Where Do I Buy a Super-Fly Bomber Jacket? Six Beijing Vintage Stores For Channeling Your Inner Hipster
I've had a handful of people ask me where to get a bomb bomber jacket or vintage denim or an outrageous, oversized '80s sweater (is it something I'm wearing?), so good thing that Blouin Artinfo just published a list of top five vintage stores in Beijing that I can link to here. Their roundup included some well-known gems, like Mega Mega Vintage (now closed until December for renovations), and ones you may have never heard about unless you live all the way out by IKEA. However, they left off the list a few others worth mentioning:
If you need a coat, this is your place. Dragon House has something to cover everyone, and they offer a pretty reasonable price range, too – most outerwear isn't much more than RMB 600. Coats embroidered with charming fields of mushrooms? They've got them. Retro leather for channeling your inner James Dean? They've got those, too. And much, much more.
*Note, this location has moved to 82 Gulou Dong Dajie, next door to Alba Cafe.
Located on Andingmennei Dajie, Nostalgia is spacious enough for not only one of Beijing's largest selections of vintage wear, but also for a project space in the back. Chen and her business partner Er Duo Liang aim to offer fellow vintage fiends a one-stop shop for customized tailoring, editing workshops, clothing swaps and even the occasional party. A heads up – the owners are friends with the Dragon House folks, so expect a little crossover in selection.
While the owner Fang Fang prefers to disassociate her store with Gulou's vintage and second-hand scene (thus moving far from Gulou into Shuangjing's Pinggod complex), her collection of vintage and hand-me-down designer labels like Ferragamo and Alexander Wang are worth the trip. Mixed in with these gems are handcrafted accessories from Chinese artists, all available for swapping with your own lightly used wear. This is so five years in the future for Beijing – Trash & Diamond is ahead of the pack, if you ask me.
Who can forget these guys? They only have a giant smoking owl beckoning you inside their denim cavern. These guys have Levi's – short ones, long ones, cut-offs and colors, and they have all the China tees that are too cool for the tourist shops. You'll find leather and small pickings of patterned button-ups here, too.
One of the first vintage stores I stumbled upon when I arrived to Beijing, Delia will forever feel like a familiar home in the throng of Beijing's shops (if I can go so far as to call a store "home" – it's a bit sad, I know). Its Hong Kong owner is chipper and has a keen eye for decor so that Delia feels more like your hipster dad's study than a cluttered, musty closet. Their selection of furniture, albums by the hottest of old school Chinese artists, and eyewear complement a highly curated clothing selection.
What was once a tiny hole-in-the-wall dedicated primarily to NYPD leather jackets, cowboy vests, a huge denim selection and floor-length frocks has expanded to include beer steins, giant stone clocks for your outdoor garden (ask me who has a need for these, and you've got me stumped), and other medieval-inspired knickknacks. The front of the store now looks like something out of a rainy and grim Sherlock Holmes movie set, as well, making it a Gulou earmark.
Email: j.rapp@thebeijinger.com
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Photo: Joseph Brent on Flickr
![Goodbye Wudaokou Clothing MArket and Hello "BOM HALL"](https://www.thebeijinger.com/sites/default/files/styles/blog_list_image/public/thebeijinger/blog-images/390550/00703kgtly4gh45i8ww55j30u00gj1k5.jpg.jpeg "Goodbye Wudaokou Clothing MArket and Hello "BOM HALL"")
