3 Tricks for Building a Vintage Wardrobe

Posted on: 11 February 2020

If you have decided that you want to wear vintage clothing, you have to find vintage clothing that works for you. Switching to a more vintage-inspired is going to take a while, as it takes time and effort to find quality vintage pieces.

#1: Learn All Your Measurements

First, before you start vintage shopping online or in-person, you need to know what your measurements are. You need to know the measurements for your waist, hips, and inseam. You need to know the measurements for your bust and for how long your torso is. Check your clothing and find out what measurement you are. For example, you may have a 30-inch waist, but the pants that fit you best may be 32-inches.

It is important to know your measurements when you are shopping for vintage clothing because sizing varies across brands, and it varies based on when the clothes were made. When you shop online for vintage clothing, be sure to read the measurements, not the size, of the clothing. When you shop in-person, bring a soft tape measure with you and measure the clothing to see if they would be a good fit for you.

#2: Look Everywhere

Second, if you want to find great vintage clothing, you need to be willing to look everywhere for it. Great vintage clothing may be hiding out in a vintage store located in a big city just as well as it could be hiding at a little consignment shop in a small downtown.

The key to building a vintage wardrobe is to check out every location, online, and in-person that you can. Keep in mind that inventory changes over time, and is unpredictable, so just because a store didn't have what you were looking for the first four times you visited doesn't mean it will not have it the fifth time. For local stores, ask when they get new stock in so you know when to check back.

#3: Find a Good Tailor

The thing with vintage cloth shopping is when you find that perfect dress; it is not going to be available in five different sizes, it is just going to be available in that one size. If the piece is too small, just pass it over.

However, if the piece is a little too big, you may just want to purchase the item. A good tailor can take an item that is one or two sizes too large and modify it to fit you. Just don't go overboard; if you find something that is four sizes too large, the tailor would more than likely have to take apart the entire garment and resew it, which is generally not worth the cost.

If you want to build a vintage wardrobe, learn more by visiting vintage clothing stores. 

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