Los Angeles Vintage- Part 1 (The Way We Wore, Recess, The Rose Bowl Flea Market)

This post is long overdue. I have been to LA a few times in the past couple of years and thoroughly enjoyed the vintage shopping. It is a pretty spread out city, but Ubers are cheap and easy. You can find a lot of diversity in the types of clothing available, whether you are looking for a glamorous gown or a more boho look. There are a million great stores… so keep your eyes peeled for details on those at a later date.

Any visit to LA should begin with a trip to The Way We Wore. The Way We Wore is located in the La Brea area, on South La Brea Avenue. There aren’t many other shops extremely close, so you really can’t miss this one. It always has very creative window displays, and bold black and white stripes painted on the exterior walls.

The Way We wore is separated into two sections. On the ground floor, you have high quality clothing, at medium prices. It is organized by decade, by category, and by color. Prices start at maybe, 100 USD on the low end for a polyester print top from the sixties and could go up to around 500 USD for a beaded gown or cocktail dress. I would say most of this floor is in the 200 USD-300 USD range. While accessories are available, the true focus is clothing. There is a lot of color and pattern, and everything is good quality and in great condition.

The second floor is made up entirely of designer vintage, bridal, and garments from the 1900s-1920s in impeccable condition. Here, don’t expect to walk out with anything under 600 USD, which in my opinion is still a good deal considering the rareness, quality, and unique beauty of what they have. The way this store is organized and merchandized is on par with any designer shop, so don’t expect to dig!

Your next stop should be Recess Vintage. It is walkable from The Way We Wore, and you could even consider stopping at Pink’s Hotdogs on the way. I highly recommend their Patt Morrison Baja Vegan Dog, as well as the Holee Molee Fries if you are feeling really hungry.

Recess Vintage is located on North La Brea Avenue. It is a single floor, and very well organized, primarily by color. The quality and the pricing is very similar to The Way We Wore’s first floor, though you will find some more expensive items mixed in (ie. recent seasons of Gucci).

And there are are comfy velvet chairs for those who need a quick break from the shopping!

They have a beautiful and spacious store front. Mostly, the clothing is 1960-present, with a few exceptions. The selection veers towards the dressier, more colorful, and more funky side. Everything is in great condition and seems almost unworn. Overall, it is a very curated collection and feels like shopping in any great boutique.

I really loved this 1960s pastel striped gown.

There were so many things I loved at Recess! Mostly, I loved that everything they had was at least just a little quirky. How fun is this wild Prada sailor print?! The purple metallic chiffon dress is actually a jumpsuit!

If you’re visiting LA, I would try to align your trip with the second Sunday of the month. Then you can go to the famous Rose Bowl Flea Market! It is located in the Rose Bowl Stadium, a little ways outside of the city, in Pasadena. I took an Uber there, and it was less than a 20 dollar ride. You can enter as early as 5am, for 20 USD. 7 am to 8 am costs 15 USD, and 8 am to 9 am costs 12 USD. Afterwards, you pay 9 USD to enter. As with any flea market, I would recommend getting there earlyish for the best selection.

This is the Rose Bowl Stadium from the outside!

At Rosebowl, expect to dig. It is an enormous space, and you will need hours if you plan on seeing, even a third of it. All of the vintage/antiques are located outside. Inside, you have more new items and crafty things. I didn’t venture inside at all. We got there around 8:30 and stayed till after noon. We only saw a small portion.

You can find vintage in the white area and antiques in the orange area. If you’re like me, you won’t leave these two!

As with any great shopping adventure, you should start with a delicious snack! We got veggie breakfast burritos. They were not in the food court area, but with the antiques, not far from the entrance.

I suggest loading up with all the toppings!

You can find almost anything at Rose Bowl, from mid century furniture, to racks of sporting event tee shirts, to ethnic clothing, both modern and vintage. Mostly, the prices aren’t too high, unless you’re looking for a souvenir jacket. Expect to pay at least 500 USD for one of those. If you have ever been vintage shopping in Tokyo, you will understand where all of the American clothing comes from. There are tons of Japanese vintage shoppers here, wielding large rolly suitcases.

Clothes lean to the more casual and more bohemian side at Rose Bowl.

One of my favorite parts of this flea market is all of the vendors with gorgeous African textiles and blankets. The indigo ones were what I gravitated towards most, but there were also a lot really nice more colorful and geometric printed ones.

For me, the clothing was overall not high enough quality, and a lot to dig through. I may have found more if I wasn't already spoiled by the organization of Recess and The Way We Wore. For this reason, I preferred the home items.

I still ended up with a very cute chambray embroidered dress from the seventies!

Until next time!