What Is Considered to be Vintage and Where to Obtain It
Vintage. This word is heard on a daily basis, but does anyone actually know its specific meaning? Depending on who you ask, you can find very different definitions of the word. According to the dictionary, vintage is something that exhibits maturity, excellence, timelessness, and is classic, while Atelier-Mayer.com claims vintage fashion is “clothing and accessories that are at least 25 years old.” Most ordinary people you ask consider vintage to be anything from the broad range of the 1910- 1980 time frame.
When a younger crowd hears the word vintage, what do they think? The first things that usually cross the mind are clothes, cars, celebrities, movies, and anything old or classic. Iconic celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn can be considered vintage since they lived and starred in films in the 50’s and 60’s. Even some antiques could be considered vintage if they fall into the category of being created in the 50’s, 60’s as well. Virtually anything can be classified as vintage as long as it is at least twentyfive years old, or even appears to be old.
Senior, Alexa Anastasio, gives her own take on vintage. “To the average fashion consumer, vintage generally means something that is old and almost always, used,” Anastasio continues, “To me, vintage items hold much more character than a mass produced, item from a store at the mall. It is much more likely to find someone with the same Forever 21 shirt as you than the same vintage 1960’s collared blouse you found at a local flea market.”
Most people like to wear vintage because the pieces are unique, and not something from the sale rack at Nordstrom that many other people are wearing on the street. Although some believe that clothes from last season are vintage, the assumed definition of vintage tends to disagree.
As Anastasio said, to dress in a vintage style does not necessarily mean that your clothes have to be from the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s. You could just as easily pick up a cheap leather jacket from H&M and have a vintage look. Most people who dress in a vintage style most likely do not actually own any clothing from the fifties. This is due to the fact that it has become more common to see clothes for sale at trendy stores, such as Forever 21, reflect an older, vintage style. If you are in the crowd who appreciates true vintage style, consignment and thrift shops are an easy fix for bargains when dealing with an old fashion style of clothing.
Now that there is a clear understanding of vintage, the question has become how can one obtain this style?
As previously stated, if looking for vintage clothing, the first stop should be a thrift or consignment shop. Although you w ill h ave t o do quite a bit of searching through racks and racks of old ugly clothes that no one would ever want to wear, you will find one or two pieces that will make it all worth it. A short two minute drive from MU, the closest thrift store would be Back on the Racks. More often than not, it is better to shop in consignment and thrift shops for two main reasons: price and th clothing has been worn in.
There is no comparison between a thrift store’s old vintage jacket and a modern day styled vintage jacket price wise. Most thrift stores do not have items priced over ten dollars, while most stores in the mall rarely have clothes for less than ten dollars. It is also helpful to buy previously worn articles of clothing because they will not have go through the wash a couple of times just to break in. Buying a product with some tears is likely at thrift stores, but it builds character and adds to the item’s story.
If sifting through pounds of old clothes in a dingy consignment store is not really your idea of a fun time, do not be discouraged. As mentioned numerous times, stores such as Forever 21, H&M, or even various Free People items have been promoting the “vintage” and “retro” styles. If you are planning to make a trip to New York City anytime soon, TopShop in Soho is another great option. If you do not have time to go to the store, a convenient alternative would be online shopping. ModCloth.com is a great source for quality vintage clothing at the click of a mouse.
What vintage comes down to is this: you do not have to spend a lot of money and you don’t have to shop at Salvation Army to achieve a classic vintage style. Vintage is a broad term, so the options for your own personal vintage style are endless.
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