Q: Iʼm a guy in the market for some cool, vintage-looking tee shirts. Where in NYC can I go to stock up?
A: It depends if youʼre looking for actual vintage tees, or brand new pieces with a retro flair. Fortunately both are easily found in New York City, as well as on online sources.
For the real thing, head to Cheap Jackʼs or Andyʼs Chee Pees, two excellent vintage stores with large stocks of tee shirts and helpful employees who really know their stuff. Outside the city, a good online resource for vintage clothing is The Rusty Zipper which is based in Oregon but offers fast, reliable shipping both domestically and to international customers. And thrift shops like Housing Works or the Salvation Army can also be a gold mine for true vintage tees. Sure, you might have to dig through a pile of castoffs from charity events, company picnics, and family reunions, but itʼll be worth it when you score a shirt from your favorite 80s TV show for just a couple of bucks.
If modern tees with a vintage twist are more your style, check out Junk Food, which bills itself as “the original vintage t-shirt company.” Their styles include everything from popular sports teams, beverage brands, music icons, cartoon characters, and more. You can find Junk Food at department stores like Lord & Taylor, and if they donʼt have what youʼre looking for, head down the street to Tee Bar, a touristy-looking shop that carries a good range of Junk Food shirts. The brand is also available online at Junk Food Clothing and Zappos among other places. Hip stores like Zara and Urban Outfitters are also great sources for trendy tee shirts, as is—quite surprisingly—J.C. Penney.
Finally if all else fails, try eBay. Chances are that youʼll find someone willing to part with their well-worn Beatles or Hendrix tee. You might pay a hefty price if the seller is a professional vintage vendor, but if the shirt fits, buy it!
Rebecca Frey is a costume designer, wardrobe stylist, and personal shopper. She has worked on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live, and Conan, and is also the owner of Seek New York, a NYC-based company that provides a friendly, low-pressure approach to style and offers personalized shopping tours with licensed NYC guides. Every Tuesday, she answers your most pressing shopping-related quandaries. Need Becky’s help? Email your questions to emily@askanewyorker.com.
