Vintage Fashion on Haight Street in San Francisco, CA

When I first began this blog a year ago, I went to one of my favorite parts of the city, the Haight, to photograph vintage clothes in stores I have frequented as a shopper.  I took my new camera and after going to a few stores, the battery went dead.  I published the blog, but vowed that I would return to the Haight in the future and photograph more stores.  There are actually 10 vintage/consignment stores within a few blocks of each other on Haight Street in San Francisco.  They are all very popular with locals and visitors.

On this visit, I took along my roommate, Alex, who is studying at Boalt Hall at UC Berkeley.  He is from the U.K. and has not spent much time in the city, so he was interested in going to the Haight, which is always remembered in time for the Summer of Love back in the 1960's.  He also is an excellent assistant on my vintage fashion trips.  Our first stop was Static (1764 Haight St., San Francisco, CA, 415-422-0046, www.staticvintage.com).  We were welcomed by an ancient pug who was sleeping by their computer.  This store is brightly decorated and I love the bright green walls.  They have a great designer purse collection and a variety of shoes and affordable clothes.

Down the street from Static, is one of the best vintage stores in the city, La Rosa Vintage Boutique (1711 Haight St., San Francisco, CA, 415-668-3744).  This store is purely high-end vintage clothing for both men and women.  La Rosa's manager, Michelle and salesperson, Hannah were very welcoming and gave me free reign in photographing their beautiful clothes.  If you're visiting Haight Street, I would urge you to visit their store.  They have the best in vintage clothing, shoes and accessories.

My next stop, Decades of Fashion (1653 Haight St., San Francisco, CA, 415-551-1653, 831-331-7232, vintageclothing@decadesoffashionsf.com) is also an amazing vintage clothing store.  It is a very large space and has clothes from the 1700's to the 1980's.  As you enter the store, you are in the 1980's and as you head towards the back, the clothing goes back in time.  I was very lucky to have met Cicely Hansen who owns and curates Decades of Fashion.  She graciously gave me a tour of the store, including a VIP area where there most valuable pieces are exhibited.  Cicely also does fashion shows for local charities and the Art Deco Society.  

After going back in time to experience the clothes of the past, we crossed the street and entered Wasteland (1660 Haight St., San Francisco, CA, 415-863-3150, www.shopwasteland.com).  This is a favorite local store for modern recycled clothes and is always crowded with shoppers.  It is a stark contrast from the vintage stores, but has its own charm.  It has a great shoe department and also has cutting edge clothes for that very modern SF look.

Since this is getting very long and I know you are eager to see the photos of my trip, I'd like to mention the other stores I visited and encourage you to shop there too.  Make sure your next trip to Haight Street includes a visit to: (1) Relic Vintage (1605 Haight St., San Francisco, CA, 415-255-7460, www.facebook.com/relicvintageSF);  (2) Held Over, 1543 Haight St., San Francisco, CA, 415-864-0818; (3) Haight Ashbury Vintage (1501 Haight & Ashbury, San Francisco, CA, 415-558-8803 and (4) Mystery Mister (1506 Haight & Ashbury, San Francisco, CA, 415-552-4226, MysteryMisterSF@yahoo.com).

 Pug welcoming you to  Static

 Shopping at Static

 Street view of Static

 Chanel vest at Static

 Prom dresses at Static

 Vintage waitress uniform at Static

 Hot boots at Static

 Violet platforms at Static

 1940's double breasted coat with fur trim at Static

 Alex trying on cowboy boots at Static

 Leopard print purse at Static

 Walking towards La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 Red velvet 1950's cocktail dress at La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 Hannah & Michelle at La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 Vintage shoes at La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 Evening gown with an attitude at La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 Thin Man detective ensemble at La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 Wall of dresses at La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 A step back in time at La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 Men's corner at La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 Men's suits & shoes at La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 More gorgeous dresses at La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 Dream coat & accessories at La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 Vintage heels at La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 Vintage hats at La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 Sales rep Hannah at La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 More vintage hats at La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 Elegant couple waiting for a cab at La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 Mannequins in party attire at La Rosa Vintage Boutique

 Entrance to Decades of Fashion

 Japanese Kimonos at Decades of Fashion

 Cicely displaying black beaded 1920's evening gown at Decades of Fashion

 Decades of Fashion

 Cicely, owner of Decades of Fashion

 Boots & shoes at Decades of Fashion

 Vintage hats at Decades of Fashion

 More vintage hats at Decades of Fashion

 18th Century display at Decades of Fashion

 Members of the wedding at Decades of Fashion

 Evening attire at Decades of Fashion

Wasteland

 Window display at Wasteland

 Hip jackets & skirts at Wasteland

 SF date attire at Wasteland

 Leather & lace at Wasteland

 Springtime in SF at Wasteland

 Spiked loafers at Wasteland

 Urban attire at Wasteland

 Platform sandals at Wasteland

 Black suede lace-up platform boots at Wasteland

 Platform ankle boots at Wasteland

 Shoe department at Wasteland

 Male hipster mannequin at Wasteland

 Relic Vintage

 A view of Relic Vintage

 Relic Vintage - check out the antique wall phone

 Beautiful 1940's shoes at Relic Vintage

 Party dresses at Relic Vintage

 Held Over

 Vintage shoes at Relic Vintage

Held Over 

 Suits on the wall at Held Over

 Vintage flyer's outfit at Held Over

 Crushed velvet 1960's mini dress at Held Over

 Vintage hats at Held Over

 Hot beaded party dress at Held Over

 1950's secretary outfit at Held Over

 Shoe department at Held Over

 Held Over

 Haight Ashbury Vintage

 Haight Ashbury Vintage

 Friendly sales rep at Haight Ashbury Vintage

 Elegant couple for a night on the town at Haight Ashbury Vintage

 Mystery Mister

 Window display at Mystery Mister

 Full length fur coat at Mystery Mister

 Alex displaying very, very high heeled shoes at Mystery Mister

 Sales rep at Mystery Mister

 Leopard trim coat, hat and checked dress at Mystery Mister

 Chiffon party dresses at Mystery Mister

 Silver purses at Mystery Mister

 Art deco jewelry at Mystery Mister

 Kewpie display at Mystery Mister

 Vintage party shoes at Mystery Mister

 Vintage purses at Mystery Mister

 Elegant beaded purse at Mystery Mister

Violet & amber beaded purse at Mystery Mister