Do you love the smell of dusty cotton? Do you dig the noise of leather cracking? Are you patient enough to dig through piles of old sweaters to find the right fit?
If you’re not too snooty to wear something that five other people in various states of mind already wore, then you’re ready to go. Mary Scherpe, editor of Pudri Blog and founder of Stil in Berlin guides you through the vintage wastelands …
Loads and loads of shoes, from heels to go-go boots to platform spikes and more.
One of the best methods to vanish into the Berlin hipster crowd is by wearing huge horn-rimmed glasses — Lunettes is the place to equip yourself.
This store is a cozy one, small room and a small, but nice choice. Still run by it‘s owner the atmosphere is really relaxed. They always have a sales rack, which is rather rare at vintage stores.
This store is dark, small, shabby and chaotic. Doesn‘t sound like an enjoyable shopping experience. Still they sell clothes from past seasons by Raf Simons, Alexandre Herchcovitch, Marc Jacobs and other big names for a fraction of the original prize – which doesn‘t mean you‘ll get them for peanuts, of course.
Take your time to explore this store that looks more like Aladdin‘s Cave of vintage than an actual store. It offers beautiful items and the owner is really helpful.
The queen of shoes reigns this store. It‘s simple, either she will like you, or she won‘t. At best she offers you the perfectly fitting shoes you will wear the rest of your life or at least until the end of the season.
Best selection of all the Kleidermarkt branches it’s located in the Mitte of Mitte and flooded by tourists searching for the real Berlin vintage, ignoring the fact that the most of the stuff comes from the US. The owners take advantage of this and sell the flowerprinted, high-waisted shorts with 15% extra Mitte-charge.
This is a good market for bargains, due to the vast amount of students selling their belongings to pay the next rent. You should not feel disturbed by strolling dogs, their legacies as well as by music brought to you for free by self proclaimed artists to enjoy this place.
All about designer brands – no question that this doctrine applies for vintage selection as well.
Sounds great buying clothing by it’s weight especially when it comes to airy summerdresses! But be careful – the best selection is offered in the fixed prize area, the items sold by the kilo are rather… trashy. As is the music.
If money is no object and it‘s basically just about decorating yourself and your loft with uberhip retro stuff, this is the fleamarket to go. The assortment is great, though often sold way over it‘s value.
Shopping at Mauerpark means to bargain for a broken Instamatics with the turkish seller, who is enthroned in his ocean of cardboard boxes. This place is massively crowded, although the finds you can make here are rather rare. So come here for what is thought to be a Berlin experience, enjoy the homemade cake and the soap-bubble artists.
Living in Berlin for five years, never having enough money to lean on designer brands and always having too much taste to entirely rely on Haight Street fashion, Mary constantly explores the treasure chests and the sumptuous boutiques.
