Art Nouveau.
I have visited a numerous amount of vintage/thrift/second-hand shops in Paris. A sick amount of them are overpriced and the others sell shit. I guess they aren’t too over-priced then- just know their worth.
My intrigue started with Nuovo in the spring of 2021. Meandering about Republique, I accidentally tripped into the fitting room of this side-street boutique with about 30 items in hand. This was the first time in 5 years that I found myself interested in clothing from a Parisian store. Most main-street boutiques carry basics with a price-tag edging on 200 euros and are cut for 12 year-old boys. Not to mention the French tend to climax for dark, intricate florals and childish, smock details- unsexy, uninteresting and un-going home with me. This quiet, pretentious, little store carried late 90’s to early 2000’s “fashiongirl” pieces. I was hoarding leather, Plein Sud halter tops; Roberto Cavalli abstract-print jean sets; taffeta, Versace miniskirts and tag-less garments whose anonymity only complimented their uniqueness. Needless to say, I spent about 500 euros the first time and doubled it every time I returned.
Fast forward two years and the snobby store has acquired a cult following, has gradually built up the audacity to release their own line of size 2-“ysk inspired” pieces and has relocated to a chic, skinny location, slightly off the main, forcing their prices to climb up. Offsprings of the original Nuovo have popped up on almost every street in the fashion districts and I’ve been determined to visit them all. Each one specializes in a certain aesthetic and markets to the Gen-Z obsession with vintage. Nuovo was not the first of her kind but has mothered an insatiable desire in anyone with more than 100 euros to spend to competitively seek out “bargains” and rare pieces throughout Paris.
Older, more respected grandparents of the 2000’s-revival store lurk in the backstreets of the city of lights, like Nice Piece Vintage which has been an "if-you-know-you-know hot spot since 2012. Their socials are littered with celebrity shoutouts from having shopped with them and they are followed by a dedicated fashion fanbase. The thumbnail photograph is a bag from within the boutique, inspired by the Hermes Birkin, but nicer- let’s be honest. The store itself is easy to miss as there always appears to be construction in front. Adjacent to Niece Piece is her brother, which carries men’s pieces even though the majority of who shops between the two ignores the gendered divide. Inside looks as though one has stepped into a movie starlet’s wardrobe- the treasure chest of an attic that your celebrity aunt has allowed you to peek into. They stock an array of gems from Christian Dior gowns (yes, the “Christian” is before the “Dior” on the tag) to Barbie-pink, Chanel Boy Bags and knee-high Maison Martin Margiela Tabi boots. Downstairs, equally as enticing, stand racks of heavy leather pieces contrasting with delicate silks. Louis Vuitton luggage is stacked in different corners and one is only left to imagine what is for sale from what is for envy.
I have yet to purchase anything, as I don’t have much occasion to sport these elegant and historic garments. However, when the day approaches where I am in need of something that is truly unique, lionizing and flooring, my first stop will most likely be Nice Piece Vintage.
xx
from my desk in my Macy’s Stylist office.
