The Best Vintage Clothing Stores in Toronto

Fast fashion is on seemingly every streetcorner now, luring in burgeoning fashion fiends with their easy, affordable, one-season wares. Sure, it's cheap, but it creates legions of pseudo-style-bots clad in boilerplate, fall-apart fashion. Barf! Fashion originals usually have some vintage in the mix. Here in Toronto, we're lucky enough to have some of the best vintage clothing stores around that are (mostly) snob-free, and filled with built-to-last, one-of-a-kind items (and sans that thrift-store stench).

A recent haul from some of the city's best shops yielded me a seventies white cashmere sweater, a red Bakelite anchor necklace from the thirties, a sixties sequined sleeveless top, and a black belt covered in snakeskin and chains, straight out of the eighties. Those things might not strike your fancy, but that's the point: Toronto's vintage clothing stores have a unique, timeless treasure for everyone, no matter how classic or outrageous your style may be.

Courage My Love

This Kensington Market staple has been slinging vintage since the seventies. The back of the store is well-stocked with super-affordable vintage pieces. Try on a pale green silk sheath with white beading ($24), or a salmon-coloured velvet cocktail dress ($60). Men's blazers can be had for $20 to $30, and a pair of dress pants for $25. More...

Bungalow

This neat-and-tidy lifestyle shop also stocks vintage teak furniture and retro accessories?a nice backdrop for the well-organized rows of seventies frocks ($25-$40), used denim ($15-$25), skirts ($15-$25), and a rainbow of women's cashmere sweaters for as little as $40. The menfolk can pick out one of the many black leather jackets available, which start at $40. More...

Cabaret

Dita von Teese and Andre 3000 number among those who have visited this high-end boite, complete with black-and-white checkered floor and fifties pin-ups on the wall. It?s the perfect backdrop for gowns (averaging between $125 and $650 a pop), men's suits, and costume jewelry that mostly hail from the forties to the sixties. More...

69 Vintage

The cowboy boots here are to die for, whether it's a mid-calf style in pink, or a snakeskin men's pair (the latter would go well with any of the many military blazers or cowboy shirts on offer). Explore the loft-like space for statement pieces, such as a sparkly gold and black floor-length gown or a full-skirted, tropical-print frock ($45). More...

The Public Butter

The newest vintage venture from Black Market Vintage sorts everything by size and has standardized pricing, including $39 dresses, $20 tees, and $40 bags. The outerwear is fabulous here, whether it be a bright orange plaid cape ($50), a teal anorak ($39), or a red wool trapeze coat with a big fur collar ($60). More...

Gadabout

Glamour is the name of the game at Queen East's jam-packed treasure trove. The beautiful fifties frocks (including an ivory shift covered with watercolour-like black and blue blooms, $90) are helpfully arranged by waist size and can be topped off by one of the many beautiful cashmere sweaters ($45-$95) or cocktail rings ($15-$100) up for grabs. More...

I Miss You

Part of the trendy Ossington strip, I Miss You carries a well-edited collection of designer and custom-made vintage in enviable condition. Connoisseurs can snap up pieces from Yves St. Laurent and Christian Dior, along with Canadian classics like a sixties pink tweed Holt Renfrew jacket trimmed with pink fur ($295). More...

Preloved

Preloved may have been one of the victims of the Queen Street fire this winter, but its new space is an even nicer backdrop to the store's Handcut by Preloved line, constructed from old clothes. Standouts include a cap-sleeved, cowl-necked dress with a full skirt made from three pairs of More...

Stella Luna

Owner Crispian Underwood's motto of "just because it's old, doesn't mean it's good" shows in this Parkdale store's on-trend and budget-friendly vintage offerings, like a cherry-red jumpsuit ($32), a colour-blocked pleated mini ($26), and a full-skirted cream-coloured dress with a deep v-neck ($30). Plus, the jewelry case - bursting with long gold necklaces and flashy studs - is always worth a look. More...

Thrill of the Find

This store keeps pieces like a peach Nicole Miller shantung silk shift ($110) and a black linen frock with a bow at the neck ($105) up front, but ask owner Mireille Watson for a peek in the back at the big names like Chanel, Thierry Mugler, Courrages, Bill Blass, Marni, and Prada for a real thrill. More...

The Paper Bag Princess

Arguably the fanciest vintage shop in the city, Paper Bag has a Parisian boutique vibe. Jimmy Choo and Prada heels can be had for a couple hundred bucks, but there are plenty of investment pieces to be had - try on a vintage Christian Lacroix brocade skirt suit ($895) or a black-and-white Chanel jacket featured on Sex and the City ($2295). More...

Foxy Boutique

This funky Cabbagetown shop has a wide variety of mostly seventies and eighties items crammed in higgledy-piggledy. Go fancy with an emerald-green chiffon blouse ($30) or a blue linen sleeveless top dripping in crystal beads ($40), or stay casual via a one-shouldered navy, red, and white-striped sack dress ($17) or a fun-patterned cowboy shirt ($20-$25). More...

Badlands Vintage

Ali Rideout opened her tiny store last year to free up room in her own closet, offering up lots of outlandish vintage under $20, like a black-and-white striped crop-top ($18), a yellow silk ruffled blouse ($17), and plenty of colourful shorts (plus purple cowboy boots for $35). Peep the excellent selection of men's leather jackets, shoes, and sweaters, too. More...

Black Market Vintage

Frequent sales and rock-bottom prices make these Queen Street vintage spots a must-see. There's a full range of leather jackets ($79-$200) in maroon, orange, beige, gray, blue, and pink, and the store's signature supply of vintage tees are three for $10. Other crazy deals include $20 purses and $40 blazers for guys - and that's before any sales. More...

Vintage Mix 1

Fun day dresses and synthetic eighties frocks with surprisingly beautiful patterns rule the day at this popular Ossington Avenue shop. Men dig the vintage tees and long-sleeved tops, while the clientele keeps coming back to plunder the store's extensive and ever-changing collection of shoes, More...