The spirit of vintage

Firstly, second-hand, then retro clothes and accessories and now “the trend of vintage” have taken the interest of fashion lovers. All right, what is vintage then? Where can we find and buy vintage clothes? We have wandered the most favorite vintage shops in Istanbul, and collected information about them one by one.

In these days during which ready made clothing sector goes through its golden age, it is possible to see the same of your dress on somebody else in your daily life or in an invitation. This indicates the fact that a way of clothing which is monotonous, mundane and has no specific character has pervaded our lives. Already, for this reason, most fashion lovers who want to create an original way of clothing and wear different designs have explored the spirit of vintage because of the popularity of retro trend. In fact, vintage is a retrospective journey, protecting its originality and spirit against the mundane of the ready made clothing; moreover it has a story…
 
Our grandmothers’ and mothers’ clothes which have been left to their fate in the chests are now very valuable… Bu if you say “No, I can not search in the chests or wardrobe”, you are welcome; we have wandered the most popular vintage and second-hand shops in Istanbul for you.

By Retro
By Retro which sets forth with the slogan “for those who want to dress but not to cover” is one of the biggest second hand and vintage shops in Istanbul… As Turkey distributor of the brands Delta and Mitex which are among the first ones that come to mind when second hand products are mentioned, the shop is in Suriye Arcade on İstiklal Street.

You can find everything you search for in the shop which occupies a wide area. Dresses, skirts, cardigans, trousers, any kind of shoes and boots, eyeglasses, antique materials are just some of the product groups. Although you feel as if you were going to get lost in the shop the size of which is about seven hundred square meter, you start to feel in good spirits again when you start to glance at the clothes.

You can come across some special pieces of the years 1930s and 1940s in By Retro in which you can often find the clothes and costumes of 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

The collection which has been collected from different places in the world, primarily from Spain, France and Germany is refreshed bimonthly. For this reason, many frequenters often visit the shop.

The prices show a kind of variety in the shop in which second hand and vintage products are displayed side by side. The prices of the vintage dresses can vary according to the period and the condition. Second hand dresses range from 10 to 150 YTL. While hat prices  start from 20 YTL, eyeglasses from 25 YTL, the prices of the shoes ranges from 15 to 90 YTL.
Address: İstiklal Caddesi, 166/C Suriye Pasajı Beyoğlu
Ph: +90 212 245 64 20

Şeymel
Yasemin Genç’s shop Şeymel in Galatasaray is in service for a year. Educated as a  furniture designer and having worked as a shop window designer for a short time, Yasemin Genç has turned her hobby into a businesses in time, which she started by collecting the old clothes of her family members.

Şeymel cheers you with its refreshing and airy atmosphere as soon as you enter into the shop.  There is no sign any rot smell in the shop and it is not like the other second hand shops most of which have a crammed, narrow atmosphere. The boutique-like shop provides you the opportunity to look over clothes and accessories in a relaxed way which is limited in number. You can find clothes and accessories of different periods starting from 1920s to the 1980s here. The favorite periods of Ms Genç are 40s, 50s and 70s… She is trying to collect clothes of these periods mostly, primarily from Europe. “Retro and vintage are quite different. Whereas vintage is a trend that means the uniqueness of a cloth and accessory, retro points at the fashion of a specific period” says Yasemin Genç. 

Apart from vintage dresses, accessories such as hats, eyeglasses, jewelry, gloves, shoes and bags are also available. Fur coats are fairly interesting, but all of them are imitation. “I am a bit stern about this matter; I do not sell genuine furs. I have fur imitations.” Ms Genç summarizes.

While, during winter, evening dresses and clothes suitable for the season are introduced into the sale, during summertime you can find casual wear and evening dresses. The most expensive of vintage evening dresses is 350 YTL, but here, you can find a dress for 10 YTL as well. The prices of eyeglasses start from 20-25 YTL, the prices of jewelry are between 20 and 45 YTL… The prices of the hats vary according to the period and design of the hat; however the most expensive of them costs 60 YTL. It is also possible to hire out hats, two-piece suits on special occasions… Yasemin Genç explains this as in the following: “This has been a trend for a long time in Europe, but it is very popular for the last 4-5 years. We have not made a distinction between second hand and vintage products yet. Because all the products you have come across are not vintage. There are some customers who ask why we want such a lot of money for an already worn cloth, and also there are some who say why we sell such valuable products at low prices.”

There are predominantly specially sewed clothes in Şeymel rather than brand clothes. But in order to meet the expectation of each customer, there are the clothes of the brands such as Christian Dior, Nina Ricci, Moschino and Chanel.

Address: Turnacıbaşı Sokak, Anabala Han, No: 13, Kat: 1, Daire: 101, Beyoğlu
Ph: +90 212 244 73 62

Pied de Poule
Pied de Poule, in which products of different periods starting from 1920s until today, has been offering sale in Çukurcuma. The shop, the news about which has been published in Wallpaper, New York Times and Financial Times belongs to Şelale Gültekin.

Şelale Gültekin started to do this business by collecting her grandmother’s clothes that belongs to 1940s, and then when the clothes that she had collected from the families of her Jewish friends filled out a house, she started Pied de Poule by leaving her work in Vakko. 

Situated in Faik Paşa Street which is one of the spots of character in Çukurcuma, Pied de Poule hosts a surprise in each corner. Elaborately packaged dresses are waiting on the hangings that hang from the ceiling of the shop. Besides the vintage dresses, the wide hat collection is also interesting… Şelale Gültekin started to collect these hats in 1970s, the number of which is more than 300. It is impossible to find most of these hats in anywhere else. Ranging from the ball hair bands belonging to English Victorian period to Charleston hair bands, you can come across a great number of accessories in the shop… The corsets, silky socks and undergarments from the Ottoman period reflect the glory of the life in seraglio. Also, there are shoes from different periods starting from 1930s to modern day.

“Vintage trend is going to extend thirty years in the least and will carry the tendencies of this period. But what a house wife wears is not regarded as vintage. A dress which has the typical features of the period that the high society wears at home or in outside is counted as vintage. All of them have to be sewed in hand and have to be made to measure” says Şelale Gültekin.

It is possible to find vintage dresses from 100 YTL to1000 YTL according to their period and condition. Apart from the crews TV series and video clip production crews; actors, singers, members of high society, students and especially English tourists show great interest to the shop.

Address: Çukurcuma Faik Paşa Yokuşu 19/1, Beyoğlu
Ph: +90 212 245 81 16

Leyla Seyhanlı
Leyla Seyhanlı hosts vintage lovers with a quite different product group in the shop situated in Çukurcuma Altıpatlar Street. The shop in which European and Turkish collectors and tourists show an interest houses the most beautiful examples of Ottoman textile. As soon as you enter into the shop, you are surrounded by the handicraft products of Ottoman court and house life… While some of the products are second hand, there are also unused products in the shop.
 
Leyla Seyhanlı, who has been engaged in this business for forty years, opened her shop in 1986. Among the products that she has collected from houses one by one, there are bed coverings, boleros, dresses consisting of three skirts, dresses worn during the henna night, bundles, catmas (a type of velvet). All of the products are original; the newest among them is ninety years old… Especially a 19th Century clock with black embroidery and one hundred fifty year-old purple bedcover which was engraved with the Ottoman dival technique attract attention.

There are many customers of the shop who are coming from abroad apart from the collectors. The prices vary according to the function, technique and year of the products. The prices of girths and blankets range from 75 to 400 dollars. The prices of boleros range from 100 to 500 dollars…

Address: Çukurcuma Altıpatlar Sokak No: 10, Beyoğlu
Ph: +90 212 293 74 10

Porto Bello
You can find clothes and accessories of all the periods, starting from 1900s until today in Porto Bello which is situated in Cihangir Street. Mainly providing service for those who search for costumes for TV series, full-length films, theatre plays, special balls, Porto Bello is the haunt of art directors…

Offering Service in Beyoğlu, the shop has become a location which only frequenters esteem after it has been moved to a flat in Cihangir Street. Macide Karaali, who has set her heart on this business for years, collected about three thousand costumes from many places around the world and in Europe as well as from the houses. The shop is full of clothes and accessories that belong to different periods of the history… In fact, too many in numbers, they are preserved in chests since they can not be displayed. All of these costumes which are like artworks with their fabrics and elaborate needlework are original and can only be hired out.

Especially, the hundred-year old Levantine wedding dress, the purple robe and cylinder hats from the Ottoman period are interesting, but as you get along towards the inner part of the shop, you come across more interesting clothes and accessories that are different from each other. The vintage products of many brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Paul Shark, Emmanuel Ungaro, Maxi Librati and Armani besides the special needlework products are found in Porto Bello. The costumes in the shop can be hired out for 100-150 YTL.

Second Chance
Second Chance in which both vintage and second hand products find purchasers belongs to Nurkan Leventoğlu and the fashion model Ahu Yağtuğ. Apart from dresses, t-shirts, jumpers, hats, accessories, eyeglasses, plushes, furs and shoes are available in the shop which has been in service for more than a year in Bebek. The products can both be hired out and sold. 

Generally, there are second hand and vintage products that belong to 60-70-80s in the shop. Both of the female owners of the shop decided to open this place by setting out from the redundancy of their own clothes. They brought many products from Europe and USA besides the clothes they got from their own wardrobes and from the family members.

The most important feature of Second Chance is that donation is performed with each product that is sold… Through the income obtained from these products, students of Anatolian Contemporary Education Foundation are being schooled. Besides this, regular donation is being performed both to the Raise Foundation of Village Children and to the Foundation of Women’s Labor Protection.

The prices of vintage products and special period clothes start from 180 YTL, and reach to 1500 YTL. The prices of bags are between 75-140 YTL; eyeglasses starting from 50 YTL and prices of shoes range from 40 to 220 YTL. The vintage products of many brands such as Dior, Valentino and Chanel are found in this shop in which play actors, fashion models and artists generally take an interest.

Address: Küçük Bebek Caddesi Bebek Bostanı Sokak No: 15 Bebek
Ph: +90 212 265 07 51