Why shop vintage? Musings from a life-long vintage clothing collector
Well, here it goes! My first ever blog post…
I suppose I should introduce myself first. My name is Sophia, and I am the owner, operator, sourcer, cleaner, model, etc, etc. etc… of A Stitch in Timeless! I have been collecting vintage pieces (clothing, accessories, and home goods) since I can remember. And honestly, I never thought I would become a vintage vendor or business owner. In fact, I actually used to be an archaeologist! Hunting for and buying vintage clothing, however, has always fascinated me. Maybe it was fate that brought me here.
It's probably a bit on the nose, but I thought it necessary to write my first blog regarding why I personally love to shop vintage. Perhaps you are just beginning your journey into the vintage world, or maybe you are a seasoned vet like me. Regardless of your expertise, I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts.
As cheesy as it sounds, shopping for vintage (clothing specifically) has always been such a happy pursuit for me. And like most people, the reason I have such a deep love for vintage is because of the nostalgic feeling surrounding it. I count myself beyond lucky to have countless fond memories of sourcing with my mom when I was little. You see, Mom used to sell vintage clothing as well, which is why we were always running around searching. Although it's changed in the last two decades or so, thrifting was the number one way we found low-priced, high-quality vintage AND antiques. I fondly remember looking forward to nights thrifting with Mom back home. Every night that my brother had a hockey game, we would hit the local thrift store while we waited for the game to start, usually finding loads and loads of stunning pieces. On other occasions, I remember getting up early to stand in line on brisk winter mornings, waiting for an estate sale to open. It was always such a relief to get inside, out of the cold so that we could head towards all the vintage treasures that awaited us. And when we were done, we always got some Tim Hortons! I owe so much to Mom. She has shared so much of her love and knowledge of vintage with me over the years and she imbued her passion for the trade into me.
Me and Mom at last years Winter Market. The whole family usually comes out to help and support me for all my big markets, for which I am ever grateful.
It should come as no surprise that I also love wearing vintage clothing. The quality of these garments has obviously stood the test of time. And between the range of silhouettes, patterns, and styles, I feel like I can better express myself with vintage than I could with just modern clothing. Much like with sourcing, woven into my memories are the many pieces I have worn over the years. Most of my prom and homecoming dresses were vintage gowns. And almost all my pictures since my college years include me wearing one vintage piece or another. To this day, my personal closet is filled to the brim with various vintage gems spanning every decade. My favorite part about wearing vintage clothes is that I am almost guaranteed to be the only person wearing a certain piece (I would be personally horrified to walk into a room and realize that I was dressed wearing the same or similar piece as someone else!).
Besides, I find vintage clothing makes dressing fun and exciting. Any and everyone can wear vintage clothes and have their own unique sense of style. I personally enjoy pairing more casual vintage pieces with modern items for my everyday wear. This practice makes me feel like my wardrobe is timeless, but it also challenges me to think of new combinations - something I am always working on. Of course, I have a go-to combo that just can't fail : a vintage sun or day dress with modern accessories and shoes (the latter is also an actual necessity, as my feet are usually much too large for vintage shoes . . . unfortunately).
I traveled to Rome many times during my courses of study for Classical Archaeology and field work, but this was my very first visit to the Roman Forum (back when I was a baby!). Of course I am wearing a gorgeous late 50s strapless sun dress… and modern walking shoes (sigh).
Perhaps it's my training as an archaeologist, but I am constantly lured in by each and every piece of vintage because I feel like every item has a story to tell. They are like a puzzle or part of a larger picture that I need to understand. We rarely get vintage from the original owner, so in most instances it is difficult to know exactly who purchased a given piece and for what occasion. But vintage by its very name has been around for at least 20 years (conventional minimum age for something to be called vintage). For the pieces I buy and collect for my own closet, the age tends to be much older. Of course, it's rewarding learning about an item's age, how it was made, by whom, with what techniques, etc. But I particularly enjoy looking at items more holistically and thinking about what context they were made in, so that I can better understand what they may say about the past. I cannot help but think about topics such as what happened socially to make the silhouettes change or what scientific innovations brought new fabrics or even topics more applicable for today like why certain patterns, styles, and silhouettes are making a comeback in modern fashion?
It doesn't hurt that curating and preserving vintage pieces makes me feel like I am doing something important. Perhaps this stems from my archaeological background, but I like to think that by collecting and preserving these pieces I am not only adding to their story but ensuring that they will be around for generations to come. Besides, there are tons of studies on how buying used clothing helps in both creating a more circular approach to fashion by diverting pieces from the waste stream and preserving valuable resources that would have otherwise been needed for the production of a modern equivalent.
If you don’t already look for and buy vintage clothing, hopefully this convinces you to start. And if you are already a vintage aficionado, I wish you all the best with your search for the perfect vintage! Why not start shopping for some vintage today?
