How To Shop For Vintage Clothing – There is nothing like finding that special piece that is different from everything you have seen in the fast-fashion houses or on your friend at lunch. With the rise of sustainable fashion, there is a lot of interest in vintage shopping. Vintage clothing is generally classified as clothing that is 20 years or older. If the item survives for more than 50 years, it is called “antique”. Finding designer duds with tags still attached for a fraction of the cost is everything to me. I love the chase! My preferred choice is the luxury consignment boutique. The items are more expensive than a thrift store, but they are already assembled and it is more efficient with my time.
My favorite way to shop is ‘in-store’ curation process as I can spend time browsing the aisles for inspiration. I can touch and feel the items so I can really tell the quality of the item versus online search.
How To Shop For Vintage Clothing
Vintage furs are unlikely to be in a condition that will last long as the furs dry out. If you can get two to three seasons out of it, consider it a win. Either way, treat them gently to prolong their life. I also like wool jackets. They are super warm, and the details, the 1970’s tweed fabrics are awesome.
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My favorite thing is to spend a Saturday exploring a new city and checking out a few vintage shops with a girlfriend. Try it sometime.. you may end up with some special unique pieces that you will treasure!
I am a Washington, DC based content creator. I have a passion for beautiful interiors, a love for wall coverings, curating creative content, and a lively woman. I am a mother and wife. On this blog you will find a mix of interiors, travel, style, and more!
21 Jan One of the best postpartum healing tips I’ve learned 28 Sep How to make mornings easier with kids I will never forget the moment I found THE coat. We were in Europe for my 30th birthday, and we happened upon a vintage store in Milan completely on a whim. There, tucked away in the back of the store, hidden behind other coats hanging on the wall halfway up a roped staircase, overlooked and in need of some love, there it was, a Chanel coat of my dreams. Things in the store were a little out of my price range, and I wasn’t even sure if the jacket was for sale considering the roped off stair case and all, but still, Dave decided that he just had to ask about it for me. When the guy told us the price, I almost choked. It was mere pennies, relatively speaking compared to the other pieces in the store and what I knew it was worth. And while it needed love, it wasn’t something a trip to my tailor and dry cleaner couldn’t do. So I knew then and there that it wasn’t even a question. I couldn’t leave that store without the jacket in my hand. I didn’t do that. And it is still one of my most treasured possessions to this day.
Although not all of my vintage pieces have such exciting stories, each one is still so special to me. From bags to blazers to dresses to jewelry, each vintage piece has a story, each has a history, each takes me back to where I bought it, whether it was Paris, Chicago, Nashville, Hawaii or back home in NYC ( i especially love vintage shopping when i travel Can you tell??), and each one adds something unique and remarkable to my closet! Finding a gem of a vintage piece is like finding hidden treasure. It feels extra special and unique, a piece just for you, that no one else has. Not to mention the history. That’s always one of my favorite parts of a vintage piece, thinking about the history of it. Who wore it? Where did they wear it? Was it custom made just for them, or an heirloom family treasure passed down generations? Has it been to fancy dinners or out on the town? Did it meet exciting people, or sadness, or both? It’s like this whole world of secrets that I’ll never know, but that I carry with me wherever I go, adding my own piece of history to the piece as I go. And I have to say, as someone who has spent most of her life vintage and thrift shopping, that magical feeling of treasureing a vintage piece just never gets old.
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Of course, beyond my romanticized notions of vintage clothing and love of the pieces for their uniqueness and history, there are a few other reasons why I’m such a fan of shopping for vintage items. I think it’s the perfect way to find designer items at more approachable and affordable price points. I think it’s also a great way to add unique and unique original pieces to your closet versus just grabbing the same thing as everyone else off the rack at your local big box store. I also think it’s fun to do when you travel because different things are available in different areas. Plus, it makes for a fun souvenir (which is way better than some stupid souvenir t-shirt, let’s be real, and like, you know, you’ll actually use and wear it). Not to mention, it’s also more environmentally friendly and sustainable to buy pre-loved pieces versus something brand new. I mean, what’s not to love? Sure, it can definitely take a bit of patience and acquired skill to find incredible items, but I think it’s so worth it and I definitely think that everyone’s closet is a better offering with a little vintage pizzazz in it.
As someone who has shopped and styled vintage pieces for many years, I thought it was finally time I shared some of my tried and tested tips on how to shop for vintage clothing, how to find a many can buy and how I hunt you down really, really special pieces.
P.S. If you search “vintage” on my site, you’ll find many other posts on the subject of vintage stuff, as well as style inspo and outfits featuring many of my vintage pieces that I’ve owned over the years collected.
When you are shopping for vintage goods, it is essential to go in with an open mind and zero expectations. Don’t ever expect to find exactly what you’re looking for or a specific piece, because it just doesn’t happen that way. Allow yourself to be open to the possibilities of the exciting pieces you might find that you weren’t even looking for, things you might not normally gravitate towards and unique pieces you might not even have thought to look for .
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Whether it’s in a vintage store, vintage dealers, flea markets, thrift stores or even shopping online, searching for and buying vintage clothing can be incredibly overwhelming. Often, racks are abundant and unorganized, stores are cramped, things are pushed into corners and boxes are stopped at the edge. To be honest, it can all be a bit chaotic, so it’s easy to get absorbed, overwhelmed and lose track of time rummaging through a wealth of stuff in the back of a store or the bottom of a box. Trust me, do yourself a favor and set a time limit, whether it’s an hour for a store, a few hours browsing online vintage stores or you make a day of some local flea markets.
Just like the time limit rule, you want to set some kind of budget. And, of course, like time, it can be a little flexible. But knowing roughly what you have to spend, can help decisions just a little easier when you buy clothes and goods at vintage stores.
Don’t be afraid to step outside of your personal style and comfort zone and play dress up so to speak. You never know how different something might look, and what you might end up loving that you’d normally just overlook. Also good to note that vintage clothing sizes mean virtually nothing compared to sizes these days, so it’s crucial to try on each piece to make sure something really fits, and don’t be afraid to go much bigger or smaller than your normal big
Ultimately, you want every piece you get to be in good condition, but, often, when it comes to vintage fashion, beggars can’t be choosers. It’s normal to find some slight flaws and signs of wear on vintage pieces (Because, duh! It’s used!), but the important key to look for here is the extent of those flaws. Does it just need a good dry cleaning, need a hem stitched, is it missing a zipper or is it stained beyond repair or needs some kind of hard-to-find hardware replaced (ie maybe something like a Chanel button )? For example,