Ignore sizes:
Sizes are not consistent throughout every decade. You may have heard that size 6 Marilyn Monroe would be a 10 or 12 by today's standards. Since the sizes on labels of vintage clothes have no correlation to the sizes of today's clothing, it is important to try things on or measure them before purchasing..
Dress in layers:
Dressing in layers makes it easier and faster to try on clothing. Wearing a leotard or leggings and tank top under a skirt makes it possible to try on clothes even if there is no fitting room. This comes in especially handy at flea markets and garage sales..
Go larger:
Finding vintage clothes that fit you perfectly is not always possible, but if you find something you like and it is too big for you, it may not be a lost cause. Larger sizes can usually be taken in and tailored easily depending on the fragility of the garment and its construction. Smaller sizes however rarely have enough extra in the seam allowance to make it larger..
Bring cash:
Though many boutiques and larger thrift stores accept credit or debit cards and sometimes personal checks, not all smaller stores do. All stores, flea markets, and garage sales DO take cash, making it your safest bet. You wouldn't want to lose an amazing find to the next customer because you had to run to the ATM. Small bills are best..
Try to bargain:
In boutiques, flea markets, and at garage/estate sales, bargaining is an option. Shopping at the end of the day increases your chances of haggling a better price. Thrift stores are usually run for charity, so bargaining is never appropriate. However, most thrift stores have bargain or sale days, so if you want to get an item at a lower price you can try to purchase it on one of those days..
Be the early bird:
To get the most coveted items at garage/estate sales and flea markets, the old saying rings true. The best pieces go first, so get there early if you want a chance at vintage gold..
Be an impulse shopper:
Vintage shopping is one instance where impulse is OK because every item is one of a kind. If you don't get right then and there, it may not be available later. Even if you change your mind about your impulse purchase, the item can be sold back to the store, put on eBay, or re-donated back to the thrift.
Tuesday 2 February 2010
Thursday 28 January 2010
Monday 25 January 2010
Tips on collecting vintage watches
Some vital elements have to be taken into consideration while buying antique watches. It makes no difference whether the aficionado is planning to buy just several watches to add to their collections or fill the house with a galaxy of vintage watches.
The price, the size together with the condition are among the various factors to be noticed. The price is inculpably the greatest criteria in purchasing. Pricing guide is beneficial to watch collectors in deciding the reasonable price for watches.
Also, it is imperative that collectors should do enough research to know about the recent prices for certain watches. Vintage watches are available in diverse forms such as the flea market, antique stores or even at conventions. For those people who are interested in vintage watches they might attend the national convention held by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors each year.
Collectors should also have a clear ideal about the restoration process of various vintage watches. It is highly recommended that every little bit of the repairs and restorations be carried out by a talented technician. It will be quite easy for the collector to fill up his collection if he has a good knowledge of the items that they are collecting. When putting your vintage watches into restorations you should find a reputable and trustworthy individual to avoid damaging your cherished lamb.
Adding these vintage timepieces to your collection also requires frequent exam and lubrication to make sure the watches still work efficiently. Also, the movements of the watches should also be checked meticulously to see whether there is any need of repair.
I'm a watch addict who like share any information and design toward replica Rolex watches and other replica watches. Hope you can share any thinking and comment toward my original articles.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cherry_Laura
The price, the size together with the condition are among the various factors to be noticed. The price is inculpably the greatest criteria in purchasing. Pricing guide is beneficial to watch collectors in deciding the reasonable price for watches.
Also, it is imperative that collectors should do enough research to know about the recent prices for certain watches. Vintage watches are available in diverse forms such as the flea market, antique stores or even at conventions. For those people who are interested in vintage watches they might attend the national convention held by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors each year.
Collectors should also have a clear ideal about the restoration process of various vintage watches. It is highly recommended that every little bit of the repairs and restorations be carried out by a talented technician. It will be quite easy for the collector to fill up his collection if he has a good knowledge of the items that they are collecting. When putting your vintage watches into restorations you should find a reputable and trustworthy individual to avoid damaging your cherished lamb.
Adding these vintage timepieces to your collection also requires frequent exam and lubrication to make sure the watches still work efficiently. Also, the movements of the watches should also be checked meticulously to see whether there is any need of repair.
I'm a watch addict who like share any information and design toward replica Rolex watches and other replica watches. Hope you can share any thinking and comment toward my original articles.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cherry_Laura
Friday 22 January 2010
Friday 15 January 2010
Vintage couture shoes and vintage inspired creations
Vintage is classic. The old is now the new. Vintage couture shoes and vintage inspired shoes are now back again with us. Vintage spells history, art, passion for style and creativity. The need to look good and stand out in the crowd. Vintage couture is also a breath of fresh air for those of us fed up with the limited options that the high streets provides, and those of us who care about our environment.
I may be opinionated, but, the most important piece of item in the whole outfit ensemble are the accessories. Shoes, an accessory, will make or break the total and final stylish look. Put on a plain, dull shift dress, a unique wide-belt around the waist. Now put on some classy pumps, be it vintage, or vintage inspired, and voila! you will look almost ready for the catwalk. You look the part of a stylish and chic woman.
I've always been a fashion and style freak. Even with my ever lean purse. Vintage shoes especially. I don't really follow any trend. I just create my own style. This could be firstly attributed to the fact that i am creative naturally, and secondly, because i dare to be different in all things i do.
I remember back in the late 70's, my favourite shop in the whole wide world, situated in Atlanta Ga, was a vintage haute couture shop called 'Putting on the Ritz'. This vintage boutique takes you back in time to the 30's, 40's and 50's couture. Step into this shop, and you are transported back in time.
People would ask me where i got my unusual and unique shoes from. I was always a little naughty about revealing my special finds. It was my well kept secret. I wanted them all to myself at the time.
I would find a unique couture shoe, the one i really, really want, but half of the time, i never get my size, a size 7 (or 40). That's how i realised that people had much smaller feet at the turn of the 20th century. How much smaller could they have been centuries before then! I still wonder. The couture dresses tops and trousers were never really a problem. It was always the shoes.
I would say about 80% of all the stocked items were either fairly used, which primarily means, worn once. Most of the haute couture items were worn by actresses and actors for some great movie or theatre play. The new, un-used items, especially shoes, some which came in their original shoe boxes were all in great condition. Any wear you may notice was always only the slightest scratch on the undersole. The only problems were the small sizes as i earlier mentioned.
So when getting a right size is difficult, or impossible (as the case usually is), go for the vintage inspired creations. It's your next best option to original vintage or antique.
Great shoes are like a beautiful piece of art on the feet. You will not achieve a chic look with just any shoes. No way will the 'just regular comfy' shoes compliment your attire. My favourite shoes are the Italian shoes. I believe they produce the best in couture shoes and bags.
There is also the choice of vintage shoes, made from antique and vintage materials, recycled, re-cut and re-used, to make beautiful chic handmade couture shoes. The ones i love are the ones made from antique Japanese Kimonos, some a few hundred years old, but still in near perfect condition due to the unique way of its preservation. These exquisite fabrics are used for the upper of the shoes. Colours and textures chosen always depict a story, a grand occasion, or, simply the seasons of the year.
Vintage couture shoes, or, vintage inspired creations are a cut above all other shoe styles. It has become bigger than ever as we now see more and more bygone styling coming onto the catwalks.They tend to be a bit pricey in some boutiques, but you can get much better bargains online. A lot of these shoes are timeless pieces, and, a great investment in couture.
Create Your Own Style. Choose your vintage inspired shoes carefully and wisely.
This emerging spring is a good time to plan out your own fashion style. If you are lucky enough to come across jumble sales, boot sales, attic sales or, estate sales, grab them. The opportunity may never come again. An injection of retro or vintage styling into your wardrobe can immediately update your look with exclusive and original concepts of fashion and style.
Scour those second-hand shops for vintage finds, or failing that, cheat! Remove all the hard rummaging work by visiting an online vintage store. You won't believe your finds, and at great prices too. A lot of online stores offer you great promotions and savings now and then. Most ship the goods to you free of charge.
Ideas to build up your wardrobe abound online. Also look out for vintage fairs which take place in all the major fashion cities around the world. Have fun in creating a new look you!
I may be opinionated, but, the most important piece of item in the whole outfit ensemble are the accessories. Shoes, an accessory, will make or break the total and final stylish look. Put on a plain, dull shift dress, a unique wide-belt around the waist. Now put on some classy pumps, be it vintage, or vintage inspired, and voila! you will look almost ready for the catwalk. You look the part of a stylish and chic woman.
I've always been a fashion and style freak. Even with my ever lean purse. Vintage shoes especially. I don't really follow any trend. I just create my own style. This could be firstly attributed to the fact that i am creative naturally, and secondly, because i dare to be different in all things i do.
I remember back in the late 70's, my favourite shop in the whole wide world, situated in Atlanta Ga, was a vintage haute couture shop called 'Putting on the Ritz'. This vintage boutique takes you back in time to the 30's, 40's and 50's couture. Step into this shop, and you are transported back in time.
People would ask me where i got my unusual and unique shoes from. I was always a little naughty about revealing my special finds. It was my well kept secret. I wanted them all to myself at the time.
I would find a unique couture shoe, the one i really, really want, but half of the time, i never get my size, a size 7 (or 40). That's how i realised that people had much smaller feet at the turn of the 20th century. How much smaller could they have been centuries before then! I still wonder. The couture dresses tops and trousers were never really a problem. It was always the shoes.
I would say about 80% of all the stocked items were either fairly used, which primarily means, worn once. Most of the haute couture items were worn by actresses and actors for some great movie or theatre play. The new, un-used items, especially shoes, some which came in their original shoe boxes were all in great condition. Any wear you may notice was always only the slightest scratch on the undersole. The only problems were the small sizes as i earlier mentioned.
So when getting a right size is difficult, or impossible (as the case usually is), go for the vintage inspired creations. It's your next best option to original vintage or antique.
Great shoes are like a beautiful piece of art on the feet. You will not achieve a chic look with just any shoes. No way will the 'just regular comfy' shoes compliment your attire. My favourite shoes are the Italian shoes. I believe they produce the best in couture shoes and bags.
There is also the choice of vintage shoes, made from antique and vintage materials, recycled, re-cut and re-used, to make beautiful chic handmade couture shoes. The ones i love are the ones made from antique Japanese Kimonos, some a few hundred years old, but still in near perfect condition due to the unique way of its preservation. These exquisite fabrics are used for the upper of the shoes. Colours and textures chosen always depict a story, a grand occasion, or, simply the seasons of the year.
Vintage couture shoes, or, vintage inspired creations are a cut above all other shoe styles. It has become bigger than ever as we now see more and more bygone styling coming onto the catwalks.They tend to be a bit pricey in some boutiques, but you can get much better bargains online. A lot of these shoes are timeless pieces, and, a great investment in couture.
Create Your Own Style. Choose your vintage inspired shoes carefully and wisely.
This emerging spring is a good time to plan out your own fashion style. If you are lucky enough to come across jumble sales, boot sales, attic sales or, estate sales, grab them. The opportunity may never come again. An injection of retro or vintage styling into your wardrobe can immediately update your look with exclusive and original concepts of fashion and style.
Scour those second-hand shops for vintage finds, or failing that, cheat! Remove all the hard rummaging work by visiting an online vintage store. You won't believe your finds, and at great prices too. A lot of online stores offer you great promotions and savings now and then. Most ship the goods to you free of charge.
Ideas to build up your wardrobe abound online. Also look out for vintage fairs which take place in all the major fashion cities around the world. Have fun in creating a new look you!
Thursday 14 January 2010
Wednesday 13 January 2010
Vintage clothing - the best of each decade
Vintage clothing has become very popular recently. This is partly due to the timeless nature of many vintage items and qualities such as the detail and craftsmanship used in the production of vintage clothes. It is also due to trends for vintage styles made popular by celebrities like Dita Von Teese, Kate Moss and Julia Roberts.
Each era or decade has it's own styles or vintage pieces which are particularly coveted. Perhaps this is one of the key attractions of vintage clothing. The best of each decade or era is preserved as vintage clothing and the worst falls by the wayside. You could think of vintage clothing as a kind of natural selection of the fashion world where only the fittest or most lovely clothes survive.
Most vintage dealers consider anything from the 1920's to 1970's as vintage although many also now consider clothes from the eighties as vintage. Clothing from certain iconic designers will become vintage very shortly after it has been produced.
The twenties conjure up images of beaded flapper dresses. This style is particularly significant for this decade as it symbolises the girls who embraced the new modern style of dress with shorter (than previous decades) dresses and danced the night away at jazz dances. Silhouettes in the twenties were also very masculine with shapeless dresses and de emphasised busts and waists. Coco Chanel was the most influential designer of the twenties and the label still has strong connections with this era.
Fashion in the thirties and forties was dominated by the conditions caused by economic depression, war and rationing. Key pieces of clothing were military inspired and classic styles that were practical and did not go out of fashion. The wasp waste and Dior New Look began in the forties but did not really become popular until the fifties.
The fifties had a number of key styles that have become popular in vintage clothing, these include Dior New Look, Chanel boxy jackets and suits, denim jeans and circle skirts. The fun and young styles were made popular following the end of the war and rationing.
Key vintage pieces from the sixties are those that bring images of Carnaby Street and the swinging sixties to mind. Mod dresses and mini skirts, May Quant and Pucci psychedelic prints. The seventies followed with hippy styles, disco outfits and flares.
It is really interesting to consider what current fashions and styles of this decade are likely to survive the test of time and become vintage in years to come.
This article was written by Ceri Heathcote for posh-swaps.com, a website for swapping, buying and selling second hand and vintage clothing.
Clothes swap parties and buying and selling second hand clothes is a great way to reduce the impact of fashion on the environment and to save money.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ceri_Heathcote
Each era or decade has it's own styles or vintage pieces which are particularly coveted. Perhaps this is one of the key attractions of vintage clothing. The best of each decade or era is preserved as vintage clothing and the worst falls by the wayside. You could think of vintage clothing as a kind of natural selection of the fashion world where only the fittest or most lovely clothes survive.
Most vintage dealers consider anything from the 1920's to 1970's as vintage although many also now consider clothes from the eighties as vintage. Clothing from certain iconic designers will become vintage very shortly after it has been produced.
The twenties conjure up images of beaded flapper dresses. This style is particularly significant for this decade as it symbolises the girls who embraced the new modern style of dress with shorter (than previous decades) dresses and danced the night away at jazz dances. Silhouettes in the twenties were also very masculine with shapeless dresses and de emphasised busts and waists. Coco Chanel was the most influential designer of the twenties and the label still has strong connections with this era.
Fashion in the thirties and forties was dominated by the conditions caused by economic depression, war and rationing. Key pieces of clothing were military inspired and classic styles that were practical and did not go out of fashion. The wasp waste and Dior New Look began in the forties but did not really become popular until the fifties.
The fifties had a number of key styles that have become popular in vintage clothing, these include Dior New Look, Chanel boxy jackets and suits, denim jeans and circle skirts. The fun and young styles were made popular following the end of the war and rationing.
Key vintage pieces from the sixties are those that bring images of Carnaby Street and the swinging sixties to mind. Mod dresses and mini skirts, May Quant and Pucci psychedelic prints. The seventies followed with hippy styles, disco outfits and flares.
It is really interesting to consider what current fashions and styles of this decade are likely to survive the test of time and become vintage in years to come.
This article was written by Ceri Heathcote for posh-swaps.com, a website for swapping, buying and selling second hand and vintage clothing.
Clothes swap parties and buying and selling second hand clothes is a great way to reduce the impact of fashion on the environment and to save money.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ceri_Heathcote
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