From Doja Cat’s Haul to a Madame Grès Moment: Inside the Vogue Vintage Market

The line came first. Even before the VIP hour of the Vogue Vintage Market was underway, a well-dressed queue had formed outside Roll & Hill: vintage devotees staking their place ahead of the Market’s official opening at noon.

Inside, Doja Cat, Vogue’s April cover star and the day’s host, set the tone immediately. Moving through the space alongside her co-hosts Emma Chamberlain and Paloma Elsesser, Doja delivered a look lifted directly from the orbit of 1980s Yves Saint Laurent—or, as she put it, pausing to pose, “It’s giving YSL, even though it’s not fully YSL vintage.” It was all sculpted shoulders, black leather, electric blue gloves, a matching clutch, and a white straw fez perched just so.

And Doja wasn’t just hosting—she was shopping, too. Arms full, she balanced a growing assortment of brooches (two newly acquired), a pair of red Gucci mules, and enough other finds that a friend eventually stepped in to help carry the load.

Indeed, the Vintage Market’s goods—curated by Chamberlain, Elsesser, Liana Satenstein, and Amy Astley, with a sharp menswear edit from GQ—had something for everyone, and minutes into the sale, the three-floor space was humming. Racks of archival fashion sourced from eBay (and beyond) didn’t stay full for long. Pieces from Anna Wintour’s wardrobe—recognizable by their super-specific silhouette—drew a steady crowd, while Vogue editors gravitated, almost uniformly, toward impeccably cut Charvet men’s shirts, the kind of under-the-radar staple that signals true fashion fluency. Nearby, Alexis Novak of Tab Vintage slipped into a 1953 Madame Grès gown—an almost surreal moment of fashion history meeting present-day obsession, and a reminder that even the most seasoned vintage dealers were ready to shop.

Also keeping a close eye on the action was Kate Barton, whose handbags were prominently displayed on the main floor. Watching shoppers circle, consider, and commit, she didn’t have to wait long before seeing one find a new home.

Chamberlain, who had also contributed pieces to the sale, wore a look based less on label and more on aesthetic. “I’m choosing things strictly for vibe—I don’t care about anything else,” she said of her cropped, double-breasted tweed Sandro jacket (cut just short enough to reveal elongated leather gloves), paired with easy Double RL denim and a charming no-label handbag with a mirror built directly into the lining.

Elsesser, meanwhile, was dressed in a Tom Ford–era Gucci knit with a built-in fur vest, a sculptural skirt by Junya Watanabe, and Chanel boots (“by Karl,” she clarified). “I’m a kooky hat person—if you don’t buy it, I will,” she warned a fellow shopper eyeing a glossy black Miu Miu cap adorned with three-dimensional florals evoking an Esther Williams scene. What Elsesser ultimately walked away with, though, was a pair of black Prada briefs and a gray tank from Martin Margiela’s late-1990s “flat” collection. “I collect this Margiela flat collection,” she said.

Beyond the racks, Astley’s corner extended the hunt into the home. There, Elsa Peretti bowls for Tiffany & Co. sat alongside Murano glassware in gleaming candy colors. At one point, Elsesser paused mid-shop, delighted by a silver-scaled fish that revealed itself to be a bottle opener. “I’m obsessed,” she said.

From the GQ edit, one standout—a patent black jacket from Raf Simons’s tenure at CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC—was snapped up almost instantly. But as racks began to thin, fresh pieces quietly appeared in their place, keeping the pace intact.

By early afternoon, it was clear: at the Vogue Vintage Market, the past doesn’t linger—it circulates. And with 100% of net proceeds benefiting the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and the Center for Youth Mental Health at NewYork-Presbyterian, each piece carried not just history, but purpose.

With thanks to eBay, the official vintage and pre-loved partner of Vogue.