For prime retro finds

There are dozens of sources for vintage across the Southland, from well-known high-end haunts The Way We Wore, Decades and Resurrection, to your local thrift store. Here are a few of the Image staff’s current favorites.

CATWALK

The best vintage proprietors curate their collections with a shrewd and savvy eye, so be sure to admire the “art” before you attack the racks at Catwalk. Owners Michelle Webb and Renee Johnston (a costume designer with an Edith Head-like aura) stock their straightforward shop with signature pieces such as ‘70s Gucci riding boots and a silver-dipped lace Christian Dior necklace. There’s plenty of pristine Pucci, YSL and Chanel to be had too.

459 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 951-9255.

SHAREEN VINTAGE

When you score your wedding dress -- a 1970s Mexican tiered confection of lace and flounce -- for $175 at a vintage shop, you’re loyal for life. Shareen doesn’t cater to label hounds. The inventory here at this vast downtown loft leans toward dresses, with Rachel Zoe-worthy caftans and mod A-line shifts. Owner Shareen Mitchell plays mama bear to customers and will style you from head to toe. Wear your best underwear -- there are no dressing rooms. A new location opened in Venice in mid-August.

350 N. Ave 21, Los Angeles, (323) 276-6226; 1641 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, (310) 664-8989, www.shareenvintage.com.

REVIVAL VINTAGE

Nicole Swasey may be (slightly) better known for playing Lisa Hayes on “Diff’rent Strokes,” but in her second life she’s a vintage seller, offering clothes from the ‘50s to ‘80s from designers such as Victor Costa, Tadashi, Chanel, Lanvin and more. The tropical space in Sherman Oaks, filled with palm plants and retro lounge music, makes you want to stay awhile too.

13940 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, (818) 783-8400, www.revivalvintagela.com.

SQUARESVILLE

This popular Eastside vintage store serves up stylish pieces to the Los Feliz and Silver Lake hipsters who frequent Cafe Figaro and the nearby Los Feliz movie theater. Everything from 1950s Dior cocktail dresses to Missoni sweaters and Chloe bags line the racks. But right now, it’s the ‘90s pieces that are the most popular. Silk ruffled shirts from the old mall haunt Contempo Casuals attract a lot of buyers. But it’s all good, especially because the average price is around $18. They also buy vintage clothes from people looking to lighten their load.

1800 N. Vermont Ave, Los Feliz, (323) 669-8464.

JET RAG

If you’ve driven down La Brea on a Sunday morning, you’ve no doubt seen crowds trolling the heaps of clothes in the front parking lot of Jet Rag. They are taking advantage of the store’s weekly “dollar a pound” deal. But it’s not the only bargain here. Jet Rag has two sprawling floors of clothes that lean more toward “thrift” than “vintage,” much of it priced in single digits. You won’t find the glitzy labels and pristine archival pieces, but you will find men’s and women’s worn-in T-shirts, ‘50s and ‘60s dresses, old Levi’s and a large selection of coats, blazers and leather jackets.

825 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 939-0528.

COQUETTE

This by-appointment-only boutique caters to celebrity stylists and their high-profile clientele, such as Mary-Kate Olsen and Charlize Theron. And there are plenty of red-carpet-worthy pieces waiting to be snatched up, including a 1970s ombre silk chiffon Pauline Trigere gown and a flirty 1960s orange Geoffrey Beene mini-dress.

950 Hancock Ave., West Hollywood, (310) 289-9199, www.coquettecouture.com.

SHABON

This Beverly Boulevard gem is the place for women to go for 1960s and ‘70s boho, with slouchy boots in all colors and sizes for less than $200 a pair, a vast selection of stretch belts with shell- and flower-shaped buckles in the $48 to $68 range, as well as ethnic print dresses, leather jackets and jumpsuits that look like they could have walked right off today’s runways.

7617 1/2 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 692-0061.

GOLYESTER

The range of men’s vintage offerings is traditionally smaller because, as one sales clerk recently noted: “Men tend to wear things to death.” Still, the tiny men’s corner of this South La Brea storefront (just beyond the sales wrap and to the right) is crammed with a constantly updated selection -- cotton, floral-print swim trunks circa 1940 ($148) and old-school Reyn Spooner Hawaiian shirts ($98), a Western-style button-front in a crossword puzzle print and turquoise Lilly Pulitzer trousers festooned with golf balls and orange flags. Suit and tuxedo jackets can be found in an astonishingly wide range of sizes and styles. The women’s offerings are among the best in the city, including cheerful Donald Brooks dresses and Elsa Schiaparelli feathered hats.

136 S. La Brea Ave. (at 1st Street), Los Angeles, (323) 931-1339.

AMERICAN RAG CIE

A few doors south on La Brea, the vintage men’s offerings at American Rag Cie include argyle sweater vests by Arrow ($29.95) -- as well as a variety of off-beat leather vests -- Lee Western-style denim shirts (with extra-long tails, $34.95), plaid Pendleton jackets ($79.95), herringbone trilby hats ($29.95), and a league’s worth of vintage bowling shirts with assorted personalized embroidery ($34.95 to $200), as well as a deep bench of vintage ties and dress shirts. For women, the vintage wares serve as inexpensive interpretations of the trendy new styles in the front of the store. So for fall, there are plenty of neon-bright coats, buffalo plaid shirts and lace scarves.

150 S. La Brea Ave. (323) 935-3154, www.amrag.com.

EVERYTHING’S JAKE

Jonathan Kanarek switches up the assortment each season at his high-end Los Feliz vintage men’s-wear-only boutique that focuses on the ‘40s through the ‘60s. This summer it was sharkskin suits and silk smoking jackets; for fall, it’s vintage suits in glen plaids and light blues and grays ($350-$425) and a treasure trove of dead-stock DeCarlo Collection neckties from 1962 that are the perfect “Mad Men” mid-width ($75). It’s the go-to for a high-class suit or a top-notch tuxedo. One day this summer, we crossed paths with actor Rhys Darby (who plays “Flight of the Conchords’ ” hapless manager Murray) shopping for a vintage jacket to wear to a Vegas stand up gig. Jake’s also carries vintage accessories including cigar cutters, cuff links and tie bars.

4644 Hollywood Blvd., (323) 662-5253, www.jakevintage.com.