Vintage Clothing - Are You Craving For Uniqueness in Your Style?

Everyone talks about fashion, trend and style. But some people think about looking unique and cool. Do you belong to the same clan? Do you want to get rid of same old fashion of jeans and t-shirt? If yes, you should go for vintage clothing. If want to look unique at your friend's wedding ceremony, wear a gown from 1940s or 50s. You'd find most of the celebrities wearing vintage apparel just to look unique. Whenever you see a celebrity wearing dress from 50s or 60s it seems to be history is repeating itself. Isn't it? You can buy vintage clothes from several wholesale women's clothing stores as well as websites.

There is myth among women who are craving for vintage attire. Myth is that they think vintage clothing and antique clothing is one and the same thing. Dresses that belong to early 20th century or the time before 1920s are considered as antique dresses. However, clothing that was emerged between 1930s and 60s is known as vintage apparel. So, there is a huge difference between these two. You must have heard of thrift stores as well. In real sense thrift store is a place where people donate their clothes for charitable resale. You can easily get vintage clothes at these stores that too at reasonable price.

While buying vintage attire form wholesale women's clothing range, make sure the dress does not have any holes since they could be as old as 60 years. You might find stains, fade colors and missing lines in the dress. Retailer will try to sell his stuff by promising this was the style during those years therefore, you'd need to do immense search before buying a vintage dress. You can buy vintage clothes online as well. There are several wholesale women's clothing websites that offer vintage attire. In order to get funky look, you should search for the clothes that were worn in 1960s or 70s.

The clothes belong to 60s and 70s are known for their bright color, stripes and short hems. If you want to get teenage look even then the vintage attire of 60s will be the best option. Look out for a mini skirt and suede tasseled jackets on wholesale women's clothing sites. If you're trying vintage clothing for the first time, you should be aware that there will be unique feeling in wearing vintage clothes however; they won't be new clothes. You might encounter with an uncommon smell/fragrance. If you love to experiment with your style and looks then vintage clothing provides you ample of opportunities. You can buy vintage clothing from any wholesale women's clothing store or site and add your modern creative touch to it. Trendy handbag and antique jewelry can bring out a unique personality in you.

If you want to add authenticity in your wardrobe, vintage attire is one of the best options. You can also use the same vintage clothes for theme parties as well. Most of the theme parties revolves around retro era, rock n roll times etc.

Where to buy best wholesale women's clothing range? Only one answer to it: WholesaleFashionSquare.com, a site where you can browse through trendy women wholesale apparel and accessories.

The Emergence of Vintage Clothing in Modern Fashion

Vintage clothing has become a product of modern-day fashion. Over the years, the evolution of designer clothing has encompassed everything from sleek and refined to rough and rebellious. Fashionistas like Kate Middleton or film stars set the bar for the present-day trends. However, vintage clothing has been making an appearance lately, and it's not because it's simply a re-emergence of a hashed-over trend.

Vintage clothing is basically any clothing article from the 1920s to the 1980s. A non-professional term would be "used clothing." Today, modern fashionistas are incorporating old looks into the new ones, creating something unique and incredibly tasteful. The re-emergence of vintage clothing stores have really set this fad in motion.

People wonder what the big deal about vintage clothing is. Surely people want new, expensive clothing. Today's ladies, however, feel differently about it. Vintage pieces can make an outfit pop. Old material is also sometimes of a finer quality than modern clothes. In the 1920s, some of the stitching in outfits was even done by hand. You won't get that kind of detail work from a computerised machine in a factory. What's more, vintage clothing tells a story from the era in which is originates from. For example, the 1920s includes lots of asymmetrical hem lines, velvet sashes, long earrings and small heels. This was a time when ladies were care-free and happy. World War II brought hardship, and with it, practicality. Ladies wore dress suits and heels, sometimes ballerina slippers. Jackets were straight shouldered, if not a bit reminiscent of military-style coats. The 1970s was all about expression and happiness, so the generation wore bellbottom flares, bright coloured shirts, headbands and feather necklaces.

Vintage clothing today helps put together a sleek, modern look. While sky-high pumps and shredded rocker tank-tops may be popular, vintage pieces are being used to pull a haphazard or otherwise dangerous style together. Lots of ladies, for example, are wearing high-waist sailor shorts, a trend straight out of the 1980s. With these vintage pieces, they pair modern heels and blouses. Knotted long-sleeve blouses that show a little skin are a flashback to the 50s. Ladies are also taking a cue from the first half of the 20th century by purchasing vintage hats. Hats with flowers, bows, ribbons and fake fruit are emerging. Hats from the 1920s to the 1960s are popping up on women's heads all over the world. It's a refined, elegant style that finishes off a modern look nicely.

Military jackets from the forties are making an appearance. You can find all sorts of incredible styles at vintage clothing shops. The bold shoulder pads of the women's dress suits from the 1940s are also popular. Everyone from Kate Middleton to Lady Gaga has been seen wearing suits with brass buttons.

The unique thing about vintage clothing is that the styles range across several decades. You can never go wrong by emulating the unique looks of the past. The modern fashion world knows this, and has put it to good use.

Find out more about vintage clothing.

Plus Size Vintage Clothing and How to Find Large Sizes

Have you heard yourself say "Vintage clothing is so small - nothing fits me.  How do I get vintage clothing in a large or plus size?"  It's hard enough to find vintage that is in good condition and a style that you like.  Having to deal with size gives it that extra challenge.   Our body size has changed over the years, not only are we taller and average weight has gone up but our expectation of how clothes will fit has changed.  For example, 1950's clothing was designed to show off an hourglass shape with a defined waist.  This was achieved with padded bras and girdles or waist cinchers.  The bodices were more fitted than we are used to now.  So how do you go about getting vintage clothing that fits ?

The first thing is to find your measurements and to be honest about them.  It's frustrating to try on things that you think should fit and they don't.  Take a blouse and a dress that fits you well.  Lay the blouse down on a flat surface.  Starting at the top, measure from the top of the sleeve seam across the back of the blouse to the top of the other sleeve seam.  Knowing this measurement will help you eliminate anything that will be too tight in the shoulders.   Measure the blouse across the back from side seam to side seam right under where the sleeve comes into the garment (the armpit), double it- that's your bust.   Measure the blouse across the back from side seam to side seam at the waist and double it - that's the waist.   Take the dress and do the same measurements along with the hip measurement.  You'll have two sets of measurements that give you a range of what fits you.  You can use these measurements as a guide when you shop online or in stores just be sure to bring along a tape measure.

There are more vintage businesses out there than ever before both online and in brick and mortar stores, along with thrift and consignment stores.  Online use search terms like plus size, large size, big size, XL along with the word vintage and dress or skirt or clothing.  There are web sites that specialize in plus size vintage. Check their link pages for other business that carry large size vintage.  They're all looking for the same customers and will link to each other.  Check the measurements on the site to see if they get merchandise in your range.  Watch for listings that give the bust measurements in the title or use terms like B44.  This usually indicates that they know they have a larger size and want to catch your attention. Check auctions sites for specialty dealers or even people who are selling from their own plus size vintage collection.

Remember that plus size is a relative term.  What is large in your mind is a medium to someone else.  There are no set standards.   Communicate with dealers, shop owners, sales help at consignment stores and let them know what you're looking for.  They know their own stock and may be able to help you pull things to try on. They can let you know when new merchandise comes in and maybe give you  first pick because the larger sizes usually go first.  Look at out of season clothing, they're not being picked over as much and you may luck out and find that generously sized 50's cotton summer dress while everyone else is looking at coats !

Should you believe size tags in vintage clothing?  Take size tags in vintage with a grain of salt because sizes have changed and can differ from manufacturer to manufacturer.   Plus or large size vintage dresses used to be called "half-sizes" so sometimes you see the "half-size" with the number.   Tags that say 20 ½  or 22 ½ in vintage clothing fits about a size 16 or 18 in today's clothing size.   Also look for companies that made larger sizes like "Lane Bryant" or "R and K Originals."  When you see "sized to height" on a tag it means it is sized for a taller shape.

Patience, persistence and a little luck will help you find vintage clothing in your size and help you develop your own "special" look.

 "Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn."  - Gore Vidal

Vivian Vassar (aka Hey Viv ! ) has been wearing and selling vintage clothing for over 25 years. She is the owner of Hey Viv ! an online vintage clothing store that specializes in 50's style retro and vintage clothing. http://www.HeyViv.com

Womens vintage clothing & 50s retro dresses - All sizes available from small to xlarge. http://heyviv.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=1097&catid=4

Ten Tips for Finding Great Vintage Clothing on eBay

I've been buying and selling vintage clothes on eBay for five years. It's fun...and

sometimes frustrating. Here are some tips to help you find the best vintage clothes

on eBay.

1. SEARCH REGULARLY

Ebay allows you to list auction or fixed price items for 1, 3, 5, 7, or 10-day periods.

Most sellers choose longer periods because they are buying more advertising for

their money but I'm finding more and more 3-day auctions. So try to do your

searches at least every 3 days.

2. SEARCH MISSPELLINGS

It's easy to misspell Furstenberg and to type Pulizter instead of Pulitzer. If you can

find a quality designer item that has a misspelling in the title, you will probably

compete with a much smaller pool of buyers for the item.

3. DON'T JUST SEARCH THE VINTAGE CATEGORY.

Not everyone offering vintage clothing is a vintage dealer. Sometimes people are

just clearing out Aunt Anna's clothes from the attic and don't have a lot of

experience with either vintage clothes or selling on eBay. Often you'll find these

items buried in the Women's Clothing category which appears before the Vintage

category in the eBay listing process. So search for VINTAGE VICTORIAN BLOUSE in

the Clothing & Accessories category rather than VICTORIAN BLOUSE in the vintage

category.

4. SEARCH TITLES AND DESCRIPTIONS

Not all sellers include the word VINTAGE in their auction titles. To be sure you find

all the VINTAGE VICTORIAN BLOUSES, be sure to check the box under the search

field to search both titles and descriptions.

5. GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR SEARCHES

It's easy to find high-end vintage by searching for a designer's name but you can

also find high-quality items by searching on fabrics (brocade, velvet, mink,

cashmere), searching for high-end department store names (Saks, I. Magnin, Bonwit

Teller) or searching for ESTATE SALE buried inside auction listings.

6. USE AN AUCTION SNIPING SERVICE

Sellers, of course, want you to bid on their items as soon as possible. Their hope is

that several bidders will become interested in the piece and bid up the price. Smart

buyers take a different approach. Instead of entering their highest bid early, and

watching it get bumped up by other bidders over the next few days, they wait until

the final seconds of the auction. Even better, use an auction snipe service. For a

small fee, these companies will place your bid in the last few seconds of the auction

and you don't even need to be at your computer! No more forgetting that you

wanted to bid on something--the snipe service does it for you. I like these services

because if I enter my highest proxy bid too early, someone can keep bumping up

the bid trying to discover what my highest bid was. If I enter it in the last few

seconds, I may end up getting the item for a lot less than if I bid in the first few

hours of the auction.

7. ALWAYS CHECK SELLER FEEDBACK

Again, not everyone offering vintage clothing on eBay is a vintage clothing dealer. If

someone has great feedback but has been selling auto car parts, it might be wise to

ask the seller a few specific questions about the item before bidding. What you

think of as Mint condition and what they're calling Mint condition could be vastly

different. Also, as a seller who talks to other sellers, I know that sometimes

negative feedback is left for sellers that is unwarranted. Or things like Katrina

happen and your auction item never gets sent. A negative feedback or two every

couple of years is not a big deal. What you should be wary of is a pattern of recent

negative or neutral feedbacks. Drill down and read why they were left. If you are

unsure about a seller's responsiveness, send a simple question to them and see how

quickly and accurately they respond.

8. KEEP A LIST OF YOUR FAVORITE SELLERS

You can add a seller to your list of Favorite Sellers by clicking on the link in one of

their auctions. You can also sign up to be emailed when your favorite sellers add

new items. You're never out of the loop and it makes browsing a lot more fun when

you are looking at items that you consistently like.

9. BROWSE, BROWSE, BROWSE

Browsing eBay can be just as much fun as browsing at the mall. Looking for

bargains? Browse through vintage by Lowest Price First. Want to see the crème de la

crème? Browse by Highest Price First. If you have lots of time, do what a friend of

mine does: every day, EVERY day, she browses the Newly Listed vintage category

items and stops when she reaches the first listing she saw the day before. She

wants to make sure she never misses out on a great item.

10. PIGGYBACK ON ANOTHER BUYER

Do you find you keep losing auctions to the same buyer? Do you find that the same

people seem to be bidding on the same auctions as you over and over? Piggyback

on them by doing a SEARCH BY BIDDER. Enter their bidder ID and you will be able

to see a list of all the items they are currently bidding on. Chances are good that

they have found a great vintage item that you missed!

With these tips you should be able to find all kinds of vintage clothing and

accessories on eBay. One final tip: be sure to pay for your items quickly and

establish good feedback of our own so you can continue to buy vintage bargains on

eBay.

Copyright 2005, Mary Kincaid.

Mary Kincaid has been buying, wearing, selling and collecting vintage clothing and accessories for a decade. She is the editor of Zuburbia, a Vintage Clothing Blog (http://www.zuburbia.blogspot.com) that features her Vintage Pick-of-the-Day (VPOD) and tips, information and insights for current and future vintage fashionistas. A former eBay Powerseller, she is currently working on a new fashion line called RESCUE, featuring restructured vintage pieces.

How Do You Know You're a Vintage Clothing Fanatic?

Vintage clothing: timeless, unique, beautiful, quirky... ask a true Vintage Fanatic and the list of adjectives will go on and on. How do you know when it gets serious? Are you just a mere vintage appreciator, or a hard as nails true vintage fanatic?  Read on to learn the signs.

Sign number one: You love the smell of vintage clothes. When you walk into a thrift store, or up into a dreamy sunny attic, you stop and inhale the scent. That lovely musty, dusty smell might seem stale to some, but to you it is a sweet and mysterious smell that brings to mind vivid images of the past, and maybe some of your favorite vintage touched memories. In fact, you may even secretly dislike the smell of fresh, dry cleaned vintage because it just somehow doesn't seem as 'real' to you. If you find yourself smelling your vintage blouses when no one is looking, you have just exhibited sign number one of being a Vintage Fanatic.

Sign number two: You know how to sew and repair clothing like a pro. When people pick up a shirt in a store, point out a small hole and cast it aside, you are bewildered by their un-thriftiness. You can repair split seams, sew on buttons, make invisible stitches, and embroider like a pro. This has come from a long time of trial and error, buying, restoring, and embellishing your own beautiful and unique pieces of vintage clothing. Although you smirk at those who cast aside slightly damaged goods, inside you are secretly rejoicing because you have the skills to make that sale item look like new.

 

Sign number three: The inside of your closet looks like a vintage clothing store. When friends come over and they catch a glimpse of your closet (your secret museum), they gasp in amazement and exclaim how lucky you are to have such a great collection of interesting clothes (to which you often reply "Meh..." because you are thinking of all the other great vintage you would like to be buying right now). Getting ready for the day involves leafing through beautiful maxi gowns (that you scored for only a few dollars at your local thrift store), curve hugging 1940s style dresses, polka dots galore, and Your Royal Collection of the Most Unique Kitschy Prints Ever. You often have to check yourself before going out for a night on the town, to assess whether you look like you are wearing a period costume piece, or just sporting some vintage flair.

Sign number four: Every time you pass a thrift or vintage store, you have to fight the urge to enter. Many people pass by their favorite stores, give a bit of a longing look, and then keep going. A true vintage fanatic has to have the mental skills of a Buddhist monk to keep themselves from entering. At times, it's like your legs have a mind of their own. You will be saying to yourself "I'm not going to go clothes shopping today." (you are walking toward the store)  "There probably isn't anything good there today anyway." (you continue walking, and are now staring right at the door) "My *insert significant other/parent/etc. here* will kill me!" (by this time you are somehow already inside the store and saying a jolly hello to the owner who you now know on a first name basis). Part of the reason why vintage shopping is so hard to resist, is because you believe that you are actually doing the world a favor by collecting, restoring, and displaying these treasures. And it doesn't help that thrift or vintage stores often get new items daily or weekly. You never know when *that perfect thing* will appear!

So, vintage fanatics, I ask you-- is there hope for us? Are we doing the world a favor by collecting and appreciating these tangible pieces of history? Will we just keep buying and buying vintage until we eventually become owners of our own vintage stores? Vintage clothing is beautiful, timeless, unique, and quirky. Being a vintage fanatic is like being an archeologist. We categorize, save, restore, and appreciate. Keep collecting!  Without us, the world would have a lot less color.

Vivian Vassar (aka Hey Viv!) has been wearing and selling vintage clothing for over 25 years. She is the owner of Hey Viv ! an online vintage clothing store that specializes in 50's style retro and vintage clothing. http://www.HeyViv.com.

Special thanks to Amanda Curtis, vintage fashion fan and fanatic, for inspiring this article. Her input is invaluable.

Satisfy your craving. Find an array of vintage clothing, especially dresses, at Hey Viv!
http://heyviv.com/shop/category.asp?catid=4

Vintage Clothing and Accessories - The Choice No One Can Deny

Let us talk vintage for old time's sake, and see how our wardrobe can smell and look old yet classy. With vintage clothing and accessories at our easy disposal these days, going vintage has never gotten this easy and fashionable. In keeping with the fashion trends, there are too many options to choose from, when it comes to clothing and vintage accessories. When talking about vintage, you can find everything these days, right from clothes for men as well as women, vintage accessories, footwear, lingerie, furs, jewelery, eyewear, shades, swimwear, luggage, fabric, polka dots, labels, luggage, and the likes. You can even go on a vintage shopping spree, and do a vintage wedding, or further still, go on a vintage holiday. You can never get enough of vintage, right? Such is the charm of everything and anything vintage! Vintage clothes and accessories, when combined in a complimenting fashion, are set to put you in the limelight, no matter what the occasion is. Carry yourself well in everything vintage, and you are surely speaking volume about your fashion sense that way.

Not every man would have the spirit to sport vintage clothing for men. Vintage clothing for men will bring style, variety, independence to your appearance, and also save you a good deal of money. Are these all not reasons enough to go vintage, if you already have not gone vintage? When it comes to clothing for women, you are sure to be spoilt for choice, what with so many options to choose from? Vintage clothes for women span across seven decades, and bring you the choicest collection from these seven decades. If you want to go vintage on your wedding day, then couture wedding dress would be the perfect option for the bride. Couture wedding gowns gives you that perfectly traditional look to sport on the most important day of your life.

In order to go vintage, first decide on the type of vintage style which you would be comfortable sporting. Would you prefer the modern flapper look, or the 1950s look, or the 1930s look? Or, the Victorian look is what you want to sport? After you have decided on the style of the dress, it is time to decide which kind of hair style would go well with your dress. Depending on the decade which you are sporting, your hair can either be short, or long. If you are sporting the looks of the 1920s, then bob cut is what you should go by, as that was the rage back then. Beachy waves on your long hair will go well with the vintage look as well as the modern look.

Some super cool vintage accessories to sport would include clutch bag, Marlene Dietrich firs, gauntlet gloves which match, lace parasols which are decorative enough, wearing pearl around your wrist, bows at the back of your dress, sashes and belts which have square buckles, throat broche, bracelets over your gloves, fir boleros, and painted lines which imitate the style of stockings.

Since vintage is unique in its own way, you should not shy away from experimenting and trying out new styles to compliment your vintage clothing and accessories. Visit www.retro-vintage.co.uk to peep into the extensive collection.

Opening a Vintage Clothing Store is a Profitable Venture

Vintage rocks. For many people, wearing vintage clothing can give a fashion-forward individual a nice feeling. It is like wearing a piece of history. A vintage outfit may be old, but certainly not tattered. Like a lovely collectible item, it has added value, simply because it is one-of-a-kind and not that easy to find anymore. Vintage clothes have been in huge demand for the past several years, with high-profile celebrities or regular individuals who can appreciate such beautiful apparel finds accounting for soaring sales. The special appeal and growing market for clothes reminiscent of past eras have led to more people these days to consider opening a vintage clothing store.

Real vintage clothing can be listed in online auction stores or brick-and-mortar vintage shops. If you are among those keen on opening and running your very own vintage clothes shop, you should know where to scout around for awesome collectible or wearable vintage duds. Some people have accumulated vintage coordinates such as skirts, dresses, pants, and other basic items from their elders, sorted out those which can epitomize the hot retro fashion trend, and then decided to make a business selling these. Some young entrepreneurs who decide on opening a vintage clothing store have a keen fashion sense and designing talent to begin with, and can turn ordinary vintage threads into awesome creations. There are also vintage clothing store founders who focus on dressing up a certain market - like ladies who love totally original casual vintage finds - and then use rare vintage cloth or exclusive fabric to give each piece (be it a skirt, denim pants, or tops) they offer in their shop a one-of-a-kind look. Some high-end shops may also highlight a vintage collection representing a covered era (like the 19th to early 20th century) as part of seasonal offers.

Beautiful vintage pieces are nice to pass down to the younger generation. True vintage duds may last for years, and often there are details (such as beads, lace, embroidery, or applique) that add to the beauty of the garments. Those who are bent on opening a vintage clothing store and plan to source product offerings from various sources need to be able to know how to identify which fabrics represent certain eras. Like most other business ventures, running a vintage garments shop entail having some business sense. A love for vintage clothes and an eye for mix-matching footwear and accessories with vintage outfits may come in real handy, too.

Do you want to quickly and easily learn steps on opening a vintage clothing store? Good news, you can take advantage and obtain quality information by visiting http://www.openingboutique.com.

Everlin Wong is the creator of "Success Secrets of Opening A Boutique." and there are plenty of useful tips and pitfalls to avoid which you can learn at openingboutique.com.