Retail Profile: 9th Street Vintage

Inside Meri Civorelli’s 9th Street Vintage shop in New York’s East Village you will find a carefully edited assortment of early vintage (think 1920s silk dresses and Victorian-era shifts), French workwear and, our favorite, vintage denim. The cut-off for vintage used to be 1960, but thankfully Civorelli has expanded to allow for denim from the ‘60s and ‘70s. “Now the cut-off — at least for denim — is 1981,” she said.

Ranging from $150 to $1,200, the denim in 9th Street Vintage has been selected for wear, although some special pieces would not be out of place in a collector’s archive. Civorelli scouts her denim from some of the best sources, including Brit Eaton, with her clients’ aesthetic in mind.
“I try every piece of denim on before I buy it,” Civorelli said. “It has to look good on [a woman’s body]. The washes have to be nice — I’ll always buy a nice, dark wash.” Among her favorite buys: 1940s jeans; buckle-back jeans for the figure-flattering high-rise; center-patch Lee’s; Levi’s XX; orange tab Levi’s with a nice flare; and, of course, Levi’s 501 red lines from the 1970s.
Peek inside:
Where to find 9th Street Vintage:
346 E. 9th Street, New York
Online: https://www.9thstvintage.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/9thstvintage/
EDITOR’S NOTE: Since New York City went into lock-down, 9th Street’s brick-and-mortar store has been temporarily closed. But owner Meri Civorelli has leaned into Instagram and the shop’s online store to keep her sales going.