The Vintage Shopping in Paris Tour continues on.
If you keep going down down Rue de la Verrerie will then run into the FREE”P”STAR which also has an outlet one block over on the Rue St Croix. Not my favorite store of the bunch, because it is something like a flea market and it is always crowded there and for good reason, as they do have great deals on vintage items for both men and women. However, the set-up lacks a certain style and coziness that the other stores do possess. One could term the Free”P”Star perhaps as Vintage-Ready-to-Wear (Frip-Pret-à-Porter), hm, a pun on this ‘jeux-de-mot’ clearly intended.
This last vintage experience will then set you up for the grand finale & climax on the short vintage trip just a little bit further down the road, again on the left side of the street where you can find the main chapter of an actual CONCEPT VINTAGE STORE simply known by the name the Kilo Shop. The Kilo Shop has several stores in Paris (one on the Boulevard St Germain) and apparently one or more in Athens, Greece.
I stumbled on it when all other stores in the city were closed one day for the May 1st all-workers-unite festivities (yup still exists) – it was the only store open in town because at Kilo Shop people actually want to work and make money and they are not part of the Union. It has an amazing concept and by far the grandest and greatest collection of global vintage clothes I dare say on the PLANET. It’s concept is simple. Divide vintage clothes and other vintage items in three color-coded categories and measure the price according to these codes by the Kilo (or the pound if you wish). You can weigh them yourself anywhere in the store as if you are weighing vegetables at the supermarket. It is an excellent concept and if this store does not become globally for vintage what Amazon is for books within the next twenty years, then we will all have missed out big time.
Largest collection of Americana I have ever seen either in the States or here in Europe. Looking for that old High School Football jacket you left many years ago by mistake in the trunk of your old Chevy? Go to Kilo Shop. Looking for a matching Cheerleading outfit of the girlfriend who ditched you that night? Visit Kilo Shop. Looking for that mean old German Army trench coat you always wanted and were never able to find without people staring at you? Kilo Shop. Largest global collection vintage of American Eagle, Hollister, A&F, etc. etc.? Kilo Shop. Just bloody incredible. Vintage shoes, boots, belts, flight jackets, helmets, hats, jeans, scarfs, shirts, you name it, basically everything except underwear … Kilo Shop! A concept store.
In the two Kilo Shop stores I visited the main floor was for women whereas the basement was reserved for men, which meant that here, at last, there was to be found the actual me’s only collection of vintage clothes and accessories I had been looking for for this article. And to be honest, the place is a little heaven for those who like to dress nice but who cannot afford to buy great brands NEW. Highly recommended for men’s vintage: Kilo Shop, hopefully SOON to be found in a location near you!
Make sure to check out Vintage Shopping Part 1!
Posted by: Sandro
