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Where to Snag the Sweetest Vintage Tees in LA

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Ah, the vintage tee. It's the perfect antidote when you feel like you've got nothing cool to wear, it almost always earns you street cred, and it's practically an essential piece in any Angeleno's wardrobe.

And while we'd argue that a well-worn vintage t-shirt — whether it be emblazoned with the California Raisins characters or decorated with the dates of an Iron Maiden tour — will never not have a place in your regular rotation, it's certainly having a moment right now. Just ask It-girls Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, who can't stop sporting the style.

To help out both the vintage tee newbies and devotees, we've honed in on thirteen of LA's best spot to shop these shirts, including the hyper-curated boutiques, the places you can get down and dirty in a bargain bin, and everything in between.

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Nowadays this no-longer-hidden gem is a go-to spot for customizable vintage denim (buying a pair includes free alterations) but don't sleep on their selection of tees. You can still shop a constantly refreshed selection of them at a super affordable price point. Ringer, band, and random catch phrase tees are just a few types you can expect to see — plus the celeb loved shop (Kim K., Nicole Richie, and Iggy Azalea are fans) frequently stocks teeny versions for cool tots.

Squaresville

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The Los Feliz buy-sell-trade store is forever on our short list of spots to shop vintage that's funky, original, and totally affordable. You can find tons of tees on the store's upper level, including plenty of gems from the '80s and '90s.

Raggedy Threads Vintage Shoppe

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In a tucked-away spot in Little Tokyo specializes in Americana-style clothing including distressed denim, overall, boots, and of course tees and sweats with sports teams, university names, and other Western randomness. Also Ryan Gosling has shopped here, just saying.

East/West Shop

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In addition to a combo of new and vintage t-shirts, this Chinatown spot also stocks plenty of pins (including some by our girl Tuesday Bassen) locally made soaps, planters, art, and more indie-cool goods.

Jet Rag

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Besides the usual assortment of well-priced vintage clothing and accessories, this iconic LA spot offers a weekly $1 sale on Sunday so shoppers not afraid of a little digging can totally score.
Photo: LA Weekly

American Vintage

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Racks upon racked of tees (among other items) at this must-stop spot on Melrose, that also happens to be super friendly on the wallet.

Urchin Merchant Vintage

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Squaresville's sister store similarly stocks plenty of funky finds like disco-era dresses, chunky '80s shoes, and of course a cool crop of vintage tees to choose from.

Worship

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This Echo Park shop (which is a spin-off of its successful sister store in Brooklyn) features a buy-sell-trade shopping experience, offering rad vintage gems ranging from the 1900s to the 1990s, as well as curated items from local talent.

World of Vintage Tee Shirts

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The name pretty much says it all about this quintessential Melrose shop (that's seen its share of celebs like Britney Spears) which sells all vintage tees — all the time.

Avalon Vintage

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Vintage huntress Carmen Hawk's Highland Park boutique has fashion-forward fans like jewelry designer Vanessa Mooney who says "it's filled with gems from the '20s, '40s, '60s, and '70s."

Painted Bird

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Painted Bird owners Sunny and Nate Archer started selling vintage in San Francisco in 2005, and opened a Silver Lake spinoff in 2011. Their vintage finds, all perfectly on-trend, are displayed alongside contemporary pieces — everything is affordably priced.

Filth Mart

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This teeny-tiny shop in WeHo is pretty focused on selling one of the dopest vintage tee selections in town, but you can also score cool leather accessories and customized goods.
Photo: @filthmart

Chuck's Vintage

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Full disclosure: prices can be pretty steep at this mega-curated Melrose Avenue boutique, but if you want some of the most artfully-distressed Victorian dresses, leather jackets, Red Wing boots, and — yup — well-worn tees from yesteryear, you're gonna have to pay.

Virgo

Nowadays this no-longer-hidden gem is a go-to spot for customizable vintage denim (buying a pair includes free alterations) but don't sleep on their selection of tees. You can still shop a constantly refreshed selection of them at a super affordable price point. Ringer, band, and random catch phrase tees are just a few types you can expect to see — plus the celeb loved shop (Kim K., Nicole Richie, and Iggy Azalea are fans) frequently stocks teeny versions for cool tots.

Squaresville

The Los Feliz buy-sell-trade store is forever on our short list of spots to shop vintage that's funky, original, and totally affordable. You can find tons of tees on the store's upper level, including plenty of gems from the '80s and '90s.

Raggedy Threads Vintage Shoppe

In a tucked-away spot in Little Tokyo specializes in Americana-style clothing including distressed denim, overall, boots, and of course tees and sweats with sports teams, university names, and other Western randomness. Also Ryan Gosling has shopped here, just saying.

East/West Shop

In addition to a combo of new and vintage t-shirts, this Chinatown spot also stocks plenty of pins (including some by our girl Tuesday Bassen) locally made soaps, planters, art, and more indie-cool goods.

Jet Rag

Besides the usual assortment of well-priced vintage clothing and accessories, this iconic LA spot offers a weekly $1 sale on Sunday so shoppers not afraid of a little digging can totally score.
Photo: LA Weekly

American Vintage

Racks upon racked of tees (among other items) at this must-stop spot on Melrose, that also happens to be super friendly on the wallet.

Urchin Merchant Vintage

Squaresville's sister store similarly stocks plenty of funky finds like disco-era dresses, chunky '80s shoes, and of course a cool crop of vintage tees to choose from.

Worship

This Echo Park shop (which is a spin-off of its successful sister store in Brooklyn) features a buy-sell-trade shopping experience, offering rad vintage gems ranging from the 1900s to the 1990s, as well as curated items from local talent.

World of Vintage Tee Shirts

The name pretty much says it all about this quintessential Melrose shop (that's seen its share of celebs like Britney Spears) which sells all vintage tees — all the time.

Avalon Vintage

Vintage huntress Carmen Hawk's Highland Park boutique has fashion-forward fans like jewelry designer Vanessa Mooney who says "it's filled with gems from the '20s, '40s, '60s, and '70s."

Painted Bird

Painted Bird owners Sunny and Nate Archer started selling vintage in San Francisco in 2005, and opened a Silver Lake spinoff in 2011. Their vintage finds, all perfectly on-trend, are displayed alongside contemporary pieces — everything is affordably priced.

Filth Mart

This teeny-tiny shop in WeHo is pretty focused on selling one of the dopest vintage tee selections in town, but you can also score cool leather accessories and customized goods.
Photo: @filthmart

Chuck's Vintage

Full disclosure: prices can be pretty steep at this mega-curated Melrose Avenue boutique, but if you want some of the most artfully-distressed Victorian dresses, leather jackets, Red Wing boots, and — yup — well-worn tees from yesteryear, you're gonna have to pay.