I got into vintage in high school- I loved looking just a bit different than everyone else. The vintage love/obsession grew in my 20s/30s/plus as I realized that the quality, the style and the price I could afford were always unmatched. Shopping vintage lets me get amazing style and brands- that I may or may not have been able to afford “new”, and let me learn about so many FANTASTIC designers that I otherwise would have never knew existed. Vintage has added to my life (via friends and retailers) and closet (in too many items to count) in ways I could never replace.
I’m also a fan of wearing special pieces handed down from my family. From my grandma’s purse to my aunt’s dresses, to dresses from my BFF’s mom. When I wear something from someone I love I feel as if I’m carrying just a bit of them with me .
Resale? Huge fan! For quite a number of the same reasons above- I get to get items from seasons past, the quality, and the brand I love at a price I can often afford. This sometimes means that a lot of things I have aren’t new, but new to me. It also is how there are a ton of logos and brands in my closet.
And yet- I’m aware that this means that I’m wearing other people’s clothes. That has never bothered me. I’m not shy about buying most anything resale or vintage, from shoes on up. As long as I know it’s been cleaned, I often don’t worry at all about it. The thing is- I know that there are some people who do care. ALOT. About the fact that they are wearing other people’s clothes. Questions I get from the people who worry about other people’s clothes range from worrying about the cleanliness to not wanting to have old things.
Neither of those worries have ever been big concerns of mine. I tend to shop from reputable dealers/resellers, and in reality even putting your new clothes through the wash before you wear them is never a bad idea. In fact, I often love that I’m taking a piece from someone and giving it a new life- my own spin on it so to say.
These thoughts are brought to you by a social media post questioning how old is vintage (20+ years) and wondering if others ever really wore other people’s clothes. I was surprised by the people who thought differently than I do- and comforted by all the people who love vintage and resale like me!
Note- there is no right answer, we all have things we’re comfortable with!
But my question is – do you buy vintage and resell, aka other people’s clothes? And what are your thoughts on it?
I would love to know!
XO RA
