Lara Koleji

Lara Koleji opened in 2019 as a weekend-only store in Greenpoint. Since then it has moved to Orchard St. and has become shorthand for good taste. Vogue called it "a haven for New York vintage fanatics in the know" within its first six months. Blackbird Spyplane, #2 in Fashion & Beauty on Substack, put it on their "50 Slappiest Shops Across the Spyplane Universe" list, and in 2023 it was their No. 1 vintage store in New York. Both Lorde and Charli XCX have been spotted there (separately).

The pieces aren't overtly trendy. They're cool by way of slight detail: a fitted blazer in teal leather, gray tailored shorts with a tuxedo stripe, tees from bands like Sick of It All, or a vase in turquoise glaze. Earlier this year, Sam Hine (GQ's fashion correspondent for years, now New York Magazine's men's style editor, and a customer himself) described Tyler Kolek, the Knicks benchwarmer who's been singled out for his Dries shoes and Margaux bags, as "an off-duty Patrick Bateman with a house account at Lara Koleji."