If your new to vintage clothing, you might have a lot of questions like, “Why should I buy vintage?” or “How do I know something is going to fit?” my goal with this post is answer most of the basic questions you may have, if you feel like I missed something just message me On Instagram and I will try my best to answer any additional questions you may have!
First and possibly most important is the question of why you should be buying vintage. We all have our own personal reasons as to why we like to buy vintage clothing but the main points for me are this.
- A quick google search will bring up the countless ethical and environmental problems with fast fashion. Buying pre-owned clothing/ vintage clothing takes clothes out of this harmful cycle of fast fashion.
- This is really personal preference, but I just like vintage clothing designs more. Anyone can walk into the mall and pick out the same graphic shirt, but how many people have that 1996 bulls rap tee? (just an example) To me vintage allows people to better show their individual style and not wear the same garments as everyone else.
- You may find someone with the same vintage garment as you but the likelihood theirs’s has the same backstory and lifecycle as yours is zero percent. Every preowned garment has gone through a whole life cycle with the previous owner and often has a completely unique fade or wash that can only be replicated through years of wear. This is my personal favorite part of vintage clothing.
Now that I’ve broken down some of the reasons you may want to buy vintage let me drop a few helpful tips that I wish I knew when I was getting into vintage.
- NEVER EVER EVER trust a size tag. Throughout my time in vintage I’ve found maybe a handful of shirts that fit exactly like the tag’s states. See most garments are made of cotton which shrinks over time almost always. To combat this, go grab a tape measure and
a shirt you love the fit of. Measure the pit to pit and length of said shirt (look at picture for guide of how to measure) and now you have a perfect guide of how you can buy shirts. Do the same with the inseam and waist of your favorite pair of pants. If you notice, on every single listing I always include the measurements so you know exactly how the garment will fit before purchase. If other sellers don’t do this, always ask for measurements. For a shirt the measurements will almost always be written in the form (pit to pit)x(length), EX. 21"x30". For jeans the measurements will almost always be written in the form (waist)x(inseam) EX. 30"x31"
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If you buy and shirt and it’s too small DON’T PANIC. Just follow this cool guide my friend @closet_necessities on IG made, It works! https://www.tiktok.com/@closetnecessities/video/6935591015659195654?lang=en&is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6948498420202325509
- Got some mean stains? This is the best guide to get out stains I’ve found courtesy of @fullcourtclassics on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CENS5kWANas/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
- last but certainly not least is this amazing instagram https://www.instagram.com/vintage101_clubhouse/ they are always posting great tips and useful knowledge great for all levels of know how.
