I am always looking for new places to visit to find recycled fashion. My latest discovery was the Santa Cruz area, which is south of San Francisco on the coast. Santa Cruz is a well known summer resort and is the home of UC Santa Cruz. I asked my roommate, Alex, to drive down there with me. As I’ve said before, he’s from the UK and likes to see the California countryside when he has the chance. He is also an excellent navigator with my cell phone and has developed a great fashion sense along the way.
We drove across the San Mateo bridge and headed for Half Moon Bay and down Highway 1 to Santa Cruz. The scenery was very dramatic, as the coastline is more beautiful than words can describe. Alex took many photos with his phone and kept me updated on our progress. A few hours later, we arrived in Santa Cruz. We headed for the main shopping district on Pacific Avenue and visited Moon Zoom (813 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, CA, 831-423-8500, mark@scvintage.com). Moon Zoom is a fabulous vintage clothing store and has several rooms of clothes, shoes, hats, etc. It is owned by Terry who told me that is it the largest vintage clothing store in Santa Cruz. The prices here are very reasonable for vintage clothing - most dresses cost no more than $25. And their most expensive dress was $95. Those of you looking for high quality vintage clothes, should check out this store when you visit Santa Cruz.
A few doors down on Pacific Avenue is Cognito Clothing (821 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, CA, www.cognitoclothing.com). This store is mostly consignment, but did have some very beautiful vintage dresses that I photographed. We also visited Retro Paradise (1010 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, 831-460-9960), which has new clothes that look Retro. I did like their mannequins and have included a few shots of them. Afterwards, Alex and I had lunch at the Saturn Café, also on Pacific Avenue, that had excellent vegetarian sandwiches and 1960’s space-age décor.
Then we decided to go to the beach and see the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, which is a famous Northern California amusement park. It was slow going near the Boardwalk due to traffic, but we turned off a side street and found parking. The Boardwalk and beach were crowded and very festive. I took a few photos here to share with you. Our next stop was 41st Avenue in Santa Cruz, which was a car ride away and thanks to Alex's navigation (and my phone), we found it. We visited Seek & Find Vintage Collection (853 41st Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 831-359-7520). This small, but interesting store is owned by Abraham Irodistan. It was jammed packed full of costumes. I especially liked the mannequins. Almost next door was All Shook Up (861 41st Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 831-465-8393, allshookupclothing@gmail.com, www.allshookupclothing.com). Here, I really liked the shoes and vintage purses.
We got back in the car, and drove a short distance to Capitola, which is the next beach town south of Santa Cruz. We stopped in at Clothes Cottage (911 C Capitola Ave., Capitola, CA, 831-475-8339, joannmccllough@me.com). This store is owned by JoAnn McCullough who wanted me to mention that they have a very large selection of cashmere sweaters. Yesterday, many were marked down and I got a beautiful chocolate brown v-neck sweater to take home for only $28. JoAnn also told us about a thrift store in Aptos (the next town south), so off we went with the phone leading the way.
Caroline's (402 Trout Gulch, Aptos, CA 831-662-0327, Carolinesnonprofit@gmail.com, www.carolinesnonprofitshop.org) had to be my favorite store of the day. Carolines, run by Christina Licker, is a nonprofit store that donates all its proceeds to local causes. It is a combination thrift shop with glassware, furniture, ect. and previously worn high-end designer clothes. Christina showed me several items, including a D&G blazer for only $30. She also had a pair of Prada shoes in the back, but had not decided whether to sell them or keep them. They would have been $30 if sold in the store. I found a very stylish Donna Karan black jumper for only $12. Even though the store is small, it had quite a few shoppers, especially in the clothing section. I would recommend you visit this store if you like used designer clothing. Aptos Village is also a very cute place to see. We finished the trip with a snack in Capitola at a beach-front watering hole. All in all, it was a very good time!
Moon Zoom
Moon Zoom
Mark & Terry at Moon Zoom
Vintage bathing suit at Moon Zoom
Butterfly jacket at Moon Zoom
Vintage dresses at Moon Zoom
2-piece Asian-inspired spring suit at Moon Zoom
Party dresses from all ages at Moon Zoom
Moon Zoom
Apricot chiffon prom dress at Moon Zoom
Purple metallic cocktail dress at Moon Zoom
Clear plastic pumps at Moon Zoom
Lace-up chic at Moon Zoom
1950's child's dress at Moon Zoom
Vintage military uniform at Moon Zoom
Suede and faux fur coat at Moon Zoom
Silver party heels at Moon Zoom
1960's mini dress at Moon Zoom
Pearl sweater at Moon Zoom
Japanese kimono at Moon Zoom
African-esque dress and purse at Moon Zoom
Moon Zoom
Cognito Clothing
Wine red velvet dress at Cognito Clothing
Green velvet dream dress at Cognito Clothing
Black velvet dress with pearl trim at Cognito Clothing
For the man who has everything at Cognito Clothing
Retro Paradise
Girl on the go at Retro Paradise
Retro Paradise
Alex & friend at Retro Paradise
Saturn Cafe in downtown Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Seek & Find Vintage Collection
Ballet-inspired ensemble at Seek & Find Vintage Collection
For the girl who has everything at Seek & Find Vintage Collection
Seek & Find Vintage Collection
Bunny chic at Seek & Find Vintage Collection
1960's metallic paisley dress at Seek & Find Vintage Collection
All Shook Up
Cowboy in yellow shades at All Shook Up
All Shook Up
All Shook Up
Metallic silver heels at All Shook Up
Very high, high purple heels at All Shook Up
Platform lace-up heels at All Shook Up
Red velvet chunky heels at All Shook Up
1940's purse at All Shook Up
Embroidered purse at All Shook Up
Black boots at All Shook Up
Clothes Cottage
JoAnn, owner of Clothes Cottage
Clothes Cottage
Cashmere sweater rack at Clothes Cottage
Caroline's
Black dress with geometric trim at Caroline's
Brown knit sexy dress at Caroline's
D&G blazer at Caroline's
Gray & white blazer at Caroline's
Little black dress at Caroline's
Caroline's - Donations support local causes
Ending our vintage trip at the beach in Capitola
Beautiful lagoon at Capitola beach
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