Vintage Markets

I must confess that when I went to Cagliari to spend a couple of days with a friend who moved from Milan a few months before, I was surprised by the quality of vintage and handmade that I found in town. The city is very different from when I visited last time years ago: vibrant, joyful, modern and traditional at the same time, colored, full of life and warm as usual! I really enjoyed my stay and I spent two half days hanging around looking for the best vintage/handmade shops in town.

But let’s start from the vintage shops:

First stop was Recyclerie Vintage: I virtually met Alice and Fabrizio on Instagram a year before and unfortunately they were on holiday when I was in town but Caterina was there to guide me in the first vintage shop of Cagliari where I immediately fell in love for the attention of the research that covered different styles. Classic vintage and amazing accessories (including jewelry vintage and new) on the basement, vintage streetwear with a high quality selection of vintage denim and clothes for women and men on the first floor, a tattoo studio on the second floor. This shop is a must-visit for any vintage lover and if you are around you cannot miss it! I also got a few pieces there: the vintage military green floral dress that you see in one picture, a pair of vintage soft brown leather shorts and a ring from El Rana. Prices are fair and they are really adorable (you can find them in the main street of Cagliari, in the city center).

Second stop was Urban Pep, founded by the lovely Vanessa who I also met online last year. Vanessa really impressed me for the loveliness and kindness but also for bringing me around to discover some pieces of her city. But she also guided me through her shop, a perfect match of vintage handmade where she mixes her two passions: vintage and Thailand. Vanessa has Thai origins and she travels her other country looking for handcrafters who create beautiful pieces with a retro twist. Urban Pep is also full of interesting collaborations with local artists and associations such as La Fille Bertha (incredible Sardinian artist – I bought one of her pieces for my new house!) and La Matrioska a creative and social textile lab (I also bought one of their handmade tees!). Vanessa is a volcano of ideas and her shop really expresses her eclecticism. Not far from Recyclerie Vintage in the main street, make sure that you visit her shop and you meet her in person!

Third stop was La Bottega delle Meraviglie, but I was so pissed because it was closed and I couldn’t manage to contact the owner. From her Instagram page I realized that it was the kind of shop that I would have loved but maybe I will be able to visit it next time! It is in the tiny streets of the city center, definitely worth a visit.
Not a shop but a vintage and antiques market that I found “by mistake” on a Sunday Morning, is the Antiques Market of Piazza del Carmine, a small but super interesting market where I found a lot of interesting pieces (especially jewelry…I left with three fantastic brooches!): mandatory stop, you will love it I promise!

Just want to share some more interesting shops that are definitely worth a visit if you love ethical, handmade and traditional shops:

Recyclerie has another shop in the city center (actually it was the first shop before the vintage one was born), totally dedicated to handmade pieces (homeware, accessories, jewelry etc.) coming mostly from Sardinian artists and handcrafters
Eticando is a lovely boutique in the center of Cagliari that only sells ethically made clothes for women and children; not the usual ethical shop, that’s why I liked it
The AB Gallery is a place where I could have bought almost everything for my house: pillows, blankets, carpets, decorations etc. Everything is handmade from Sardinian artisans keeping alive the rich textile tradition of the region. A true beauty.

Processing…

Success! You're on the list.

Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

A few weeks ago I was getting dressed to meet some friends to visit an exhibit in Milan (Tina Modotti’s exhibition at Mudec Museum) and I suddenly realized that most of the pieces of my outfit were coming from a vintage market (one in particular actually, the Remira Market in Milan!).

It made me think that I definitely buy a lot of my stuff at vintage and second hand markets. So I listed a couple of reason for which I think we should all buy there:

Because there are no massive marketing trends imposed by marketing gurus: in vintage and second hand what is “trendy” now really doesn’t matter!
Because no one can tell me what to wear: I hate when in shops I receive non-requested advices on how I should dress; what I should wear and what they think it fits me better. In markets I am completely in charge of my own choices!
Because I can free my imagination: with vintage and second hand pieces I can really imagine all kind of possible outfits, it could never fully happen with new clothes!
Because I can find pieces that reflects my own personal style: I am a vintage gal, that’s my style. Period!
Because they are circular and sustainable: it should be number one but also quite obvious I think; re-using and recycling clothes is almost the only possible choice in a polluted world also because of the fashion industry. Re-loving clothes is the most sustainable choice ever!
Because I meet a lot of lovely people: I spend most of my time in markets chatting with vintage sellers about our common passion for vintage; also I know that they researched and curated those vintage pieces for me to find them and love them as they did before me!
Because they inspire me: during the long times without markets I felt many times a deep lack of inspiration; I realized later that meeting people, seeing new clothes and outfits was one of my main sources of inspiration. Creativity is at the top when you meet other creative people!

These are just a few of the main reasons for my sustainable choice of buying at vintage and second hand markets, do you think that we should all do that? What is yours?

Outfit details: