Decades Of Fashion — Local services in San Francisco

Like a lot of customers, I do not have much time to leave a review and if I do, I save that energy for either the worst of the worst or the best of the best experiences. My time at Decades of Fashion during the week leading up to my wedding was decidedly and fortunately the latter.

My experience started as a happy little mistake: I rented a tux for my wedding from a Union Square tailor, naively thinking the rental would be in the same universe of quality as a bespoke piece. I was sorely mistaken. When I opened the box from a corporate rental brand, tried on the 100% polyester shirt, the heavily perfumed suit jacket likely covering up the odor of a high school teenager that puked sour apple BuzzBall on it at prom, and put on the plastic shoes, I instantly knew I could not wear this thing to my own wedding even though it was in a week.

Knowing DoF has tuxedos, I decided to drop in and look around. I have always wanted a vintage tux worn by my fashion icon, Paul Newman. I told one of the employees that I was looking for a tuxedo for my wedding and was relieved to hear that they have a large inventory of vintage tuxedos. He introduced me to the owner, Cicely, and I explained my grave situation and showed the pictures of Paul Newman in a 60’s tux. Instantly, Cicely picked up on every single detail of the tux: modified peak lapel, long jacket length, low cut vest, etc. Fully expecting her to say, “Sorry, you waited too long”, much to my relief she said, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll have some stuff for you to try on”, despite it being the busiest week of their year (Halloween). Not only that, she also offered to tailor the suit — what a complete turnaround from teenager puke suit!

The next day, I arrived to 5 different suits laid out for me to try on. Cicely spent the night before rifling through her massive collection to pick out options and the better part of two hours styling me and putting together my EXACT vision. Once we had the pieces in place, she had her gracious tailor, Mary, fit me and tailor the pieces despite being buried in the Halloween rush.

During the entire process and especially when I picked up my perfectly styled and tailored tux, I was overcome with emotion and gratitude for Cicely and DoF. Cicely’s bright, witty, and kind personality coupled with her keen eye for vintage fashion were a welcomed relief from the stress of wedding planning.

My wedding was truly the best day of my life, and Cicely and the DoF staff played a pretty big part in that. The saying, “look good, feel food” must be true, because Cicely made me feel like a million bucks and it only put me back a couple hundred. I felt as effortlessly cool, handsome, and stylish as a young Paul Newman in his prime wearing that tuxedo.

After many years in business, Cicely’s Decades of Fashion is a living, breathing piece of Haight Street and SF history and we are all richer for its presence. Many people unfamiliar with the true SF incorrectly assume the city to be this technocratic, sanitized version of reality but it is not. The real SF is old school, gritty, and endearingly chaotic and DoF is a manifestation of that. Yes, at first glance the staff may come off as rude, but once you realize that they truly have a deep appreciation for the art form that is vintage clothing, you empathize with their protectiveness. They are more purveyors and guardians of art than they are salespeople and that is perfectly OK — this is a dying art form which needs respect and preservation.

Cicely, you are truly a titan of your trade and a very special person. You are not just a silk thread in the rich tapestry that is San Francisco, you are the whole damn suit and I am a lucky person for having the good fortune to cross paths with you. Thank you for helping to make my wedding day the best day of my life. I will have this tux for the rest of my life and I will wear it with pride, telling people that I was styled by THE Cicely Hansen of Haight Street. It will always be a reminder of your kindness, talent, and wit. Now I just need to find events to...

I had the most magical experience finding my dream wedding dress at this incredible vintage shop! After making a bridal appointment, I learned the regular bridal consultant was unavailable that week, but the owner herself stepped in and offered to personally assist me. Before my visit, I sent about 10-15 inspiration photos along with my measurements, which proved incredibly helpful.

When I arrived for my early appointment (right before opening hours), it was just me, the owner Cicely, and her assistant. They had thoughtfully pre-selected several dresses based on my preferences, but my eye immediately went to one particular dress - the exact style I had envisioned! Remarkably, that very first dress ended up being "the one."

Cicely provided excellent guidance regarding alterations and height adjustments. Though I couldn't use their in-house seamstress service as I was leaving the country soon after, their seamstress was present during my appointment and provided detailed recommendations for the minor alterations needed.

What truly sets this shop apart is Cicely's genuine passion for these historical treasures. Her expertise and care were evident throughout - she even reminded me not to touch the dress fabric with my hands to protect it from natural oils, showing how much she values preserving these beautiful pieces.

Cicely was refreshingly honest about sizing and fit, which I greatly appreciated. Rather than trying to sell me something that wouldn't work for my body, she was straightforward about what would complement my figure - a rare quality in the bridal industry where flattery sometimes overshadows honesty. Her approach isn't meant to be harsh; she simply understands these vintage pieces thoroughly and wants every bride to look her absolute best.

When it came time to check out, Cicely and her team could see how emotional and thrilled I was with my Victorian-style dress. In an incredible gesture of kindness, she gifted me not only a veil but also a set of antique pearls that perfectly complemented my dress! It was an incredibly kind and generous gesture. I feel so honored.

During my visit, she shared that she opened the shop when she was just 19, and told me lovely stories about the history behind the shop and some of the dresses. Her assistants were equally lovely and helpful throughout the process.

For anyone who appreciates vintage fashion, I cannot recommend this shop highly enough. Just remember these exquisite pieces are sometimes over 100 years old and deserve the utmost respect and care. 10/10 experience - I couldn't be happier with my dress and the entire memorable experience!...

I have been to this store three times now, and not a single time have I been treated kindly by the staff. The first time I went in, they made us wear plastic gloves to enter the building. It was odd, but that would not ruin my day. However, the staff made me incredibly uncomfortable. They all kept following and watching us as we browsed, as if we could not be trusted to look at their precious garments. There was a section of clothes that we were not allowed to touch even with gloves, but you could not see any of them as it was a stuffed rack, so moving them would be necessary. The worst part of this outing, however was when I asked to try on a dress that I thought was cute. The tag had the waist size included, and it was my waist size! However, I need to see how stuff fits before I buy it- especially when it's that expensive. When I asked for a dressing room, the old woman who I assume to be the owner, looked me up and down and said the dress was small for me so I needed to be careful with the zipper. I have never been told something like that before in my life. The dress fit fine, but I did not buy it because I felt uncomfortable in the store. Another time I went in, and this same woman literally followed me around the store the whole time. I walked right out. The last time I had went, this woman was not there. So I was hopeful for a better experience. There was a younger man working there this time. I wanted to ask him about one of the dresses on the mannequin, just if it was for sale, and if so, how much. Instead of telling me the price of the dress, he told me that the dress was really small. He then also looked me up and down, and asked (kind of surprised?) if it was for me. When I said yes, he said I can only try it on if I buy it first so I probably should not buy it. He then offered to pull out some other things similar, to which I accepted. He asked for my price range and I said a maximum of $100 (many dresses I see were $75 ish). He just stopped and said he couldn't help me, very passive aggressive about it.

Overall worth skipping this pretentious store. The store wants to be treated like a museum instead of a store. The staff treat you like children. The items can be cool, but there are many other vintage stores on Haight Street with much friendlier staff...