(Image credit: Courtesy of Brynn Jones)
The first time I went to Los Angeles, a couple of years ago for work, I had one day to explore on my own. I planned my entire day around doing just one thing. It wasn’t a hike to see the Hollywood sign or a trip to Erewhon for an overpriced smoothie but to step foot into Aralda Vintage, a vintage shop I had become obsessed with online.
I became familiar with the store after watching season two of Euphoria, particularly the scene in which Maddy (Alexa Demie) discovers the walk-in closet of the mom she’s babysitting for. It’s filled with iconic designer pieces from Christian Lacroix to Valentino and Alexander McQueen, all of which came from Aralda Vintage. I instantly followed the store on Instagram and would basically haunt its online presence, refreshing day after day to see founder Brynn Jones’s incredible archival finds.
When I finally made my way out West, it was the only place I wanted to see. Stepping foot into the small shop tucked away in Beachwood Canyon felt transformative. The store is painted a deep orange, like the very best bit of a sunset before it fades away. And the racks are filled with items I’d only ever dreamed of touching, like the suede Prada corset from the F/W 99 collection that Kate Moss wore on the runway and Jennifer Aniston later worn on the cover of W.
Now, whenever I see a truly incredible and enviable archival look on the red carpet, I’ve started to assume it’s Aralda Vintage. Most of the time, it is. Jones’s shop has become a destination for celebrities looking to prove their fashion chops, and her selection can best be described as fashion heaven as far as I’m concerned.
Below, I sat down with the vintage shop owner and curator to discuss how she got started, what she thinks is the future of vintage fashion, and how she decides which pieces are special enough for the shop.
On how Aralda Vintage started:
Brynn Jones: Growing up in Portland, Oregon, I always dreamt of opening a vintage shop downtown. It was my little pipe dream that never really left me. While my classmates were applying to colleges, I had hopes and dreams to move to New York City to attend fashion school, but life took me in a different direction.
I moved to Hawaii right after I turned 18 and worked all kinds of jobs; some of them at the Ala Moana mall in Waikiki, which is full of high-end shops like Dior, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton. I worked the Lancôme counter at Macy’s, and during lunch breaks I’d find myself wandering the luxury stores—completely inspired and taking notes. I still vividly remember walking into the Dior boutique and seeing the fall 2004 show playing on a giant flatscreen. It was my first real introduction to Galliano’s work and it blew my mind. It was also when Marc Jacobs was at Vuitton and Lagerfeld at Chanel. Everything was so FUN.
Around that same time, I was also working “informal modeling” jobs for some of those brands. It was essentially walking around the store in the clothes, which I loved because I got to wear the garments and experience the craftsmanship up close. On my days off, I’d spend what little money I had on fashion magazines and then scour every thrift shop on the island to re-create the looks in my own way. I became obsessed with the thrill of the hunt. I’d come home from my day of thrifting and set up my apartment like a tiny boutique and daydream about what it would be like to have my own store.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Brynn Jones)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Brynn Jones)
A few years later, I moved to Los Angeles, signed with an agency, and modeled off and on while working retail (shout-out to Fred Segal Santa Monica!). Eventually I was modeling full-time, and though I was always grateful for the work, it never felt natural to me. I loved working in fashion, but I wanted to be behind the scenes.
Over a decade later, I decided I was ready to leave modeling behind, so I started saving and slowly investing in pieces of vintage inventory. I found a tiny office space at Crossroads of the World in Hollywood and began converting it into my first brick–andmortar. During the process, I’d ask my agency for advance checks so I could finish building out the shop. My friends and I would spend days and nights there, painting the walls and trying to make it something special. That era holds some of my favorite memories.
Aralda started out with mostly unlabeled vintage, but the spirit has always been the same; playful maximalism with plenty of room for minimalists, too. Eventually I outgrew that first space and moved out. There was a gap where I didn’t have a physical store space, so I took advantage of not paying rent and began investing more into individual designer pieces instead of just focusing on quantity. With every step forward, I let the business evolve organically. Over time, I found myself curating the kind of archive I had always dreamed of.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Brynn Jones)
On how she fell in love with archival vintage fashion:
BJ: Ever since I was young, I’ve loved vintage. But my relationship with archival fashion really began when I was around 18 or 19, when I began studying high fashion through magazines, The Fashion Spot and Style.com! And then finding ways to re-create looks with pieces I’d find thrifting. I became obsessed with the artistry of it all, especially when I would find something with real history or craftsmanship. Over time, that love evolved from just styling vintage to really understanding it, researching it, collecting it. That’s when I began to see vintage not just as clothing, but as an art form.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Brynn Jones)
On what makes vintage fashion so special:
BJ: Vintage fashion is a tangible piece of history—it is a physical time stamp from a different place and era. It reflects the culture and spirit of the time it came from. My favorite pieces are often the oldest ones, antiques that are over 100 years old, intricately crafted and still in beautiful condition. A lot of those pieces never even make it onto the racks of the store because I can’t bring myself to let them go.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Brynn Jones)
On why she thinks there’s been such an interest in archival vintage recently:
BJ: I think the COVID lockdown sparked a big shift. People became more creative, more resourceful. Resale platforms exploded, and suddenly vintage became more accessible and even aspirational. It’s not just about sustainability or price (though those are huge bonuses); it’s about individuality and story.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Brynn Jones)
On how she decides when a piece is special enough to have for Aralda Vintage:
BJ: It’s been a learning curve. In the beginning, I’d sometimes buy things thinking, Well, someone will like this. Now, I either have to personally love it or be able to picture one specific person who would buy it. I’ve learned that the more intentional you are with your curation, the more your vision comes to life. I also rarely buy anything that isn’t in excellent condition. I don’t like altering or repairing vintage unless absolutely necessary. It’s important to preserve the integrity of the piece, especially for the collectors who come to us looking for something rare and untouched.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Brynn Jones)
On how she started working with celebrity stylists and their clients for red carpet dressing:
BJ: Word of mouth is pretty powerful, especially in the age of social media. Most of it has happened organically through friends who are stylists, or friends of friends. After living and working in Los Angeles for almost two decades, I’ve kind of looked around and realized how many people I’ve actually gotten to know—whether it be from working in fashion or from my younger years of being out and about. I also do think there’s something a little serendipitous about the shop being tucked away in Beachwood Canyon. It’s off the beaten path, but still central. A lot of clients live nearby and have actually stumbled upon us by chance.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Brynn Jones)
On red carpet celeb looks from Aralda Vintage that feel particularly special:
BJ: I’ve had the pleasure of styling Alexa Demie a few times, and it’s always such a joy. We really click creatively. One of my favorite looks was a spring 1992 Alaïa skirt suit with Louboutin pumps. She looked so chic and feminine and powerful. Another time she wore a 1970 Norman Norell gown that felt modern, vampy, and totally her. Her presence always elevates the clothes.
But I get especially excited when pieces from Aralda are worn by someone who was iconic in my youth. Liza Minnelli wore the most perfect leopard hat in the recent fall issue of Interview magazine. Having anything from Aralda worn by her was beyond what I ever could have imagined.
When Rebecca Ramsey styled Pamela Anderson for her Netflix press tour and pulled a lot of looks from the shop, I was so thrilled. I grew up watching Pamela on TV, so it felt surreal. And when Gwen Stefani or Christina Aguilera have worn our pieces, my inner tween is smiling ear to ear, braces and all. Their music was part of the soundtrack to my formative years. The fun part of these celebrity placements are less about the fame and more about memories these artists are tied to. There’s something really full circle about sharing this part of myself with people I admired growing up. That’s the magic of nostalgia, and Aralda lives in that space.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Brynn Jones)
On which archival collections or pieces she has right now that she’s most excited about:
BJ: Lately, I’ve started pulling pieces from my personal archive, things I’ve held on to for years and have been slowly bringing them into the shop. It can be a little bittersweet, but I do think pieces carry energy, and I love the idea of someone else breathing new life into them.
On what she thinks the future of vintage will look like in 2025:
(Image credit: Courtesy of Brynn Jones)
BJ: I think vintage will continue becoming more mainstream, but in a good way. It’s becoming more accessible and more integrated into how people shop, whether they’re looking for high-end designer pieces or everyday staples. And I think the landscape will keep expanding into smaller niche markets, with more education and appreciation for craftsmanship. There’s a growing awareness around sustainability, individuality, and intention, and vintage sits at the intersection of all three.
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