Keep in mind that haute couture vintage is not the only thing that is sold in terms of fashion. It is considered that good brand names or something custom made, are usually good examples of fashion in that era. A typical piece from an era that have a certain style and design may make them the cornerstone of why vintage pieces are so sought after today.
So many people think that vintage is anything from the 80's and before but the vintage purist begs to differ in that they believe that anything within the past 15 years should be referred to as contemporary and not vintage. It really is up to an individual and what they are comfortable with in terms of the age of a piece.
Something to note and this is very important is the age, quality and condition of an item. Just because it is vintage does not mean you should buy it, if the item is damaged it will be of no value to you.
While i am still learning to identify what it and what isn't vintage i still whole-heartedly embraced the joy of shopping at Estate sales, Garage sales, flea markets and quite frequently thrift shops. Everyday it is a new adventure and i cannot sit still for one minute as my heart races when i think about what treasures i will find on a particular day. Trust me they are indeed treasures. Quite frankly i think it has become an addiction.
Although my preferred mode of fashion is vintage i have now expanded my taste to include high end designer pieces, the simple fact is that it's becoming more and more difficult to find good vintage pieces. Just a week ago i went into a shop and i found nine vintage shirts made by ship&shore and i had them in my shopping cart but as i continued shopping, i kept smelling the scent of stale smoke so i immediately began sniffing the items in my cart and sure enough each and every one of the shirts smelled of smoke so sadly i had to put them all back on the rack. I did not want to take the chance of purchasing it and taking it home with no means of getting the scent out. Read on
Smoking Hot
To buy or not to buy, now occasionally you will run into the problem with smelly item mainly the smell of smoke because of course lots of people smoke. I choose not to buy these items which i will refer to as smoking hot. It is hot because it might be a great piece from a top designer and it is smoking because it is reeking of smoke. My reason being that i had once purchased numerous items that was smoking hot and i felt in my heart that i would be able to, take it home, wash it and and get rid of the smoke, no big deal but my dear friends that did not happen. Read on.
I washed them like i would normally wash my other fine pieces, put my downy softener and all. Finally i removed them from the machine, it looked nice and clean, okay time to take a whiff. Oh Jesus the things still smelled of smoke so of course i sought the advice of my dear friend google to find out how to get the scent of smoke out of clothing and there were numerous suggestions, from soaking it in vinegar, to soaking it in baking soda, to putting it in the sun, to putting cholorox bleach on it and i tried them all but NOTHING worked and so with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart i walked to the trash can and had to dump my smoking hot couture. Hence my reason for not purchasing anything that have the slightest scent of smoke.
Now onto to more important things. On the days that i set out on my adventures i am always very happy to do so. I smile in anticipation of the treasures i will find that day, so with a hop in my stride and a smile on my face i set out to discover the hidden treasures that lay waiting for me. You see you must have a passion for this type of business or it will not work for you. Okay let's say for example you go into a thrift shop, when you get in you might say "oh i don't like it in here, it smells funny" (Most thrift shops do have a signature smell), it's not a bad scent but it is one of the characteristics of a thrift shop. Others may just glimpse at it and say "oh no, that's not for me" still others may go in take a quick browse and say "i don't see anything i like, too much stuff to sort through. That is the problem you cannot go in a thrift shop or a garage sale or even an estate sale and expect to come out with a treasure in five minutes. It is very unlikely that you will find anything.
Do you have the passion
I have had the passion for old things since i was a child growing up but through the years that passion faded and was replaced by thoughts and ideas that seemed more reasonable. My true passion reintroduced itself into my being by means of an older gentleman. (i will go off topic briefly but it all relates to the subject). I was on the New York city subway and i was decked off in my Burberry Prorsum and and older gentleman came and sat next to me. He said "I like your coat" I watched him without replying because in New York city you just do not know when to be polite, it gives some people the opportunity to show their perverted side. I sat there and he smiled and continued talking, he went on to say that he liked the way i carried myself and that he can see that i had expensive taste. I said "thank you sir" then he whispered,"I know where you can get them on the cheap". He then gave me the address of a thrift shop in Brooklyn and told me i should check it out and assured me that i would not be disappointed. Again i thanked him as i exited the train. That same day i visited the thrift shop and Lo and behold my love of old and unusual things was reborn.
While i am still learning to identify what it and what isn't vintage i still whole-heartedly embraced the joy of shopping at Estate sales, Garage sales, flea markets and quite frequently thrift shops. Everyday it is a new adventure and i cannot sit still for one minute as my heart races when i think about what treasures i will find on a particular day. Trust me they are indeed treasures. Quite frankly i think it has become an addiction.
Although my preferred mode of fashion is vintage i have now expanded my taste to include high end designer pieces, the simple fact is that it's becoming more and more difficult to find good vintage pieces. Just a week ago i went into a shop and i found nine vintage shirts made by ship&shore and i had them in my shopping cart but as i continued shopping, i kept smelling the scent of stale smoke so i immediately began sniffing the items in my cart and sure enough each and every one of the shirts smelled of smoke so sadly i had to put them all back on the rack. I did not want to take the chance of purchasing it and taking it home with no means of getting the scent out. Read on
Smoking Hot
To buy or not to buy, now occasionally you will run into the problem with smelly item mainly the smell of smoke because of course lots of people smoke. I choose not to buy these items which i will refer to as smoking hot. It is hot because it might be a great piece from a top designer and it is smoking because it is reeking of smoke. My reason being that i had once purchased numerous items that was smoking hot and i felt in my heart that i would be able to, take it home, wash it and and get rid of the smoke, no big deal but my dear friends that did not happen. Read on.
I washed them like i would normally wash my other fine pieces, put my downy softener and all. Finally i removed them from the machine, it looked nice and clean, okay time to take a whiff. Oh Jesus the things still smelled of smoke so of course i sought the advice of my dear friend google to find out how to get the scent of smoke out of clothing and there were numerous suggestions, from soaking it in vinegar, to soaking it in baking soda, to putting it in the sun, to putting cholorox bleach on it and i tried them all but NOTHING worked and so with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart i walked to the trash can and had to dump my smoking hot couture. Hence my reason for not purchasing anything that have the slightest scent of smoke.
Now onto to more important things. On the days that i set out on my adventures i am always very happy to do so. I smile in anticipation of the treasures i will find that day, so with a hop in my stride and a smile on my face i set out to discover the hidden treasures that lay waiting for me. You see you must have a passion for this type of business or it will not work for you. Okay let's say for example you go into a thrift shop, when you get in you might say "oh i don't like it in here, it smells funny" (Most thrift shops do have a signature smell), it's not a bad scent but it is one of the characteristics of a thrift shop. Others may just glimpse at it and say "oh no, that's not for me" still others may go in take a quick browse and say "i don't see anything i like, too much stuff to sort through. That is the problem you cannot go in a thrift shop or a garage sale or even an estate sale and expect to come out with a treasure in five minutes. It is very unlikely that you will find anything.
Do you have the passion
I have had the passion for old things since i was a child growing up but through the years that passion faded and was replaced by thoughts and ideas that seemed more reasonable. My true passion reintroduced itself into my being by means of an older gentleman. (i will go off topic briefly but it all relates to the subject). I was on the New York city subway and i was decked off in my Burberry Prorsum and and older gentleman came and sat next to me. He said "I like your coat" I watched him without replying because in New York city you just do not know when to be polite, it gives some people the opportunity to show their perverted side. I sat there and he smiled and continued talking, he went on to say that he liked the way i carried myself and that he can see that i had expensive taste. I said "thank you sir" then he whispered,"I know where you can get them on the cheap". He then gave me the address of a thrift shop in Brooklyn and told me i should check it out and assured me that i would not be disappointed. Again i thanked him as i exited the train. That same day i visited the thrift shop and Lo and behold my love of old and unusual things was reborn.
