Clothing styles come and go … and come back again, thanks in part to thrift stores offering a variety of options for the past-fashion conscious. Vintage clothing is fashion from 20 to 100 years ago that is representative to that era. What was most popular in 2000, a time when Millennials were coming of age? Frosted lipstick, trucker hats, low-rise jeans, halter tops and lacy-looking choker necklaces. Go back another 20 years and you will find a world full of landing-field shoulder pads, sequined dresses, and dresses with cinched waists and wide belts. Vintage clothing collectors should look at what is hot now, buy it, wear it, then save it for the future, including oversized Victorian sleeves, pastel bucket hats, bucket-style handbags, and oversized gold necklaces.
Shop for vintage clothes at thrift stores, vintage clothing stores, flea markets and of course one of the many online shopping places. Your new “old” fashion is a way to jump on the trend of mixing vintage with current styles. See our buy/sell guides for online buying and selling websites.
Collecting tip: If clothing has a metal zipper, it dates from before 1970. A side zipper on a dress was used in the 1940s or 1950s, and also started appearing in the 2010s. No zipper usually means before the 1940s.
Asymmetrical dress, embroidered sequins with a tiger image over one shoulder, Kansai Yamamoto, 1978-80, $3,216. (Photo: Sotheby’s)
Black satin and Guipure lace slip, Yves Saint Laurent, c. 1970, $1,316. (Photo: Sotheby’s)
Blue silk and lace dress, pink satin lining, open shoulder accent, side zipper, 1940s, $129. (Photo: Jeffrey S. Evans & Assoc.)
Brown fitted cotton jacket, padded shoulders, Martin Margiela, 1989, $5,555. (Photo: Sotheby’s)
Baroque jacket, cotton Medusa print, chest pockets, Gianni Versace, 1992, $875. (Photo: Hindman Auctions)
Blue stiletto-heel shoes, Kingfish feathers, Louis XV style, Christian Dior for Delman, c.1955, $3,947. (Photo: Sotheby’s)
Silver fox coat, shawl collar, dolman sleeves, hook closure, silk lining, 1980s, size 12, $625. (Photo: New Orleans Auction Galleries)