Vintage clothing can be amazing. You can find these items that look great, and often at very inexpensive prices. Plus, there’s the fun that comes with hunting for something and the excitement that goes along with picking up a treasure.
We always hear celebrities pointing out vintage items they’re wearing, but how do you do vintage, and do it well?
Vintage in Moderation
Unfortunately people want to get in on the vintage trend and they tend to over-do it. The trick with vintage is to do it in moderation, rather than having an outfit entirely made up of vintage clothes. If you overdo it, you run the risk of looking like you’re wearing a costume, instead of looking chic.
Choose one great vintage piece for your outfit and leave it at that.
If you have one great attention-grabbing vintage piece, like a jacket, keep the rest of your outfit not only modern, but also clean and simple so that the vintage item becomes the focal point.
Put Your Own Spin on Vintage Pieces
If you find something in a thrift or vintage store that seems to have great “bones,” but isn’t quite perfect, don’t be afraid to make your own modifications.
You can easily change or add buttons, change the hemline, remove shoulder pads, add lining or even have it tailored so it’s a perfect fit.
Also, if you find a great item but it has some flaws you may want to buy it anyway. If you take it to a professional seamstress there may be creative ways to fix or hide the flaws.
Start Small
If you’re interested in adding vintage to your wardrobe, but you’re nervous about looking ridiculous, start small.
Visit vintage stores to find great scarves, hats, bags, etc., and then add them to your modern outfits. Gradually as you gain more experience with vintage clothing you’ll start to be able to move to bigger items that will become central to your outfit.
After you experiment with accessories you can start choosing basic staples for your wardrobe. For example, pencil skirts, dresses and blazers are all great items to buy vintage and then combine with updated, new pieces.
Fabrics Still Matter
Just as fabrics matter now, they also matters in vintage clothing. We often think of vintage clothing as being more high-quality and durable, but this isn’t always the case. For example, polyester was THE fabric of the 1970s, but it really doesn’t translate well today.
Choose items like tweed or cottons instead of cheap, non-breathable fabrics that were popular during certain decades.
Shop Smart
When shopping for vintage clothes, it’s quite a bit different from shopping for modern styles. Namely, you have to just ignore sizing. The sizing of the past decades is so vastly different from how we size our clothes today that really the only way to find out if something fits is to try it on. Vintage shopping online can be challenging for this very reason.
What are your tips for having great vintage-influenced style?