Frequented by celebs & students, locals & tourists, teenagers & pensioners, Lady Day is Amsterdam’s best loved address for quality vintage fashion for men and women. And so it is fitting that we start our Nine Streets blog with a short history of this vintage institution.
Lady Day - Amsterdam’s first great vintage fashion store.
Over a cappuccino in Van Harte, I caught up with Marijke Bijkerk and the history of Lady Day. Charming and gregarious, Marijke explained how she has long been passionate about fashion, clothing and all things vintage.
The idea began to take shape on London’s Portobello Road in the Swinging Sixties. A young Marijke found herself in the centre of the scene – living in London and working in Camden’s legendary Roundhouse. She was a regular visitor to Portobello Road – the place to go for fashionistas on a budget. Portobello Road was fun, inexpensive and offered all the style of the times as well as lots of vintage originals without the designer prices.
Marijke was inspired. A few years later, she returned home and set about making vintage fashion as accessible in Amsterdam as it was in London. She sourced quality garments (mainly from the 50’s but also from 30’s & 40’s) wherever she could, carefully selecting choice pieces, which she cleaned, ironed and then sold from a tiny basement near the Waterlooplein market.
Next came a stall on the Albert Cuyp Markt, set up with business partner Bernard Brouwer. A loyal following was soon built up. Then in 1972, they opened a store in the Negen Straatjes, originally at 33 Hartenstraat. The store was named Lady Day, in honour of a love for Billie Holliday. Back then, the Nine Streets was a place people stumbled upon rather than sought out as they do today. At that time, there were no other clothes shops in the Nine Streets – hard to believe now. However, the little shop thrived and a few years later, moved to the larger space it now occupies at Hartenstraat 9. Today, the Nine Streets is home to other vintage greats such as the glamorous Laura Dols and retro classic Zipper.
And so the name Lady Day became synonymous with Vintage Fashion. Hallmarks include the perfectly presented tailored suits & the classic sportswear collection. But perhaps most of all, it’s the quality and styling of the clothes on offer that sets Lady Day apart.
Marijke at the Lady Day store
The dedicated Lady Day team comprises seven people, each contributing to the friendly atmosphere and general passion for vintage. Customers are as diverse as a young man looking for a smart tweed jacket to fashion stylists, film & theatre professionals and Dutch soap stars.
Vintage Sweaters from Lady Day
Christmas tip from Lady Day – the warm & woolly Winter Sweater has arrived! Treat your boyfriend, father, husband, brother to a dapper vintage sweater from Lady Day’s wonderfully festive collection. Price – between €20 and €35 each!
Lady Day – for men, women and kids! Hartenstraat 9
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