My penchant for vintage clothing has been called everything from crazy (good) to crazy (crazy). Herewith, my top ten tips for making vintage shopping crazy (good).
10. Be happy. If you’re not, it’s probably not the best time to wade through the rough in search of a vintage diamond.
9. Be elitist. Thrift stores in the ritzier parts of town get donations from the ritzier parts of town (which means you’re more likely to find an Yves Saint Laurent scarf or, for that matter, an Yves Saint Larent belt).
8. Seek perfection. If it’s not in pristine, like-it-was-only-worn-once condition, put it back on the rack.
7. Short on time? Head for the accessories — you don’t have to hit the change room to figure out if a belt, scarf or handbag is perfect for you.
6. Think outside the thrift store. You can’t even imagine the gems I’ve found at antique fairs, church thrift sales and private school fairs (like Saint George’s and York House, to name a few).
5. Shop where the collectors shop — in Vancouver I like Deluxe Junk in Gastown, F as in Frank on Main Street and Burcu’s Angels on 16th.
4. Take your new skirt/dress/jacket/whatever to a tailor to get it shortened/fitted/reconstructed (in Vancouver, I’d recommend Oakridge Tailors) but don’t forget that can add anywhere from $20 to $120 to the price of the piece.
3. Take your new skirt/dress/jacket/whatever to the dry cleaner. But again, that can add big bucks ($50 for a leather skirt, $150 for a leather jacket).
2. Bring a friend. I would have never found this red leather skirt if my girlfriend Laura hadn’t spotted it.
1. If you’re not into hunting for vintage treasure, head straight to online supershop Shrimpton Couture. They’ve done the work for you.
Many of you are vintage connoisseurs — have anything you’d add to my list? Leave a comment. Want to delve into another Anthology guide? Read up on Istanbul.
12 Comments
thanks for sharing your tricks of the trade!
i’m pretty new to the game, so can’t offer much advice, i’m afraid.
ummm.. don’t go thrifting when you’re hungry? haha. I just have zero patience for it when my blood sugar is low.
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Excellent points! It’s such a great way to recycle!
thx to you i’m into vintage shopping!!…but had a hard time finding the right tailor :( I’ll try the Oakridge one
do you ever go to etsy.com and just browse? it’s a great little online marketplace for vintage finds, and such a distraction to your day once you start!!! :)
thanks for sharing, my dear…
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Such great tips! Thanks.. maybe now i’ll have better luck with vintage.
Btw, I saw someone walking today that looks exactly like you.
thanks for this great guide – you’re the reason i started shopping at vintage again after more than 10 years not. i remember shopping at Delux junk all the time when i was in high school and loving it. time to rediscover as well as check out new places.
great points! i love the idea of vintage, but i hate digging through things. i have no patience!
awesome vintage guide Kelsey! I love it. It also made me realize that I may have been going about vintage shopping all wrong! Well.. that’s going to be fixed now that I have your handy dandy little guide hehe
#9 is so true. will def keep #7 and 8 in mind for sure. and yes, I always do enjoy vintage shopping with a friend a lot more than on my own, but if I have to, I’ll go it alone haha
Great post, great blog!
[…] because I want nothing but the best for all y’all, I thought I’d update my guide to vintage shopping. (If you want a crash course, watch this clip where I take the camera crew from The Express vintage […]