designer — the hunt

Nice is a great city for vintage shopping. It's one of those cities, like Miami, where retired people flock to, and then decide to get rid of their old clothes. I had extremely limited time in Nice, due to a delayed train, so I focused in on Caprice Vintage which seemed like the best. Caprice's selection ranges from the 1930s to the 1990s, but they have the most from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Expect to find good quality vintage, designer, as well as unlabeled, for inexpensive prices.

Caprice Vintage is located in the old part of town, and is pretty close to the beach, as well as a few other vintage shops.

The windows focus on accessories and jewelry, but there are many clothes downstairs.

When you enter the shop, you will find a staircase leading down, with many dresses hung from the wall above. These are some of the fancier styles in the shop, and still retail for under 400 euro. I loved the tiered floral print yellow dress.

Downstairs, you will find a tableau of 50s and 60s dresses, directly when you get to the base of the stairs.

The shop is divided into dresses and coats on the left, tops and separates on the right, with some gowns and jackets in the middle. Shoes are above the shelves. One of my favorite things I saw here was the peach layered ruffle gown.

I tried on, probably over 20 pieces here. Here are a few of my favorites.

I loved how Caprice had so many gorgeous white lace and embroidered pieces from the 60s. Also loved the green Thierry Mugler strappy dress with the white plastic buckle. Sadly, not my size!

And here is their information, so you can visit too!

Hippy Market is also located in the old section of Nice, just a few minute walk from Caprice. If Caprice is dedicated mostly to the 50s and 60s, Hippy Market is focused more on the 1970s and 1990s. They carry both men's and women's clothing here. While it is well priced, the quality is not as nice as Caprice.

Hippy Market is pretty well organized. They are sorted by whether it's men's or women's and by category. In other words, all the Hawaiian shirts are kept together. It is a more casual and younger selection than at Caprice.

I stumbled upon Eden Look Lunettes. It is also located in the old section of Nice. I was drawn in by some glasses in the front, which unfortunately turned out to be for children. It may look like your average vacation spot sunglasses shop, but it's actually much better!

Eden Look had a great range of cheap glasses, new as well as vintage. All of the selection was under 200 euros, most of it being under the 50 euro range. The children's glasses I wanted were just 10 euro, but unfortunately the arms were a little too short. Eden Look does not have a business card, but you can contact Mr. Tramelli, the very nice owner, for hours.

Mademoiselle was the fanciest vintage shop I visited all day. It is a true mix of vintage with designer consignment. It is located on the other side of town, on Rue de France, just past all the tacky tourist shops. It is no more than a 25 minute walk from Caprice.

You can get a good read from the windows of Mademoiselle. They mix Chanel, with Louis Vuitton, and they have a ton of costume jewelry, as well as designer sunglasses.

When you enter Mademoiselle, the clothing is on the left, the jewelry is in the middle, and shoes and handbags are on the right. Vintage is mixed in with modern designer. I didn't see anything older than from the 1960s, and quality here is perfect. Prices reflect this.

I really badly wanted these earrings, but at 190 euros, they were a little too much.

And, if you'd like to visit, here is their info!

My last stop isn't vintage, and I found it accidentally. Optique Deppon had a really great selection of inexpensive sunglasses. They were modern, quirky, and expensive looking, and a very wide selection. Most of them priced out at around 40 or 50 euros. They carried designer too, though I didn't focus in this section.

And, here is how to get in touch.

Surprise, surprise, everything I bought, I bought at Caprice. I couldn't resist their selection of white eyelet cotton tops. The Black lace top I bought reminded me of Brigitte Bardot, and the earrings- well, I had to have them!

Would I go vintage shopping in Nice again? 1000% yes. In fact I would give myself a couple more days so I could spend a little more time at each.