Seriously, is there anything
more annoying? As an admirer, you’re faced with the realization that you’ll
never get your hands on that treasure. But it also makes us wonder: What
incredible vintage wares could we find if we, too, step into the vintage
unknown?
There is a challenge and
mystery to vintage shopping that is both exciting and daunting, inspiring and
completely overwhelming. Verily’s Style Editor, Lilly Bozzone, has been
shopping almost exclusively vintage for the past year and a half and has
experienced a complete style transformation. Through trial and error, Lilly
developed a system that helps her approach vintage shopping with confidence and
ease. She took me, a Verily intern who also has a love for vintage, to the
Another Man’s Treasure vintage shop in Jersey City to explain her best shopping
tips for conquering the unusual sizes, styles, fabrics, and situations you’re
sure to find when you shop off the beaten path.
Ready to make your entrance
into the vintage shopping world? Here’s what Lilly taught me, which will help
you become a pro in no time.
KNOW YOUR MEASUREMENTS
Vintage sizing is nothing
like modern sizing and is often much smaller than what we’re used to buying in
the store. Before hitting the shops, Lilly recommended we take our
measurements. She explained that too many times in the past, she’s tried on
vintage items marked size 10 that ended up fitting like a modern size 6. “By
having an idea of the width of your bust, waist, and hips, you can assess the
width of the dresses and whether they will match,” she explains.
Not sure how to measure
yourself? Take a flexible measuring tape and wrap it directly across your
breasts and around your back until the 1-inch mark (not the end—sometimes that
first inch isn’t quite right) meets the other side of the tape, and write down
the number the 1-inch end meets. Next, wrap it around your natural waistline
(the smallest part of your waist) and then the widest part of your hips (not
your hip bones, but across your behind). Put a note in your phone with all the
measurements so that they’re handy on your shopping trip.
GET INSPIRED
Lilly’s next tip was to load
up on plenty of inspiration before shopping. Her Pinterest, in fact, is full of
images of her favorite style icons in items she hopes to find herself one day.
She explained that it’s to give yourself a concrete idea of what you’re looking
for: “Do you want to emulate the feminine 1950s style of Audrey Hepburn from
Sabrina? Or perhaps you’re looking to copy the mod 1960s look of Mad Men? If
you just want to incorporate vintage items into your everyday outfits, look to
style icons such as Alexa Chung, Jenny Walton, and Jenna Lyons, who make their
unique vintage finds look more modern by mixing and matching.”
Read more
on... A PRO SHARES HER 7 SECRETS
TO FINDING BEAUTIFUL VINTAGE CLOTHING
Author:
VERILY MAGAZINE
