"Zingara Vintage opened on a cozy, sun-filled, enchanting corner building in Rockaway Beach in 2015. Right between Jamaica Bay and The Atlantic Ocean, only a few blocks from each. Athough it all began so many years before that. I’d drop my young daughter off at Elementary School and stop by the local thrift store. One piece at a time, I’d collect this and that…cleaning, mending, altering, reconstructing. It’s my nature to hunt treasures and my art to transform them.” 

Now, eight years later, as my daughter prepares for college and my little seaside boutique serves as a studio and seasonal vintage shoppe,  I travel all over the country with my treasures, creating what I call a, "full sensory shopping experience".

A lifelong love of vintage, adventures and a penchant for beautiful things guides the curatorial spirit of the Zingara offering. Victorian pieces hang alongside 70s denim and 50s cabana wear. Each piece is carefully restored to provide the highest quality garment. Longevity and practicality in mind, Zingara specializes in classic silhouettes, textiles and styles. 

That first summer in 2015, I found my first towel coat. I had never seen anything like it before. It sold instantly and the next one I found, I kept for myself. I adored it. It was warm and cozy. I wore it all the time, especially done to the beach. I wondered why everyone didn’t have one? I quickly became obsessed and have since collected thousands of towels and vintage terry cloth garments-thoughtfully restoring and reimagining them. In 2021, I released my first collection and it’s been a magnificent journey ever since.  

ZingaraTerry is a full service vintage terry cloth atelier with over 1000 vintage and designer towels to choose from in 15 different original styles. It takes years to amass enough towels to match perfectly before a garment can be created. 

Limited ready-to-wear collections are released periodically as each piece is One of a Kind. 

Celebrity fans and owners of original ZingaraTerry include, among others, the lovely Jemima Kirke,  Jennifer Lawrence, Rachel Zoe, Bethenney Frankel, and Tory Burch.

Collaborations with specialty boutique, LoveShackFancy, placement in film and tv shows, coast to coast terry pop-ups and virtual weekly LIVE shopping programs have all lead to spreading the love of vintage terry cloth. 

My work was recently at Cornell University as a part of the, "Past And Present Lives Of Upcycled Fashion", curated by PhD. Kat Roberts. It was truly an honor to be in the company of such incredible creators and to share my love of this history rich textile.

Check out the archive of my column for Rockaway's own local paper, "The Wave".
Zingara Van Ventures

Look out for my book coming soon!