Toni's Vintage Trips: May 2013

I traveled north to my capital city (Sacramento) yesterday to see what vintage fashion I could find. I took along my roommate, Alex, as navigator and model. He found some very cool hats to model and one spiked necklace that we found in a costume shop. Most of the stores we visited were in mid-town Sacramento and were all within walking distance. We found free parking on the street. The area had clusters of nice shopping districts with cafes and restaurants at very reasonable prices. The weather was gorgeous (high 70's) and it was so nice to walk around without a jacket.

Places we visited in mid-Sacramento included: (1) Thunderhorse Vintage (2522 J St., Sacramento, CA, 916-444-7723); (2) French Cuff Consignment (2527 J St., Sacramento, CA, (916) 442-3724, www.frenchcuffbtq.com, info@frenchcuffbtq.com); (3) Previews Peek A Boo Lounge (2417 K St., Sacramento, CA, 916-448-4556, prevues2417@yahoo.com; (4) Freestyle Clothing Exchange (2101 L St., Sacramento, CA, 916-441-3733, freestyleclothing.com); (5) Cheap Thrills (1712 L St., Sacramento, CA (916) 446-4103); (6) Ed's Threads (1125 21st St., Sacramento, CA, (916) 446-8138) and (6) Evangeline's Costume Mansion (113 K St., Sacramento, CA, (916) 443-2181) in Old Town Sacramento.

I really liked Freestyle Clothing Exchange because as a consignment shop, it had a lot of clothes and very reasonable prices. I saw nothing over $20. The store was crowded with shoppers, so I got the idea that it was a local favorite for people like myself who buy their clothes at consignment stores. I would definitely shop here. I was also pleasantly surprised to find an excellent costume store, Cheap Thrills, that had both vintage and newly designed costumes. They had a very large area in the back of the store devoted entirely to costumes and many vintage dresses. I was shown a few of them, which were from the 1920's, which I am including in this blog. If I had been left to my own devices, who knows what I would have found. This is definitely a store to check out. And they are one of the few stores on the west coast that has theatrical makeup, which has become popular.

One of the stores I visited, Ed's Thread's, was not on my list and I found it by walking around. It is a little piece of 1950's heaven and is devoted exclusive to men's clothing and accessories. I also liked the 1950's music playing in the store and the celebrity photos, which were everywhere. The owner, Ed Castro, is originally from San Francisco, but has been in midtown Sacramento for over 30 years. He does not have a website or email, but if you're interested in men's vintage clothes, I would suggest calling him, as he has everything.

Finally, we ended our trip down in old Sacramento, near the river. It is the area where the gold miners set up shop in the 1840's and has the oldest buildings in the city. It is more of an amusement park now, but I did find another costume store there (Evangeline's Costume Mansion), which I wanted to share with you as the clothes, though new, were over the top.