A Fashionable Vacation - Overpacking & Vintage Shopping in Turkey

And as I did going to Aruba in 2012, I did going to Istanbul. I over-packed.

Aside from the jewelry pictured above I also had another case full of earrings, bracelets, and rings, the image above also has 2 layers of necklaces below it. lol What's funny is I pre- packed and left many things behind. Yet I still had so much I didn't use.

Not to mention my cell, iPad, laptop and the coordinating chargers.

But be that as it may, I had a lot of fun getting dressed up everyday.

I did my homework before the trip and came across: Istanbul's Top 10 Secondhand Clothing Shops and being the thrifter I am, I made sure to visit some of the places on the list. I stopped by By Retro and Nahil.

By Retro is Istanbul's largest and oldest secondhand shop. By far the most impressive vintage store I've ever seen. You need a week to sift through all the merchandise. I saw gowns, a couch piled high with leather outerwear, sections full of skates and TV's, shelves of sunglasses, leather briefcases and clutches. And don't forget to look up, for the bars above housed off-season items like fur coats, more dresses, blazers, you name it. They also have a section of costumes for rent only.

There were so many hidden crevices and racks of clothing that were impossible to get to, at least on this trip. Below are some pictures of By Retro, and a picture of me with some of the shops attendants.

The other store Nahil was full of gems like a selection of heavily curated shoes, I even spotted some gorgeous gold Givenchy sandals, tons of men's blazers and jeans, and plenty of women's dresses and accessories. I scored a vintage Fendi purse at Nahil the condition was great and at 30 TL = $15 I could not say NO!

Below are pics of the Fendi bag I got and two dresses I purchased from By Retro.

I had so much fun navigating the stores and can't wait to go back and get more goodies. What you can't see too well is the vintage terry cloth romper I also got at By Retro. I knew from the moment I put it on that it would be mine and that I'd live in it. I can't get enough of it. I put it on and feel like a super hero. Honest to God. I could wear it everyday and maybe someday I'll have someone make me a whole slew of them in every.damn.color! #boss