Bargain Vintage Shopping

Q- I absolutely love vintage looking clothing and jewelry, but I can never find any I like. When I go to bargain stores I end up leaving without buying anything. Do you have any hints for how to find a good item in a bargain store? Also what type of details should I look for in not vintage clothing that would make it look vintage?

A- I assume when you say bargain store you mean a thrift store. When shopping at thrift stores you won’t always walk out with something cool and vintage-y — there is a lot of crap in there. You are actually better off shopping at an actual vintage store to get good looking vintage pieces. You don’t have to go to an expensive vintage store either. Hunt around, there are a lot of shops out there with really reasonable prices. Another good place to look is at consignment stores. Plenty of good deals to be found there.

If you are looking for new clothing with vintage qualities, it really depends on what time period of clothing you are looking to emulate. If you are going for a 50s look; look for sweet little cardigans, lace details, retro buttons, full skirts, and higher waist lines – for example. I will also throw out my standard advice of grabbing old photos and take them shopping with you for inspiration.

Another option is to scour eBay and Etsy, there are some great vintage deals on both sites.

Happy shopping.