Buying Vintage

Friends and readers ask me all of the time how I find my vintage pieces….so because its Monday and I'm in a generous mood here are my secrets :)

1. Leather

I know I'm a vegetarian but its no secret that I lurve leather. The trick is though….99% of my leather pieces are vintage or thrift store finds; A. because its great for the environment and the animals eek…and B. because the price of a designer leather skirt that you would find in the store versus a leather skirt you find on Etsy is absolutely crazy. Leather is a great material to buy used because with most leather it only gets better with age. Take away point….if you want to add some more leather into your wardrobe definitely go the vintage route….. your wallet (and some cows) will thank you.

2. Lace & Crochet

Just like with leather, lace and crochet are great materials to buy vintage or used. For the most part they hold well with time and will always be seen in some form walking down the runway. If you find a lace pattern that you like but the shape seems matronly that's ok…..get yourself a slip and belt that sucker or balance out the shape with a tough edge and go sheer with a black bra and black shorts under.

3. Statement Pieces

Love all of the capes or fringe being sent down the runway but don't have thousands of dollars at your disposal? When looking for the perfect statement pieces vintage is a great way to go because you can find incredible items without the insane designer markup. My favorite statement pieces that I've found have been a men's floor length Burberry trench coat, a satin smoking jacket and this cape from the 40's that I will be wearing as soon as the first cool breeze hits this Fall. Tip: if you are looking for say a cape on Etsy or Ebay just type in "vintage cape" that's pretty self explanatory but it helps.

Where to Buy

Goodwill & Thrift Stores
If you have some extra time on your hands Goodwill and thrift stores are a good starting point. It definitely takes some patience to get through all of the rift raft and you have to be in the mood but you could find the deal of your life with say a $5 real leather mini.

Vintage Stores
Ok so the markup on vintage stores is definitely higher because they have already done some of the editing for you because they are more selective of what they let into their store. If you don't have time to rift through aisles and aisles of clothing this a great alternative. For those of you in my neck of the woods The Clothing Warehouse in Chapel Hill is great and the people there are incredibly friendly and will even pull things for you to try on!

Online
Etsy is definitely my favorite source for scouring vintage because I can do it on my Esty app while say….someone gets distracted with Sesame Street :) Get yourself the Etsy and Ebay apps and just constantly check them…..thousands of pieces are added everyday. Also, once you find a favorite shop on there add them to your "favorites" section and then you can browse their new items when they come in.

I hope this has been helpful and maybe given you a little more confidence when it comes to buying Vintage!