I’m planning a trip to NYC next month. It’s my first time in the city, and I want to go shopping while I’m there. Where should I start?
This is a recurring question that has been posted on every iteration of a fashion forum for as long as they have existed. If you search on Google, there are a few recent lists, but most are wildly outdated, either ancient texts from 2007 or compendiums that were forced into obsolescence by the pandemic. Secondhand stores at affordable price points are rarely given a spotlight, leaving out a large chunk of menswear enthusiasts.

I’m a self-confessed shopaholic. I moved to the city in the spring of 2019, and have done my best to scour every store and boutique I can in my time here. This guide is as comprehensive a list as I can assemble, and one that I hope will help not only tourists but NYC locals looking to explore. I am also entrusting that some of the included thrift stores will not become hotspots to pick over and resell from as they also service a community need. If you believe an egregious oversight has been made, feel free to send me your recommendations on Instagram @divineeprovidence.

All shops have been assigned a general price range on a scale of $-$$$.

Secondhand Clothing

For Vintage:

1. Stella Dallas 10ft Single + Stella Dallas Living
   Neighborhood: Williamsburg
   $-$$
   If you are looking for vintage menswear in Brooklyn, there is no better place in terms of value and selection than Stella Dallas. They occupy two adjacent storefronts; Living focuses more on antique, special pieces and rugs (with a skew towards womenswear), and 10ft Single focuses more on deadstock and used vintage.
2. Rugged Road & Co.
   Neighborhood: Williamsburg
   $$
   Tucked in the back of the Bedford Ave. Mini Mall is this small but well-curated store that specializes in Americana and silver jewelry.
3. First Team Vintage
   Neighborhood: Bowery
   $-$$
   For vintage sportswear, First Team Vintage is the place to shop. They also have a buy-sell-trade system if you’re looking to trade in some of your old jerseys for new ones.
4. Raggedy Threads
   Neighborhood: Williamsburg
   $$
   Raggedy Threads is teeming with military, denim, and workwear gems, but you can also expect a higher price tag than most vintage stores on the list.

1. Shop 86
   Neighborhood: Greenpoint
   $$
   The majority of clothing at Shop 86 is 90s-00s designer womenswear, but there is some great menswear in the mix as well. The shop is comprised of multiple vendors selling in the space, so expect to pay higher prices than you would online.
2. Crowley Vintage
   Neighborhood: Dumbo
   $$$
   You will probably need directions to find Crowley Vintage. Signage is sparse and more than a couple of people have walked in and out without any luck finding it. It is located upstairs in one of the office suites, up the stairs to the left of the main staircase at the entrance of the building. Once inside, you will be treated to an absolute treasure trove of curated vintage clothing.

For Modern Clothing / A Mix of New and Old:

1. Tokio7
   Neighborhood: East Village
   $−$$$
   Although they have an online store, the majority of pieces stocked by Tokio7 are only ever listed in the brick-and-mortar store. They buy and sell more experimental, unique pieces from designers like Rick Owens, CDG, and Issey Miyake.
2. Front General Store
   Neighborhood: Dumbo
   $$
   Front General Store sells a combination of new and vintage/used goods and has a stellar selection of silver jewelry. You’ll often spot their pieces on the cover of GQ (see: Ryan Gosling and Jeremy Strong in their respective 2023 cover stories).
3. Le Point Value
   Neighborhood: Mt. Hope, Longwood, Bushwick, Prospect Park, Flatbush, New Lots
   $
   Le Point is a thrift store chain throughout NYC that sells men’s, women’s, and kid’s clothing. The Flatbush locations are the largest, but most locations have a wide selection to offer. They have some of the lowest prices of any thrift chain in the city.
4. Urban Jungle (and L Train Vintage)
   Neighborhood: Bushwick
   $
   If you walk around in NYC long enough, you will inevitably see the black tote bag that reads “L Train Vintage”. You can find gems at any of the locations, but Urban Jungle is the best of this chain. It occupies an absolutely massive space with both men’s and women’s clothing, so budget enough time to browse thoroughly. Directly around the corner from Urban Jungle is the L Train Vintage, which is more curated and comes with heftier price tags.

1. Alfargo’s Marketplace
   Neighborhood: East Village (usually)
   $
   Alfargo’s Marketplace is a monthly menswear popup that usually takes place in the East Village. Vendors cycle, there are often refreshments, and it’s a good way to meet some of the local menswear community in NYC. Dates are not fixed, so keep an eye on Instagram.
2. Leisure Centre
   Neighborhood: Lower East Side
   $$
   In addition to vintage clothing, Leisure Centre sells its own merch and handmade clothing, like a skirt made from repurposed men’s dress shirts or a hat that says “DJ. SCREW”.
3. 2nd Street
   Neighborhood: Chelsea, Upper East Side, Noho, Soho, Lower East Side, Union Square
   $-$$
   Suggesting 2nd Street as a shopping location is somewhat akin to recommending Sbarro as a great spot to grab a New York Slice, but it is the nature of this type of store to vary in quality depending on the area, and the NYC locations are generally fairly priced and well-stocked.
4. Beacon’s Closet
   Neighborhood: Greenwich Village, Greenpoint, Bushwick, Park Slope
   $
   Beacon’s Closet is the buy-sell-trade darling of NYC. If you have the time and patience to trawl through the racks, you may be able to stumble upon some serious designer steals. The Greenpoint location is the best of the four and offers a lot of womenswear as well.
5. Other People’s Clothes
   Neighborhood: Ridgewood, Bushwick
   $
   Other People’s Clothes is very similar to Buffalo Exchange and Beacon’s Closet, but they often have a popup for local designers at the Bushwick location.

Retail

For Traditional, Prep, and Ivy:

1. The Armoury
   Neighborhood: Tribeca, Upper East Side
   $$$
   Not only are the clothes at The Armoury beautiful, but the interior is fit to match and the customer service is top-notch. If you have the budget, it’s hard to imagine a better place to purchase a suit from
2. J.Press
   Neighborhood: Midtown
   $$
   Founded in 1902 on Yale’s campus, J.Press is perhaps the definitive store for Ivy menswear. If you’re shopping on the traditional side, this is a good place to start.
3. Ralph Lauren NYC Flagship
   Upper East Side, Williamsburg, Soho
   $-$$$
   The Renaissance revival mansion that houses the Ralph Lauren flagship store on 867 Madison Ave. is so decadent that it can almost be overwhelming. Inside, Purple Label, Double RL, and Polo Ralph Lauren each have their own dedicated rooms.
4. J.Crew Men’s Shop
   Neighborhood: Soho, Noho
   $$
   The J. Crew Men’s Shops are a half-step above your run-of-the-mill J.Crew Store. These concept stores are the brainchild of Brendon Babenzien, newly anointed J.Crew Men’s creative director and founder of Noah. Inside, they have cozy interiors, a tighter selection, and a cafe serving coffee from Urban Backyard.
5. Fine and Dandy
   Neighborhood: Hell’s Kitchen
   $-$$
   For traditional men’s accessories, you would be hard-pressed to find a better supplier than Fine and Dandy. As per their website, they offer: “ties, bow ties, cummerbunds, handkerchiefs, scarves, neckerchiefs, hats, tie bars, lapel pins, cufflinks, collar bars, watch straps, money clips, key rings, suspenders, sock and shirt garters, belts, spats, dog collars and leashes, and more”.
6. Drake’s
   Neighborhood: SoHo
   $$$
   The New York Drake’s store has everything you could ask for from the brand: a well-designed atmosphere, gorgeous clothes, and NYC exclusives. Drake’s makes versatile, special pieces, but at a high price point that may exclude many shoppers.

For Denim:

1. Blue in Green
   Neighborhood: Soho
   $$−$$$
   Blue in Green is best known for stocking Kapital and rare Japanese denim, but they offer a wide range of products from brands like Sillage, BEAMS JAPAN, and Studio D’Artisan.
2. Self Edge
   Neighborhood: Lower East Side
   $$−$$$
   Be warned, Self-Edge is notorious as a particularly unfriendly place to shop, especially if you are new to denim. Don’t expect glowing customer service but do expect some of the best denim selections from a brick-and-mortar store in the city.

For Workwear and Americana:

1. RRL
   Upper East Side, Williamsburg, Soho
   $$$
   Double RL is Ralph Lauren’s line that focuses on Americana and Western workwear. The retail stores have interiors full of vintage inspiration that are worth taking a look at even if you don’t intend to buy anything— I always look at the mannequins when I pass by just to get some ideas for styling.

1. M. Crow
   Neighborhood: Soho
   $$$
   M. Crow has one of the smallest clothing inventories of any store on this list, but I had to include it because the shop’s experience in itself is so beautiful. The founder, Tyler Hays, makes clothing, ceramics, paintings, furniture, and beer under the brand names M. Crow and BDDW, and all are finished to the highest standard. Hays also runs M. Crow Radio, which hosts events at the store and sometimes raffles off free products.
2. Standard & Strange
   Neighborhood: Nolita
   $$$
   Standard & Strange has locations in Oakland, Santa Fe, and NYC and stocks brands like Visvim, Momotaro, and Yuketen. They focus on high-quality, ethically made, heritage menswear.
3. Left Field
   Neighborhood: Ridgewood
   $$
   Left Field was founded by Chris McCann in 1998 and focuses on making “quality, American clothing that our grandfathers would be proud of”. Tucked away in Ridgewood, they offer a variety of denim, workwear, and western wear.

For High Fashion:

1. Dover Street Market
   Neighborhood: Nomad
   $$$
   Dover Street Market is a playground of designer fashion. Part art installation, part clothing store, it offers one of the most immersive experiences of any high-end shop in Soho. It also includes a gourmet cafe if you get hungry from all that retail therapy.
2. ELKEL
   Neighborhood: Chinatown
   $$$
   ELKEL is an avant-garde menswear boutique that prides itself on being “eclectically eccentric”. Do you need a Rick Owens gimp jacket? Do you need neon yellow Chelsea boots or a leather penis keychain? Look no further.
3. Atelier
   Neighborhood: West Village, Flushing
   $$$
   Atelier New York was the shop that first introduced Ann Demeulemeester, Rick Owens, and Werkstatt Munchen to New York City. They still stock all three, as well as most luxury designers in that same vein.
4. IF
   Neighborhood: Soho
   $$$
   IF is one of the oldest clothing stores still operating in Soho and has the distinguishment of being so striking to Andy Warhol that he offered the shop free advertisements in Interview magazine for a full year. In the early days IF boutique stocked the likes of Thierry Mugler, Moschino Couture, Jean Paul Gaultier. IF boutique was the first NYC boutique to sell Maison Margiela, and for a while, the only place to buy Japanese designers like CDG and Yohji Yamamoto.In 1997, IF moved to it’s current location, 94 Grand Street, opposite the old Yohji Yamamoto store (now Alexander Wang). 
5. Morphew
   Neighborhood: Lower East Side
   $$$
   Some of the most eccentric vintage designer pieces can be found at Morphew’s orchard street location. Their tagline is “Japanese avant-garde, minimalist, and vintage”, and they deliver on all counts. Prices are high, but the pieces are one of a kind.

For Contemporary Style:

1. Corridor
   Neighborhood: Nolita
   $$
   Brooklyn brand Corridor is a menswear community favorite, selling ethically made pieces that often feature statement knitwear.
2. Cueva
   Neighborhood: West Village
   $$$
   Cueva has barely been open for two years, but it has firmly established itself in the NYC menswear scene. They frequently host events and offer loving curated seasonal collections of clothes from designers around the world.
3. C’H’C’M
   Neighborhood: Noho
   $$$
   Established in 2008, C’H’C’M stocks brands like Evan Kinori, Veilance, and Auralee.
4. Nepenthes
   Neighborhood: Garment District
   $$$
   If you weren’t interested in Engineered Garments before, Nepenthes will convert you to a believer. The shop itself is no-frills, with a wide selection of footwear and accessories as well as men’s and women’s clothing.
5. Sabah
   Neighborhood: Soho
   $$
   Sabah produces beautiful, handmade shoes for men, women, and kids. They also often host block party-style events with free food and drink, so keep an eye on their Instagram.
6. 180 the Store
   Neighborhood: Tribeca
   $$$
   180 the store is a beautiful showroom that not only sells men’s and women’s clothing, but furniture, jewelry, and home goods as well.

For Streetwear:

1. Alumni
   Neighborhood: Crown Heights, Flatbush, Flushing
   $-$$
   Alumni NYC stocks brands like Engineered Garments, Our Legacy, and Kapital with extremely competitive sale prices.
2. Carhartt WIP
   Neighborhood: Soho
   $-$$
   For the unfamiliar, Carhartt WIP is essentially Carhartt’s fashion-forward line, founded in 1994 by Edwin Faeh. They release collaborations and generally lean more streetwear than Carhartt’s traditionally utilitarian, workwear aesthetic.
3. KITH
   Neighborhood: Soho, Flatbush, Williamsburg
   $$−$$$
   Kith hit the scene in 2011 and has maintained its chokehold on the streetwear scene ever since. They have exclusive collaborations and pieces from brands like Fear of God, Casablanca, and Ksubi. Some NYC locations even have KITH TREATS, an in-store food experience that serves cereal and ice cream.