High Low Vintage

Not a great experience at all. The lady who works there acts like your interrupting her lunch, as she attempts to assist you. I was looking for 1960’s cocktail attire, and her first two attempts to show me a dress, she states were from early 70’s. Then I emphasize that this is for an event and its 60’s cocktail attire… she pulls out 60’s funeral or church dresses. I politely said they wouldnt work, and she says, «I just think you dont like 60’s style.» Just awkward for me to want to look further at her pathetic stash. Around the corner on walnut, is Adira’s vintage boutique. This lady will not only help you, but will show you how to pull it together… and is very knowledgeable on vintage fashion.

No wonder the New York Times mentioned this store in its recent Pasadena Tavel review! You will find at High Low Vintage a really extensive and well curated selection of vintage finds for women, with great pieces from the 1960s and 1970s! The owner, Carolyn, is wonderful. She embodies the sprit of the times with the 1960s retro clothing she wears while she serves her customers. There is a nice area to lounge (great for men!) with fashion magazines and books to pass the time as your partner goes through every rack! I saw a black velvet 1970s dress I loved with gold thread trim and a black wool hat that turned up on one side. Pristine. Unique. and the only place in Pasadena to find 1960s & 1970s vintage which is this cool and awesome! The prices are in keeping with what the high end special vintage pieces will bring.

I’ll start with the good: this place is darling and the best stuff is displayed in the window.
The not so good: over-​priced. You’re better off going to thrift stores, unique vintage in Burbank (if you want to really spend money for something new but looks vintage) or yard sales in Palos verdes. The owner is rude, almost as if you should feel honored to be in her presence.
Two stars for clothing but one star for the owner and making me feel unwelcomed.

Utterly adorable vintage clothing store… And I mean vintage! Think Audrey Hepburn meets 1950’s fashionable housewife. However this is NOT a consignment shop! She does not accept clothing!

My wife liked the place. I couldn’t tell you more than that, but she was a happy camper.

This high end vintage store is perfectly suited for the charms of the Pasadena streets. Its small selection evades the feeling of being overwhelmed, and suggests the higher quality of clothes. The owner is discerning about which garments to sell, and it shows: both in her clothes and attitude.
Each piece is unique its own way and a true testament of that time. You don’t have to rummage through packed racks and racks of clothes, but rather examine the well-​preserved pieces and get a tad discouraged by the prices. But that’s what makes purchasing a vintage piece so special and with the purchase I guess.
I understand running a boutique doesn’t necessarily warrant service as if you were in a restaurant, but when you almost feel uncomfortable, like you’re intruding, that’s something I don’t understand. Rude isn’t as far as I would go in explaining the greeting I received rather distant and awkward. I defense of the retailer, though, I know it’s not always ideal to only have your items looked at and touched rather than purchased. Nevertheless, the store is something worth stumbling into.

I really love this place! It’s got a lot of cute clothes and accessories and a lot of them in my size too :) and the atmosphere is wonderful with a lot of vintage records/​posters/​ads, etc. all over the walls. I really like how it’s decorated, and Carolyn, the owner was so helpful and answered all of my questions. It’s always decorated for the seasons so it’s a lot of fun to go in and see what’s new. I especially love the jewelry, if only I had the money to buy it all!

Great place; nice atmosphere, small, but the inventory is seemingly bottomless and wonderfully curated. Friends have said it’s hard to escape from the place because of how much they have there.

Went out of my way to see a dress i had seen on line. I showed up to the store and found that the owner is not enthusiastic about make a sale at all! She told me that that «sweet spot» for sizes in her store is 0 – 10. She pulled a dress for me to try on and didn’t bother to check on me once and then couldn’t be bothered with showing me any other options. Needless to say I went in tried on 1 dress and left empty handed.
It’s a shame when shop owners could care less about a customer!

I have been coming to HLV for over a year now and I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this shop. It is by far my favorite store in Pasadena. I go practically everyday to check out all the new vintage things that come in. Yes, I’m addicted to HLV! It has the best vintage jewelry, purses and clothing in town.
I have purchased so many beautiful and unique pieces here. Things that you can’t find anywhere else. I get compliments every time I wear them. People stop me and tell me what beautiful jewelry I’m wearing or what a cute purse.
I have brought in dresses to the shop and Carolyn, the owner, has helped me find jewelry that goes perfectly with them. She knows exactly what looks good on me and brings in things that she knows I would just love. She always goes out of her way for me. If I ever have a problem with anything I have purchased, she offers to fix it for me. Carolyn you are the best! It is always a treat for me to go into HLV. I will continue to shop here for many more years to come. Thanks HLV!

High Low Vintage you made me feel so welcomed and happy.
I ran into the store as I was walking in the neighborhood. I also had a summer party coming up so it worked perfectly to go inside to find a dress.
Carolyn the owner was very helpful as I told her I was looking for a dress on my budged. She immediately gave me many options for my height, body type and size. I felt very feminine on almost all of them. But I found the one dress that followed my body and not my body following the shape of the dress. I am so glad we have this Classy selective store in Pasadena.

High Low Vintage is to me what Tiffany’s was to Holly Golightly. Visiting has become a weekly therapy session. As soon as my feet cross the threshold, I feel at ease. I have an OBSESSION with vintage cocktail dresses and my very BEST pieces have been purchased here (all of which I get a plethora of compliments on, btw:)). The thing I like most about High Low’s selection is the absolute PRISTINE condition of the clothing. I’m sure that any vintage lover has seen his/​her fair share of wear and tear, but Carolyn really goes out of her way to restore the pieces to their original splendor.
In regards to the prices, I think they are more than fair based on my expierence with other SoCal retailers who sell clothing that looks its age for the same $$$. I used to shop almost soley at Polkadots and Moonbeams off of 3^rd St. who had similar prices for clothing that, while cute, was nowhere near High Low’s immaculant standards. When you really think about it, most women would spend more on a dress from Anthro that anyone else might have than they would on a stellar and singular High Low dress. (It should be added that I shop there fairly often on a teacher’s salary, so in reality it is quite affordable.)
I’m shocked by what a reviewer said regarding Carolyn’s demeanor, which I have ALWAYS found charming and helpful. She loves and knows her store well and is ready to assist anyone who needs her help. I hate when people say that someplace has poor service when the probably never bothered to ask for assistance! She is stylish, knowledgeable and really appreciates vintage. Haters can hate, but they’ll be missing out on some of the best finds in California!
I guess the best disclaimer to put on the store is as follows: This is the store for folks who LIVE for vintage fashion, not someone looking for a cheap Halloween costume (not that there’s anything wrong with that;)) This is a sanctuary for all people who feel that they were born in the wrong time. It’s for the Mad Men loving, Zooey Deschanel following, Vogue reading bloodtype. It’s Tiffany’s, baby!

High Low Vintage is a beautifully and meticulously curated collection of vintage items. Crossroads Trading Company it is not! No more looking high and low for something wonderful and different. A great deal of thought is put into what pieces go into the store and Carolyn is a master at matching her pieces to the right people. Pasadena is known for a lot of great culture — from the museums to the symphony and playhouse, but as a local, it’s not a place that I usually shop for clothing. High Low Vintage is doing its part to make Pasadena a more fashion-​forward place and is perfect when you have a party or event and don’t want to show up only to find out that several people are wearing the same dress you’re wearing! I bought a wedding gift there once — an antique outdoor candelabra that my friends say is one of the favorite wedding gifts because it’s so romantic and unique. Carolyn did a great complimentary non-​fussy gift wrap. If you want $ 8 pre-​owned J. Crew blouses you know where to go. But if you’re looking for something fun and original from the uncrowded and gorgeous Green Street, this is the place for you.

Great finds! Friendly customer service so don’t be shy. I get lost in this space for hrs. I love looking thru all the old books and daydreaming of times past. We have bought great Xmas gifts here in the past. Love it!

Nice selection but a lil pricey. The reason for the 3 stars is because the lady there was a bit rude didn’t really acknowledge us but rudeness aside nice location and clothing.

Pros–
Larger than average selection of casual and formal attire as we’ll as accessories and shoes. Biggest selection of cocktail rings ever!
Have the owner help you pick out things, she has a great eye for fashion details that you normally don’t have with normal sales clerks.
Every dress I tried on the owner would tell me special style details about it like the hem, fabric, cut, etc.
Everything in the store, including the displays are for sale.
Cons
The prices are a little higher than market. I would come back, but this shop is more like a treat rather than somewhere I can regularly shop at. You have to take into consideration the location and large selection they have on hand.
Overall, great shop with a fantastic selection of vintage fashions!

This review is for Carolyn as much as it is for her wonderful store.
My husband and I were travelling through Pasadena and came across HighLow after lunch one day. Thankfully we both enjoy vintage/​antique shopping so we were both happy to browse.
Carolyn’s collection is selective and she has an excellent eye for unique items that still have life in them. I have bought countless vintage items over the years that would pretty much disintegrate into dust after one or two wears. But not here. She has a selection of beautiful vintage clothes that will make you stand out with an unusual embellishment or fabric style — not in a ‘baby Jane’ sort of way.
During our browsing, I admired a 20’s-era necklace that my husband very kindly bought for me. About a week after we returned to New York I called Carolyn about a lamp that he had admired and we arranged to have it paid/​shipped that very week. She remembered us in her shop and even asked how the rest of our trip went. I realize many of you ‘Left Coasters’ may be used to that type of service treatment, but coming from the huff-​gruff shops of NY (where they just sell you something and get you out of there) I was surprised that she remembered us and took the time to ask.
When we’re next in Pasadena, we will be shopping here again!

The price point is a little bit on the higher end for me, but I do like the selection and Carolyn, the owner, is super friendly and patient. She has a meticulous eye for detail and curates her store incredibly well. After much hemming and hawing, I finally purchased really beautiful metallic gold flats (slight heel) with bows on them. They look a lot like the heeled flats collection J Crew is putting out as of late, but a whole lot cheaper.
I’m not giving 5 stars b/​c of the price point because I know a lot of twenty-​somethings are on a budget these days (like me!). Nevertheless, it’s a solid store and I saved myself $ 150 dollars by buying these vintage flats instead of at J Crew.
They have metallic silver flats same as mine in a size 7, narrow, if anyone is interested!

What a great find! I bought a vintage dress from here last night. My boyfriend and I were in the neighborhood to get dinner at Malbec for Valentine’s Day, and we had some time to kill.
I’m so glad we happened to park in front of High Low Vintage and wandered inside. I ended up finding a number of really pretty, reasonably priced dresses. I’ve recently gone vintage dress shopping in both ultra urban (San Francisco) and a little more rural (Des Moines); the prices and quality here are really attractive compared to what I have seen elsewhere. Dress prices (from the ones that I tried on, at least) were in the $ 50 — $ 65 range, though I did see a few more price ones (up to around $ 230).
I also bought a scarf for $ 15 — a colorful, cartoon like «California» theme to it.
I definitely recommend this as a great place for vintage clothing shopping.
Ladies, if you bring your boyfriend along, you can keep him entertained with *free* pinball from the owner’s vintage pinball machine inside the shop.

Absolutely love everything in this store! Its nestled in a cute little area of Pasadena, right on Green Street. The prices aren’t bad, Carolyn has a lovely collection of vintage clothes to choose from, truly a lovely little store. I highly recommend it!