Vogue’s guide to the best vintage stores in Milan is part of our directory of the very best vintage around the world, curated by editors from all over. Whether you’re traveling and searching for some superb stores to visit on your trip or are curious about your local vintage treasure chests, Vogue’s directory has you covered.
Vintage lives outside the fashion universe—it exists beyond trends. It can represent a desire for renewal, the conversion of old to new, and, more poetically, adolescent reveries realized. There’s no greater satisfaction than buying the garment or accessory coveted in preteen years spent poring over magazines. But where does the best vintage really live? Fashion capitals, of course.
Milan is now a hotbed of vintage activity. Tucked away in picturesque urban postcards, behind Piazza Castello, or just a stone’s throw from the Columns of San Lorenzo, Milan’s vintage boutiques are a must-visit destination for those who experience fashion in Milan. To narrow down the city’s vintage highlights, we’ve assembled Vogue’s guide to the best vintage in Milan, curated with the help of our editors at Italian Vogue.
Madame Pauline Vintage
You’ll find treasures in the cavernous wonders of Madame Pauline Vintage, a destination for vintage lovers and collectsors of irreverent retro wares. Luring every generation with its offerings, the boutique is a must-visit address for both socialites and It girls and impeccable ladies of Milanese style—you know the types: silver hair, brooch on the chest, and heirloom bag on the wrist. With carefully selected offerings, the store also creates custom collectsions, including Bandana, a favorite among Madame’s most beloved frequenters.
Address: Foro Buonaparte 74, 20121 Milan
Cavalli e Nastri Vintage
An institution for vintage treats and its archive fabrics, colors, and inspirations, Cavalli e Nastri is one of Milan's most celebrated vintage stores. The store is like a whirlwind fashion history tour from 1920s hats à la Louise Brooks to 1950s housemaid Corolle skirts to the unabashedly glamorous 1990s Versace. A Mecca for designers and stylists, the boutique has the intimacy you’d expect of a tea room with its soft music, shapes, and colors.
Address: Via Gian Giacomo Mora, 3, 20123 Milan
Franco Jacassi Vintage Delirium
Located in a courtyard in old Milan and furnished with period furniture, Franco Jacassi’s Vintage Delirium opened in 1985 and has since become one of the world’s most extensive collectsions of vintage clothing. Beyond that, it’s also a trove for fashion researchers with its sizable selection of couture and vintage fabrics; the boutique features a fantastic button collectsion with more than 50,000 designs, as well as a true archive of magazines, buckles, antique appliqués, and much more.
Address: Via Giuseppe Sacchi, 3, 20121 Milan
Vincent Vintage Bijoux
Manuel Menini’s personal wunderkammer, Vincent Vintage Bijoux holds an endless collectsion of vintage jewelry and costume jewelry, with a particular focus on the Georgian period. An ideal stop for jewelry aficionados, the boutique knows how to surprise with its theatrical displays that bring each individual piece to life. For those nostalgic for the Golden Age of jewelry, the store is the place for British and 19th-century styles.
Address: Via Lazzaro Spallanzani, 11, 20129 Milan, tel. 3389743349
Groupies
A destination for all those (of any age!) in their teenage rebellion phase, Groupies is a nonconformist’s paradise. The shop focuses on street style, with an emphasis on the 1990s and 2000s. Between printed short-sleeved shirts and PVC bijoux straight out of our childhood manga dreams, it’s the perfect place to indulge in fun-filled shopping.
Address: Via Gian Giacomo Mora, 7, 20123 Milan
PWC Milano
Tucked away in a side street of Piazza XXIV Maggio, PWC Milano is the location for club kids in Milan and beyond. The boutique’s assortment is consistent but not predictable, offering its coterie of loyal customers both silk slip dress and the tie-dye prints to wear with black patent leather platform boots. The pièce de résistance is the accessories station, where Regency-style velvet bonnets and cloth brooches are merchandised alongside a total-leather look.
Address: Via Pietro Custodi, 12, 20136 Milan
Lipstick Vintage
Located on Corso Garibaldi, Lipstick Vintage has a flamboyant selection of ready-to-wear creations and endless accessories. The wide assortment caters to everyone from the inconsolable romantic to the minimalists who refuse to wear color. The boutique offers its patrons muses of elegance, from the Mona Lisa to Cate Blanchett, and suggestions to mimic their style.
Address: Corso Garibaldi, 79, 20121 Milan
Bivio
Consider this the place to closet multi-task—drop off whatever clothing your ready to usher into a new home for consignment, and perhaps find a new gem while you wait. The store’s buyers buy exclusively from individuals, selecting pieces one by one and offering the seller the double option of receiving cash or a coupon to spend at the boutique—which wouldn’t be difficult to do.
Address: Via Gian Giacomo Mora 4, 20123 Milan
20134Lambrate
You’ll know you made it to 20134Lambrate when you spot the 1940s barbershop sign just a stone’s throw from the art and design hub of Via Ventura. If you like your wardrobe to cross decades, you’ll love the offerings; inside, 20th-century garments are shown on a mannequin adorned with 1980s accessories. And since fashion-lovers tend to find beauty in all its forms, there's a color-filled selection of furniture and furnishings such as lamps, chairs, vases, and mirrors.
Address: Via Conte Rosso, 22, 20134 Milan
Lo Specchio Di Alice
Though it opened in the 1990s, stepping into Lo Specchio di Alice is not unlike stepping into Lewis Carroll’s looking glass—only here, you’re in a world where the 1960s never ended. Shoppers will fashion memorabilia from the past, from Cherokee belts to hand-painted bomber jackets, from twist-dancing shoes to biker boots. It’s a space for true explorers—customers could spend hours searching for the perfect purchase among hundreds and hundreds of offerings.
Address: Corso di Porta Ticinese, 64, 20123 Milan
Humana Vintage Milan
Humana (also shoppable online) sees vintage as a way to live sustainably—but the store does much more than offer secondhand clothes. Humana is, in fact, a humanitarian organization founded in 1998 that supports education, sustainable agriculture, health protection, and community development projects in Italy and beyond through the sale of its secondhand clothes. The stores are filled with clothing, accessories, jewelry, and Italian fashion items from the ’60s to the present day.
Address: Via Cappellari, 3, 20123 Milan
Sous Vintage Shop
Opened in 2010 and located in the Navigli district, Sous Vintage takes the concept of second-hand to the next level, offering not only pre-loved clothing and accessories but also hosting collectsions and events by young indie creatives who upcycle discarded fabrics and materials to create something new. The shop was the brainchild of Eva Fiorucci and Carolina Ferrari.
Address: Alzaia Naviglio Pavese, 52, 20143 Milan
Pourquoi Moi Vintage
Founded by Juliana Osei, Pourquoi Moi focuses on vintage from European and Nordic brands. Because of that, the offerings focus on jewel-toned colors, large prints (including Marimekko’s famous flowers and giant polka dots from Wim Van Der Doef), and easy casual pieces.
Address: Via Mario Fusetti, 7, 20143 Milan
The Cloister
This vintage store, founded by Daniela Cavero, gets its name from its location—it’s built inside the 15th-century palace Casa dei Grifi and steps away from Milan Cathedral. Inside the industrially designed space, you’ll find clothing from the 1900s to 1990s, including Celine leather pants, Prada suits, and a large collectsion of men’s workwear.
Address: Via Valpetrosa, 5, 20123 Milano
Foto Veneta Ottica
Any four-eyed traveler will delight in the collectsion of deadstock glasses and sun shades found inside this multi-room eyewear emporium. Vintage specs from well-known designers like Christian Dior, Gianna Versace, Gucci, and Giorgio Armani are there, along with just-as-divine pairs from Italian brands, too. The selection of vintage Persol (minimalist cool) and Gianfranco Ferrè (’80s opulence to its core) should not be missed.
Address: Via Torino, 57, 20123 Milano
Mark your calendars: the Replica Handbag Store Vintage Market is back for round two. With thanks to eBay, there will be an impeccable curation of vintage and pre-loved pieces ready to find a new home in your wardrobe. If you haven’t already—now is the time to secure your tickets, simply RSVP and make a donation here.
