Shopping: Amsterdam

In the midst of my (unfortuantely too short) time in Amsterdam I of course kept my eyes peeled for great places to expand my wardrobe. I only actually brought home a pair of 1980's orange enamel earrings (above) from Rumors Vintage - which I love! - but nonetheless I took note so I could share with all of you. The following are what I considered to be great spots, if only I had time to find more! Get shopping :)

Karin 38 S
Kloveniersburgwal 38-Sous
1012 CW Amsterdam

Cute hole in the wall (or, ground) vintage store near the Nieuwmarkt square run by the sweetest woman ever. She made us feel like we were stepping into her closet and was so welcoming and helpful. Unfortunately I didn't have much time to poke around in here, but the place was lined floor to ceiling, literally clothing hanging from the ceiling, with so many pieces. There was also a couple huge tables in the front filled with accessories like gloves, scarves, bags, etc.

By Tess
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 349
1012 RM Amsterdam

A sassy store that was just being put on it's feet when I poked my head in. The owner is a young girl (presumably Tess) who buys all of the store's stock herself. I loved it here because it really reflected Amsterdam's energy... she combines the city's omnipresent street art with feminine colors then puts a punk but not too punk twist on it. Lots of skulls, zippers, leopard print, printed T's and lots of PINK! She's open every day and I'm sure would love to build her clientelle so check it out!

Laura Dols
Wolvenstraat  7
1016 EM Amsterdam

I unfortunately didn't get to go inside this one as we walked past it at night, but I've been finding a lot of hits for it online so I'm assuming it's a safe bet. As I was drooling in the window, however, I saw lots of sequins, furs, cute jackets, pill-box hats, and lots of purses. It's also conveniently located quite close to the red light district so it's central, therefore easy to walk past and drag your friends into. Someone let me know how it is!

Perk: here's their website...  http://www.lauradols.nl/nl/vintage/galajurken/

Rumors Vintage
Haarlemmerstraat 99A
1013 EM Amsterdam

The lovely store where I bought my earrings (6 euro, there were tons more for the same price) and would have bought so many more things if I could! Shoes galore, amazing leather bags for only 15 euro, and tons of affordable vintage clothing. The girl at the counter told me that most of their stuff comes from cold stock from the 70's onward, so most of it has never been worn and is absolutely authentic vintage. The owners have great taste and apparently have other stores too (Marbles and Joosje), Rumors is actually their second shop and is fairly new for them. Highly recommended, I wish this place was local for me!

The End
Amsterdam City Centre

Unfortunately I messed up with this one and forgot to get a business card and of course can't find it online, but this shop was so great and so cheap! It's in the city centre so perhaps you may stumble upon it during your travels, and I hope you do because it's a find. All of those leather jackets hanging up outside the window were priced around 15 euro, and there was loads more stuff inside for under 10 euro. If anyone finds this, let me know so I can post the address and share the know.









Last but not least, there are TONS of markets in Amsterdam. In two days we stumbled upon 3 markets, all of which were completely different but fantastic. I didn't have the smarts to take note of where the ones were that I visited, but just walk around and you're sure to find a bunch. The ones we found had lots of great Dutch food, jewelry, leather goods, old records and photographs, imported goods, and so much more. Below are some pictures I took, to convince you to stop and take a look if you see any!

 Gelukkig winkelen!

NYC thrifting

Today is Sunday, which marks a week and a half until the show opens that I'm costuming (Sam Shepard's Geography of a Horse Dreamer... crazy little piece). So yesterday I was hopping from flea market to thrift store, shopping like crazy for it and in the middle of my route around the city I realized how awesome all of these little places are that are nestled in the Big Apple. And then! I really realized that this is exactly why I started my blog! To let people know about stuff like this, and to kind of organize my progress through my life and career. So I organized a list of a few great places I've been to so far... enjoy!

The Garage
112 W 25th St. (between 6th & 7th aves) - only weekends 7am-5pm
This place is a huge, two story, indoor flea market with vendors ranging from vintage clothing and shoes to jewelry, to decorations, to random chotchkies that you never knew you wanted.

The Family Jewels
130 W 23rd St. (between 6th & 7th)
A very charming store in Chelsea that actually delivers authentic vintage clothing and jewlery in great condition. The prices are on the higher side, but you really get what you pay for. This is one of my favorites I think.

Rags A Gogo
218 W 14th St. (between 7th & 8th)
This is more of a second hand store that carries a lot of stock from the '70s, '80s, and '90s and is extremely well organized. The owner is a really nice, interesting woman who is very helpful so going here is always enjoyable. They literally have dozens and dozens of cowboy boots, Member's Only jackets (and others comparable to them), tshirts, flannels... lots of streetwear.

Starstruck Vintage
47 Greenwich Ave (between Perry & Charles St)
This is a tiny place in the West Village that is filled floor to ceiling with great finds. There is so much here to look through and so much of it is very unique, a good place to go if you love browing through vintage clothing.

City Opera Thrift Shop
222 E 23rd St. (between 2nd & 3rd aves)
You walk into this place and it's everything you want a thrift store to be and more. It's organized, the staff are friendly, and there are are so many beautiful pieces. As obvious in the title, it is owned by the New York City Opera and all proceeds go towards the costumes on their future productions.

Pippin Vintage Jewelry
112 W 17th (between 6th & 7th)
GORGEOUS! This store is a girl's dream!! There is such a great selection here and a lot of it is actually very affordable (Many earrings are about $15-22 even though they are 50 or 60 years old!). My favorite part about it is that almost every piece in the store is labeled with the year or decade that it was made in and where it is from, which is so helpful considering many people aren't familiar with vintage jewelry. Truly a gem, no pun intended.

Artists & Fleas 
129 N 6th St. Williamsburg, Brooklyn (between Bedford and Berry) - open weekends only 12pm - 8pm
Awesome flea market/ craft fair in Williamsburg that houses permanent vendors in all types of areas. One man makes jewelry out of old type writer keys and utensils, one woman creates a women's clothing line with her daughter out of deconstructed menswear and dye processes, and another table makes journals and notebooks out of old board games, to name a few. Just go, trust me.