Katy K’s Ranch Dressing in Nashville, TN, is a vintage clothing holy land.

Southern Vintage

Southerners have long been able to appreciate re-appropriated clothing and wares -just think of Scarlett O'Hara and her makeshift curtain dress, or Blanche du Bois and her scarf-cum-lightbulb cover. If those fictional characters were alive today, they'd surely be found at some of the fantastic vintage shops to be found in the Southern states. A tradition of handing down cherished clothing mixed with a deep-rooted sense of nostalgia in the bottom part of the country have yielded a smattering of great vintage stores only steps from major arteries throughout the South.

"I sell clothes that had very special previous lives," says Amy Patterson.

Here's are some places to hit on your next trip below the Mason-Dixon:

Nashville, TN

Most of the stylish summer dresses, rock-and-roll tees, and retro slacks, etc., at Venus and Mars Silvery Moon (2830 Bransford Ave.) are from the 1940s to 1970s, and many of the items are available for rental to people who aren't sure they want to commit to a pair of go-go boots and video designers who are trying to get a vintage feel on a shoot. (The store is located near several dozen of Nashville's recording studios). "I buy old clothes from local people, and when you've kept something that long, it usually has a story about it," co-owner Amy Patterson says. "People come to me to sell their old clothes, and I'll hear, 'I wore this to the Grand Ole Opry,' or 'I wore this at the old train station.' I sell clothes that had very special previous lives."

Before you get back onto IS 40, don't miss Katy K's Ranch Dressing, a massive store with a huge array of vintage bolo ties, western cowboy shirts, and petticoats. They also have vintage dresses in multiples, which is perfect for bridal parties (and are also good if you want to wear the same vintage dress every day for the rest of your trip without ever having to hit a Laundromat). Now fluff your petticoat for the ride to . . .

Atlanta, GA

Stefan's (1160 Euclid Ave.) was the source of much of the clothing in classic southern-themed pictures such as Driving Miss Daisy and Sweet Dreams. It's better organized than many a department store. There's a men's section, a women's section, a jewelry section, a hat section, and a formalwear section - then each of those areas are sorted by size and color. Rebecca Birdwhistell has co-owned the shop since 1980 and travels 50,000 miles a year to find fabulous tatted dresses, vintage Pucci dresses, Lilli Ann coats from the 1960s, silk flapper dresses, and more. And the prices are more than reasonable. "We have some things that are in the $500 range, but you can get a 1950's pencil skirt in great condition for $32," Which means you can save money for gas for your drive to . . .

Austin, TX

"I am the Imelda Marcos of vintage cowboy boots," says Evan Voyles of Austin, TX. Voyle's wife Gail Chovan owns Blackmail (1202 South Congress Ave.), a boutique that, in addition to its wide array of mostly black, nonvintage clothing, offers over a hundred pairs of Voyle's antique boots. "I own 700 pairs! I started collecting 25 years ago, and then had to start selling them to support my habit." The boots he has for sale come in rattlesnake skin, elephant, ostrich, buffalo, denim, and more. Priced from $135 to $500, they're mostly from before 1970; some date back as far as 1930. According to Voyle, many were custom made. Now you can just saddle up that convertible and head straight for . . .

New Orleans, LA

With two stores downtown and one uptown, Trashy Diva (829 Chartres St., 831 Chartres St., and 2048 Magazine St.) has something of a local monopoly on vintage clothes. The back of the Magazine Street location is the place to go to for 1930s cocktail dresses and 1920s beaded chiffon gowns; the Chartres street locations have vintage silk night gowns and lingerie, as well as chokers made from antique belt buckles. But the shops' current specialty is a line of new clothing made from vintage patterns and antique reproduction fabrics. "You know, there're a lot of cities where there's just no vintage market," says manager Veronica Russell, "People think they're just old clothes. But here, people live for nostalgia."

Posted on July 17, 2006