THERE is a secret place in Manila where you can find them all?Christian and Betsey, Donna and Calvin, Gianni, Gucci, Vivienne, Marc and Louis.

Call it a superclub where all of fashion?s namedroppables hang out. Or, more likely, where they all hang?literally, on the racks.

Welcome to vintage super store Überfinds.

This is a haven for the fierce fashionista who regards clothes as art pieces, not as mass-produced ensembles. She fears the thought of going to a mainstream chain store and finding ten or more of the same dresses in different sizes.

Überfinds is a personal art gallery for fashion. It holds an impressive array of vintage designer clothes without the designer price tag. The average price for commercial brands ranges from P250-P550. High-end brands, as a rule, sell at around 10-percent of their original retail value.

High quality

According to store owner Allan Fernando, their clientele understands fashion and is not afraid to stand out in a crowd.

?They would rather buy high-quality, original, one-of-a-kind clothes than buy low quality, mass-produced fashion or fake imitations available in malls or tiangges. It?s a nightmare for them to go to a place and see another person wearing the exact same outfit?which is not a problem in our store because we offer one piece per item only.?

Fernando says there is a misconception about ?vintage? in the Philippines.

?Most people think of vintage stores as ukay-ukay, or having ?costume-looking? clothes. This is where we want to set our store apart from your ordinary ?ukay.? All our merchandise pass through strict editing to make sure they are trendy, quality-controlled, clean and free from defects or the abuse of time, in a unique boutique set-up with a homey feel. Most of our items are key pieces that anyone can mix in their basic wardrobe and are guaranteed conversation pieces. We also want to give shoppers who love vintage clothes a store where they won?t have to rummage through dirt and dust.?

He adds that, in Europe especially, people have a high regard for vintage stores. Most designers even get their inspiration from these stores, which is why, ?as they say, fashion goes and comes around.?

Regular supply

Überfinds came about when a friend of Fernando, who owns a vintage store in Germany named Über, started to send smaller-sized clothes to his sister in the Philippines. The clothes were left unused because his sister was more of a ?safe? dresser.

Fernando stumbled upon them and started to offer them to friends and stylists. Soon, he and his friend started joining bazaars and then opened their own store, all the while getting a regular supply of vintage clothes from Europe.

?Now, we still get items from my friend in Europe. There are also consigned items?from stylists and even some local celebrities and consignors?that are not mass-produced.?

?The store also highlights featured brands, trends, updates on what?s hot?as if you?ve stepped into a fashion magazine. And we also offer styling tips and alterations.?

The shop, open from 1 p.m.-11 p.m., is a spacious loft with sofas and divans for a relaxing shopping ambience, all thanks to Fernando?s background in visual merchandising.

The fitting rooms are real rooms with air-conditioning, and not mere corners covered with curtains. The shop?with the hi-fi speaker out front, the tchotchkes and the hardwood floors?gives off a nostalgic vibe of raiding your mother?s closet to look for that perfect afternoon dress-up outfit.

Of course, completing the kitsch is a little food kiosk at the gate that serves banana and camote fritters. Mabuhay to camp and Calvin Klein!

Email the author at jfashion@inquirer.com.ph

Überfinds Vintage Fashion Store is located at 42 Sgt. Esguerra cor. Eugenio Lopez Jr. Sts., South Triangle, Quezon City (beside Kitaro, front of Gusi Restaurant). Open Monday-Saturday, 1 p.m.-11 p.m., Sundays by appointment. Call 7992434 or 0906-2998120, or visit http://uberfinds.multiply.com