Shop Around: Casablanca Vintage

Just because I’m not shopping doesn’t mean I can’t encourage other people to do so! When I find good stuff, I like to share (I’m generous like that), so let’s Shop Around:

Almost exactly a year ago during Style Tour, I visited Casablanca Vintage and it was a hot mess and a half. There was a mountain of clothes piled on the floor, there didn’t seem to be any order to the way things were organized, and the lights were out in half the store, making any sort of shopping nearly impossible. I swear, it looked like an episode of “Hoarders” had exploded in there.

However, several people have told me it’s been cleaned up in the past year and I’m open to giving second chances, so I stopped by after finishing up some returns in Northside. I discovered that yes, it’s been cleaned up. And yes, it’s goooood:

The first section I hit was women’s skirts, and I was pretty impressed.  There were skirts galore from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, and whole section dedicated to plaid kilts. If you’re looking for vintage skirts, GO HERE.

I also found a pair of perfectly stiff, stand-up-on-their-own high-waisted wide-legged (is that enough adjectives for you?) jeans and a gorgeous sequined shirt dress that I really wanted to take home with me.

Of course I had to check out the men’s section (tip: ALWAYS check the men’s and boy’s sections when thrifting and vintage shopping. Cozy oversized sweaters and tailored blazers abound.), which was full of Junior High Boyfriend sweaters, quirky button-downs, and sharply tailored pleated pants like my dad used to wear.

Over on the left side of the store, there were even more clothing racks and a decent selection of shoes, the most interesting of which were way too small for my modern-day size seven feet. Fun to look at, though.

The racks in that area were filled with beautiful, fragile, high end vintage dresses, from Jackie O.-esque day dresses to brightly colored costumery. The guy working there said that they often rent and sell clothing to theater companies, which would explain the more flamboyant (but still wearable, IMO) pieces.

I also happened upon a rack of fun military jackets, most of which were disappointingly large on me. Sigh. I love a good military jacket, probably thanks to MJ.

Casablanca is what a good old fashioned vintage store should be, with the requisite musty smells and lingering scent of old perfume. It’s full of Izod sweaters and polyester dresses and things your second grade teacher would have worn, a mish-mash of mod and prairie and disco and punk with plenty of sequins for good measure. If you have time this weekend, check it out!

Casablanca Vintage
3944 Spring Grove Avenue
(513) 541-6999