For Pieces Worthy of the Met

DESERT VINTAGE, 34 Orchard St.; desertvintage.com

→ FOR YEARS, VINTAGE obsessives had to go to Tucson to shop at Desert Vintage, which is known for its mint-condition mix of Jazz Age dresses, American sportswear, and Edwardian lace. That changed this spring when Salima Boufelfel and Roberto Cowan opened a New York outpost of their shop on the Lower East Side with interiors by Green River Project. “It’s a romantic and beautiful labor of love,” says Angela Goding, senior director at the nonprofit YoungArts, who appreciates Desert Vintage’s researched inventory of lesserknown designers, adding that Boufelfel and Cowan “are well versed in fashion history.” That means exaggerated suits from Romeo Gigli (Bianca Jagger was a fan) hang next to mid-century velvet bags from Roberta di Camerino, and silk moiré slippers (found in a dancer’s trunk from the early-20th century) sit near ’80s loungewear from Bill Tice. “It’s all immensely wearable,” adds Goding, who bought a beaded Tice kimono coat ($398) on her first visit and has since worn it to both the opera and to pick up dumplings.