For the third and final Vintage 101, I asked Lucy Straus, owner of Lucia Boutique, about some of her tricks and favorites of what vintage has to offer. Lucia, located on Broadway, recently began offering vintage clothes, jewelry, and shoes in addition to their newer products. Along with the responsibilities of owning a small business, Lucy practically gets to shop for a living! In other words, she is one qualified vintage connoisseur.
Her Campus: Why did you first want to start selling vintage items at Lucia?
Lucy: I’ve always loved vintage. Before opening, I’d be scouting for vintage stuff to sell at my store. Everything in here is stuff that I love. (The flannel shirts are my favorite!)
HC: How do you find your vintage pieces?
Lucy: All the jewelry and shoes are from local collectors. They bring me giant bins and I get to sort through them to find pieces I want. The clothes though are from all over—New York City, LA. I look for good prices so that I can give my customers good deals. I recently went to LA with my boyfriend for a trip like this. He’s the tee shirt and flannel finder.
HC: What vintage styles come up most often when you’re shopping?
Lucy: The grunge thing is huge right now—florals, plaids. You find a lot of 80’s and 90’s stuff now, but I love the 60’s and 70’s too. When I’m shopping though, I don’t look for a time era, I just get whatever looks cool!
HC: What’s the most difficult part of the shopping experience?
Lucy: I want to sell stuff that’s ready-to-wear, no rips or tears. Also, there’s extremely select vintage at these stores, and everything’s packed in there. Sifting through it all may be one of the hardest parts, but it’s fun too.
HC: What kind of advice would you give on how to wear vintage clothes?
Lucy: A lot of vintage is oversized, so I’d wear slimmer things to compensate, like leggings and boots with huge, chunky sweaters. You have to balance out the silhouette. You should also balance out vintage with new pieces. Jewelry is a good stand-by. A lot of people ask me if the jewelry is going to turn, but I say, “It’s 30 years old and it hasn’t yet.” Above all, you just have to love what you wear.
You can check out Lucia at their website,www.luciaboutique.com. However, I noticed that there are a lot more products at the store than are listed online, and there’s a thrift store just downstairs from Lucia. So, a trip in person could never hurt. As I was shopping around after the interview, Lucy added one last comment: “Another thing I love is that vintage is eco friendly!” Spoken like a true Saratogian.