HOW TO VINTAGE SHOP
By: Rachel Mchollister
There is an art to shopping for vintage pieces, some may have the gift while others don’t. But fear not there is always a way of getting those vintage gems regardless of your expertise.
These classic pieces have become a hot commodity, making theme readily available. Before jumping into vintaging one must to know what they are looking for and know the appropriate price point.
To classify something as vintage it should be no less than 30 years old, making it the perfect age gap to get heirlooms from your relatives. Great hand-me-downs are always the best because of the great stories behind them. However, the trendiest vintage pieces are from the 50s and 60s.
Three of the most popular pieces are the Shirtwaist Dress, with emphasis on the waist and rounded shoulder this dress can come in many different patterns and can be accessorized to give a modern feel. The other is the wiggle dress, which is the more form fitting version of the two dresses, has a high form fitting waist and tapered to the knee. Lastly is the cardigan because of its versatility.
Now the most daunting of all tasks is figuring out where to look for vintage pieces.
Start simple and look old magazines, family pictures or even old ads to get a feel of what sort of look and style you are going for. Then it is time to finally begin the hunt.
There is an art to vintage shopping and you either have it or you don’t, but fret not where there is a will there is a way. In fact many people couldn’t be bothered to put in the man power, that is why we have vintage stores. They do the leg work for you and you can be assured they will know there pieces. Each piece in a vintage store is hand selected from numerous shopping trips to estate stales, garage sales, storage unit, flea markets and much more. You know each piece will be authentic and the dealer is the expert. They will know the era of the clothing and more often than not each piece is in great condition. I usually opt for this option when I have a particular piece in mind or to just see some of the great pieces they may have. Note the price points will often be much higher as they know the value of the item and have done the leg work themselves.
However if your pocket book is tight there are plenty of other ways to find those hidden gems. I would personally start off at smaller thrift stores and garage sales both are wanting room for the new stuff and often items are much less than a bigger thrift store such as Value Village or the Salvation Army. The thing about vintage shopping is to be persistent, you aren’t always going to walk our of somewhere with a great piece everytime. But the most important thing to remember is that vintage clothing or clothing in general is suppose to reflect your own personality don’t do it because you want to trendy make everything you have got your own whether that requires alterations or accessories.
Facts when shopping for vintage:
Zippers - one of the most common staples to dating a piece is the zipper and the placement of the zipper on the garment.
Sizing - because sizing has changed throughout the decades you can’t just rely on the tag. For instance a size six several decades ago is now considered a size 10 to 14.
Shoes - very rare to do you find great vintage, leather shoes if you come by any in good condition snap them up.
Clothing - when buying a dress or t-shirt make sure to thoroughly look at the fabric because like anything it deteriorates with time.
Tags - If you can read the tag that will often tell you the era of the clothing. For a list of
Some great resourches:
Queens of Vintage.com - updated daily with the latest news on vintage from around the globe.
69 Vintage - Storefront in Toronto but they also sell online. It’s a collective of vintagers who have come together to create the store.
Etsy.com - Their vintage section not only have apparel but housewares, accessories and eclectic pieces.
Vixen Vintage (vixenvintage.blogspot.com) - is a favourite blog of mine great clothing inspiration.
Couture Allure Vintage Fashion Blog - (coutureallure.blogspot.com) resource for vintage shopping, an inspiration for an outing as well as an online store.
