Vintage!

[pucci_mama]

I just discoved this thread I love it

 

[Betty Boop]

what black dress?

 

[luxmode]

what black dress?

this one...maybe it's blue? Anyway, it's cute.

 

[Betty Boop]

It's dark brown, very brown
thanks

 

[PrincessImp.]

Vintage - how far would you go?

My interest in the fashions of the Victorian era were sparked when I came by a beautiful mourning necklace. However, due to certain supersitions, I have been persuaded by my boyfriend not to wear it.

So now, my question is how far would you go in wearing vintage?

Is there a certain era that you stick to? Do you just wear dead stock?
Are you concerned about the quality and the history of the pieces that you buy?

Are you the type who buys only from reputable vintage stores?
Or do you believe in eBay and treasure hunting at the Salvation Army?

 

[Fashion Puss]

I work with a girl who thinks I am a nut for wearing second hand clothing. She's convinced that all vintage clothing is seeping with skin diseases. I try telling her that someone with a skin disease could try something on in say, Hennes for example. You wash the clothes anyway.
does anyone think there is truth behind her theory?

 

[Mingus]

Anything goes. You like it, you buy it, you wash it. Buy your own fresh underwear and don't worry about the rest. I love to search any kind of vintage source. The internet, Goodwill, Salvation Army, thrift shops, and any of the myriad shops around town.

 

[Fashion Puss]

You know I will never understand - charity shops always have those huge baskets of used underwear Who buys it??? Someone must. Out there, someone thinks its ok to wear someone elses crusty old pants! To answer this thread, I must definately draw the line at anything to do with underwear or has a gusset. No sir-ee!

 

[utopia]

^ I always wonder about that too! how buys that?? furthermore, who actually donates their old knickers?? it's so gross!

but other than a few exceptions, I am a confirmed old thrifter - salvation army, goodwill, you name it, I love it. I like the idea of recycling clothing. just like paper, glass, plastic, etc, I think clothing should be reused too if it has life left in it. but like everyone else has said, if I get something from a thrift store, I always wash it before I wear it.
I am definitely concerned about quality, but that's actually why I like buying vintage - the cut and fabric of clothes was ever so much better 40 years ago than it is now, plus I like the pretty 'aged' effect the high quality fabrics develop over the years.
I don't like vintage stores so much (I like looking, but rarely buy) because most of the time the stuff came from a thrift store anyway - they just hike the prices up and sometimes clean it before they put it out on the racks. I don't have a hard time finding unique one-offs (and sometimes even designer pieces, though it's not a big priority for me) at thrift stores anyway.

 

[charlottesometimes]

I don't stick to any particular era, although the 40s is a favourite of mine. I love to collect and wear vintage and shop on ebay, thrift stores, vintage stores...wherever I can get my fix. I launder everything, so I don't need to worry about who wore it before me. Actually, sometimes I like to to imagine who might have worn it and where they wore it....particularly if it's an old piece. It's fun to romanticise about it, and I think that's a little bit of the appeal of wearing vintage for me...and also the fact that it's totally unique, and transcends fashion trends.

Most of the time I'm pretty fussy about quality...I look at it as a collection and won't buy anything with holes and stains (although I'm happy to repair zipppers and seams, and do minor alterations).

I've been lucky enough to have some things handed down from my family....a great Aunt's blouse from the 30s, my Mum's pure silk slip from the 40s etc. Those peices are pretty special to me.

chiangsi1980, is your mourning necklace made from jet? I have one that has been restyled and I wear it a lot. I love it!

 

[cbcb]

I'm not a vintage-y person but I like quality. So, I'd buy something that was vintage from whenever but had aged amazingly well. No tarnishing, fading, weird smells or mustiness (I can tell a mile away and can't stand most thrift stores for this reason), or just meh vibes. It's like subconsciously choosing something that still feels as if it has 'life' in it. I don't know whether I believe that old stuff can really truly have bad vibes, but who am I to say, so if a piece of clothing just doesn't feel right, I forego it.

 

[Lena]

I am a confirmed old thrifter - salvation army, goodwill, you name it, I love it. I like the idea of recycling clothing. just like paper, glass, plastic, etc, I think clothing should be reused too if it has life left in it. but like everyone else has said, if I get something from a thrift store, I always wash it before I wear it.
I am definitely concerned about quality, but that's actually why I like buying vintage - the cut and fabric of clothes was ever so much better 40 years ago than it is now, plus I like the pretty 'aged' effect the high quality fabrics develop over the years.

thats two of us utopia, i adore thrifting, the cheapest and the most unlikely to come up with a gem the better..
occasionally i do the vintage boutiques as well, more for inspiration and pleasure than to buy really..

how far could i go? Victorian i guess, well, the older the better as far as we can fit in (early 19th century gets a bit shorter in size no?) the arlier i'll go is mid/late seventies, think Biba (i have two dresses)
I also have few 20's things, 40's 50's is my main collection, also have few mod 60s styles that i used to wear as a modette years ago..

regarding those black jet mourning stone necklacesciangshi mentioned , they are really fantastic.
i use this kind of turn of the century beads for embroidery, amazing qualities.. strange shapes, very well crafted
my supplier in Paris (has a stock from old Haute couture bead houses) told me that these qualities of seemingly 'glass beads' beads from early 1900-1940 are 'minerals' and their extraction is not permitted now, or they come too expensive to produce or something..

vintage is so precious

charlotte, its YOU glad to see you around

 

[Hipkitten]

I don't think I'm creative enough to go thrifting. I've tried and just come up with squat. I feel so silly going into thrift/vintage stores wearing my boring, put together clothes. It’s painfully obvious that I’m out of my element. My best friend, however, is the thrift shop queen. Every time I see her, I can't help but envy her unique style. She has this amazing ability to find the most obscure and bizarre stuff and make it gorgeous. Damn it - I wish I were more creative...

...as I sit here and type this, I'm feeling inspired to give thrifting another try. You know what? I'm gonna go thrifting today. Damn it, that's it. You all have inspired me...I'm doing it...

 

[utopia]

^ yay hipkitten! be sure to let us know what you find!

 

[Plastic'sWife]

about the underpants:

Guys, vintage is just not a look, its a lifestyle for some and not for fashion reasons for others.
There are people who cant afford Victoria Secret panties and actually rumage thru the pile of undies at the local Goodwill. It may seem gross to some, but its something some people have no choice of unfortunatly.

 

[LolitaLuxe]

i love vintage...but it seems that all the vintage shops popping up recently, have a trendy and predictable selection of items that arent worth the mark up.

thrifting is like a treasure hunt, and usually hit or miss for me, so when you walk away with something unique its a good feeling. I like to be challenged when i shop. i like to buy something and feel inspired to create an outfit around a certain item, or have a fun fantasy spanning different decades. i refuse to wear any ' off the rack ' looks! going to a party and running into another girl with the same dress, bag or shoes has NEVER happened to and never will.

going into vintage shops like resurection, and decades is always exciting.... i love 70's halston, azzaro, looking at gianni era versace , etc.

after a purchase i usually wash and /or dry clean i have a small collection of dresses from my grandmother, mainly from the 60's. i pretty much like anything from thr 20's through 70's.
vintage furs , bags, clutches, and gloves , too

 

[Spike413]

For the longest time I've wanted a vintage leather motorcycle jacket, I've seen them in all sorts of vintage stores but they're so expensive. But you can't beat the look of truly aged leather, it's so great looking.

As far as vintage shops, I feel similar to Lena. They're great to go in and browse, it's fun looking through all of those clothes from ages past, especially the wacky stuff....I love that.

 

[sea of stitches]

Like Utopia, I love thrifting and reusing. I used to love it even more, but after going for so long and buying so much, I think it's time to slow down...I'm running out of room! Vintage stores are okay, but I don't seem to find as interesting pieces, and it's 3x the price! Maybe if there were more boutiques like Decades or vintagetextiles.com, I would find it more exciting and not be as bothered about the price. As I get older, I care more and more about quality and the time it actually takes to make a piece. I still think there are gems in thrift stores to be found though. Oh, and how far would I go? In terms of hygiene, I've bought swimsuits before. They definitely looked clean when I bought them, and I definitely washed them before wearing them. I don't stick to any particular era, although I stay away from synthetics (unless it is something like a swimsuit or cycling jersey).

HipKitten, it totally takes a while to get used to, but I'm sure you will get the hang of it. Go with your instincts. I just load everything into a shopping cart right away and then sort through it at the end.

Oh, and Plastic's Wife, what you said is totally true. What bums me out the most is now that thrift stores are figuring out they can make more money off the "look," a lot of them are raising their prices out of the price range for some people. My friend was upset when she observed the people running the store refusing to lower the price of a wheelchair for a man who desperately needed a new one and really only had $35. Ahh, but that's a whole other discussion. (sorry if that was too off topic.)

 

[ShOe GaL 19]

You know I will never understand - charity shops always have those huge baskets of used underwear Who buys it??? Someone must. Out there, someone thinks its ok to wear someone elses crusty old pants! To answer this thread, I must definately draw the line at anything to do with underwear or has a gusset. No sir-ee!

AGREED!!

 

[Hipkitten]

So yesterday's outing was a bust but I'm determined to not give up! I'm going out with my mom today so the chances of me getting her in a thrift shore are about nil - but I will try Thanks for the encouragement; I need it