Vintage Fashion

Vintage stores carry more refined, classic, and enduring styles than thrift stores. Vintage items are usually purchased from collectors or estate sales, whereas thrift stores' stock is donated apparel. The benefit to vintage shopping is you're guaranteed to come away with a unique look—you'll never have one of those “Whoops! We both got this at the Gap” party moments. Also, your clothes will come with a unique sense of history that's not manufactured.

Your first stop on Ellsworth could be Hey Betty!, which offers apparel and accessories from the 1930s to the 1960s. Specialties in this three-story shop include eveningwear, eyewear (sunglasses and frames), purses, and ties. Highlights of eveningwear include beading and lace (think: Hollywood Golden Age movie stars, like Ginger Rogers). Everyone can find a patterned dress to fit her taste—from a distinctive swirl of colors (think: a Jackson Pollock painting), to a classic print, reminiscent of the one from your grandmother's couch. Other stand-out evening looks include pastel bodices with full skirts, bursting with tulle (think: prom scene from Grease). Prices for these gowns range from $25-$125.

Accessories are also abundant at Hey Betty! The most popular items are belt buckles and rhinestone brooches, according to Sandra Lawton, who has co-owned the store with Michel Ferrucci for seventeen years. Don't miss their selection of shoes and boots, including high heels with embellishments such as buckles, straps, and sparkles; shoes run from $15-$25. Hey Betty! is also great for faux-fur; you can find it on enough purses and coats to impress even Betty Page. If you're looking for a wool sweater or velvet dress, get to Hey Betty! soon before their winter-wear is replaced with lighter fabrics and shorter hemlines.

Then move on to Eons Fashion Antique, where you'll find, among other things, more than 300 hats from 1870-1980. Hats are certainly their forte, from the silly to the divine. Men's hats include fedoras, top hats, derbies, and wool caps. Women can browse through feathered hats, silk flowered hats, ‘20s cloches, and pillbox hats, rows of which line the entire store. An economical investment at $6-$25, these are perfect for a first foray into the world of vintage shopping. Eons also carries accessories to transform your fashion find into a fun costume—flapper beads, elbow length gloves and cigarette holders.

Eons makes it easy to find a perfect fit by tagging items, not only with price, era and garment condition, but also inches and modern size equivalents (clothing sizes have dramatically changed over the past several decades, so original sizes are almost irrelevant.). And if you're not sure how to pull off your new silk kimono, Eons hosts several fashion shows a year, according to store owner, Richard Parsakian.

Both stores have fitting rooms, and both owners' number one tip for vintage shoppers is to “always try it on!” If you own vintage clothing you'd like to trade in, both stores buy as well as sell. So next time you're in Shadyside and want a break from chain-store shopping, take a trip back in time with Eons and Hey Betty!


Hey Betty! 5892 Ellsworth Avenue. (412) 363-0999. All major credit cards accepted; no returns. Mon.-Sat.: 12pm-6pm; Sun.: 1pm-5pm.

Eons Fashion Antique. 5850 Ellsworth Avenue. (412) 361-3368. Cash only. Mon-Fri.: 12-6; Sat.: 11-6; Sun.: 12-5.

-Sarah Zoe Wexler and Aubrey Hirsch

This article can also be found archived at Pittsburgh Fashion.