Dedicated Follower Of Vintage

It's no secret I'm a lover of vintage in a big way and over the years I've collected some pretty amazing pieces. Some of which I don't even dare to wear out of the house and instead chose to simply swoon over them hidden away in my wardrobe. Others I wear to death and vintage on the whole features pretty heavily in a lot of my Instagram outfits. I get asked regularly where pieces are from, how did I find them/how can you find them. The beauty of wearing vintage clothing you love, is no one else can have it. The down fall of loving vintage worn by others is... No one else can have it. I've been there myself, you fall in love with something your friend's wearing, you ask where it's from and they tell you it's vintage. It's heart breaking. And so to avoid further heartache I've decided to offer a helping hand to those of you pining over unrequited vintage; the baby doll dress that got away and the crochet that slipped through your fingers. Unfortunately I can't offer you the clothes off my own back and I'm a little busy to accompany all of you individually on vintage shopping trips (although that does sound kinda fun) BUT I can give you my best advise and a nudge in the right direction with some outfits I've worn recently. Does that sound good to you? Great!

1. First and foremost; Please, please, pretty please don't buy vintage for the sake of it being vintage. I'm going to be harsh but fair and it's only because I love you; I see this error all too much and it makes me face palm. There is a reason garish Eighties (often pastel) printed shirts have never made a come back. We thankfully realised the error of our ways and we all agreed it best to leave them in 1985 along with leg warmers and viscose bat-winged knitwear. Please have some restraint.
2. On the other hand, be open minded when shopping and have your wits about you. For me, vintage and alteration shops go hand in hand. Can it be shortened? Can it be taken out? Can it be taken in? Am I Grace Jones? No? Didn't think so, in which case can I remove the shoulder pads immediately please? You know, just the usual questions. The 1950's floral summer dress I'm wearing below I found in a vintage store on Brick Lane and it was in a sorry state. It was dirty, the zip was broken, the hemming on the skirt had come away, there was a hole on the side, the list of casualties was endless. But I saw the potential (and the fact it STILL had its original belt in tact), bought it for a fiver and brought the little beauty back to life. Like the Super vet of vintage fashion that I am.







Dress- Vintage
Straw Bag- Vintage
Shoes- Zara but see similar from ASOS here

3. Price can be an objective. There's a misconception that vintage = value. Not necessarily. For example; if you're wanting a good-as-new, Seventies Liberty print dress of your dreams or a practically unworn Sixties Mary Quant number, you need to be prepared to pay a pretty penny. The priceless is unfortunately pricey.
4. Know your stuff! I've found knowing certain retro brands has made the Internet search for vintage a whole lot easier and I now have favourite labels I look out for. Little tip inside a tip; your biggest source of knowledge is right under your nose, ask your mother!!! She was there, she wore it. I'm a Super vet and a detective apparently.
5. Have a wish list. Going in blind can sometimes be a little over whelming especially when you're vintage shopping on something like eBay and that's why it's good to have an specific idea of the pieces you actually want! Again, this makes searching a whole lot easier and you can quickly sieve out the rubbish, aka the eighties pastel patterned shirts. For example, for years I've been looking for the perfect straw bag and I still looking for it now, but the one featured below comes pretty close from Cow Vintage and I've worn it to death already. 
6. Last piece of advise and this one neatly accompanies your wishlist... Be prepared to trawl. Trawl trawl traaaawl!!! Accept you're not always going to find your dream vintage piece on every shopping occasion. There's A LOT out there to search through and sometimes it feels like a treasure hunt but it's always worth it in the end, I promise. Lusting after something, taking the time to really search and finally discovering it, is THE best feeling and you're allowed to give yourself a pat on the back, a gold star and a little squeal of excitement.

Good Luck and may you find the paisley blouse of your dreams.
Sophia x

Some Of My Favourite Vintage Stores

Blouse- Vintage
Bag- Vintage
Shoes- Ebay
Dungarees- Topshop

3 comments:

  1. I absolutely love your style! I'm constantly stalking your Instagram and to realise you write a fashion blog makes me want to cry with happiness:) Not gonna lie your style is probably my inspiration.

    Alisha xx

    Insidethevoyage.wordpress.com

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  2. The titled pun is great, can't go wrong with a bit of the Kinks hahah. That blouse is fantastic! It's so much fun shopping for vintage items, always stumble upon hidden gems.

    https://paigeunread.com

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  3. I love your style, your outfits on instagram are always so pretty! Shopping for vintage clothes is always so much fun as well!

    http://technicolor-heart.blogspot.com

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