Ever since I was a young girl, I’ve always been obsessed with the latest satin shoe trends or whatever newest patterns were in season. I’d sit in the back of my high school Chem class mindlessly doodling extravagant and elaborate costumes, gawk at the windows at the designer vintage shops whenever I went on vacations, and spend late nights sewing or cutting up old jackets and pants that I found buried deep in my Mom’s ancient closet. And at this point, I think my family has accepted that nothing in their wardrobes are truly safe around me.
When I got into Berkeley, fashion was one of the things that I was most excited about to explore outside of my academics. During a tour of campus when I first got my acceptance, I was immediately drawn to the unique and vibrant styles of each and every person that I saw. Funky hats, fur trimmed boots, and sequin scarves were just a few of the eclectic pieces that I noticed students fitted up in. As I walked down the streets of Telegraph, I spotted peddlers selling hand-carved belts, street artists proudly displaying their canvas art, and tons of retro thrift shops. It felt like I was literally inside my dream Pinterest boards, and everywhere I looked I felt a burst of inspiration and exhilaration, like I had finally found a place where I could actually envision myself living for the next four years.
Clubs & Student Organizations
My freshman year, I joined a club called FAST, or Fashion and Student Trends. They host a 2 unit Fashion and Runway decal where you get to learn to sew and construct a garment that gets displayed at their end of semester runway - no prior experience needed! I’d never sewn or designed for another person before, so it was a fun challenge and I also got to get a peek into my fellow designers’ design processes fron the early stages of paper sketches to their final fully fleshed-out costumes. I was also involved in GARB which is a club that focuses more on fashion sustainability, and one of their biggest events each year is the GARB-age runway where each model is dressed from head to toe in 100% upcycled and eco-friendly pieces! A couple other fashion clubs here at Berkeley are BARE Magazine that produces a printed issue each semester, EthiCAL which designs and sells student merchandise, and ReUSE which is a volunteer-run thrift store located on the first floor of MLK student union. Student organizations are a great way to meet other people who are just as fashion-obsessed as you are, and honestly, what better excuse do you need to spend your free time sewing, thrifting, designing, and convincing yourself that your closet definitely has room for one more piece - even if you did just have to buy another dresser drawer to fit your collection of hoodies!
Shops and Fashion Districts
If you’re in need of a style upgrade, there are loads of places worth exploring to help you refine your wardrobe. 4th Street in Berkeley, Bay Street in Emeryville, or Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek are home to mainly retail chains such as Uniqlo and Free People. Located near campus, Anastasia's, Out of the Closet, and the Goodwill on Shattuck are some of my usual stops when the urge to buy something I absolutely do not need becomes too powerful to ignore. And, one of my favorite places to just simply window shop at is the Curiosity Shop on Martin Luther King Junior Way. It has over 45,000 pieces of vintage costume jewelry for sale, so you can imagine how long a person can get stuck in there gawking at the gold encrusted pendants or the studded retro watches.
For options a bit further away but still easily accessible via bus (which is free thanks to Baypass!) I also love the Elmwood and Rockridge neighborhood shops or Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue district that’s littered with vintage and consignment stores. And, for those feeling adventurous or are willing to make the Bart trek across the bay, I’d highly recommend checking out the Fillmore Street for upscale fashion boutiques or the historical Haight-Ashbury district for eclectic vintage in San Francisco. There’s also the South San Francisco Goodwill bins, but unless you’re ready to fight against Depop resellers for a piece of 2000’s Hollister, I usually tend to only advise this for my more serious shop-aholics.
Events and Pop-Ups
Berkeley is also a hot spot for vintage clothing events. The Wardrobe Projectile organizes a flea market in the Rockridge Bart flea market every third Saturday of the month, and the previously branded So-So Market now known as the New Star Popup hosts a few times a semester in the parking lot next to RSF. The Alameda Antique Faire, held on the first Sunday of each month, is the largest in Northern California and my personal favorite since it features over 800+ Vendors from all over the Bay Area.
Additionally, on a clear, sunny day, it’s pretty common to see clubs such as the ones I’ve mentioned above, sororities, and even regular students host informal pop-ups or sell their own clothes in booths and clothing racks right on Lower Sproul. I’ve snagged a couple sick items from these events such as a 90’s sequined Billabong swimsuit and an embroidered leather belt that I wear almost every day!
For any of my fellow shopping enthusiasts and vintage addicts who are either just arriving here at Cal or haven't spent a lot of time diving deep into the fashion scene just yet, these are a few ideas of ways to get involved and a couple places to visit if you ever have a free hour or two in between classes. So, whether you’re a seasoned thrifter who can spot a vintage Levi’s tag from across the room or someone whose current wardrobe consists mostly of Berkeley hoodies and gym shorts from high school, there’s a whole fashion scene here just waiting to be explored!
PS: my last tip is to go into any store with an open mind. You might walk into a store looking for a specific lace top and walk out with a Victorian blouse, a handkerchief from 1887, and absolutely no logical explanation for why you bought either.