. It’s a real treat to walk around here, rumble through the piles of clothes and try on the crazy boots and party dresses.

The first weekend of every month there’s a huge fleamarket in the north of Amsterdam (the ferry behind central station will take you there) at the NDSM Docklands. Count on a good few hours to check out all the stalls.

Treasure troves

There are many, but here are three of my favourite vintage haunts;

1) Joosje (Spuistraat 62) sells second hand and new clothes. Her goal, she says, is to dress women more feminine in this era of unisex dressing. Downstairs there’s a collection of  dresses, coats, shoes and bags. She also sells a lot of vintage jewellery (new but never worn) from the 50s to the 90s. Some of it comes from the U.S., like the exquisite cameo pendants in the original box. A lovely shop to browse around with excellent service from the owner.

2) Though she specialises in vintage dresses, Wini (Haarlemmerstraat 29) has a mix of everything.
The shop sells men’s clothing as well, some of it new with a retro feel, like 50s-style polo shirts or flared jeans. There’s a collection of vintage fabrics you can buy per meter, and vintage women’s under garments. They have retro kids jackets, jewellery and, if you need 60s ski trousers or a perfect petticoat, this is your shop.

3) Don’t let yourself be fooled by the small size of this shop: 1953 Retro en chic (Staalstraat 2) is brimming with must-haves. Once inside you’ll find yourself in a boudoir from a bygone era. This shop has many rare items, spanning the period from 1800 to 1980. Dresses, hats, powder boxes, bags, elegant antiquities and some men’s clothing downstairs.

There are also lots of shoes here, mostly from the 20s, 30s and 40s. Lovely dresses and camisoles (some handmade), like a laced baby blue silk ankle-long camisole from the 30s.

Prices range from fairly cheap to more expensive, given that the owner gets some of these rare garments from London and Paris. Don’t miss this shop. It’s a real pearl.