A Beginner's Guide to Vintage Shopping - What's Your Era?

If you ever wondered what is and isn’t vintage – there doesn’t seem to be a 'definitive' answer.  Some people say vintage ends in the 1990s and some might tell you that it ends in the 1970s, with the 1980s and 1990s classed as retro.

When you first start getting into the vintage scene, it’s often a good to get an idea what eras you like and start building up your wardrobe from there.  If you like a certain style for what ever reason - such as your favourite film or TV programme is set during those times, you love the music, or just feel you belong in that decade, then that’s a good start.

Of course you don’t have to go full on into that era dress up everyday (although it’s fun to do that!) if that's not you.  You can always wear touches of it, like vintage jackets and accessories with modern items.  Plus, why stick to one era?  I have pieces in my wardrobe spanning from the 1920s to the 1990s.  It’s simply about what you feel comfortable in and enjoy wearing. 

   

You might find it difficult to source clothes from some decades - simply because a lot of clothes haven’t survived. I find 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s are the easiest decades to find clothes from, but if you like the look of earlier eras but can’t find the clothes you can always go for replica clothing. A few vintage stalls at our events sell beautiful replica dresses, and they’re not always brand new. Fashion is cyclical and many styles keep coming back into fashion. For example this lovely 1940s style tea dress in the photo on the right, probably dates from the 1980s, so you can get a 1940s look and still be buying retro second hand clothing.

Also, if you've been in the high street stores lately, vintage style clothing is very fashionable at the moment.  There are loads of items in 50s style prints, 60s Mod styles, and 70s Bohemian styles on offer.  These can be teamed them up with a beautiful vintage silk scarf or some retro jewellery to give them a more authentic vintage feel. How about buying a vintage handbag from one of our stalls to go with your outfit?  One of the great things about vintage handbags is they have a pocket in them for a cigarette case – which is the exact size of a modern day smart phone!  

Don't forget we're still on the look out for the 'Face of Yorkshire Does Vintage' for our next issue of our magazine in the Spring.  So the next time you come to one of our events, why not dress up a bit and show off your collection of vintage finery? 

A Beginner's Guide to Vintage Shopping - Size Doesn't Matter!

With York Does Vintage coming on 14 October 2012, and all the other vintage events we've got planned on the horizon, I'm sure a lot of reader of this blog will forward to doing some vintage shopping. 

But when it comes to vintage clothes shopping, where do you start?  If you're interested in vintage fashion, are new to the scene, or simply would like some tips then hopefully this guide will be of some use to you.

Size Doesn't Matter

The first thing you should be aware of when shopping for vintage clothes is that size doesn't matter!  In fact modern clothes sizes are not the same as vintage ones.  Over the last 25 years dress sizes have decreased.  So, if you're a modern size 14, chances are you'll be a vintage size 16 and so on.

Therefore, don't be disheartened if at one of our events you try a dress on in your modern size and it doesn't fit - it's probably just the wrong size.  Keep in mind that in all likelihood they'll be another item for sale in the right size that will fit and make you look fabulous. 

Also, the shape of women has changed over the last 60 years.  A recent report revealed that in the 1950s the average woman's measurements (in inches) were 37-27-39, where as today they're 40-34-40.  This means that the average 1950s woman was around a modern size 12-14, or a vintage size 14-16.

Bare in mind that the 50s measurements are only an average, not an ideal, and women in the past were probably this shape due to less home conveniences when it came to the housework, less car ownership, and having lived through WWII food rationing (which didn't fully end until 1954).  What this does mean though if you're shopping for vintage clothes is you'll need to be aware in the past more people will have bought the clothes in average sizes, giving these sizes more of a chance of surviving the decades.  However, even if you are an average size, sometime things won't fit due to the cut of them. 

All this is why it's so important you try on vintage clothes before you buy them!  If you can't try things on then know your measurements and take a tape measure.  If you're not sure about measuring yourself, a good tip is to measure your own clothes that you know fit you around the bust, waist and hips and use those as a guide when measuring vintage clothes.

Above all though, when buying vintage clothing - have fun.  Try on a few things, get an idea of what styles suit you and what fits your shape best.  That way you'll be bound to find vintage clothes that are perfect for you.