Vintage Info

What exactly is “Vintage Clothing”?

Vintage Clothing is a term for garments hailing from another era. Generally speaking, clothing older than 25 years is considered to be vintage, though opinions vary on this definition. Many sellers of vintage clothing consider even more modern pieces to be ‘vintage’, provided that they are particularly representative of the era in which they were made. For example, the very simple slip dresses that emerged in the early 1990’s as an expression of the impact of minimalism and grunge aesthetics on fashion would be considered ‘vintage’ by many collectors and sellers of vintage clothing.

What once brought up images of your grandmother’s closet, in the past few years has become a creative and stylish way to dress.

When women of the mid-1900’s needed something special to wear for an occasion, it wasn’t uncommon for them to create something for themselves. Whether they came up with the design or took inspiration from a Mccall’s pattern, clothing from this era was often unique and/or one-of-a-kind. Today, many people go to their local shopping malls or shop online for items to fill their wardrobe gaps. Anyone who has shopped at these malls is aware of the frustration that comes from trying to find a fabulous dress that will make you stand out when all you are surrounded by is boring, look-alike outfits.

Vintage clothing is a world away from the mass produced. It gives you the opportunity to take something from a different time and make it your own. It’s also easy to take vintage fashions and mix them in with your current wardrobe.

The fashion revolution of the 1960s brought us clothing and styles that were much more varied. People of the time embraced this by scouting thrift shops and yard sales, and vintage clothing stores began opening in the 1970s.

Vintage is all about giving new life to an item that had become a castoff. We are seeing more celebrity stylists, like Patricia Field and Rachel Zoe, dressing their clients in vintage. And with current designers like Marc Jacobs and Betsey Johnson constantly showing vintage inspired pieces on the runway, I think it is undeniable that vintage is here to stay!

Care of Vintage Fabrics

When in doubt HANDWASH! You must remember whilst most vintage items were made well that they are still vintage. Here are a few tips to preserve your favourite new purchase!

* Clean a vintage item immediately after wearing to avoid stains.

* Use liquid detergent instead of powder or dry clean

* Never store vintage items in plastic bags. They need to breathe.

* Never hang vintage knits or fragile items…they stretch. Fold and store in draws.

* Keep clothes away from light. It fades and deteriorates the fabric over time.

* Use mothballs or lavendar to keep away pests. Near but not touching the fabric.
* Never use wire hangers. They can rust…use padded or wooden hangers
* Use cool to warm water to avoid fade or running of garment dyes and spot clean first before washing

Vintage Lovers

Carrie Bradshaw was notorious for mixing vintage clothing with current pieces as below.

Chloe Sevigny

Much has been written about It girl Chloë Sevigny’s style and background.  Sevigny attributes her frugal past to her love of vintage: “I still prefer to buy vintage over spending it all on one designer,” she told the Times.  Vintage has always been at the core of her edgy style. She was among the first to make it cool on the red carpet, after years of mixing the preppy of her Connecticut upbringing with a vintage-informed street style gleaned from escapes into Manhattan. Her then-singular look got her noticed at 17 by a magazine editor and swept her straight into the “It girl” realm.

The actress insists her wardrobe is stocked almost entirely from thrift and vintage stores, with the occasional conventional separate thrown in for good measure.  When asked about her shopping style Chloe says that there is so much good vintage. I’ll go to Resurrection or Decades and be like, “Oh, I’m going to buy everything,” but a lot of it is extremely expensive so I’ll go to Wasteland and satisfy that urge and it’s not too hard on the pocketbook. Then there’s this place called Studio Wardrobe Department where everything is like three dollars.

Unlike most Hollywood starlets, you won’t find Sevigny meandering down Rodeo Drive on her shopping sprees. You are more likely to spot the independent actress in quirky stores such as C Madeline’s Showroom; a vintage store in Miami that stocks almost 100 years worth of the finest vintage clothing from all the greats, such as Gucci, Bill Blass and Halston.