The Los Angeles Vintage Shop Every Celebrity and Fashion Editor Loves
The first time I went to Los Angeles, a couple of years ago for work, I had one day to explore on my own. I planned my entire day around doing just one thing. It wasn’t a hike to see the Hollywood sign or a trip to Erewhon for an overpriced smoothie but to step foot into Aralda Vintage, a vintage shop I had become obsessed with online.
I became familiar with the store after watching season two of Euphoria, particularly the scene in which Maddy (Alexa Demie) discovers the walk-in closet of the mom she’s babysitting for. It’s filled with iconic designer pieces from Christian Lacroix to Valentino and Alexander McQueen, all of which came from Aralda Vintage. I instantly followed the store on Instagram and would basically haunt its online presence, refreshing day after day to see founder Brynn Jones’s incredible archival finds.
When I finally made my way out West, it was the only place I wanted to see. Stepping foot into the small shop tucked away in Beachwood Canyon felt transformative. The store is painted a deep orange, like the very best bit of a sunset before it fades away. And the racks are filled with items I'd only ever dreamed of touching, like the suede Prada corset from the F/W 99 collection that Kate Moss wore on the runway and Jennifer Aniston later worn on the cover of W.
Now, whenever I see a truly incredible and enviable archival look on the red carpet, I've started to assume it's Aralda Vintage. Most of the time, it is. Jones's shop has become a destination for celebrities looking to prove their fashion chops, and her selection can best be described as fashion heaven as far as I'm concerned.
Below, I sat down with the vintage shop owner and curator to discuss how she got started, what she thinks is the future of vintage fashion, and how she decides which pieces are special enough for the shop.
On how Aralda Vintage started:
Brynn Jones: Growing up in Portland, Oregon, I always dreamt of opening a vintage shop downtown. It was my little pipe dream that never really left me. While my classmates were applying to colleges, I had hopes and dreams to move to New York City to attend fashion school, but life took me in a different direction.
I moved to Hawaii right after I turned 18 and worked all kinds of jobs; some of them at the Ala Moana mall in Waikiki, which is full of high-end shops like Dior, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton. I worked the Lancôme counter at Macy’s, and during lunch breaks I’d find myself wandering the luxury stores—completely inspired and taking notes. I still vividly remember walking into the Dior boutique and seeing the fall 2004 show playing on a giant flatscreen. It was my first real introduction to Galliano’s work and it blew my mind. It was also when Marc Jacobs was at Vuitton and Lagerfeld at Chanel. Everything was so FUN.
