Fashion & Trends
Vintage Fashion CLE Is A Stylish Throwback
The shop is packed full of trendy jeans, belts, shoes and more from the '70s, '80s and '90s.
by Ilona Westfall | Jul. 19, 2019 | 12:00 PM
Carolina Kane
Heather Sapanos knows old-school is in. The owner of Lakewood’s Vintage Fashion CLE started honing her knack for finding trendy, easy-to-wear pieces more than 20 years ago by selling her finds at pop-ups, the Cleveland Flea and through her online Etsy shop.
Through Sapanos’ online collection, a costume designer for the HBO series Divorce even bought items for Sarah Jessica Parker’s character to wear on the show.
Last August, Sapanos opened a brick-and-mortar to sell her collection. In the light-filled boutique on Madison Avenue, the vibe is more upscale than retro. Teaming up with Sivan Eshel of Refried Vintage and Jill Stephens of If Found Vintage, they stocked the shop.
“We all focus on very wearable, on-trend modern pieces with some classics too,” says Sapanos. “It’s highly curated and we all hand-pick the items for the shop.”
The result is racks of garments spanning the 1970s through 1990s — with a few older gems sprinkled in — that could have come straight from the pages of a modern issue of Vogue. Think pieces such as a lace-trimmed ’70s peasant skirt ($36), for example, or a woven ’90s Missoni tank ($62) boasting the Italian designer’s trademark zigzag print.
Leather Coach handbags ($60), geometric ’80s statement earrings ($14-$20) and more are snagged up quickly by fashion-forward shoppers who are often also huge fans of the shop’s collection of vintage denim. “People really seem to want Levi’s,” says Sapanos. To meet the demand, stacks of Levi’s jeans ($45-$70) in shades of blue and black fill an entire wall.
While she loves outfitting Clevelanders in stylish-yet-unique clothes, Sapanos says that sustainability is also integral to her mission.
“We’re saving clothing from going into a landfill,” she says, “and appealing to shoppers who want to be more sustainable with their fashion choices.”
Good Jeans
“Mom jeans” isn’t an insult anymore. The high-rise, tapered-leg styles of the ’80s and ’90s are back in a big way, says Sapanos, who recommends sizing up in vintage denim. “For summer a lot of people are wearing them at more of an ankle length,” she says. “Try cutting them off or cuffing them over.”
Dress Success
Easy-to-wear dresses are a vintage go-to. But instead of pairing them with dress sandals, Sapanos suggests outdoorsy, Teva-style sandals or sneakers. “Sneakers are a big trend,” she says. “Try a pair of Converse for a casual look.”
When You Go:
Vintage Fashion CLE
13703 Madison Ave.,
Lakewood,
vintagefashioncle.com
Nearby Find:
Find body scrubs, face masks and bar soaps made from vegan, organic and fair trade ingredients at Revival Body Care.
13337 Madison Ave., Lakewood, revivalbodycare.com
Through Sapanos’ online collection, a costume designer for the HBO series Divorce even bought items for Sarah Jessica Parker’s character to wear on the show.
Last August, Sapanos opened a brick-and-mortar to sell her collection. In the light-filled boutique on Madison Avenue, the vibe is more upscale than retro. Teaming up with Sivan Eshel of Refried Vintage and Jill Stephens of If Found Vintage, they stocked the shop.
“We all focus on very wearable, on-trend modern pieces with some classics too,” says Sapanos. “It’s highly curated and we all hand-pick the items for the shop.”
The result is racks of garments spanning the 1970s through 1990s — with a few older gems sprinkled in — that could have come straight from the pages of a modern issue of Vogue. Think pieces such as a lace-trimmed ’70s peasant skirt ($36), for example, or a woven ’90s Missoni tank ($62) boasting the Italian designer’s trademark zigzag print.
Leather Coach handbags ($60), geometric ’80s statement earrings ($14-$20) and more are snagged up quickly by fashion-forward shoppers who are often also huge fans of the shop’s collection of vintage denim. “People really seem to want Levi’s,” says Sapanos. To meet the demand, stacks of Levi’s jeans ($45-$70) in shades of blue and black fill an entire wall.
While she loves outfitting Clevelanders in stylish-yet-unique clothes, Sapanos says that sustainability is also integral to her mission.
“We’re saving clothing from going into a landfill,” she says, “and appealing to shoppers who want to be more sustainable with their fashion choices.”
Good Jeans
“Mom jeans” isn’t an insult anymore. The high-rise, tapered-leg styles of the ’80s and ’90s are back in a big way, says Sapanos, who recommends sizing up in vintage denim. “For summer a lot of people are wearing them at more of an ankle length,” she says. “Try cutting them off or cuffing them over.”
Dress Success
Easy-to-wear dresses are a vintage go-to. But instead of pairing them with dress sandals, Sapanos suggests outdoorsy, Teva-style sandals or sneakers. “Sneakers are a big trend,” she says. “Try a pair of Converse for a casual look.”
When You Go:
Vintage Fashion CLE
13703 Madison Ave.,
Lakewood,
vintagefashioncle.com
Nearby Find:
Find body scrubs, face masks and bar soaps made from vegan, organic and fair trade ingredients at Revival Body Care.
13337 Madison Ave., Lakewood, revivalbodycare.com
Trending
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
