Rachel Tabb, owner of the Los Angeles vintage shop RLT, is reinventing the wheel of vintage shopping by embracing the perennial.&nbsp;

Everyone has a love story to tell. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/racheltabb/?hl=en" title="Rachel Tabb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rachel Tabb&rsquo;s</a> is with fashion&mdash;although, for the record, she did meet her boyfriend at the salad bar in <a href="https://www.erewhonmarket.com/" title="Erewhon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Erewhon</a>.
In fifth grade, while Tabb&rsquo;s friends were shopping for <a href="https://www.hollisterco.com/shop/us" title="Hollister" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hollister</a> graphic tees and <a href="https://www.aeropostale.com/" title="Aeropostale" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aeropostale</a> skinny jeans at the mall, she made her way across the street to the charity thrift store with a $20 bill, and walked out with a pair of <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/miu-miu-fall-winter-2022-paris-fashion-week-show-runway-photos" title="Miu Miu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miu Miu</a> heels, roller skates, and a bag of dollar-rack clothes she could cut up and sew. From there, she went on to fuel that passion by modeling, interning for designers, and, later, while still in college, working as a product designer for <a href="https://us.brandymelville.com/" title="Brandy Melville" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brandy Melville</a>.
However, after years of sourcing fabric samples and selling her flea market finds on Instagram, Tabb made the choice to invest in herself, using the entirety of her savings to open <a href="https://shoprlt.com/" title="RLT" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RLT</a> in LA, a vintage shop across the street from that same Erewhon where her other love story began.

Though she is more than aware of the all-encompassing <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/skirts-over-pants-dresses-trend-2000s-90s-y2k-fashion" title="Y2K revival trends" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Y2K revival</a>, the store&mdash;and Tabb herself&mdash;is more minimalist, inspired by the &lsquo;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/it-girl-y2k-90s-fall-fashion-inspiration" title="90s aesthetic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">90s aesthetic</a> exemplified by style icon <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/carolyn-bessette-kennedy-90s-style-wedding-dress-jfk-jr" title="Carolyn Bessette Kennedy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carolyn Bessette Kennedy</a> and women like Tabb&rsquo;s mother, who &ldquo;moved to New York and had this amazing Calvin Klein, Levi&rsquo;s, very chic &lsquo;90s supermodel vibe.&rdquo;
When asked what sets her store apart from other vintage retailers, Tabb answers thoughtfully about how she uses her knowledge and experience, both personal and professional, to bring together quality and style in a way that transcends trends. But, essentially, the answer comes down to Tabb&rsquo;s personal philosophy.&nbsp; &ldquo;I wanted to make a space that was price-inclusive, size-inclusive, and also just very timeless. It&rsquo;s been my highest intention that even if the store were to close and not exist anymore, people would still be wearing the clothes that they bought at my store until the end of their life, and pass them down to their kids. They would be timeless in the sense of, Nothing I have is really made to trend. It&rsquo;s just made to exist forever.&rdquo;
Tabb speaks to L'OFFICIEL about she built RLT into a reflection of herself and her experiences.

L'O: Can you start off by telling me how you became interested in fashion and the fashion world?
RT: I've been interested in fashion for as long as I can remember. But I got into the space of vintage fashion&mdash;I don't know what time I wasn't interested in fashion, but when I started, I have a very specific memory of being in fifth grade. My best friend and I went to the mall. You know when you're in fifth grade and you go to the mall alone? It's really &ldquo;big girl.&rdquo; My mom had given me $20 to go to Limited Too or Hollister. Did you have Out of the Closet thrift stores? 
L'O: No.
RT: Out of the Closet was like Goodwill, but the money went to AIDS research and gay rights. I think they might have just been around California. I grew up in Los Angeles. But across from the mall that I was dropped off at was an Out of the Closet thrift store. I was like, I want to go there and spend my money instead of going to Hollister or Limited Too. So I went to this thrift store, and with my $20, I got a pair of Miu Miu heels, roller skates, and then I went to the dollar rack. I bought with the rest of my money a bunch of clothes that I could cut up and sew together so I could design my own clothes. From there, I became really, really interested in designing my own clothes.
I dipped my toe in the fashion designing space of having many internships for many different designers. Then, when I was in college, I ended up becoming a product designer for Brandy Melville for five years, just sourcing their fabric, sourcing vintage that they took inspiration from. They have this cropped cardigan. This is my low-key secret claim to not fame, but my own personal accomplishment. They have this cropped cardigan that is maybe their best-selling item. They make it every season. It's a playoff of a cardigan that was a vintage that I sourced and cut myself and I brought into them. I was like, "This is very cool. You should make this." They've made it every year for at least seven years now. I still have the original cropped cardigan with me. That's how I got interested in fashion.
I got really interested in going to flea markets, which are my favorite. It's a mashed-up ball of different things&mdash;I hated wearing the same stuff as my friends. Growing up in LA and going to a fancy private school, I had a lot of friends who could wear things that I couldn't afford. I felt weird about that, so I really liked the idea of making my own clothes in some way. I got a sewing machine. I was cutting up and repurposing and sewing things together so I could have special things.

L'O: What led you to opening your store?
RT: It was a mix of things. I have always loved going to flea markets for my whole life. We have this family friend who's a stylist. I thought she was the coolest thing ever. She did the wardrobe styling for the movie Crossroads, the one with <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/britney-spears-y2k-fashion-juicy-tracksuit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Britney Spears</a> and Zoe Saldana. She styles a bunch of celebrities. She's just very cool. She would come stay with my family from New York. I love my parents so much. I mean, my mom's incredibly chic, but in her own special way of wearing Levi's and a cute shirt and just looking like a '90s supermodel. But this woman, Wendy, would come in Rick Owens with this crazy&mdash;I don't know if it was a massive Birkin bag or something&mdash;enormous bag that I could fit into. She was always wearing something that was hard fashion. Stuff that regular people don't understand. She would come to LA to go to the Rose Bowl to source for movies or photo shoots or whatever. I thought she was the coolest. She invited me to come with her. I was like, "Absolutely." I discovered flea markets in eighth grade-ish. Then I just was going ever since.
Before the pandemic, I would go to flea markets every single weekend. I just loved it. Then I'd go to estate sales. I loved it. Then COVID happened, and I couldn't do that anymore. So I started going on eBay and Etsy and really random websites, every single estate auction website that's niche and you would think, because it looks like it was made on a computer in 2002, is fake, but is actually real. I started finding the most amazing stuff. I was posting it on my Instagram stories. That was just stuff I was keeping for myself. Vintage Italian ashtrays, pottery made in Oaxaca, gorgeous things from Greece and Egypt, jewelry&mdash;anything. Stuff that I just thought was really cool. I would be like, " How cool is this stuff I found from this estate?" Or something like that.
People started messaging me on Instagram, being like, "Can I buy this? Can I buy this? Can I buy this? I'll pay whatever you want. Can I buy this?" I was like, "No, it's mine." Then it kept happening. I was like, "Okay. Fine." For a very short period of time, I was doing 10 pieces on my Instagram Stories every Sunday. They were selling out in minutes. Before I could even post all of them, they were gone. Then I was like, I should have a website. I started doing a website, and the website became really successful. Then I got to this place where I was like, Maybe I should have a store. I looked for a really long time, and I found my dream store. 
L'O: That's amazing.&nbsp;
RT: It worked out really well. I felt really fortunate to be able to, going back to the point of hard work and whatnot, I've been modeling since I was 15. I had my savings. Put all my savings into the store&mdash;remodeling it, paying for rent, paying for inventory. I didn't take any money from anyone&mdash;no investors, no family, nothing. I opened the store with $500. I had spent every dollar I had except $500. I really bet on myself. I think every night before, I woke up in the middle of the night, and I was like, Oh, my God. Oh, my God. This is not going to happen, and I'm going to have spent my entire savings. This is a nightmare. I was so, so petrified. Then, in the first two days, I made back my entire investment. After that, we sold out. I had to close for a day to restock inventory. That was surreal. I cried.

L'O: How would you describe the aesthetic of, I guess, the store, but the clothing, everything? How would you describe your aesthetic?
RT: I would describe the style of the store and my aesthetic as I take huge inspiration from Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. She's probably my biggest style inspiration ever. I think she is perfection. Also, my mom and my grandma are two huge influences in my style because my mom grew up in Iowa, in a very cornfield town, but then moved to New York and had this amazing Calvin Klein, Levi's, very chic '90s supermodel vibe, very like Christy Turlington, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/young-kate-moss-90s-style-runway" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kate Moss</a>. She's always continued to dress that way, in just beautiful, minimal Giorgio Armani and stuff like that. It always looked really gorgeous on her. Then my grandmother on my dad's side, my Mum-Mum, is this fabulous Jewish woman. She is probably my greatest style inspiration because she's the person who taught me about fabulous brands like Chanel and Moschino and Dior. She taught me everything about fashion. So I think it's been a mishmash.
I also just love beautiful minimalist pieces of cashmere and silk and things. The idea of my store is that everything in the store goes with each other. You can find a jacket and a trouser and a top, and it all works. There's nothing that's incredibly loud. It's all just pieces that you can buy now at however old you are and have for the rest of your life. Everything that I source is made with beautiful integrity. I really care about the fabrics and the quality. I want everything to be no polyester or synthetic blends. I want it all to be the way that clothing once was, where it was truly made with integrity and super, super beautiful.
I just care about everything, I think, because when I worked with Brandy Melville, I was feeling every fabric, finding every button, looking at zippers, and whatnot. Now I pay such close attention when I'm sourcing things. Even if I order stuff online and it comes, I have a couple of employees in the store. They can tell. I'm the only person who does the sourcing. Even if the store became absolutely massive, I still could only imagine being the only person who did the sourcing, because I'm in there looking at the threads and the buttons and the way that the buttons are put on the sweaters. I just care so deeply about the integrity of the stuff.

&ldquo;I wanted to make a space that was price-inclusive, size-inclusive, and also just very timeless...in the sense of, Nothing I have is really made to trend. It&rsquo;s just made to exist forever.&rdquo;

L'O: You mentioned that one of your style inspirations is your mom who lived in New York, and, looking at your Instagram page, everything feels very New York, which is funny because you're based in LA. Do you think that the success of your store is an indication that maybe the LA fashion landscape is changing? Or do you think it's just a matter of reaching the right clientele?
RT: I felt really fortunate that the people who have come into my store have been really kind to...I don't ask anyone to post anything on Instagram. I've never done influencer gifting. I've never done any formal social outreach in any way. I've just had this idea of if you build it, they will come. Field of Dreams. People have come into the store with millions and millions of Instagram followers and posted it and shared it. I think that people have been really excited about having a new store&mdash;vintage is so in right now&mdash;[and] a curated selection of things that can fit so well into their wardrobe because I think a lot of the vintage stores in LA that have existed before I opened mine, not to say that I'm reinventing the wheel, but they were all very this amazing, colorful...I don't know. Some crazy Dior moment that you can only wear once because it's so memorable. Whereas the pieces that I was trying to find were things that would just blend into anybody's wardrobe in a really organic way. I think that I have created something that people are really into because people outside of me are just really liking vintage right now. But I also think minimalism is having a moment. Even people who want to fit into a certain trend are able to be like, "Oh, she has a low-rise trouser,&rdquo; if you're super into the Y2K thing. Or if you're into a more Scandinavian Instagram-style fashion, you can come in and be like, "Oh, an oversized blazer. I can do that thing." 
L'O: You bring up the Y2K thing. Obviously, that is big right now. How do you feel about this boisterous Y2K style?
RT: I like to see styles and trends changing and evolving because it's just interesting and exciting to see as a voyeur. Personally, as far as style goes, I never intend to. I feel very attached to my own personal style which is never influenced by trends. Really, it's mainly just either a really good pair of Levi 501s that are made in the USA with a super nice blouse&mdash;I feel like such an old lady that I just said blouse, that is mortifying&mdash;or a cashmere sweater, or a very chic coat, or a very nice black trouser, probably made by Jil Sander or Donna Karan, and a Giorgio Armani or Calvin Klein jacket that just works together in a way that you would see.
I'm more inclined to look at the past when it comes to trends, of a 1999 or 2002 Herm&egrave;s fashion show&mdash;because those were my favorite years&mdash;than look at what currently someone like <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/olivia-rodrigo-best-style-fashion-moments-instagram-age" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Olivia Rodrigo</a> is wearing. The hip-slung thing and the butterflies and the Von Dutch hats are just&mdash;I'm never going to be looking at what <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/julia-fox-it-girl-fashion-moments-style-icon-muse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Julia Fox</a> is doing and being like, "That's the direction of this store," or "That's the direction of my personal style." I'm more likely to go on Pinterest [and] look at what Gwyneth Paltrow is wearing in the '90s. The two biggest inspirations of the store, aside from just my own brain of what I like, are Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/gwyneth-paltrow-young-best-90s-style" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gwyneth Paltrow</a>. Gwyneth Paltrow followed the store yesterday. I couldn't believe it because I'm obsessed with her. She follows no one on Instagram. I actually jumped on my bed.&nbsp;
But as far as the way that style is going right now, I wouldn't say that it aligns with the store or myself. But it's exciting to watch, just because I love seeing people get out there and be creative and create things and do things and move the needle. I definitely like to see it. I just don't take it on personally.&nbsp;

L'O: What do you think sets RLT apart from other vintage stores?
RT: Let me think about this. I want to figure out how to say something that involves my attention to detail, obsession with quality, and ability to pair everything in the store together.&nbsp; 
L'O: So, you.
RT: I guess. Not to sound super narcissistic, but Essentially, I've been shopping at vintage stores for so many years [and] there are two points that I totally forgot to cover that are very important to me: definitely made an intentional point to be size inclusive and have everything in my store range in a 0 to a 16, just because I feel like there are so many vintage stores that cater to the 0 to 4. Maybe 6. 
L'O: You're talking to a 14, and she's very grateful.
RT: Right? I think that it's completely fucked up that they don't have vintage for larger sizes. I think that it's completely unfair and so wrong. I always noticed that. So I took things that I saw in other vintage stores. I lived in New York. I went to The New School. I lived in New York and shopped vintage there. I shopped vintage in LA, everywhere. I noticed that inclusive sizing wasn't as popular as I would've liked it to be. I also noticed that at a lot of vintage stores, they were either super high in price, in quality, in labels, or super low in a thrift kind of way, which there's nothing wrong with that. But I wanted to create a vintage store&mdash;because I know that we both know of vintage stores that exist with such a barrier to entry, such a you-can't-walk-in-here-because-you-can't-afford-it kind of vibe&mdash;because it was really important to me to create a store where you can come in, and you can buy a hat for $40, or you can buy a bottle opener for $25 that's just really special and cool. Or you can buy a Celine coat for a thousand dollars or a Saint Laurent gown for $900 that's really gorgeous and a piece of history. Because I, at times, have felt like I've gone shopping with wealthier friends and they can buy a thing in a store, and I want to stand outside because I feel awkward that I can't afford anything. I wanted to make a space that was price-inclusive, size-inclusive, and also just very timeless. It's been my highest intention that even if the store was to close and not exist anymore, people would still be wearing the clothes that they bought at my store until the end of their life and giving them to their kids because the quality would be made that way. They would be timeless in the nature of nothing I have is really made to trend. It's just made to exist forever.

Rachel Tabb photographed by Eric Ray Davidson

Rachel Tabb Wants to Sell You Clothes For a Lifetime

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