Not Your Average Ashley: My Visit to Playclothes Vintage Fashions in Burbank, CA

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

My Visit to Playclothes Vintage Fashions in Burbank, CA

There's nothing quite like the thrill of hunting down a one-of-a-kind vintage piece and making it your own, and that's exactly what happened when I found this beautiful green dress during an October trip to Playclothes Vintage Fashions in Burbank, CA.

I was fortunate enough to make the journey to The Golden State to visit my sister, who lives just outside of Los Angeles, after I was laid off from my full-time job in the middle of the month. My parents just so happened to be in town, so the timing was perfect. The four of us hadn't been together in years.

Before I left, my sister asked me what I wanted to do during my visit. She planned to take us to an Oktoberfest celebration at Big Bear Lake, and she had tickets for herself, my mom and I to go to The Price is Right (our episode is airing Wednesday, Jan. 29, btw!).

I absolutely love to shop, especially for anything vintage, and after doing some research online, I gave my sis a list of about five vintage stores I wanted to check out. No. 1 on my list was Playclothes because of the great reviews from people who said the selection was amazing and easy to sort through. It's also a favorite of TV and movie costume designers. I was excited to see what treasures I'd find.

Although we weren't able to all go together, I did end up traveling to the store by myself--and it was just as awesome as I had hoped.

Playclothes is located in the historic Moorpark Pharmacy building, and it has neon signs that reflect the space's origins. The one that read "PRESCRIPTIONS" called to me as if it was saying: "Browse here to cure what ails ya."

I spent two hours combing through everything in the store. The selection was vast; there were so many vintage treasures just waiting for new homes. Most pieces were from the 1940s-80s, and there was a variety of clothing styles, accessories, jewelry and home furnishings.

Each clothing item was labeled with the decade it was from and the modern-day size equivalent. I ended up with this lovely emerald frock from the 1960s.

The bottom hem and the lining at the collar were both coming apart, so once I got back to Tampa, I had a tailor repair the dress. After a trip to the dry cleaner, it was ready for wear--my own little unique find.

Have you been to Playclothes? What trinkets did you find? What are the best vintage shops where you live? Tell me in the comments!