I have a dramatic love affair with vintage clothes. Not the nostalgic type where I am dreaming about the past, but really it is quite the opposite. I do like looking back at fashion from the past and the beautiful women who wore them. It represents a different world from today. However, I love vintage not only for the one-of-a-kind nature of each piece, but also for the fashion forward qualities. I was taking a fashion summer course at Central Saint Martins where I told the instructor that I don't like vintage that looks "dated". She then replied, "well, isn't all vintage dated?" On the surface, yes, because it is old, but stylistically, it doesn't have to be. I started shopping vintage at thrift stores after Forever 21 and H&M became more accessible to my small town fashion scene. I used to love going to Seattle or Las Vegas with my mom on business trips because I could shop clothing that was not yet available to my Idaho girls. Once I was "over" those stores, shopping vintage allowed me to buy things that I knew nobody else would have.
Fast-forward a few years from being a middle school fashionista in floral mini-skirts to becoming more interested in the sophistication of runways, I started to notice a trend that some of the styles seen on the runways could be found cheaper at vintage stores. Obviously not to the caliber of quality, but I created my own version of magazines' "look for less" features.
It's nothing new that what goes around comes around. Fashion has always been recycled making nothing truly new. This is the reason why I think that fashion-forward trends can be found in vintage clothing. Similarly, the pieces that I gravitate towards in stores are the ones that are wearable for now. A short list of things I like for right now include: 80's floral dresses, trousers, blazers, secretary blouses, and more. However, sometime you will go in a store and nothing will be quite right. You can find racks and racks filled with gorgeous vintage clothing that is simply just unwearable and unpractical to wear today. Whether it be the fit, fabric, or just the style, sometimes a beautiful 50's dress is best left for the archives and not for your closet. (I have yet to define a concrete definition of what "wearable" vintage means as it can change based on tastes, but be sure to take a good look at the fabric and try on a bunch of different styles to see what best suits you.)
I had yet been convincing enough of my theory until I found this evidence below of a look from the Off-White S/S '18 collection inspired by Princess Diana. Obviously the runway dress is updated and modern, but similar qualities can be found in vintage dresses too: mid-length hemline, billowing sleeves, strong shoulders, and a standout print.
Coincidentally, on the same day that I put this picture on my mood board in class, I found a similar one later that day in a whole-in-the-wall vintage store near Camden Market. Supporting my claim that while it seems contradictory, vintage clothing can really be fashion-forward.
However, the true secret to wearing vintage fashionably is in the styling. To avoid looking like you have taken a time machine back to get dressed in the 80's, wear a sleek hairstyle and clean, modern accessories. I like wearing vintage "grandma" dresses with sneakers. Alternatively, this can work the opposite way too. One of my go-to outfits with a small, vintage beaded bag is a crisp, white shirt and denim.
Now back to the Princess Di polka-dot dress that I found. I wore my dress on a weekend trip to Paris. Combined with my recently-colored pink hair (I brought it to color my hair when my roots grew out too much), I pretty much stuck out in the French crowd of black trousers and simple tops. Since the dress was unlined and slightly sheer, I wore it over a black bodysuit, a good choice for a hot city summer day at the Paris Flea Markets. Pictures were taken brunch time at the Recyclerie and in the Marais post-Falafel.
While vintage shopping is definitely not for everyone, I think that I make a pretty convincing case that shopping vintage is a lifesaver for fashion girls who don't have a high-end budget. If you love fashion but are afraid of vintage, I suggest first finding a runway look that you like and researching if the silhouettes are based on a certain era. If it is, jot it down on your fashion shopping list for the next time you go vintage/thrift shopping (I put a leather biker jacket on my list 3 years ago and just found one that works for me). I have found that it is easier to find stuff when you have something in mind rather than aimlessly thumbing through racks as I most often do. Also, consider visiting at least one vintage stores while traveling to a city destination. Often there will be pieces that reflect the styles in the country for a more covetable souvenir than one in a tacky tourist shop (I bought a vintage kilt in Scotland and a beret in Belgium).