18 January 2010 – Mod, originally uploaded by academichic.Sources:
- Dress – vintage, thrifted in Munich
- Navy cardi underneath – H&M
- Necklace – Anthropologie
- Watch – Coach, on loan from mom
- Gray wool tights – drug store
- Boots – Banana Republic
Endnotes:
Today I’m wearing this awesome vintage dress that I thrifted over the weekend. I love the Mod look of it and wanted to keep with that ‘theme’ by adding knee boots, a long necklace, and my hair in a high knot. Many of you have asked about thrifting and vintage buying tips when responding to our question of what you would like to see more of in Year Two of Academichic. I am definitely no voice of authority on the subject of vintage, but I do love thrifting. I love that it’s easy on the budget; that it’s a sustainable way of shopping that allows for repurposing and reusing rather than adding to our landfills; and that it’s a great way to score unique pieces that have a bit of a history and mystery to them. Lastly, I also just love the process. For me, the hunt for that treasure is as much fun as the end result itself.
18 January 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.If you’re someone who doesn’t like to dig or look for that needle in the haystack, than thrifting may be more of a nuisance that a treat for you. But if you similarly enjoy the hunt, then hit up those flea markets, thrift stores, or consignment shops in your area. When buying used and deeply discounted, I am far more likely to try on things outside of my usual ‘look’, as was the case with this Mod dress. Because I’m more likely to impulse buy and end up with things that I won’t need or wear, I ask myself the ultimate test question:
Do I love this so much that I would wear it out of the store right now if I could?
This usually helps me keep my thrifting in check and my purchasing to a reasonable amount. We would love to keep discussing this topic with you in future posts and we would love to hear from you what it is that you’d like to address in terms of thrift store shopping or vintage buying (the latter being something we’re relatively inexperienced in). Leave us a comment with either your tips or your questions on this topic, we look forward to hearing from you! S.
18 January 2010 – Mod, originally uploaded by academichic.
That dress is just amazing! You look very mod!
I love to thrift shop and do a lot of my shopping at charity shops, used items on ebay and craigslist, and other thrift stores. I think many of us who thrift do it for similar reasons: cheaper, better for the environment, the hunt, finding those items that will be unique to a wardrobe. I have a maximum dollar amount that I’m willing to spend on any given kind of thrifted item, and that helps to keep me in check. Of course, I’m on a shopping ban right now, so there’s no thrifting for me until mid-March….
Cute! I don’t do a lot of thrifting or vintage buying, so I’m pretty useless for this kind of advice, though.
I love to hear y’all’s approach to setting thrifting limits. Hopefully it will help me be better too! I don’t thrift often, but my limit-rule is: would I be willing to pay any tailoring fees that will make this fit? Since I’m super short (5’2″), I rarely fit things off the rack. But this rule has led to some good purchases (and their price basically pays for the tailoring!).
Top-notch find!
I love thrifting and shopping vintage. I like to thrift because if you have luck, you walk out with high quality clothes for a fraction of the price. However, you will become frustrated if you go in thinking “I really need a gray cardigan today”- looking for something specific isn’t the way to go.
Vintage shopping is much more of an art. You have to look for stains, moth holes, and check the seams. If you see anything that looks like a film of the fabric, it’s most likely mold, and if you lightly pull the fabric taut at a seam and you see a puff of dust, then the fabric and threads are starting to degrade. Everything from the above is almost always beyond repair (or will require a good tailor).
It sounds like a lot of work, but I love clothes from the 40′s and 50′s, and the things I have scored are just incredible.
BTW, Jessica at What I Wore just started a new site mapping vintage stores over the nation at http://vintagewhere.com/
I love this dress and how you’ve styled it with those boots and that hairstyle.
Great dress and great look!
I love thrifting and buying used stuff in general for the originality of things, decent prices and also environmental reasons. I agree with the comment above, keep your eyes open when thrifting, you probably won’t find exactly what you are looking for.
Last week I went to a local high-end consignment store looking for a knee-length coat. I couldn’t find one, but they had a discount on all business clothing. I bought a skirt suit, another skirt that can be worn with the suit jacket, a third (casual) skirt and a shift dress, all in perfect condition, for $100 (Canadian). The suit alone would cost at least $250 new.
I don’t have as much time as I would like to go to actual thrifting but I plan a trip for this week. I hope I can find a mod dress or mod anything as well.
I also wanted to tell you how much I like your blog. I’ve followed you since the beginning and it’s interesting to see how your tastes or maybe mine have changed. At any moment I have a favorite of the three of you that keeps changing, and right now you’re the one.
Love this dress!
I love thrifting and I ADORE pre-loved clothing. When I find something great it is as if I’ve discovered an amazing secret. I am trying really hard to avoid retail right now, and have managed to for five months so far….
Thrifting as all about the hunt. I swear my heart rate jumps when I enter a thrift store.
This dress is awesome. Tell me, how does thrifting compare in Munich?
Thanks, ladies, for so many great comments!
Jentine – thrifting here is pretty similar to thrifting back in the States, except that it’s a bit pricier than what you’d find in the Midwest (but thrifting in San Francisco was pricer than thrifting in the Midwest as well, I guess any place with a higher cost of living will have higher thrift store pricer as well).
Other than that, there’s also the unfavorable Euro-Dollar exchange rate but that comes into play with everything here and I try to just block that out for my own well being. ;
S
The mod look is perfect on you! I love this look for you!!
I love that dress! If you ever get rid of it, please tell me which thrift store you dropped it off at! :)
I wish that I lived in an area with adequate thrift stores, but sadly most of the stuff in my little town wouldn’t be worth the purchase. I do like Buffalo Exchange in Austin (a few hours away). I’ve purchased a lot of great pieces there and would probably buy more if I were closer.
Anyways, you look great! Such a great source of inspiration!
kendi
I have been frequenting thrift stores since I was 14 or 15 – so over 20 years. The things I learned (slowly) over the years were:
- always try things on; if you there are no fitting rooms, wear something you can try on stuff over or under without appearing indecent!
- if you can’t do either of those, bring a seamstress tape measure with you so you can at least figure out waist, shoulder and armhole sizing. do NOT bother trying to figure out vintage or modern sizing labels
- i keep a list on my iphone or blackberry of things I need for my closet so if I happen to be thrifting, I can consult the list before I start shopping to jog my memory (those devices are always with me). granted, a lot of stuff will be hit-or-miss stuff you’re not planning on getting anyway but i like a list to keep me centered and remind me of my closet-holes!
- know what your tailor can and can’t do; factor in those prices for hemming or taking in a dress by a few inches
- not falling in love with something as a capsule piece…and this goes with what you mentioned above. is it too costumey to wear out? can you work it into an outfit now? if so, how can you tone it down so you don’t look like a set extra? it took me a long time to avoid “spectacular” items in favor of items that will get mileage in my closet. i.e. i love majorette outfits but i don’t need one. this is really one of the biggest things for me – there are so many articles of clothing i just LOVE immediately because they’re so over the top and i WOULD wear it that day because i’m so jazzed about it (but then probably never again)
- for me, I had to come to terms with fabrics and colors I feel good wearing; i like natural fabrics so I rarely buy synthetics now; i know i will wear neutrals, teals, purples and a few other colors so i usually stick with those
- check for stains in sunlight if you can and get a friend to do a once-over, too. i have loved many a piece of clothing so much i am starry-eyed and gloss over it’s neck-ring or pit-stain until i pass it off to a friend with a more objective eye. same thing with buttons, button-holes and zippers
- is it dry-clean? how dry clean-only stuff ends up at thrift stores is beyond me but it *does*
- don’t forget to check other sections since most thrifts don’t sort size, item type or gender with care and also sometimes the boys/mens depts yield decent stuff if you’re so inclined
Hmm. I think that’s all I can think of off the top of my head!
Oh! And time of day/day of week. Most of our larger thrift stores are picked over by buyers in NYC – and they can go during the week and early! But if you’re just competing with others like YOU in your locale, weeknights or early weekends are good so you get there before others do.
And I meant to say that this dress is adorable. I totally believe it’s so wearable because while the style is distinctive, it’s in a neutral! I am jealous.
Haha, thanks, jeese.anne.o, these are invaluable words of advice here! I also keep a running check list of things I need to consult and, with thrifting, persistence pays off. You may not find that one particular item the first time you go, but you might after a few visits. Great tips!
S
I also keep a running list of things that I want to be on the lookout for. If I find what I’ve been wanting while I’m out thrifting, great! What I try to do is hit up the Goodwill or Salvation Army in a nice neighborhood–that’s how dry clean only stuff ends up at thrift stores. If I stick to the nicer parts of town, I can get some great stuff. I also don’t buy anything that I wouldn’t be willing to put on and walk out of the store in, right then.