What’s old is new. And on the premiere episode of Complex’s Vintage Shopping, host Jazzelle heads to Treasures NYC, a vintage staple, with rapper and musician Princess Nokia to score the flyest club looks.
Nokia’s shopping mantra for the day? “I wanna feel naked and unafraid!” While perusing the shop, both style stars discussed their influences, with Nokia talking about her St. Marks Place upbringing and how she wanted to mimic the looks worn by village heads and old-school rockers she saw in the neighborhood. The rapper is known for taking fashion cues from subcultures rather than the mainstream and migrated towards staples like leather jackets, platform shoes, and bondage wear.
In Episode 1, we see her in a playful ensemble, rocking bright colors, plastic jewelry, a flowing maxi skirt paired with sneakers. Nokia also draws fashion inspiration from the early 2000s, which saw a fusion of the worlds of hip-hop and rock, downtown meets uptown. Think artists like N.E.R.D., M.I.A, and Kelis.
Here’s what Nokia bought—and some alternatives you can pick up. Watch the full episode above, and check back every week for new episodes of Vintage Shopping.
Shop the Look
The Dior Multicolor Rasta Jacket, which retails for $700, is a piece from their coveted 2004 capsule collection that featured an infusion of Rastafarian colors and themes all across its clothes and accessories. This collection dropped during a time when major artists like Gwen Stefani were heavily leaning into the rasta theme to elevate their looks. While this collection debuted almost 20 years ago, pieces like the monogram bags and the saddle bags (both designed with a bold tri-color rasta stripe down the front) are still in demand by vintage collectors and fashion fans.
Shop the Look
One of the more popular vintage Dior finds, the Dior J’adore tank, which retails for $400, made its debut in the Christian Dior Fall/Winter 2001 runway show, and has since been a staple in the closets of vintage collectors. It reads “World Champion 1947” on the back. For this collection, John Galliano, Dior’s former creative director, was inspired by ravers and the wildly popular hip-hop scene at the time. The fusion of both of those worlds in this collection is undeniable. Dior featured Boom Box Bags, Graffiti-clad jackets and skirts, as well as sophisticated fur-lined jackets over pinstriped suits.
