Affordable, interesting clothes shopping in Bangkok?

January 18, 2015 10:25 AM

I'm in Bangkok for two days and I'd like to do some clothing shopping--for interesting, inexpensive things, maybe vintage/used if it exists here in the same way it does in the states. Suggestions?

At home in the US I'm a thrift store habitué, into bright colors and only mildly feminine/queerishly so (but not androgynous/boi-ish in my fashion choices). I'm female, and large by Thai standards (5'9", size ten, a little curvy). I love a lot of the teen-oriented fast fashion here--shirts covered in banana-print, cats on everything, digital prints, knock-offs of the Kenzo line that covers everything in eyes... But I'm 34, and am having trouble finding the happy medium between weirdly charming and totally juvenile! Help! I've been to the Chatuchak market, and discovered shops with smaller Thai designers at Siam, but I'd love to find vintage, used, or slightly weirder things. Suggestions?

posted by tapir-whorf to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (4 answers total)

I haven't been to BKK in over 10 years so this is out of date, but when I was there, the Chatuchak weekend market was a marvel. I don't know for sure that it has a vintage/flea market section but I would think it has to because it has everything else.
posted by lunasol at 1:46 PM on January 18, 2015

Chatuchak definitely has a vintage/flea section - I have some great stuff from there.
posted by une_heure_pleine at 3:30 PM on January 18, 2015 [1 favorite]

Check out the Rot Fai (train) market. Chatuchak also has a really nice store run by this woman. It's not exactly vintage, but she travels around Thailand, Burma, and elsewhere to curate an interesting and unique collection of jewelry and clothing from regional tribes. I can't quite remember the name of it, but it's right off of a court that has food stands and next to a couple ATMs. She also makes some of her own metal broaches. Not super cheap, but a steal for what she's selling. The owner told me that she makes more money during the 3 days she's at that Santa Fe folk art festival selling goods at 8-fold markup than she does the whole rest of the year. Definitely worth a visit.
posted by waninggibbon at 6:36 PM on January 18, 2015

The Pratunam section of BKK had great street vendors and other markets nearby. It's where I had my suits made.
posted by mearls at 7:35 PM on January 19, 2015