Vintage clothes shopping in Bangkok

If you are looking for vintage clothes in Bangkok, there are several places you can check out where you’ll have fun browsing and perhaps snare a one-off original for a song, too.

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Be warned though that shiny new is, in general, the preferred Bangkok ascetic. While vintage-chic is a popular look, especially in the Thai hipster crowd, new is still godly and a lot of clothing is mass-produced to only appear like it was made decades ago. We’ve done some detective work for you though, so you can make a beeline for the places you’re most likely to get lucky—and more specialised shops are popping up all the time.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Photo taken in or around Vintage clothes shopping, Bangkok, Thailand by Samantha Brown.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Photo: Samantha Brown

Be warned that even if you find your dream dress, shirt or skirt, chances are the size will be on the small side. Vintage is hard enough to find in Bangkok: Western-sized vintage is a needle in a haystack, as a most of the imported vintage stuff is from other Asian countries, as far as we were able to deduce. Also, shops come and go very quickly. If you find one vintage spot, ask them where else they’d recommend, as you never know what stall is going to shut down and what’s going to open.

Tip: When you’re hitting the vintage trail, wear an outfit that is easy to slip things over, as there are often no dressing rooms at markets and stalls. Vendors will have mirrors and elasticised skirts, which closely resemble shower curtains, for you to use to cover up your bottom half while you change.

Not our size. Photo taken in or around Vintage clothes shopping, Bangkok, Thailand by Samantha Brown.

Not our size. Photo: Samantha Brown

So, to the shopping! First up, we’d make sure we included Chatuchak weekend market on our itinerary. Sections 5 and 6 have plenty of secondhand stalls, with an emphasis on shirts, denim and offbeat jackets, for both men and women. Dig in and hunt around as there are genuine treasures to be found here—and in other sections, too, though not in quite the same ... please log in to read the rest of this story.

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By Samantha Brown.
Last updated on 14th September, 2017.

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How to get there
Union Mall is opposite Central Lad Phrao mall and can be easily reached from Phahon Yothin MRT station. Talaad Naew Naew is located just off the Wang Lang pier in Thonburi, and is stop number 10 on the Chao Phraya Express boat. The market is open every day but midday seems to be the time when the majority of the vendors are open for shopping.