What Causes You To Buy Vintage?

[Lylac]

I'm writing an article about vintage clothing and i want some quotes from women of any age. I want to know, if you buy vintage or thrift clothing, what causes you to buy the original versions over the new vintage inspired versions that appear in so many shops today? If anyone could contribute and wouldn't mind me quoting them, can you leave your name, age and a general idea of the area you live in. Thank you!

 

[just Anna]

To feel more unique, and have more of an own style. Not to wear the massproducts that everyone can buy.

Anna Lillioja 15 the Netherlands

 

[beki]

i buy vintage to be unique, and i feel that the quality is often so much better than a lot of mass produced modern garments, i like the feel that the garment has a past context, me and a friend, who rund a vintage shop once had a particualrly sureal chat about dead peoples shoes!

 

[As You Like It]

I love the styles of the past, and I find that retro-reinterpretations of past styles seem to leave something lacking.

I like the detail in the styling--even very low-end fashions of the past seem to have better cutting and construction than much of today's medium-to-higher range stuff (Bebe, I am looking at your store!!)

I have the kind of figure that was very, very common 30-60 years ago (34" bust, fairly regular proportioning, 5'5" height) and so I can easily find a wide range of vintage clothing that will fit me well and flatter my shape.

Also, I just like many of the styles of the past a lot better than what is currently available in the shops. I adore 1940s clothes because they're so sharp and elegant, 1950s clothing because it is so feminine, 1960s because it is playful and youthful, 1970s, because it is so funky and obnoxious! Most of what is out right now just bores me stupid. GAP can kiss my spanky white ***!

 

[tiffany]

the styles are generally better, the peices are unique (you won't see people wearing the exact same thing) and just because vintage clothing - and vintage stores - are adorable

 

[ingenue]

vintage clothing, like vintage jewellery pieces, have more character. each piece has a story, a history. apart from the pieces looking original, the history of the piece makes it all the more interesting. one can only speculate on where it came from and when it was worn etc... but to know the histry of a piece-- even better!

 

[TheSoCalledPrep]

Newer replicas of vintage styles never have the same feel about them. Vintage clothes have a flair that can't quite be replicated.

Above that, when buying vintage and thrift, you never know what you'll find, and once you find it.. no one else will own the same piece!!

It gives your look an originality and a feel that makes people look twice.


Cassie - 14 - Pennsylvania, USA

 

[Kelsey]

I like it because I feel as if it will last forever! If I see a dress from 40 years ago and it's in a lovely condition, i feel as if it could last 40 years more and more...so long as it is taken care of.
I feel that the material which constructs many things, not just clothing, is not as lasting today as it was in the past. (Oh, but I don't mean that there is not truly quality clothing made today also! There is, lots.) And these clothes, they are not expensive. They are not unattainable for me, and still they allow me to feel that I am wearing something made with real care!
I love the styles. I just love to see the FIRST styles, when they were new, when they had just been thought about!

i'm 17 year old Kelsey, from Portland Oregon

 

[purplelucrezia]

Firstly, they tend to be much cheaper and are a means of developing my own sense of style. Also, I have always loved history and often feel as if I belong in a different era. Buying vintage clothing allows me to create a connection with the people who wore my clothing in the past. Furthermore, I love costumes and spent most of my childhood playing dress-up. Perhaps this is my grown-up way of doing continuing that pastime. Plus, the pieces are often unique and I will probably never see someone with the same piece of clothing.
age 18, Canada

 

[LavenderPineappleCitrus]

Originally posted by lilliojAnna@Jan 23rd, 2004 - 5:47 pm
To feel more unique, and have more of an own style. Not to wear the massproducts that everyone can buy.

The same

 

[Lucy Jane]

I am an ever practical shopper, and i love pieces that are individual but that will go with other items i already own. Vintage is nearly always the way to go if thats what you want, or at least thats what ive found. I love the shopping experience you get buying vintage too, and there is nothing more satisfying than finding something really special after hunting all day.

 

[enrichi]

I like vintage because I am a hunter rather than a gatherer. I like to think of shopping as a sort of sport. You can go into the dirtiest little hole-in-the-wall shops, and sometimes you can just smell that there's something divine waiting to be liberated from the hovel you've found yourself in. It takes dedication, a good eye, and quick-thinking to be a vintage shopper. If you doubt yourself and leave something excellent behind, you can usually kiss it goodbye. Some other savvy shopper will have spotted it before you can return. Vintage shopping is just an all-around fun time for me.

The other reason I love vintage is that if you find a signature style or piece, you can guarantee that you won't see it on everyone else. I don't wear as much vintage as I used to, but I have undergarments framed and hung up on display. They're just so lovely!

24, Ontario

 

[PrinceOfCats]

It's the only way you can ever buy a genuine Yves St.Laurent, Giuccio Gucci, Christian Dior &c.

 

[slinky_vagabond]

I buy vintage because there aren't too many stores that sell the kind of clothes I like, so the only way to get my hands on what I want is to get it second hand. Plus it's fun rummaging around and you sometimes stumble across some amazing finds, like the Vivienne Westwood boots that I got for fifteen bucks.
Mynt, 13, Seattle

 

[Spacemiu]

I liek it

 

[Lena]

vintage originals are the best.

*first of all i adore the fabrics (this kind of high quality is just not there anymore)
*cut & details (being in the fashion business i've been 'educating' myself with vintage cuts etc. there is so much more creativity in old pieces)
*uniqueness is a big plus (imposible to find someone wearing the same look, one can create real original looks )
*the joy of 'vintage hunting' (like someone else stated here, it really is like a sport to me too)
*i prefer flee markets for vintage hunting (they are much more cheap than vintage boutiques, discovering an old Leonard, CDG or Pucci in a pile of trashy second hand clothes makes me deliriously happy)
* i love vintage accessories (scarves, earrings, trimmings are adorable but i never buy bags or shoes)

btw, the new trend in europe are vintage shoes, even though i cannot imagine myself in someone elses shoes, they are HUGE over here.

good luck with your article

 

[stylegurrl]

I love searching thrift shops for unique items. For the most part, the clothing is of better quality than what is currently available and I like finding things that no one else has. Another positive aspect is the fact that the money generated goes to help a good cause. The lower prices are also a big plus.

Age 32, New York City

 

[hollyslookingdry]

I buy vintage to get something that no one else, or at least very few, people tend to have. Its the thrill of the chase. The way most clothes companies work now, you can look online or go to a store and they have an item in many colors and many sizes. But with vintage you have to look hard to find something that is your size and in a flattering color. Its about creating my own style, not something put together by someone else and marketed to everyone and their mother. I tend to buy things from the fifties and sixties for there simplistic cut and color.

Holly, 15, Boston, MA

 

[loves]

I just adore vintage be it clothes or accessories.

Why do I adore vintage? I really don't know except I'm strangely drawn to the past. Also the wonder of being able to hold, to touch, to feel and to wear say a 90 year old dress or a century old pair of earrings - something that another woman or girl who almost a century ago must have liked it or loved it equally.

 

[mirrra]

as an inspiration,
enjoying feeling as a part of the world, without beeing part of the crowd,
may sound pathetic, but also as tiny step against consumer oriented overproduction,
it's cheaper,
you have much more choice left
30+ eastern europe