11 Tips For The Millennial Vintage Shopper: Reworked and One-of-a-Kind

STYLE

Nov 1

HOW TO GET REALLY GOOD VINTAGE

IF YOU'RE LIKE ME, THEN 90% OF YOUR SHOPPING IS DONE ONLINE. IF YOU LOVE ALL THINGS CHIC AND STYLISH, THEN YOU'VE PROBABLY NOTICED THE 90'S THROWBACK TRENDS POPPING UP ON CLOTHING SITES AND ONLINE BOUTIQUES. ATHLEISURE IS HAVING IT'S MOMENT, WILD COLORS ARE COMING BACK. GIRL, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

THESE DAYS, I DON'T REALLY DO MUCH IN-STORE SHOPPING BECAUSE THERE'S LIMITED TIME IN MY SCHEDULE. SO IF YOU WANT TO ADD TO YOUR CLOSET AND UPDATE YOUR LOOK AFFORDABLY, I'VE MADE IT A LITTLE EASIER FOR YOU.

ASOS MARKETPLACE

1. USE THE RIGHT LANGUAGE

DON'T JUST SEARCH FOR "JACKET". SEARCH FOR "TRACK JACKET". IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A PIECE YOU CAN WEAR AS A DRESS, BUT NOT EXACTLY A DRESS, THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. SEARCH FOR "WINDBREAKER".LOOKING FOR A YELLOW SCARF? TRY OTHER COLORS: MUSTARD, BANANA, ETC. LOOK FOR "SHAWL", "WRAP", "INFINITY", OR "PONCHO" EVEN. PEOPLE SELLING THEIR ITEMS DON'T ALWAYS LIST THE PIECE EXACTLY TO A TEE, SO IT TAKES SOME GUESSWORK.

ONLINE VINTAGE SHOPPING IS REALLY FUN BECAUSE WHEN YOU FIND A GOOD PIECE AT THE RIGHT PRICE, YOU'VE HIT THE JACKPOT.

2. DON'T HOLD BACK ON NEW STYLES

TO BE FRANK, I KNOW IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR VINTAGE, YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THAT UNIQUE VIBE, THAT EDGE APPEAL. SO PLEASE DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON ITEMS YOU ALREADY HAVE OR THAT LOOK SIMILAR TO WHAT'S LURKING IN YOUR DRESSER. THERE'S NO NEED TO BUY BASICS OR SIMPLE PIECES IN VINTAGE.GO OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE.

3. CONSIDER THE CONDITION #MINTCONDITION

WITH ANYTHING THAT'S BEEN PRE-WORN, BE CAREFUL TO CHECK THE PHOTOS FOR ANY SIGNS OF DAMAGE OR POOR QUALITY. I KNOW IT MAY BE HARD TO SEE FROM THE INFORMATION PROVIDED, BUT DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE AND READ THE CONDITION SECTION. IF THEY MENTION A STAIN OR HOLE, DON'T INVEST IN IT. IT'S LIKE BUYING A PRE-OWNED VEHICLE. YOU WANT A CLEAN TITLE.

4. GO FOR THE LESSER KNOWN BRANDS

NOT EVERYTHING HAS TO BE ADIDAS, REEBOK, OR NIKE. YES, I'M WEARING THOSE PIECES IN THIS POST, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT I DON'T ALWAYS GO FOR THEM. (IT JUST SO HAPPENS THAT I LOVED THESE STYLES.) BUT VINTAGE ISN'T ABOUT NAME BRAND. IT'S ABOUT FINDING PIECES THAT SPEAK TO YOU. A LOT OF 80'S LABELS ARE COMING BACK AS WELL AS THE CLASSICS LIKE UMBRO OR DIADORA. YOU'D DIE IF YOU SAW MY SAVED LISTS! SO DON'T BE AFRAID TO WORK WITH WHAT'S TRUE TO YOUR STYLE. WE'VE EVOLVED PAST THAT, YOU KNOW THAT, I KNOW IT. LET'S NOT PLAY OURSELVES.

FRANKIE COLLECTIVE

5. WHAT'S YOUR SILHOUETTE?

YOU WANT TO BUY VINTAGE, BUT DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START? CONSIDER LOOKING AT YOUR BODY TYPE AND FRAME. THINK ABOUT WHAT WOULD ACCENTUATE IT OR GIVE SUBTLE APPEAL. THE TOP I'M WEARING ABOVE IS A REWORKED REEBOK SWEATSHIRT, SPECIFICALLY, IT HAS A CURVED HEM IN THE FRONT WITH WIDE SLEEVES. I DON'T OWN ANY TOPS WITH THIS KIND OF DETAIL, SO IT BELONGS IN MY WARDROBE BECAUSE I CAN DRESS IT UP OR WEAR IT ON ERRANDS. PLUS, A LOT OF SHOPS LIKE ETSY NOW OFFER CUSTOM REWORKING FOR SWEATSHIRTS, SO IT'S WORTH LOOKING INTO.

6. ONE PRICE, TWO QUESTIONS

SO LET'S TALK ABOUT PRICE. ONE ON HAND YOU FOUND SOMETHING YOU LOVE, ON THE OTHER, YOU DON'T KNOW IF IT'S WORTH THE PRICE. THE WAY I GET AROUND THIS DILEMMA IS BY FIGURING OUT HOW OFTEN I WILL WEAR IT AND HOW VERSATILE IT IS. ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10, IF IT'S A 6 OR HIGHER IN BOTH CATEGORIES, IT'S PROBABLY A YES. VINTAGE ITEMS GO REALLY FAST. IN THE PAST, I'VE SAVED AN ITEM IN MY CART AND THE NEXT DAY IT WAS GONE. SO BE REALLY WISE ABOUT THESE INVESTMENTS. IF YOU WANT IT JUST BECAUSE IT'S A TREND PIECE, DON'T BUY IT. THIS IS NOT ABOUT TRENDS.

7. SHOP MENS

THIS IS SOMETHING YOU NEED TO DO. IT'S OKAY TO GO A LITTLE ANDROGYNOUS AND FIND ITEMS THAT FIT YOU. OVERSIZED TEES, BEANIES, JOGGERS, AND SWEATSHIRTS ARE JUST A FEW THINGS THAT I'M ALWAYS GLOSSING OVER JUST TO SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING INTERESTING. OR I'LL DO IT FOR THE INSPIRATION. IF YOU'RE TOO WORRIED ABOUT THE PIECE NOT FITTING, THEN YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT THE WRONG THING. SHAPE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH GENDER. IT'S ABOUT WHAT SUITS YOU.

FOREVER 21

8. BACK TO THE FUTURE

I KNOW THIS SOUNDS A LITTLE CRAY, BUT SOMETIMES I LIKE TO SHOP FOR MY FUTURE KIDS. LIKE I'LL LOOK AT A JACKET AND REALIZE THAT I LOVE IT ON ME, IT WOULD BE SO CUTE TO PASS THIS ON ONE DAY. I'VE GONE IN MY MOM'S CLOSET SO MANY TIMES AND "BORROWED" SHOES AND JACKETS AND SHE LAUGHS BECAUSE SHE CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH I LIKE HER STYLE. I HAVE A PAIR OF HER CHINESE LAUNDRY WEDGES FROM THE 80'S AND I PLAN TO PUT IT IN A SHADOW BOX ON DISPLAY ONE DAY. :) CLASSICS NEVER GO OUT OF STYLE! I FOUND THIS PIECE ABOVE FROM FOREVER 21. IT'S NOT YET VINTAGE, BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE?

9. TAILOR GANG

I SAY THIS RELUCTANTLY BECAUSE WHEN YOU SPEND GOOD MONEY ON AN ITEM, THE LAST THING YOU WANT TO DO IS REWORK IT. BUT SOMETIMES, IF IT'S A JACKPOT PIECE, YOU GOTTA FLIP IT AND REVERSE IT LOL. I WOULD ONLY RECOMMEND FURTHER TAILORING YOUR FIND IF IT'S FOR AN EVENT SUCH AS A WEDDING OR SPECIAL OCCASION. OTHERWISE, NO ONE IS LOOKING AT YOU THAT HARD. SO MAKE IT WORK.

10. DAWNING OF AN ERA

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YEAR THE PIECE WAS MADE? THE OLDER, THE BETTER. I'VE LEARNED THAT DATED FINDS ARE MUCH MORE VALUABLE BECAUSE OF THE DETAIL OR IT'S USUALLY HANDMADE.MAYBE IT'S A COLLECTABLE, OR THE FABRIC IS RARE. MAYBE IT'S FROM A MICHAEL JACKSON CONCERT OR YOUR FAVORITE DESIGNER. EITHER WAY, IF YOU KNOW WHERE THE ITEM CAME FROM OR THE WORK THAT WENT INTO IT, IT MAKES IT THAT MUCH MORE SPECIAL. PLUS, IF YOU PLAN TO SELL IT BACK TO THE MARKET, IT COULD HOLD A LOT OF VALUE IN THE FUTURE.