Vintage clothing store owner Liang Wei shows off a pair of vintage jeans. Liang claims he hasn't bought new clothes in more than 20 years. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Once upon a time, the dress code of Beijing's ancient hutong was limited to cloth shoes, tunic suits, cheongsams and not much else. But venture around alleys in the heart of Gulou today and you'll see a vintage fashion revolution unfolding within stores selling secondhand clothing and accessories from bygone eras.

Knee-length dresses fill racks, leather vests hang from walls and faded jeans lie unceremoniously in piles on the floor at the appropriately named Vintage House. Its owner, a man sporting waist-long dreadlocks, sorts through items of clothing.

"I've witnessed the progress of vintage clothing within China," said Liang Wei, 44, owner of the store. Liang, originally from Tianjin, has been wearing and selling vintage clothes for about 20 years.

Many elderly hutong dwellers cast a suspicious eye in the store when passing, but it's difficult to determine what they find more curious: the retro clothes or the young Bohemians trying them on.

"People's attitudes towards vintage clothes have changed over the years. The number of customers is continually expanding. You don't need to explain much about 'vintage' anymore. If people think clothes look good on them, they accept them immediately," Liang said.

Gulou Dajie in Dongcheng district is the epicenter of Beijing's vintage clothing boom, with no shortage of shoppers descending on the area to embrace yesteryear's fashion. But not everyone is embracing the trend, with many believing the superstition that clothes should die with their owners.