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Dissecting the Twinning Vintage Pop-Ups in Soho

By Kiara Sharde
  • Vintage shopping can be difficult enough as it is, but how do you decide where to go when one dealer has two locations? Since The Vintage Twin recently moved into a new spot, we decided to check out both and see what's what. At 199 Lafayette Street, a sales associate (or "JEANius") helps a customer find the perfect pair of cut-offs for festival season.
  • Denim priced depending a pair's age and style. Most are in the $75—$85 range.
  • Take the help. It's worth it.
  • If even the thought of jeans in humidity makes you sweat, head to the reworked cut-offs.
  • Patches! Customize your denim with TVT's selection of $9 flair.
  • Sales associates' favorite pieces at 199 Lafayette Street
  • Silk scarves (bursting out of Dior luggage) start at $7.
  • Rare 90s concert tees border the walls and start in the low $100s
  • Honestly, the selection is just as golden as the denim.
  • Over at 20 Spring Street, the pants you'll find aren't just made of denim. This pair, for example, is available for $74.
  • You can also pick up breezy paisley printed culottes for $54.
  • Vintage Calvin Klein skirt, $86.
  • The kimonos are gorgeous, but they're on the more expensive side — to get this purple and yellow floral one, it'll cost you $218.
  • Other styles are a bit more wallet-friendly, like this one at $186.
  • If a concert tee is more recent, it'll be cheaper. For example, this one is just seven years old and thus only $18.
  • Similar to the Lafayette location, the really good stuff at Spring Street decorated the walls.
  • Find flair like these $9 pins at both locations — these happen to be from Spring Street.

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Vintage shopping can be somewhat intimidating — without the same curation and merchandising of big box (or even boutique) retailers, sorting through the goods at a particular place can be quite the process. But what about when you have two entirely separate stores run by the same vintage dealer that supposedly carry the same things? H&M and Zara offerings are virtually the same from store to store, but the same definitely can't be said when it comes to vintage pieces.

For the past several months, The Vintage Twin has been running one pop-up or another in downtown New York, and the online thrift store founded by twin sisters Morgan and Samantha Elias recently doubled their store presence (because two is better than one, of course). Since they just moved one of the pop-ups to a new location this week, we swung by both to look for any noticeable differences in their merchandise selection. See our findings below, and get a sense of what you'll find at each by browsing the gallery above.

The Vintage Twin, 199 Street Lafayette

If you're strictly on the prowl for denim cut-offs and ironic-but-so-in-right-now mom jeans, hit this location first, which has been open a little bit longer. The denim selection (also known as the "JEANius Bar") is stocked with a heavy selection of Lees, Levi's, and Calvin Kleins. Thankfully, sales associates ("JEANiuses") will sort through the loot and help you find the perfect pair, both for style and for size.

Once you've got your jeans, add a patch ($9 apiece) to customize it. There are also two small racks of reworked denim skirts and shorts that range between $30 and $54, depending on the details.

Alongside all the denim is a selection of associate favorites will greet you upon entrance. Many of these pieces are for cooler weather — think souvenir jackets and leathers — but expect that to change soon to correlate with the rising temperature.

The Vintage Twin, 20 Spring Street

The biggest difference between here, which opened on Tuesday afternoon, and the Lafayette Street location is that this one has definitely been stocked for the season ahead — you'll be sure to find summer-friendly tees and breezy pants (read: hot temp-approved pieces) on Spring Street.

There's also a JEANius Bar at this location, but it's not as heavily stocked as the one on Lafayette Street. The front of the store contains a rack of band tees, which begin at $18 and generally top off at $75 (and just like at Lafayette Street, the more expensive band tees, like a $175 Guns And Roses shirt, hang high and border the walls). You can also grab a light jacket (beginning at $40) or a silk kimono for $132.

The TL;DR? Lafayette Street is better for denim, and Spring Street is where to go if you want to wear something out into the hot muggy weather right now. But If you've got the time, stop by both Vintage Twin stores for the full selection — you'll definitely want to walk away with something from at least one place.