The Garment District

So, you need a pair of lipstick-red high heels, a bottle of neon orange Mehron liquid makeup and a pink feathered boa. Oh, and did you forget to mention that the high heels need to be men’s sized? Don’t worry, The Garment District, that pink warehouse with the checkered floor at 200 Broadway and Davis Street in Cambridge, sells not only men’s high heels but go-go boots in seven different colors.
Shoe Rack (by Maison Bisson)Acclaimed “best of” by the Boston Phoenix, Boston Globe, and Boston Magazine (three times), the Garment District is one-part vintage, one-part thrift shop and two-parts costume paraphernalia.

For the suicidally frugal, Dollar-A-Pound+ on the first floor offers a pound of consignment clothes, hats, and shoes for $1.50 (OK, so that’s not $1 a pound as advertised, but it’s $.50 a pound on Fridays). Just pick up a plastic bag at the floodgates and dive in. But if you’re not brave enough to wrestle with that rapacious crowd, you should meet the mannequin in the nurse outfit upstairs. There in the pink room, you’ll find men and women’s slacks and jeans, shirts and sportscoats, hats, ties, and belts between $10 and $20, including a few leftover brand names. The pink room is great for the everyday shopper who is tired of scrounging through Marshalls, TJ Max or Ross. Amid these more mundane clothing racks are a few themed ones: western button-downs, flapper dresses, rock tees and bowling shirts. What the Garment District is famous for, however, is its assortment of cheap vintage styles, which are stored beneath the mantel of a wrecked prop plane. The red room houses 60s-, 70s-, and 80s-era bargains (including old tuxedos and pajamas) and retro accessories, like shag purses and silk scarves. Vintage buys won’t empty your wallet either; like the pink room, the red room’s prices rarely exceed $35.

Dollar-a-Pound (by Alison JFB) One of the great advantages this “alternative department store” has over discount chains is its partnership with Boston Costume, and thus the potential for crossover between vintage apparel and costume wardrobe. If you needed those lipstick-red high heels for a Halloween getup, for example, you could mosey on past the giant silver steed on the first floor and check out Boston Costume’s 4,800 rentable “disguises” ($40 and $55). While the selection of masks and wigs is limited—and the run of costume miscellanea available on the shelves no different than what you might find in other retailers (petticoats, cowboy gear, fake mustaches and plastic Tommy guns)—Boston Costume stocks every conceivable variety, all in one stop for the casual masquerader. The hardcore costumer won’t be disappointed either; the store offers a number of high-quality special-effects makeup supplies, such as liquid latex, medical adhesives and fake eyelashes in its wig section. And with Halloween around the corner, you better get in line—that lime green vinyl sofa at the checkout line will be packed with Wonder Women in no time.