Las Vintage’s popup storefront at Vignettes Design Series’ Brick and Mortar festival reminds me of the many stylish and personal vintage clothing stores I visited during my childhood.
Those stores, from my memories of Hong Kong, were always hidden in nooks and crannies, much less inviting than Las Vintage’s bright spacious retail space. It was the crooked LED lights, the portrait of a mysteriously attractive face, and the wide, pink wall that lured me into another round of cowboy shirt browsing.
“We almost went for the ‘80s Miami vibes, but we’ve always seen a popularity in the western-themed items in our vintage scene. In the end, vintage Las Vegas represents our style the most,” says Caitlin Varrin, co-founder of Lawless Vintage.
Las Vintage features vintage clothing, accessories and housewares sourced by Tipsy Palm, Lawless Vintage and Rylea Coyote. The three vintage styling and retail brands have attended vintage markets, popped up throughout the city, and now reside at this repurposed downtown space until the end of summer.
“Definitely, we want a physical space where people can browse and try on the clothes,” says Varrin. “We don’t lay out the clothing by sizes, for many reasons — we prefer lining them up by colours. It’s hard to imagine what a vintage piece would look like on a person’s body. Even for us, we would like to see people wearing them so we can best help them style.”
Varrin has always been a fan of the “more is more” style of fashion from the ‘80s and ‘90s. At Las Vintage, you can find clothing with intricate details: embroidery, layered patterns, tassels, rivets, you name it.
Behind the colour-block wall, there’s a fitting room next to the selfie mirror with wavy contour lines. That’s where Varrin and the team help the customers style their outfits. As much as they love sourcing fashion trends from the past, the Las Vintage team is also looking into the future.
“Now the brand has grown so much. We’d rather step forward, or sideways, but we’re not going back.”
Shop Las Vintage at its popup retail space, part of the Vignettes Brick & Mortar Festival, until August 26 at 10035 108 St.
