DORÉ

You know those beautiful midi dresses that your mom is wearing in every photo from your childhood? Or the sweatshirt that your dad wore reading the paper every Sunday? Those nostalgic pieces probably disappeared in one move or another, and while a trip to multiple goodwill shops would probably replace them, it takes some serious willpower to sort through rack after rack of dusty items. Vintage shops all over the world have begun to make these searches as easy as a daily scroll with your morning coffee. There are endless Instagram accounts run by entrepreneurs who are passionate about vintage, and you can buy most of their product with a simple DM. The best part? You can dramatically decrease your carbon footprint by shopping vintage, since fast-fashion is the number 1 polluting industry after nuclear, as brought to my attention by Imparfaite Paris, one of the best online shops for vintage. We’ve rifled through some of our favorites to bring you eight accounts that each feature their own distinct brand of retro. Turn those notifications on for these Instagram accounts and save your pennies— you never know when your dream checkered pants are going to be posted.

Goodshop Badshop sells exactly the perfect Gap or Hanes 90’s basics that you should be able to find everywhere, and yet . . . don’t. This past winter I suddenly decided that I NEEDED an oversized, waffle-weave sweatshirt for all my cozy needs and successfully found one after missing countless notifications from Goodshop Badshop. The account’s pieces sell really quickly, so if you like something, you have to send that DM immediately. Lately, the insta-shop has been selling denim shirts and linen shorts straight out of a 1991 Ralph Lauren catalog, and they make me want to take a trip to the Cape or go horseback riding.

Ivia Retrò describes itself as “Vintage for the Modern Bella,” and I would not be surprised to see Marzia from Call Me by Your Name in any of these pieces. The shop’s style strays towards the feminine and one can often find retro bikinis or floral maxi skirts amidst the staples of vintage shopping: old blue jeans and a tied-up men’s shirt.

Musita Paris sources their vintage from all over France and ships from Paris mostly, so shipping costs will be a bit more expensive (a cost the customer usually pays), but the price is worth it for their stunning 70’s blouses à la Jane Birkin and Brigitte Bardot.

I found Straw London simply by searching instagram through the #vintagebags hashtag, which is probably the first time I’ve ever searched through hashtags, showing you how functional insta-shops are. This shop’s collection of vintage straw bags are shockingly beautiful, and definitely necessary for summer travels.

Trying to master French Girl Chic? Imparfaite is pretty much your recipe for success. Vogue claims that all the coolest French influencers shop here, and we can see why. While it is not an insta-shop per-say since you have to visit a website to make a purchase, it is still worth a follow for old photos of French style icons and updates on when they release their next online selection of vintage. New collections appear every month (hint: one today!), and although some pieces sell out quickly, you can always find a beautiful piece because each collection is so well curated.

Finding vintage pieces on Instagram can be doubly exciting because you can find one-of-a-kind pieces in cities you may not frequently visit, like Des Moines, Iowa. Preservation is another shop whose website you must visit to actually purchase the piece, but their unique, restructured military and denim pieces are worth the extra effort of a virtual visit.

Awoke Vintage is a Brooklyn shop that doesn’t try to be snobby by only choosing clothing from before a certain era or in a specific style– and that’s why I love them. They sell what they think is cute and what they know will sell, and they always get it right. Just check out their jewelry collection, which I discovered the beauty of when a blazer I bought took a while to receive and to apologize they sent me my new favorite pair of earrings.

Finally, one of my favorite in-store vintage locations, The Break, uses Instagram stories to sell some of their incredibly low-priced pieces. It is a good teaser to the merchandise they have in store, but unfortunately it is no match to the experience of viewing their sizable collection of fairly-priced vintage denim with a complimentary glass of rosé in hand. Brooklynites: you’re lucky.

Not down for a ton of new follows, but still want to dip your toes in the vintage world? The Vintage Edit does the work for you by highlighting the best in the Instagram vintage world at the current moment, but it also introduced me to many of my favorite accounts, so check it out if the previous seven weren’t enough. Happy scrolling!