The first piece of vintage I ever bought was a floral fifties cotton sun dress. I was 14 (maybe 15) years old and I bought it from Steinberg & Tolkien (RIP) on the Kings Rd in London, a gem of a shop which long since has sadly long since closed its doors. I spent hours in that shop, down in the basement, rootling through all the rails, and then I walked out wearing the blue floral dress: I paid £70 for it - all my saved pocket money plus the £20 my great aunt Effie had given me as a birthday present. It was worth every penny: I still have that dress; and I still love wearing it. That’s good vintage for you.
I’ve always loved old things. Even when I buy new, I find myself naturally drawn to designs with an other-worldly, old-fashioned quality about them; but increasingly, I notice a growing proportion of my wardrobe is second hand: in fact it’s rare, these days, that I buy something new-new. Buying vintage or second hand is more affordable than buying new, of course: in my case, it allows me to wear designs that I love but that otherwise I wouldn’t be in a position to afford. I tell myself that it’s broadly better for the world to buy something second hand and give it a new and (hopefully) happy lease of life, than it is to support the mass production of more things. But best of all, what I love about vintage is the feeling that you’re wearing something special, something that isn’t readily available for just anyone to buy: what you’re buying is a piece that carries a story and has character and in the strongest sense of the word feels unique. And that - as far as I’m concerned, at least - is priceless.
Like everything in life, vintage shopping is an art form; and while by no means am I an expert in this, for those of you who also enjoy a bit of vintage, I thought it might be helpful to share a few tips and tricks I’ve picked up over years of shopping along with a list of my favourite resources. So here we go…
***CAVEAT: this is an overwhelmingly long post! I tried (genuinely, I tried) to edit it down, but there was so much to share and so many recommendations I wanted to pack in. So please do skim read as needed; and if vintage isn’t your thing, apologies in advance!***
Instagram Vintage Dealers
I do a lot of vintage shopping via Instagram: I follow a handful of dealers, whose tastes and style I admire (for me it’s all about the 50s, 60s and occasional 70s silhouettes) and then shop ad hoc from there. I like instagram shopping because things pop up unexpectedly, so it’s less about shopping for something specific and more about falling in love with something you didn’t know you needed in your life, but now apparently can’t live without. It’s also a nice way to shop, because over time you build a relationship with the dealers: you can easily ask questions and chat via the comments or direct message and by following along, you feel like you get to know the person behind the clothes a little: it’s quite a personal way to shop in an increasingly impersonal digital world. These are my current favourite dealers:
@butchwaxvintage: I’ve been following Amanda Suter for years and have bought some of my all-time favourite pieces from her. Her pieces are typically quite expensive so if you’re looking for the bargain of the century then this is probably not the place for you, BUT she has an amazing eye and puts together a highly curated edit of excellent quality, often collector-worthy, pieces: so you know that what you’re buying is something special and will come in pristine condition. You need to move quickly, as her things always get snapped up within minutes. She deals in a lot of 1950s, but also the occasional earlier piece, as well as lots from the 70s, 80s and even, sometimes, some really good 90s stuff. Amanda is also such a lovely person and a joy to shop from.
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