Looking for a one of kind, long lasting, handmade and one hundred percent unique item to add to your wardrobe? Then go for vintage. As time goes on, fashion tends to look to the past, meaning old styles and vintage pieces can fit easily into a modern wardrobe. It has basically never been easier to look more up to date wearing a dress that was made 60 years ago! Investment pieces, one off designs, luxury labels from past decades there is plenty to discover in the world of vintage clothing. What makes vintage vintage and why is it the best to invest? Keep reading and discover some top tips and fashionista favourites who cannot live without it!
What even is Vintage?
First used in the early fifteenth century, the origin of vintage traces back to the French word ‘Vendange’, meaning wine harvest, and denotes the vintage date given to every bottle to showcase its value. Since then vintage has been given a whole host of different connotations making it difficult to understand just exactly what a vintage piece of clothing means today The general rule is that for an item to be labelled with the term it must date back to a different era. The further back you go the more vintage it becomes. For better quality, invest in pre-1970s as this was before the grand arrival of polyester and when quality took priority of quantity!
Think Before You Buy
Many believe that the older the item, the shabbier it becomes. This simply is not true. The older the piece, the higher the quality, a higher attention to detail and craftsmanship and a durability so strong that would never be found on today’s high street. If you are a vintage buying beginner, then it is always best to do a little research before splashing that cash. From 60s flares to 20s flaps, every era has a distinct silhouette so make sure you know what style is best for your body. Sizing standards have slowly but surely changed throughout the decades so if in doubt whip out a measuring tape to be sure. Once the decision has been made and your glorious new frock is hanging proudly in your closet make sure you do not store it in a plastic encasing. À la blu Cantrell, just let it breathe. If there is any moisture in the air, then this can get trapped inside and can cause deterioration and mildew…not chic.
Kate Moss is Boss
Fashion and the famous go notoriously together so it is no surprise that celebrities need unique one of a kind pieces to hit the best dressed headlines. Alexa Chung, Dita Von Teese, Kirsten Dunst, the Olsen twins and Chloe Sevigny are most certainly the cream of the vintage crop and can be regularly seen pacing the streets and ruling the red-carpet in magical finds. British musician and style icon Lily Allen loves the style so much she even ran her own vintage Boutique in London for several years and launched her own line of vintage inspired dresses. When Julia Roberts won the award for Best Actress at the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001 no recent runway trend was good enough for this actress. Instead, a 1992 design from the Valentino archives that oozed elegance, class and old-school Hollywood glamour. An even more unforgettable vintage moment however comes from the Queen of British Cool, Kate Moss, when in 2007 she was seen flowing effortlessly down the red carpet at the V&A Golden Age of Couture Gala in London wearing a Christian Dior vintage satin dress. Unfortunately, Courtney Love literally put her foot in it by standing on its train and ripping the dress. Moss being Moss didn’t let this spoil her fun and simply made the dress even more unique by transforming the maxi into a mini with an elegantly placed bow over her derrière. Anything is possible, that’s the power of Vintage!
Safe, secure and no overly impressionable sneaky sales assistants, the internet has transformed the art of vintage buying for the better. Get straight to the good stuff and spend less time scraping through the rales of overcrowded vintage stores and getting into heated fights with fellow vintage loving vultures. The consumer is in control. Detailed descriptions, stamps of approval and authentication guarantees that the vintage Prada dress is indeed a vintage Prada dress. Think of it as an extremely organised trunk of precious gems just waiting for you to get your hands on.