August 7, 2007

Oldies but Goodies

Archive Vintage Online Shop

Rifling through dingy old archives is torture. Unless by “archives,” you mean a drool-worthy selection of vintage clothing. And by “torture,” you mean absolute heaven.

Which is the case if you are perusing the new e-boutique Archive.

The brainchild of Kerry Bonnell, formerly the manager of New York’s famous vintage mecca Resurrection, the online shop was born when she moved to Dallas and discovered that it was a jackpot for classic pieces. The always-growing collection spans from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Standouts include a stretchy aqua Herve Leger dress, a navy YSL high-waisted skirt, and a flirty Ungaro minidress in a jaunty floral print. In the accessories department, there’s an insane Chanel black leather rope belt with gold hardware, a gorgeous Roberta di Camerino button print umbrella, and Gucci leather bracelets.

If the shoe fits, you could be the proud owner of a pair of killer Bruno Magli chestnut-colored flat boots or Norma Kamali black suede gladiator wedges. And the handbag selection features all the cool kids (Chanel, Bottega, and Gucci).

Consider yourself forewarned: Your bank account could suffer some serious setbacks.

But sometimes you gotta go through hell to make it to heaven.

Available online at archivevintage.com.