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I was born in ‘96 but my outfit is from ‘69: the ultimate guide to vintage + how it will outlive the trend cycle
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I was born in ‘96 but my outfit is from ‘69: the ultimate guide to vintage + how it will outlive the trend cycle
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Content
I Was Born in ’96 But My Outfit is from ’69
The Ultimate Guide to Vintage + How It Will Outlive The Trend Cycle
by
Ariel Khawly
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL FOR COMMUNICATION AND
JOURNALISM
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
PUBLIC RELATIONS AND ADVERTISING
December 2021
Copyright 2021 Ariel Khawly
Dedication
Dedicated to Marie Morelli, a Mema for the ages who always saw the vision past my insane
eyeliner. Miss you love you.
And to San Francisco, Jessica McClintock, and my first Gunne Sax. I adore you
endlessly.
ii
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my thesis chair, Jenn Floto, for making this love letter to
vintage possible and guiding me through the creation of my thesis. I am endlessly
grateful for your mentorship and your support throughout my entire time at USC.
I would also like to thank my thesis committee, Brenda Lynch and Rob Kozinets
for taking the time to read everything I had to say on the subject and their very helpful
feedback during the editing process. I truly appreciate your support. I am
additionally thankful for those who contributed their thoughts as experts in this
thesis—Douglas, Kat, Paula, and Brook-Lynne. I consider you all to be some of the most
interesting and lovely people I have ever met and am beyond thrilled you offered your
insight into this topic.
Finally, I would like to thank my mother, Marialena, for existing as the catalyst
for this obsession. Throughout my childhood she played her ‘80s New Wave music,
telling stories of Area and The Peppermint Lounge that would eventually lead me to the
beauty that is vintage fashion. Thank you for letting me pick your brain throughout this
process.
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication……………………………………………………………………………. ii
Acknowledgements
List of Figures……………………………………………………………………….. vi
Abstract …………………………………………………………………………....viii
Introduction to the Argument………………………………………………………… 1
PART ONE - Pleased to Meet You, This is Vintage
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Naysayer ……………………………………………...3
Chapter 2: Glossary of Terms for Basic Vintage Survival ……………………………6
Buyer/Seller Lingo…………………………………………………………… 6
Fast Fashion………………………………………………………………….. 8
Measurements + Sizing……………………………………………………… 8
Eras…………………………………………………………………………... 9
Resale Site…………………………………………………………………… 9
Digital/Social Media Lingo………………………………………………….. 10
Chapter 3: A Brief (as Possible) Definition of Vintage ……………………………...11
What is Vintage? ……………………………………………………………..12
What isn’t Vintage? ………………………………………………………….12
What is the difference between a vintage store and a thrift store?
Where we will not be shopping
The Ethical Dilemma of Vintage/Thrifting and its Resale
Chapter 4: How to Identify Vintage………………………………………………… 16
Tags ……………………………….…………………………………………16
Label Signifiers ……………………………………………………………18
Made In…and other tag language …………………………………………19
Material + Quality ..…………………………………………………………20
Copyright/Years …………………..…………………………………………21
PART TWO - The History of Vintage
Chapter 5: A Not-So-Textbook Tale …………………………………………………23
Secondhand Origins …………………………………………….……..……..23
New Look: Romanticized Nostalgia………………………………………… 24
How Youth Culture Diversified Fashion …………………………………….24
Bell Bottoms + The British Invasion ..………………………………………25
Buy, Sell, Trade… ……………………………………………………………27
Chapter 6: Vintage in 20th Century Film…………………………………………… 28
Chapter 7: Vintage in 20th Century Music…………………………………………. 29
Chapter 8: Vintage History Conclusions………………………………………….… 30
PART THREE - The Modern Vintage Age
Chapter 9: The Toxic Trend Cycle………………………………………………….. 32
What is a Fashion Trend? ……………………………………………………32
What is the Trend Cycle? ……………………………………………………32
iv
What is a Microtrend? ……………………………………………………….34
Chapter 10: 21st Century Contributors ...……………………………………………35
The Internet + Social Media’s Role in Vintage…. …………………..………35
The Sustainability Aspect ……………………………………………………36
PART FOUR - Get In...We’re Going Vintage Shopping
Chapter 11: Before You Call Up Your Bestie + Get Dunkin’ For The Road ……….37
How to find a good vintage store IRL ……………………………………….38
Price Awareness and Haggling …………………………………………38
Vintage Store Warning Signs ………………………………………………..40
What Do I Bring On This Trip? ……………………………………………41
Criteria for Vintage Stores and Clothing to Meet …………………………...43
Chapter 12: Trend Report for Summer 2021 ………………………………………..45
Chapter 13: Field Research - Los Angeles ………………………………………….46
Squaresville ………………………………………………………………….46
Bearded Beagle – Los Feliz location ………………………………………..51
Chapter 14: Field Research - Seattle ……………………………………………….55
Bar House’s Vintage “Flea Market” …………………………………………55
Fremont Vintage Mall ……………………………………………………….60
Red Light Vintage ……………………………………………………………62
Chapter 15: Field Research - San Francisco ………………………………………...65
Held Over…………………………….. .……………………….……………65
Decades of Fashion …………………………………………………………69
PART FIVE - Thrifting IRL
Chapter 16: Goodwill Retail and General Thrifting Need to Knows ……………….71
Chapter 17: How to Thrift in Goodwill Retail Efficiently …………………………..72
Chapter 18: Field Research - Los Angeles/Atwater Village Goodwill ……………...73
Chapter 19 :Field Research - San Francisco/Haight Ashbury Goodwill ……………75
Chapter 20: Field Research - The Goodwill Bins in Austin, Texas …………………77
In Kat’s Basket - Purchases ………………………………………………….78
In Kat's Basket - Passes ..……………………………………………………79
PART SIX - Longing for the Dial Up Tone, I Log Online to Shop
Chapter 21: How to Not Head Down a Rabbit Hole ………………………………..79
Before You Begin Your Google Search: General Need to Knows …………..79
Digital Vintage Evaluation Notes ……………………………………………80
Chapter 22: Etsy ……………………………………………………………………..81
From Crafts to eCommerce Giant ..…………………………………………81
Etsy Pros + Cons …………………………………………………………….81
Chapter 23: Depop …………………………………………………………………..82
The Depop Girlie Origin Story ………………………………………………82
Depop Need to Knows ……………………………………………………….83
The Explore Page ……………………………………………………………84
@dsmstash …………………………………………………………………...8
v
@nostalgic_threadz ………………………………………………………….85
Chapter 24: eBay …….………………………………………………………………86
Before I Get The Weird Al Song Stuck In My Head…. ……………………..86
eBay Need to Knows ………………………………………………………...87
eBay Field Research …………………………………………………………89
The Captain’s Vintage ……………………………………………………….89
Black Bear Vintage Shop and Little Hill City ……………………………….90
Chapter 25: Instagram ……………………………………………………………….90
Instagram Need to Knows… …………………………………………………91
@vacationsf ………………………………………………………………….92
@shopstoneponey ……………………………………………………………92
PART SEVEN - Someone Please Call the Experts
Chapter 26: Douglas Brundage on Trends …………………………………………..95
Chapter 27: Paula Bates on Antique Vintage ………………………………………..97
Chapter 28: Kat McCollum on Thrifting ……………………………………………99
Chapter 29: Brook-Lynne Vezer on 20th Century Vintage 102
PART EIGHT - What Has My Clothing Come To?
Chapter 30: The Vintage System …………………………………………………...105
The Thrill of the Hunt ………………………………………………………105
Quality ………………………………………………………………………106
Price …………..……………………………………………………………106
Personability …..……………………………………………………………107
Chapter 31: Final Thoughts and Conclusions ………...……………………………108
Was I Right? …………………………………………………………………108
The Future of Vintage ………………………………………………………109
The Future of the Trend Cycle ...……………………………………………110
Thank You and Goodnight …………………………………………………110
APPENDIX
I. Case Study - Etsy …….……………………………………………………………112
Before You Search – Etsy Need to Knows …………………………………112
Modern Bikinis for Comparison ……………………………………………113
Etsy Search for Bikinis ………..……………………………………………116
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Works Cited …..……………………………………………………………………………123
vi
List of Figures
Fig. 1: Four Gunne Sax dresses produced in late ‘60s/‘70s and their tags ………………….18
Fig. 2: ‘60s to ‘70s Gunne Sax details ………………….………………….………………19
Fig. 3: Other ‘70s dresses similar to Gunne Sax - D: Vicky Vaughn, E: Rag Dolls of San
Francisco. F: unlabeled ………………….………………….………………….…………20
Fig. 4: An authentic ‘80s Betsey Johnson “punk label” (left); An authentic
Betsey Johnson “punk label” reproduction from the early ‘00s, courtesy of Depop user
@avaloooo (right) ………………….………………….………………….…………………21
Fig. 5: an Etsy listing selling a modern, vintage-style jumpsuit made by Charlotte Russe
in the 2010s ………………….………………….………………….………………….…22
Fig. 6: Three t-shirts with various ways of identifying year - on the back of neck tag (G),
a printed graphic (H), or a printed copyright (I) ………………….………………………...23
Fig. 7: An Amazon search for “blue angel mesh top” priced at $16.99 and $12.98 (left);
the same Amazon top for sale at Reformation’s vintage store on Melrose,
priced at $88.00 (right and bottom) ………………….………………….…………………..41
Fig. 8: Squaresville try-on’s from L to R:, Kid Baggy’s, ‘60s evening dress,
Jam’s World, Laura Ashley ………………….………………….………………….…………49
Fig. 9: A modern, short-length dress from Reformation which would sell at
retail priced at $40 at Squaresville ………………….………………….………………….…51
Fig. 10: A modern, early ‘00s reproduction of an ‘80s Betsey Johnson punk label sweater
dress ………………….………………….………………….………………….……………52
Fig. 11: Bearded Beagle try-on’s from L to R: unlabeled ‘60s yellow cotton dress,
unlabeled ‘60s lavender dress, unlabeled gingham gown, ‘70s Emma Domb,
and ‘80s Gunne Sax ………………….………………….………………….…………………54
Fig. 12: The back room and some racks of the Bar House flea market ……………………..57
vii
List of Figures (Cont.)
Fig. 13: A seller’s table featuring a vintage Goofy head hat (left); a grotesque
monster pin I decide to purchase (right) ………………….………………….……………58
Fig. 14: Tag for the satin skirt I decide to buy ………………….………………….………59
Fig. 15: My two try-ons that I do not purchase, an ‘80s white leather jacket (left)
and a striped dress by Anxiety (right) ………………….………………….………………60
Fig. 16: The satin skirt I buy from Bar House, on the hanger (left) and in the wild (right) ...61
Fig. 17: Left and center left: ’90s kids Seaworld overall shorts, Right and center right:
Jetsons boxer shorts from 1990 ………………….………………….………………….……62
Fig. 18: A pink gown from Red Light and Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink (left);
‘80s floral print dress at Red Light (center); Right: A dress from the Christopher
John Rogers x Target collection from summer 2021, image courtesy of today.com (right) ...65
Fig. 19: An eBay listing of similar scarf with contents label (left); The Mickey Mouse
scarf found at Red Light (center); My Google search of Mickey Mouse scarf yields
another eBay listing result (right) ………………….………………….………………….66
Fig. 20: My Held Over try-ons ………………….………………….………………………68
Fig. 21: A wall of inventory at Decades of Fashion, complete with discounts (left);
An up-close shot of the ‘40s dressing gown I fell in love with …………………….………71
Fig. 22: The two western shirts I pull from the freestanding rack. I pass on the top
pictured left, purchase the one pictured right ………………….………………….………76
Fig. 23: A Pinterest collage of Dana Scully’s jacket (L); Me trying on the ‘90s ski jacket
I thrifted (center); an Etsy listing of a similar style jacket from
the same brand and era …………………….………………….………………….…………77
viii
Abstract
This thesis seeks to analyze the current culture in which vintage has become relevant—as
a practice, a way of dress, and a way of life. The research focuses on how vintage stores, online
resale sites, social media, and thrift stores correlate with current trends while seeking to prove
that vintage can be accessible and modernized in a way that strips its reputation of being simply
old, smelly clothing.
Even as larger retailers begin to hop on the vintage bandwagon, we still lack a definitive,
cohesive guide to being a vintage buyer. This thesis seeks to bridge the gaps in vintage education
so the average person can better discern what they choose to purchase, even if they have never
bought a secondhand item before.
Vintage is not going away—in fact, it has been here long before the dawn of digital
publications and social media. This category of clothing acts as a precursor to finding your
authentic self and establishing a myriad of genuine connections that major brands cannot
establish or maintain
ix
Introduction to The Argument
One might stop someone on the street to compliment their outfit, only to get a response of
“Thank you, it is vintage.” Every day more and more people become interested in buying and selling
vintage. However, purchasing used clothing from previous decades will have its 15 minutes, then
probably die out peacefully as a fad, right? I do not think so. Vintage will not be going out of style.
Although it has risen in recent years, gaining mainstream attention and having well-known designers hop
on the bandwagon, it does not exist within the trend cycle these modern brands follow because vintage
follows its own appeal system. Vintage creates an authentic, long-lasting emotional connection through a
search for individuality while finding community in the process. Modern retailers cannot replicate this
due to their dependency on the trend cycle—if these companies stop following trends , they will cease to
exist.
One may also think that vintage has only become culturally prominent because of the new age we
have reached of a digital and social media-focused lifestyle. However, vintage did not even go
mainstream this century. Of course the rise of social media and the global community of the internet
propelled vintage to even greater heights, but this more so innovated vintage rather than brought it to
light. Although the internet may have exploited and destroyed the subcultures that brought vintage into
fashion and out of the taboo, the internet has allowed the average person to set up shop in their home to
sell clothing and even use their style as a means to promote it. Thus, without needing to take out a loan to
pay rent for a brick-and-mortar space, vintage finds an international group of interested buyers. The
internet has fully integrated itself into our day-to-day with no expectations for it to just fall out of fashion,
and because the digital world has blurred into the “real” world, vintage has nowhere to go but up. This
theory can be proven not only with the rise in resale sites and the mass influx of revenue in vintage (with
projections for it to only increase in coming years), but also fast fashion’s desperate attempt to keep up
through vintage merchandising and curation.
1
Now, of course, there will still be those who oppose this, saying that vintage is only on the rise
because of an influx of trends circling nostalgia. Trends always can come back, hence the cycle. They will
even say that this equates to buying modern, used clothing and can be reduced to a flashy means of
sustainability. After all, vintage sellers need to make a sale just as much as stores in the mall. Moreover,
what about sustainable or slow fashion making its impact? Despite some good brands doing good things
environmentally and culturally, the experience and what draws people to vintage clothing cannot invoke
the same emotion elsewhere, no matter how worthy the cause. Even if these brands do carry definitional
vintage, they will not maintain the critical elements of what we will call The Vintage System. The thrill of
the hunt, the personability of local, small businesses/individual sellers, and sustainable, high-quality
products at a highly affordable price are what make this system work. Major retailers cannot follow The
Vintage System without fully ejecting themselves from the trend and microtrend cycles. This ejection
would mean eliminating mass production, seasonality, and the issue of greenwashing. Therefore, anything
vintage sold by a major corporation reduces to old clothing stripped of its authenticity and culture.
While arguing my case, I will be creating the ultimate guide to vintage. First, I will do my best to
provide a breakdown of essential terms, what vintage is for the sake of this argument, and then we can
start doing some damage and go shopping. Next, I will walk you through vintage and thrift stores of
various American cities, applying my findings to maximize your buying experience while proving how
different this process can be from the traditional way of acquiring clothing. Finally, we will test the
hypothesis of if vintage stores are more modern trend-focused or follow their path devoid of what is “in.”
2
PART ONE – Pleased to Meet You, This is Vintage
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Naysayer
My first vintage find was at the Houston, Texas Goodwill in City Centre. I was 16 and left with a
’90s Nautica knit sweater of a deep, cranberry red hue, and it still happily rests till winter in my closet to
this day. Nevertheless, that is going a bit too far back. My belief that vintage was just a cool thing some
ex-Tumblr kids did in the 2010s ended with a jacket. In mid-2017, I looked for something distracting to
watch post-heartbreak, something devoid of the rom-com genre but still upbeat and charming. The titular
banner on Netflix advertised a newly added TV show—Girlboss. I decided it could not be that bad; it
takes place in my favorite city. To say I was wrong was an understatement, more so than when they
thought La La Land won Best Picture. This one-season, the now-canceled show, is the story of the eBay
reject turned fast-fashion business woman, Sophia Amoroso, and how she came to trample on everyone
who cared about her so she could take her rightful place as the original Girlboss. The first episode depicts
Amoroso shopping in an unnamed, probably fictional vintage store on Haight Ashbury—the famous once
hippie, now tourism district of San Francisco. To her surprise and exaggerated cleverness, she manages to
snag an insanely gorgeous East West leather jacket for about $10 cash. As Amoruso is paying, she lets the
shop owner know he needs to learn the lesson of researching the value of his items. Of course, the show
prefaces itself as a “real loose” retelling of something that happened in 2006 (“Sophia” 16:00-17:44).
However, you would have to be an, pardon my French, absolute madman idiot to believe anyone who
owns a vintage store on Haight Ashbury would let an East West jacket go for that little, even ‘back then.’
I was so enraged at the blatant disrespect (I mean, think of the rent cost! They are still standing for a
reason!) to the point where I felt compelled to move back and further explore the culture and content of
vintage. Eventually finding a sublet through a university housing Facebook group, I set out to live with
five other girls in the Outer Richmond for the summer. I felt compelled to investigate just how true this all
3
could be, how it could be possible for vintage to be a selfish game that works as a stepping stone to
‘bigger and better things’ like an ethically questionable fast-fashion retailer.
I bought Amoroso’s book, the exact text this series was based on and titled after, and read it every
day on my commute to the Embarcadero for my internship. Yet the concept of #GIRLBOSS never swayed
me; I have never desired to climb a corporate ladder on the back of white feminism. All I want is
connection and to love my life fully —I felt I could find all this through racks of old clothing. On the
weekends, I would take the 5 Fulton Inbound to Masonic Ave., stop and walk to Haight Ashbury, the
location of my endeavor to fully understand vintage culture. I was yelled at for my first ever haggling
attempt, saw a handful of beautiful Gunne Saxs, and met the love of my life: Held Over, the vintage store
with the painted cloud ceiling. From there on out, I wanted my life and my wardrobe to revolve around
vintage clothing, as I felt I could do so for decades to come. I have maintained this as a lifestyle and have
no plans of turning back, as I have been buying from curated shops and thrifts primarily, and often
exclusively, for my outfits ever since. At this point in my life, the mall gives me more anxiety now.
All this love in my chest post-Bay Area living made me realize just how time-consuming vintage
shopping is if you want to do it right. “Right,” in this case, being so that you create a holistic experience
for yourself and leave having better curated your style. I do not want the general public to think vintage
operates so naively, so haplessly, so…Hollywood. I want to end this perception and stress the importance
that vintage is what you make it. There is only a method to identify pieces; no other requirements are
necessary for someone to participate.
Meanwhile, modern retailers that sell vintage tie the type of vintage clothing they sell to their
brand image; there will always be a target audience and a formula for selling to them. Vintage,
unfortunately, has had an air of gatekeeping and a lack of extended sizing, but it cannot exclude on a core
level of personhood. Someone who is 50 and wears vintage is no less remarkable than someone who does
it at 20. Moreover, a 20-something with just an iPhone can sell vintage just as well as, if not better, than
someone who has had a physical store for decades.
4
I should mention I also now sell vintage on the side as Vintage For Y’all LLC. I have not amassed
a crazy following, but I am happy to report I have a solid 5-stars across all 56 reviews on my Depop for
accurate descriptions, fast/transparent communication, and of course, quick shipping. I have sent items off
from Los Angeles to Australia, all from the comfort of my apartment and once or twice at a flea market
booth. What brought me to selling was the desire to share my love of unique clothing with others after
leaving San Francisco. The experience of hunting across the city for how I would choose to express
myself made me feel something no previous experience or Forever 21 bodycon midi skirt ever could.
Hearing my buyers tell me I provided them with “the dress of their dreams” or “the hottest pants ever”
instills a momentary comfort that everything is okay, I am not alone, and I am validated. I enjoy being a
liaison of fate which brings someone to their new favorite or best find. I strive to do my best to make that
experience easily accessible and inclusive to any level of vintage shopping experience. After all, that is
what makes the difference between a fad and a staple in mass perception. If we pose the vintage
community as having high barriers to entry, it can very much die out. However, I have seen that, although
there are sellers like this, it is not a widespread case. Vintage is something anyone can participate in, at
any age, level of experience in fashion, gender expression; you name it. Trends usually fit a much more
exclusive mold that caters to a specific target, and once that target outgrows the trend or feels it has been
overdone, they move onto the next big thing. Vintage quite literally cannot be overdone, even if you are
swimming in it in a wholesale bin.
The act of buying clothes that already exist is a very radical thing to do, especially in today’s
world. Because of this mass influx of devotion to the thrift, vintage has ejected itself from the fashion
trend cycle as we know it, safely securing a spot that ironically exists out of time. Vintage will never go
out of style, not only because of what it is definitionally but because of what it invokes for us as shoppers
and human beings naturally desiring connection and a higher purpose. My Google searches are
invocations for vintage muses to help bring me something good. A targeted ad for a particular vintage
collection cannot do this. Finding things organically and setting yourself up for this sort of success is how
5
one prevails. Allowing the buyer to make their journey, or at least guide them to the right spot to freely
explore, establishes a connection in ways fast fashion simply cannot.
Chapter 2: Glossary of Terms for Basic Vintage Survival
Please note that although this list is extensive, it isn’t reflective of the entire vintage category. These are
just the basics for navigating the modern vintage world.
Buyer/Seller lingo
As Is: This can commonly be found on tags of items in brick and mortar stores, denoting that the shop is
aware of the flaws and price of the item is reflective of them.
NOS (New Old Stock): Vintage items that were never sold by the original manufacturer/retailer and
remain unused up to the point of sale. These items are generally in excellent or great condition, or “like
new” despite their age. Sometimes used interchangeably with Deadstock, though Deadstock items can
have poorer conditions.
Deadstock: Inventory that does not sell. In the vintage world, these are items that come from once
unsellable unused, unsold inventory. Also considered the New With Tags version of vintage.
NWT (new with tags): an item being sold that still has its original retail tags and/or packaging.
Generally, items are unused/unworn, but at worst they have been taken out of their packaging and/or tried
on. This only applies to modern clothing; the vintage equivalent would be Deadstock, New Old Stock or
being labeled as “like new”.
NWOT (new without tags): an item unworn/unused (or at worst, tried on) but without its original tags
and packaging. Only applies to modern items.
Condition: the state of the item at the point of sale. Generally, this is the range of conditions from best to
worst: New With Tags, New Old Stock, Excellent, Great, Good, Fair/Poor or As Is
Haul: When someone purchases a large amount of clothing from a single origin—modern or vintage, in
person or online, thrifted or new. Hauls are often documented via social media for the buyer to showcase
6
what they found, elaborating by either trying the items on or in the case of thrift hauls, saying how much
they paid.
Bundle: When an online seller combines multiple items as a single listing upon request of the buyer. This
is to ensure proper package weight and thus shipping can be condensed into a single label.
Offer: A presentation of a lower price from a buyer to a seller or vice versa, as either can initiate this
exchange. Offers can be made in dollars off (ex “Can I get $5 off this?”); percent off (ex: “Use this
seller’s coupon code for 10% off your order”); or by simply offering a lower price (“Would you take $42
for this?”). Shipping discount offers can be made as well. The buyer or seller has three options when
presented with an offer: accept, reject, or counteroffer.
Counteroffer: A buyer or seller responding to an offer with another dollar amount to initiate the sale.
This can be higher or lower than the previous offer, whereas sellers may generally offer higher and buyers
may request lower.
Haggle: The exchange of offers between a buyer and a seller until an agreement is made. Haggling does
not always end in a sale.
Trade: An exchange of two items, online or in person, a little to no cost outside of the physical bartering
of each party’s items. When done online, traders usually only charge each other the cost of shipping.
Trading is allowed but not recommended by resale platforms, as they cannot cover the cost should an
issue arise.
Drop Shipping: a method of product fulfillment where the store/retailer does not physically have the
products it sells at the time of sale. Instead, the seller purchases the items from a third party supplier and
has these items shipped directly to the customer from the third party. Drop ship sellers never handle
inventory. Third parties involved can be wholesalers or other manufacturers (ex: Aliexpress). Although a
legal practice, some resale apps like Depop, have banned the drop shipping method from their site.
Inventory/Stock:
7
Grail: shorthand for a “holy grail”; a thing that is immensely desired and sought after that is difficult to
find. “Grail” originates in streetwear and sneakerhead communities when they refer to a most wanted
item for their collections.
ISO - In Search Of: this acronym is used by interested buyers seeking out a particular item of a certain
level of rarity, modern or vintage. A buyer will usually make an ISO announcement via for-sale
listing/post on a resale site while using tags and categories to promote their request.
Fast Fashion: Clothing manufactured at a high turnover rate and sold at a low/affordable price point.
Notable Fast Fashion Brands: H&M, Zara, Forever 21, Boohoo, Missguided, Fashion Nova, ASOS.
Fakes/Knockoffs: Reproductions of designer goods (most commonly handbags and related leather
accessories) made and sold at a significant markdown. This practice, though common, is considered
illegal due to copyright infringement. Fakes can range from obvious to almost exact as the original,
depending on the manufacturer.
Vintage Inspired – also known as “[decade]-style”, this signifies that an item has been created recently
but is designed in homage to an already existing item by means of physical similarities. The best, most
common example of this is ‘50s inspired clothing, sold by brands like PinUp Girl, ModCloth, and Unique
Vintage. Items feature obvious traits of pin-up girl clothing of the 1950s, such as form-fitting pencil skirts
and capri pants (known as pedal pushers/cigarette pants), stocking with a thick back seam, cropped
cardigans, and high-waisted shorts. All of these items are, however, produced in modern times and may
not have additional key elements like sturdy construction and period-accurate design.
Measurements + Sizing: note that none of the below sizing ranges are mutually exclusive.
The neck test: (this test is when you wrap a pair of pants or skirt around your neck to see if it will fit, as
your neck is your waist size lying flat—so, a 26" waist's flat measurement is 13".)
Lying flat: Measurements taken in inches or equivalent metrics (dependent on country) of one side of a
garment when the garment is laid on a flat surface. These measurements must then be doubled to get an
accurate measurement for the full fit of that area. For example, a waist of 13” lying flat is a 26”.
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Junior’s: pre-teen or teen girl’s clothing sizes and styles. Junior’s are most often displayed as odd
numbers 1, 3, 5, and so on, though adult women’s sizes of the ‘90s/’00s utilized this as well.
Numeric Sizing: where numerals are used to describe sizing, most often for clothing of woven fabric.
varying by brand/country/gender. Ex: US Women’s Numeric - 0, 2, 4, 6, etc. Can be converted to other
numeric/alpha sizes or metric units such as inches and meters, but conversion is entirely dependent on the
brand’s own definition of these numbers.
Alpha/Letter Sizing: a universally understood range where letters describe sizing—”XS” meaning
“extra small”, “S” meaning “small”, and so on. Most clothing brands with alpha sizing will carry XS, S,
M, L, and XL. Alpha sizing is most commonly used with knit clothing such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, and
activewear/leggings. Can be converted to other alpha/numeric sizes or metric units such as inches and
meters, but conversion is entirely dependent on the brand’s own definition of these letters.
Petite Sizing Measurements: Women’s clothing shorter than standard sizing in length and sleeve. Alpha
measurements for petite clothing can be spelled out or marked as PS, PM, PL, etc. and numeric as 0P, 2P,
4P, etc.
Plus Size Measurements: Numeric plus size generally starts at size 12, while Alpha can start at XL or
1X, depending on brand/manufacturer
Tall Sizings: Garments that are lengthened in the sleeve and hem to accommodate taller bodies. Usually
marked like normal Alpha or Numeric, but with “tall” called out below this size. Shorthand Alpha
measurements for tall clothing include ST, MT, LT, etc.
Eras
Era: can refer to either a decade (ex: the ‘60s) or a longer period that was defined by a specific style (ex:
mid-century refers to a furniture style prominent in the ‘50s and ‘60s).
[Era] Does [Era]: This is usually seen on a vintage listing where the piece takes elements from a
previous era in fashion. It will be written with a later decade followed by an earlier one (Ex: ‘90s does
‘70s).
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Y2K: clothing items produced between the years 2000-2009, sometimes including 2010.
Resale site: A website/mobile application that allows users to post items that they have already
purchased from a 3rd party for sale. Guidelines as to what can be sold varies from site to site. Though
guidelines and categories are in place, community members will sometimes intentionally post outside of
these limitations.
Etsy: allows the resale of vintage and handmade items. Men’s, Women’s, and Children’s categories.
Depop: allows for the resale of clothing, shoes, and accessories for all eras, modern and vintage. Men’s
and Women’s categories.
eBay: allows for the resale of any item through a unique online auction system. Women’s, Men’s and
Children’s categories. Incorporates offers into the interface of their site, but they are completely optional.
Mercari: another resale site with similar policies and structure to Depop, but lacking the social media
feed aspect of it. Mercari also incorporated sold listings automatically in your search.
Poshmark: another resale site where “poshers” can create a page to post their listing as well as share
those of their fellow sellers. Poshmark is better known for the resale of modern clothing and is one of the
few that have an offer button built into listings.
Grailed: a website/application that allows for the resale of any clothing or accessory but prioritizes
streetwear, sneakers, and designer.
StockX: allows for the resale of sneakers, streetwear, electronics, trading cards, collectibles, handbags,
and watches only.
ThredUp: online thrift store that sells inexpensive, used clothing from their own warehouses rather than
individual users.
Vestiaire Collective: allows for the resale of designer/high-end clothing, shoes, and accessories of any
era.
Rebag: allows for the resale of designer handbags and related accessories from any era.
Tradesy: a resale site with similar design and policies to Vestiaire Collective.
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The RealReal: a resale site with similar design and policies to Vestiaire Collective.
Digital/Social Media Lingo
App - mobile application. how you access platforms and websites directly without using an internet
browser like Google Chrome or Safari.
DMs - Direct Messages. These exist on Depop and pretty much every known social media platform. In
short, the private chat feature between two or more users within an app.
@ - A person’s username, pronounced normally as “at”. Usually posed within the question, ”What’s your
@?”
IG - Instagram
Aesthetic: Although definitionally known as, culturally, this means a modern wave of styles that have
established themselves within the decade. They are some of the first fashion styles that have come to exist
via the internet, initially being exposed to a global community rather than originating from a specific
region. Many of the first modern interpretations of “aesthetics”, like soft grunge and pastel goth
originated on Tumblr.com in the early 2010s, used to describe a person’s “blog”, or the visual curation
style they had for their content. In 2021, aesthetic is used mostly to describe a person’s style of dress with
main aesthetics including, punk, goth, preppy, prairie, hippie, etc. Some examples of Niche and subset
aesthetics include trad (or traditional) goth, mall goth, dark/light academia, and the “cores” (cottagecore,
kidcore, etc.)
“-core”: a subcategory of aesthetics that refer to a central trend or element where the wearer centers their
style around this specific feature. Unlike aesthetics, there are far more styles of dress in this category and
often take cues from music, culture, and historical events and eras. For example, kidcore styles itself
around visuals of children’s popular culture, most often from the ‘80s and ‘90s. This includes characters
like Rainbow Brite and Care Bears but also rainbow color themes, beaded craft jewelry, and sometimes
even actual children’s clothing.
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Chapter 3: A Brief (as Possible) Definition of Vintage
What is Vintage?
For the sake of my argument, we will be defining vintage clothing as any clothing item produced
before the year 2000, worn evocative of the period it came to be. However, because that still gives us a
couple of centuries to unpack, we will be focusing on clothing produced between the late 1800s and 1999,
as most items before that are either in a museum, the house of an avid collector, or completely
disintegrated. These eras are the typical person’s vintage. This vintage type is most available in a vintage
store, at a flea market, or on Etsy.
Vintage is such an expansive topic because not only does it cover garments themselves, but
accessories, shoes, home goods, art, music, all that jazz. However, we are here to talk about vintage
concerning the fashion trend cycle, so vintage clothing as in dresses and pants rather than shoes and
jewelry will be the main topic of discussion, with some touchpoints on shoes and accessories.
It is also important to remember that clothing has no gender—what we wear does not determine who we
are, just how we chose to express ourselves. However, fashion has historically existed in a binary, divided
by men and womenswear. Therefore, for the sake of clarity only, I will be addressing items by these
categories if necessary, and we will be focusing more heavily on womenswear throughout this argument.
What isn’t Vintage?
As seen recently on social media, a Y2K dilemma has arisen. Many young millennials/older Gen
Z-ers born in the ‘90s have a compounded feeling of nostalgia and trauma when it comes to early aughts
fashion. Thus, Y2K is arguably the most recent era this generation can be authentically nostalgic for,
despite fast fashion and other current creature comforts establishing themselves in this period.
Most vintage aficionados consider any clothing item that is a minimum of 20 years old as vintage.
Therefore, in 2021, only pieces from 2001 will count so far. So even on this widely used principle, we
cannot count the decade as vintage quite yet. It is even crazier knowing that the era is trending,
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showcasing the rapid decline of the 20-year trend cycle. Therefore, because this era is currently heavily
trending, and this trend has genuinely blurred the lines between what is genuine ‘00s outfits and a modern
take on styles reminiscent of the decade like prep and mall goth, we will not be touching on this as
vintage.
Additionally, while we are here, we will run into “vintage-inspired,” like Unif, modern-made
pinup clothing and the American Apparel disco pant, but these items are not vintage. Nevertheless, we
need to note not just what they are inspired by, but the year of their production.
Upcycled clothing is when you take any garment of any age and repurpose it in some
way—adding patches, cropping it, even combining it with another item to create something totally new.
Upcycled items can also fall into the vintage category, though often these items may incorporate or use
entirely modern textiles to be created. Unless the entire construction of an upcycled item is from materials
before 2000, we will not be classifying it as vintage. However, reworked vintage pieces are still vintage;
they gain new life to be more “wearable” to whoever owns the piece, making this the most sustainable
way to modernize vintage clothing versus buying something new that is “vintage-inspired.”
We also will not consider used, modern clothing in this case. Why? Because modern clothing still
follows modern trends. We are not going to the thrift store to get Zara at a discount. Sure, there can be a
crossover between vintage styles and modern trends, but vintage does not need to follow trends to sell in
the way modern fashion does.
We are doing this to break from the trend cycle and express as much individuality as possible
through clothing. That is why vintage rules; there are only so many, if there are even copies of a piece. So
odds of finding the one other person who has the same acid wash jean jacket as you in the same city while
you both are in the same room decidingly wearing the item at the same time is astronomically low.
What is the difference between a vintage store and a thrift store?
A personal friend of mine, Kat McCollum, has committed herself to exclusive in-person thrifting her
wardrobe for the past three or so years, only buying vintage pieces from places like Goodwill and Value
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Village. She provides us an accurate breakdown of the difference between a vintage store and a thrift
store:
Thrifting is going into a thrift store like Goodwill, Salvation Army, or a local one and sifting
through the racks for clothes. Vintage shopping is going into a curated vintage store and buying
hand-picked items for a significant markup.
We often think these are the same thing, and sure, I sometimes use these terms interchangeably in
my day-to-day life. However, to make things nice and clear here, a vintage store will be a digital or
physical shop that carries a curated collection of items that meet our definition of vintage. Thrifting and
thrift stores will refer to anything that does not meet this criterion, such as places like Goodwill and
Savers, charity shops, a garage or estate sale, or my personal favorite—finding something tossed on the
ground and taking it home. So, to summarize Kat’s point—thrifting is any place where you are not given
any assistance with the work of the search.
Where we will not be shopping
By segmenting out thrift from vintage stores, and since we are strictly out here to buy what I have
defined as vintage, we will refrain from shopping in any resale or consignment stores that mainly carry
modern merchandise with a bit of vintage mixed in. This segmentation will mean excluding places like
Buffalo Exchange, Crossroads Trading Co., Wasteland, which are prime examples of this. Although these
do exist within the vintage buying community, they are more on the outskirts, as I know from personal
experience, a Manhattan Crossroads employee told me as late as 2017 they were not buying vintage, and
most Buffalo Exchange buyers, from my experience, do not know how to date/value vintage items.
Wasteland additionally prioritizes designer and streetwear almost more than they do vintage and has the
same model as Buffalo and Crossroads, once again not making them apropos to this conversation. I will
explain why these stores are considered unworthy places to hunt for vintage further down the line.
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We will also discuss vintage concerning modern retailers, and I will be making some modern
clothing purchases for comparison. All items purchased under “vintage,” unless I do not properly evaluate
or am convinced accidentally by a dupe, will be vintage. Therefore, anything that came out from Juicy
Couture, the Hot Topic Bratz merch from like a month ago, and Unif’s entire existence do not count.
Additionally, although I have included this in the definition of vintage, we will not be actively seeking out
sellers or stores that carry reworked pieces. We will run into some of these, but it is important to note that
upcycled items are a whole other, broad market we will not be able to look at in-depth here.
The Ethical Dilemma of Vintage/Thrifting and its Resale
It is essential that we also highlight the other side of the vintage coin before we proceed deeper
into vintage culture and buying. A heavily debated topic on social media and digital publications covering
social and resale platforms like Depop is: whether thrifting to resell is ethical or not. The rise of vintage in
the mainstream does not usually mean that everyone is changing their consumption habits. This shift in
behavior often shows up in the middle- and upper-class groups, as historically, those who could not afford
new clothes would go to thrift stores to get gently worn items at a more reasonable rate.
I do not think this is a black and white issue, as there is no genuinely ethical consumption under
capitalism. There are just more ethical ways than others. Additionally, 100 companies are responsible for
about 71% of global emissions that contribute to climate change. The fashion industry is the second
biggest polluter globally, only being beaten out by the oil industry. “1 in 2 people are throwing their
unwanted clothes straight in the trash. The result? 64% of the 32 billion garments produced each year end
up in landfill.” Only about 30% of clothes that are no longer wanted are donated. From this pool of
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donations, whatever does not sell after some time is shipped overseas, dumped as textile waste in other
countries (“Fashion Industry Waste Statistics”). From these statistics, one could argue that buying as
many used clothes as possible can help combat waste. However, thrifting or buying vintage becoming a
fully sustainable practice is entirely contingent on you keeping all the clothing you buy or selling/passing
it along to a forever home. However, this is nearly impossible to do. Therefore, when arguing my case, we
will not make ethics an essential aspect of why The Vintage System works. I do believe that the act of
buying vintage is more ethical than buying newly produced fast or slow fashion, but it is not flawless and
never will be.
Chapter 4: How to Identify Vintage
Now that you know what vintage is from a conceptual standing, you will need to learn what it
looks like in the real world. It is safe to say that learning to identify vintage is a time-consuming process
that will take years to establish fully. Moreover, with vintage-inspired brands starting to blur the lines
between the two sectors through once explicit identifiers like embroidered/sewn labels and fake
copyrights, establishing this knowledge has increased in difficulty. However, there are many tools you can
keep in your mental arsenal when identifying a piece as vintage or not.
The first thing to do is get an idea of what is popular in vintage and what sells best on Etsy,
Depop, and similar platforms. Next, we need to know what labels were big in whatever decade you are
shopping for and what makes this brand unique. Simply looking at pieces is never the wrong place to start
either. This way, when you are out in the world, something can at least catch your eye from a stuffed rack,
and you can proceed from there if need be.
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For now, the below is a quick-start guide to becoming familiar with identifying vintage. If you combine
your newly learned skillset with a good internet search, you will maximize your chances of making an
accurate call on an item.
Tags
Let us start with the #1 identifier of vintage—the label. We will use tags from my closet and some
resale listings as examples here. Vintage labels are always tags, meaning their brand name, fabric
contents, and care instructions are not printed directly onto the garment. More often than not, these tags
have their brand logos and other info sewn onto the label rather than printed. If the tag itself looks
hand-sewn into the garment rather than by a machine, that is probably your biggest signifier of vintage in
the label category.
Once you have established that the item has a label, you will want to identify both the authenticity
and era. One of my favorites is Vintage Fashion Guild’s Label Resource, an online index of significant
vintage labels broken down by images of tags in chronological order.
Take the Gunne Saxs I have collected over the years, specifically my four from the late ‘60s to
early ‘70s. A and C were purchased in stores, while B and D were bought on Etsy and eBay, respectively.
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Fig. 1: Four Gunne Sax dresses produced between the late 1960s and ‘70s and their respective tags.
All of these tags signify authentic Gunne Sax dresses. As you can see, A and B are black labels,
meaning they were most likely produced in 1969, at the beginning of Gunne Sax’s ownership by Jessica
McClintock. However, B contains an additional tag, “I. Maginin”, which was a department store local to
San Francisco. This gives us an indication as to where the item originally was stocked and also helps us
identify the year produced. The remaining two are cream tags, seen commonly on early to mid ‘70s
dresses from the brand. On the care/size tag, sizing always will be in junior’s numeric, as that was the age
group these pieces were designed for. Tags tell a lot more than you think, and finding a tag on a vintage
item can save you a lot of time and energy.
It also helps immensely to become familiar with the tags of modern brands that you are interested
in buying. Take Betsey Johnson, for example—her turn of this century styles feature very similar labels. I
can more easily date her pieces between the ‘90s and early aughts because, well, when I was in middle
school, I frequented her boutique store in my local mall. I know that anything made post-1999 has pink in
the tag, either as the text color or itself. A black and white label most often denotes the piece is from the
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‘90s; before this decade, Johnson had distinct labels and different names, making their respective eras
easier to recognize.
The obvious difference will always astound me, as in two separate instances over the years, I
have found both of my 8th grade graduation dresses (this milestone in my life occurred in 2010) at
vintage stores. Both purchased new at the Galleria mall in Houston, one being from the Betsey Johnson
sale section, the other—Jessica McClintock.
Label Signifiers
Unfortunately, not every vintage item has a tag, even if it came with one to start. The lack of a tag
means searching for visual and textural cues to better understand a piece, verifying if it belongs to a
certain designer or not. Think of brand name or designer vintage clothing like family trees—sure, they
evolve and new content is added to the list, but some distinct characteristics linger. Knowing these label
traits will help you out big time should you come across an item that does not have a tag.
Fig. 2: ‘60s to ‘70s Gunne Sax details
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Let’s use my Gunnes again as an example. Granted, these have labels, but what else do they have
in common? ‘70s Gunne traits include being made of cotton voile fabric, a similar lace pattern detail,
pearly buttons, full skirt lining, zippers up the back and long, thick waist ties (should they have one).
Fig. 3: Other ‘70s dresses similar to Gunne Sax - D: Vicky Vaughn, E: Rag Dolls of San Francisco. F: unlabeled
Now we can compare to other, similar dresses made in the same era. As you can see, D has a tie
and angel wing sleeve like B, but the fabric is polyester and the tie is short and thin. E is made of standard
cotton and its lace detailing is crocheted, additionally showing that the dress is unlined. Finally, F looks
the closest, as it is also made from cotton voile, lined, zips up the back, and has a similar construction to
C. However, we can see that the cuffs are simply elastic with no button or zip detail, and the back is
completely open with a thin tie as the chest rather than the waist. This process is not rocket science,
naturally, but little visual exercises are important should you need to make a split decision in a Goodwill
or while bidding on eBay.
Made In. . . and other tag language
"Made in ''can apply to the country and city of origin a brand was founded in, but with the
progression of fast fashion, where a garment gets produced often does not align with the brand's founding
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location. So if a label says "Made in '' followed by the brand's origin location, it is more likely to be
vintage. This knowledge can help you differentiate between two similar-looking pieces and two items
from the same brand, and so on. Not to say something that says "Made in China '' is not vintage; you will
just need to support your ID with other criteria. Nevertheless, be careful; some modern brands will use
"Designed in LA '' or something like that and produce their clothing out of the country, which you will see
on the following tag line. It might sound too easy, but something labeled “vintage” generally is not
vintage.
Fig. 4: An authentic ‘80s Betsey Johnson “punk label” (left); An authentic Betsey Johnson “punk label” reproduction
from the early ‘00s, courtesy of Depop user @avaloooo (right).
Material + Quality
This identifier comes in handy when you make an educated guess on something that appears
handmade or is missing a tag. Vintage clothing has a level of construction that is often more detailed than
what we see today in fast fashion. Nevertheless, and I will say this 50 more times, do not use this as your
only indicator. I was looking for a disco jumpsuit today and saw something lurex and gave it a click.
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Reader, when I tell you I never reported a listing so fast. No Charlotte Russe piece is worth over $100.
That is not even my opinion; that is simply a fact. Even though they say “1960s style,” meaning it is
“vintage-inspired,” it violates Etsy’s policy requiring a listing must be handmade or vintage of 20+ years
or older.
Fig. 5: an Etsy listing selling a modern, vintage-style jumpsuit made by Charlotte Russe in the 2010s.
Finally, no clothing brand in the 20th century referred to materials with such flare in the ways of
“vegan leather” or “sustainably sourced cotton.” Vintage labels are straightforward on content.
Copyright/ Years
Sometimes brands have easier giveaways with copyright years directly stitched into the label or
printed somewhere on the item. However, visible copyright should not be the only identifier you use to
authenticate an item, as labels can sometimes include the copyright year of the brand/logo rather than the
year an item was created or simply for the “aesthetic.”
Also, to state the obvious, a promotional tee from a specific event may have a year printed to
mark the occasion. Take Harley Davidson Bike Week shirts; they almost always have a year printed on
the decal. Another quick and easy way to spot some vintage.
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Fig. 6: Three t-shirts with various ways of identifying year - on the back of neck tag (G), a printed graphic (H), or a printed
copyright (I).
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PART TWO – The History of Vintage
Chapter 5: A Not-So-Textbook Tale
Secondhand Origins
Mass-produced clothing comes at modern society’s most significant turning point: The Industrial
Revolution. Starting in the home country of Austin Powers, this era remains defined by social,
technological, and cultural changes, including overhauling fashion production and consumption to a
higher rate of exposure, purchasing, and disposal (“Industrial Revolution”). Fashion gets faster because
we can use new energy sources like coal and electricity, and new technology like the sewing machine and
mechanical looms streamline the process. Because clothing production is now far quicker than ever
before, we start to see trends arise and form their cycle. Clothes for the first time are perceived as
disposable, as there is enough to go around and enough cultural and social cause to do so, replacing them
with whatever is in fashion. Fashion served the purpose of advancement or pride in a social class.
Therefore, as this new age progresses, wearing old clothing would create quite the stigma to the owner, as
not only did this denote a lack of money, but it denoted association with those who sold them (Waxman).
By the early 1900s, mass production shifted towards an even more streamlined approach, with
Henry Ford inventing the assembly line and popularizing the well-hated 5-day, 9-5 workweek. Those who
sold second hand goods during these times are known as “rag dealers.” In New York, rag dealers were
often Jewish or Italian immigrants who, because of anti-Semitism and other discriminations, were limited
in what careers they could take on, leading to a few operating resale shops and selling used clothing. Rag
dealers would purchase their inventory and then bring it across town to new arrivals, often coming over
with next to nothing (Shell). So, as a Sicilian American with a family that came through Ellis Island, I
wonder if my great-great-grandmother bought vintage before it was cool.
Prior to vintage becoming the cool thing to do, a shift in fashion and youth culture would occur,
creating a domino effect from couture to counterculture.
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New Look: Romanticized Nostalgia
On the heels of World War II, a French designer brought fashion out of a state of uniformity and
simplicity, kickstarting the century’s shift in perspective on how clothing, especially vintage and thrifted
items, could elevate one’s status or make a statement. Christian Dior launched his “now-legendary New
Look” in 1947, with the “curvaceous silhouette” and “bouffant skirt” as its hallmarks (Govan). This
exaggerated feminine style became a coveted part of a high-status woman’s wardrobe because it gave the
illusion of more defined curves (“Christian Dior: The New Look”). Arguably, the New Look helped
women heal from the harsh effects of the war, especially food rationing. However, many other designers
criticized Dior for using, at the time, copious amounts of fabric to create a single dress. This level of
“shameful waste” may have dawned the era of “frivolous fashion,” as New Look dresses were
extravagant in style and price point, even for designer clothing at the time (Govan). This meant a high
barrier of entry for the average woman seeking to participate in the New Look made their own through
upcycling, with “some women sew[ing] strips of fabric onto their hems” and others even going as far as
making “a New Look skirt out of black-out curtains” (Steele 13).
How Youth Culture Diversified Fashion
As Dior and other notable designers began to revolutionize high-society fashion, the common
person’s idea of everyday style would rock the world. Rock N’ Roll music and the culture behind it not
only spawned the age group moniker “teenagers” (yes, the term “teenager” did not come into our
collective vocabulary until 1945). This age group now had the opportunity to form their own identity with
pieces from adolescence and adulthood, causing a rift in how one perceived this transitional period of life
(Hafford).. Often, we recall the mid-century view of teenagers as a group that needed discipline and
control. Of course, the first definitional teenagers were known for inciting violence and even hate crimes.
Granted, you should not place them on a pedestal, but they certainly made significant headway for
secondhand clothing to become what we know it as now.
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The first subculture to formally identify as teens were the Teddy Boys. Generally composed of
British “working class” young men with some “disposable income,” their signature garment was the
“Edwardian Drape Jacket,” paired with “tapered trousers.”. Teddy Girls, the female equivalent,
additionally would sport “second hand Edwardian” as a part of their subculture uniform. Teddy Boys and
Girls, or Teds, were known for causing riots and other violent, gang-related violence (“The 1950s ‘Teddy’
Youth Subculture”).
’50s style gained such notoriety that the nostalgia for it surged a second wave of its dress style in
the late ’70s, propelled due to the popularity of Grease (both the stage production and the film) and shows
like Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. As lifestyle expert Jennifer Floto points out, these mainstream
media successes resurged the general public’s interest in fashion for the sake of nostalgia many did not
experience firsthand. This ’50s obsession from 1974 to 1979 had many looking for pieces integral to the
era: knit cardigans, leather jackets, and yes, even poodle skirts. Simplicity, one of the biggest names in
pattern manufacturing, “even revised its poodle skirt pattern” during this time for those who could not
find an original or preferred to construct their own (Floto).
Bell Bottoms + The British Invasion
From a political statement and en V ogue perspective, modern concepts of vintage wearing
continued in the 1960s through hippy counterculture and the British Invasion, respectively. What a hippie
wore was integral to their values of free love, nonviolence, rejecting materialism, and other related
aspects of mainstream society — these values translated into kaftans, flowing blouses, giant floral
patterns, and those glorious bell bottoms (Street). Still, hippies were very much a minority, so wearing
vintage was usually only cool among themselves, but cool nonetheless. Vintage may take a bit longer to
become definitionally popular, but the ’60s ushers in its use for a new, more leisurely purpose for fashion
that combines the nostalgia of designer interpretations with the functionality of working with what was
already made.
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The British Invasion’s influence on fashion would dismantle the once iron-clad standard for dress,
allowing for style to expand into a leisure experience and diversify its forms of expression. Mary Quant,
the godmother of the Swinging ’60s and inventor of the miniskirt, would gradually grow to prominence in
iconic areas such as Carnaby Street and Kings Road, where boutiques selling styles for all kinds of
aesthetics thrived. Other notable boutiques, including Biba in London and Paraphernalia in New York,
turned the shopping experience more communal and accessible (Armstrong 75).
As for menswear’s impact on vintage during this time, a popular Carnaby Street destination for
musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and Mick Jagger was I Was Lord Kitchener’s Valet. The boutique “began
life as a stall selling used military uniforms at the Portobello Market in Notting Hill” and invoked an air
of “Edwardian menswear,” “making collectively £5 million a year” by the time they took root in their
Carnaby Street location. This type of “Victoriana” “conjured [...] pure nostalgia” for young British men
that only knew of this through tradition and culture, as they did not live during this time (Armstrong 68).
Victorian military menswear establishes itself as a romantic yet eccentric way of dress well into the ’80s,
with Vivienne Westwood’s “‘New Romantic’ look,” best associated with Adam Ant (Hennessy 405).
Military surplus inventory and stores are still an integral aspect of today’s vintage shopping experience.
Its long-lasting appeal stems from its utilitarian, durable construction and its relatively inexpensive price
point. In 2017, modern retailer Urban Outfitters tried to hop onto the bandwagon (or tank in this case) by
carrying army styles through their Urban Renewal label. The brand, not unacquainted to controversy
surrounding their vintage and upcycled items, received significant backlash in the press, as they were
hocking military fleece jackets that you could get for, $10—$20 at the worst—for a whopping $69 (plus
tax and shipping, of course) (Justich). Case in point, military clothing has propelled both men’s and
unisex vintage fashion into the mainstream.
Protopunk of the late ’60s finds its way into the boutique craze through designers like Vivienne
Westwood and a then Paraphernalia employee, Betsey Johnson. While working at Paraphernalia, Johnson
embraced “hippie style” and utilized non-traditional mediums such as “shower curtains, the interior lining
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of automobiles, and pinstriped wool of old New York Yankees uniforms” to construct her designs.
Johnson takes inspiration from “the more avant-garde London fashion scene,” eventually creating her first
independent label in the early ’70s, Alley Cat. The business eventually succumbed, and then punk saved
the designer, leading her to start the self-titled label we know today (“Betsey Johnson”).
By the ’70s, Glam and Punk emerged as experimental, community-focused subcultures stylized
around used and thrashed clothing often pieced back together with safety pins (Wray). Although
Westwood took the safety pin into the designer world, everyday punk style was not a fashion statement
but a necessity. Primarily because they did not have the funds to buy new outfits for new stage
performances, punks would thrift clothing and wear it till it fell apart. If something got damaged, they
would still need to keep it. These musicians start taking pride in this upon realizing that wearing these
used clothes helps better represent their values, and used clothing goes from a sign of hard knocks to
criteria for becoming iconic. You can thank artists like The New York Dolls, The Ramones, Patti Smith,
and Blondie for that (“Anarchy in the UK: A Brief History of Punk Fashion”). One primary popular
vintage style to thrift was Levi’s children’s denim jackets, so I suppose you could say Sheena is a Depop
Girlie too (“Rip It To Shreds: A History Of Punk Style'').
Often referred to as the mother of punk, Westwood opened her store on King’s Road part as a
protest against hippie culture and part to pay homage to “youth culture’s recent past.” Changing names
multiple times, the shop best known as SEX sold “fetish wear” to “young protopunks” and subversive
designs that cheekily commented on the provocation of bodies and challenged socially acceptable ways of
dress (“The Story So Far”).
Buy, Sell, Trade
The ‘70s are also the decade when we first see a business model centered around changing the
perception of used clothing. From its establishment in 1974 to today, Buffalo Exchange was founded to
recycle used clothing, operated more as a higher-end thrift. Though not the first to do so, Buffalo
Exchange popularized the “buy, sell, trade” model that many stores follow when dealing with resale
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clothing of any era. Moreover, with their first store opening in Tucson, Arizona, we can see that
secondhand clothing’s cool factor does not wither outside the city limits of New York, London, and the
like. I still do not recommend places like Buffalo Exchange to buy vintage because they tend to have a
lesser understanding of vintage buying and still follow a trend-buying model. However, Buffalo Exchange
heavily contributed to removing the stigma around buying used clothing in general (Dawkins).
Chapter 6: Vintage in 20th Century Film
Vintage could have keeled over and died with the '80s and its notorious fads of neon, perms, and
those semi-see through lace shirts. However, media that defines pop culture during this time helps vintage
transition out of something the punks used to do for necessity. Vintage gained mass recognition and
commercial success just barely before the mass implementation of the internet. One may think that this
timeline syncs with the world's initial exposure to the world wide web. However, vintage and thrifting as
a pastime and another way to be cool had its start in the '80s and solidified itself as an additional, go-to
way of dress by the early '90s, long before the concept of social media was born.
There are a handful of notable examples of how vintage becomes integrated into culture, one
significant player being two vintage dresses coming together as one. John Hughes Pretty in Pink is one of
the first commercially successful films that utilize thrifted and vintage clothing as an integral part of the
plot and character development. In the film's first scenes, Andie, played by Molly Ringwald, lets her
father know the cost of her outfit—"$15 for the shoes, secondhand, and I made the rest" (Pretty in Pink
02:31-02:56). By the time Andie gets to class, two blonde, popular girls snicker over her style, mockingly
ask her if she shops at "the five and dime store" to point out not only that they think Andie has no taste,
she does not share their economic background (Pretty in Pink 05:04-06:25). Eventually, Andie falls in
love with the rich and popular Blaine while wearing an upcycled prom dress that combines one gifted by
her father and a '60s polka dot number one worn by her boss and best friend, Iona (Pretty in Pink
1:23:11-1:24:44).
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This dress was not its own, new piece. Instead, costume designer Marilyn Vance took apart the
very two dresses we see in the scenes leading up to the prom and put them back together into a design that
has captured the attention of many, even decades after the film's release. When designing the
reconstructed frock, Vance said she "didn't want to date anything,"; thus, she ignored the then trends of
big shoulders and full, ball gown skirts for a straight-cut, open shoulder midi dress that could easily show
up on someone in Silverlake tomorrow and fit right in (Capewell). So even in 1986, vintage was being
utilized to let people, or in this case, characters, exist timelessly out of the trend cycle, even though the
poor girl falls in love with the rich boy plot did not age well. Still, Pretty in Pink is only a drop in the
bucket compared to what the grunge music scene did to vintage.
Chapter 7: Vintage in 20th Century Music
By the time MTV debuts in 1981, subcultures and their way of dress are now becoming more
recognized by the masses, and brands see this as an opportunity to make some money . We see something
similar to this with the prior era of disco, as everyone tries to capitalize on the craze and make a disco
record (The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart,1:15:13 - 1:16:00, 1:19:39-1:21:05 ) or
create disco fashion on the curtails of the rise of Halston and his Ultrasuede and Diane von Furstenberg’s
debut of The Wrap Dress (Monet). The market becomes so saturated with copycat records and
ready-to-wear that the opposing subcultures are sought out for a more authentic experience. Of course, we
are not anti-disco here, as disco’s origins come from gay communties expressing themselves authentically.
What remains unfortunate is how disco became watered down and the hate it received became a gossamer
for racism and homophobia(The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart,1:21:06-1:23:35).
Fortunately during this time, mass interest in vintage, thanks to pop culture and expanding access
to media, actually catapulted vintage onto a stable level of success, but not without sacrifice. As these
bands become internationally known, we experience a rift in the concept of subculture that forms a crack
for these ways of dress to become commercially available.
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I consider grunge’s rise to commercial success in the early ‘90s as the turning point for vintage
going from cool and cult-classic-y to trendy in the mall and fashion magazine kind of way. The very
origins of the style come directly from androgynous thrift-store clothing that had the appearance of
looking disheveled or dirty. So before the 20th century comes to a close, we can see grunge fashion as the
perfect 180 flip from the original perceptions of secondhand clothing. No longer is there a stigma around
someone having a hole in their jeans; you would probably get a funny look if you did not sport one at all.
The record company, Sub Pop, managed grunge superstars Soundgarden, Mudhoney, and
Nirvana, establishing the genre as a defining element of the decade (Nirvana: Taking Punk To The
Masses). When the band skyrocketed to fame, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain became an icon admired for
his thrifty style (Elrich; Anderton). Nirvana was proof that the niche could be marketable to the masses,
giving clearance for the sub-culturally cool to have a fighting chance in the popularity contests of
mainstream fashion. However, this comes at a price for the original creators of grunge and their first fans.
Their way of life and dress skyrocketed to the point of exploitation. This watered-down, glamorized
version of grunge disintegrates subculture as we know it to the point where it is not recognizable, let alone
authentic. What is the most unfortunate is that grunge had the potential to present its core values on a
bigger stage, but the grunge viewed by the masses is, at best, a copy of a copy (Nirvana: Taking Punk To
The Masses).
Modern vintage certainly has developed an aspect of its culture that hinges on grunge ideology;
however, those exposed to social media’s interpretation often miss out on or delay this experience. Yet I
remain optimistic on the next generation of vintage buyers and sellers. As we know with current social
issues, relevancy can propel education and change, and vintage at its core can still exist as a
counterculture, even as the mainstream starts to understand it.
Chapter 8: Vintage History Conclusions
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Given what I have uncovered in books, articles, and the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, I can
safely say that vintage did not become just culturally relevant or commercially cool in 2019 or 2020, not
even in 2008. It has been a desirable part of personal style for about 30 years now. Nevertheless, like
humans and their aging process, nothing looks the same as it did even a decade ago. The art of vintage is
that even though the clothes already exist, there is no singular, perfect way to do it. It is a conglomeration
of clothing history, both in its physical characteristics and what it can mean to us emotionally. Given the
human experience of creation, innovation, and a need to connect, vintage seems pretty hard to dismiss as
a fad sequestered to a decade.
On the flip side, the grunge era coinciding with the birth of the internet spawned and killed off
subcultures, forever changing how we build niche communities. As trend expert Douglas Brundage put it,
“With more sharing of information, local brands became global and every 16-year-old in every city
around the world kind of dresses the same. This easy access is bad for fashion and trends, as it becomes
harder to source inspiration from unique subcultures when they no longer exist.” No longer could
uniqueness stay unique; anyone could gain access to what a subculture used to identify themselves. I
cannot entirely agree with Douglas that not every teen is dressing the same because of this. However, I
believe that from a socioeconomic standing, the wealthier teens will always appear this way. The ones
that use culture as a prop rather than participate in it, worship the designer and care more about the
traditional denotation of clothes-wearing—the higher the price tag. The more worth, the more reason to
wear and show off. Gen Z does not, and unfortunately may never accumulate the wealth, Gen X did from
doing the same educational/career process. Because of this, there has been a shift in mindset, and the
power now moves to the individual.
In life we will always have influencers. They will not always be of the Instagram origin, however,
as they can stem from our physical communities, families, schools, friends, brands and so on. What makes
the youngest generations of our time so significant is that they are questioning both the influencer and
what is being influenced, rather than adhering to a certain tradition or trying to fit in with a crowd. Of
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course, one may think it can be contradictory that it has become popular to express yourself individually,
but the key here is not what goes on their bodies, its the critical choices outside of socioeconomic status
that brought them to those outfits. Gone are the days of dressing for an occasion, as the lines have blurred
between everyday and party attire, between workwear and leisure clothes. We are the makers of our own
style, from more sources and aesthetics available than ever before.
PART THREE - The Modern Vintage Age
Chapter 9: The Toxic Trend Cycle
What is a Fashion Trend?
According to Masterclass, in conjunction with the iconic designer of the original wrap dress, Diane von
Furstenberg (DVF for short), a trend in fashion arises “when a particular item, silhouette, color, or other
new look rises in popularity.” “New look”, not to be confused with Dior’s silhouette, can constitute a
myriad of additionally important trend formations, such as a whole style aesthetic (These trends can
originate in a variety of places, both within the fashion industry, adjacent industries, and as of late, from
viral culture and social media). Additionally, trends definitionally last between 5 to 10 years and often
line up with decades to encapsulate fashion for that era. So, to address the chicken and the egg, trends
predate modern fast fashion by a long shot (Masterclass Staff).
Regardless of where trends originate, the key is that a significant portion of items that constitute that trend
must be new. Of course, trends exist cyclically, meaning that once they go out of style, there is a
possibility they can come back in. However, for something to originate as a trend, it must have a severe
degree of newness or uniqueness when brought to the fashion world (Masterclass Staff). Vintage at scale
as a trend in the cycle becomes a giant contradiction because, as we now know, the act of buying vintage
to serve a stylish purpose is not new. Even the act of buying vintage as the cool thing to do is about as old
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as when The Beatles first played The Cavern Club. Vintage popularity has just shapeshifted with the
society's norms and subcultures, as well as what becomes vintage through the simple process of time.
What is the Trend Cycle?
1. Introduction: as DVF said, a trend is when we have something new or not seen in the
mainstream introduced to the general public. A trend’s introduction can be unintentional, like we
see with punk subculture and the safety pinning of shirts. However, most often, it is a deliberate
effort, usually done by designer houses. This stage is similar to a TV show debuting a pilot; it
needs to be “picked up” to proceed. We will see these “new styles introduced at a higher price and
made in small quantities” so a retailer does not take too much of a gamble on something a bit too
fresh. If accepted by consumers, the trend moves to the next stage (Masterclass Staff).
2. Rise (or Increase or Fashion Acceptance): The trend is accepted and given the title “trend”
itself. “Fashion leaders and trendsetters wear outfits that incorporate the idea.” Celebrities and
influencers will get attention, either through social media or the press. Consumer demand will
increase to the point where retailers feel they can safely profit off the trend and start carrying it in
larger quantities (Masterclass Staff).
3. Culmination (or Peak): The majority of the general public will now actively participate in the
trend, incorporating wear into their everyday life. This stage is also when we start to see Miranda
Priestly of The Devil Wears Prada’s “Cerulean Blue Sweater” monologue spring into real-life
action. “Fast Fashion retailers” will now “offer line-for-line copies or knockoffs of these designs,”
making the trend mass-produced and widely available. Because of all this, we will see the trend
available in various price rangers, skewing towards more affordable (Masterclass Staff).
4. Decline: By this point, whatever was in has “oversaturated” the market. Heavy exposure to the
trend will dissuade consumers who want to stay in style and will either stop wearing the trend or
decide not to participate altogether. This stage is when a trend becomes too mainstream to be
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“unique,” though I find this laughable considering that this description lives this late in the cycle
(Masterclass Staff).
5. Obsolescence: The trend has been stripped of its title and is considered “outdated” or, in a more
modern, internet-slang sense, chuegy. The mainstream participants have moved on to other trends
while those still participating or just now getting the memo will be deemed less stylish
(Masterclass Staff).
What is a Microtrend?
Microtrends are a direct result of the acceleration of the trend cycle. Before the 21st century,
trends would last a minimum of a couple of years before they go out of style and the general public moves
onto the next best thing. A microtrend is a trend that follows the above trend definition and stages in the
cycle but instead lives and dies in a shorter amount of time. As mentioned, a common trend has about a
5-to-10-year shelf life. In 2019, a microtrend could last as a trend anywhere between 3 to 5 years
(Nelson). However, in 2021 microtrends have sped up the cycle even more, only lasting anywhere
between a season and a few weeks (Stanton).
Sometimes microtrends are so small and fleeting they are a single iteration of something that fast
fashion companies copy exactly. A great recent example of this highly copied microtrend would be the
House of Sunny Hockney dress. An eye-catching green knit midi dress with circular cutouts at the back
and a “lily pad” pattern, this piece was popularized by fashion TikTokers urging their followers to get this
dress. This phenomenon gained criticism for its blatant encouragement of overconsumption and lack of
individuality. The dress went through the trend cycle in a matter of weeks, with a variety of dupes still
available on Amazon (Ernest). Other examples of recent microtrends include quilted clothing pieces, cow
print, and Coconut Girl—focused on the aesthetic of ‘00s resort styles with large tropical prints, bright
pinks and greens, and crochet (Marzovilla).
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This high turnover means that retailers are scaling up even higher on production to make a quick
buck. A brutally quick push for new product to meet never-before-seen levels of acceleration has led to an
increase in textile waste and clothing discarding and directly contributes to the decrease in quality and
ethics when it comes to production. Fast fashion brands then outsource labor, pay these workers less, and
often implement exploitative labor practices like poor working conditions, withholding pay, and
additional human rights violations. On an additional environmental level, carbon emissions and water
skyrocket, and chemicals in dye lead to more harmful toxins cycling into our oceans. Finally, the quality
diminishes, leading to items that wear down more quickly or are more likely to be produced with defects
(Stanton).
Microtrends are inherently the most dangerous components of the cycle. However, they continue
as hot topics in digital fashion publications since these stories are an easy way to get clicks under the
guise of being informative. Because of this intertwinement with media, microtrends will continue to pump
out as quickly as an editor can write and publish an article on them. Ironically, these outlets often also
publish stories on sustainability and living in a greener future. If we continue to promote microtrends, we
will not get to that sustainable future (Nelson; Marzovilla).
Chapter 10: 21st Century Contributors
The Internet + Social Media’s Role in Vintage
As touched on a bit earlier, the internet is not the reason vintage became mainstream. Instead, it is
why vintage can evolve into a permanent fixture of how we experience and consumer fashion. Although
the internet has brought us a wide variety of innovative entertainment, it has also brought us education,
awareness, and a guide to break free of traditional societal expectations. It is the most comprehensive and
accessible learning tool we have, and we are all able to become experts ourselves on fashion.
The internet not only was able to make vintage clothing's barrier to entry lower for the average
fashion fan, but most notably, it was able to glamourize vintage-like never before. Suddenly we have a
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wave of celebrities sporting vintage designer's garments on the red carpet, even in some cases re-wearing
items they sported decades earlier. In addition, the average person with a good eye and time on their
hands could take outfit pictures to capture how they choose to express themselves that day. These
Instagram accounts have almost become public diaries, reaching out to connect with others based on what
dons their bodies. I know the romanticization of things can usually be delusional and foreboding.
However, I believe this wave of romanticizing daily dress, daily life even, has offered a more profound
sense of belonging and comfort than the average clothing brand ever could.
In this way, vintage has become another form of communication and status. However, its main
goal is not to show people how financially well-off you are; instead, wearers seek to capture their
intelligence, creativity, and dedication to the craft of clothes wearing. It challenges and rebukes the idea
that something needs to be new and expensive to look "good." People begin to then look for the first time
other, average people for style advice rather than magazines, celebrities, and advertisements. As Gen Z
tends to lean more towards experiences rather than physical goods, the act of thrifting becomes a part of
their core memories—something they did and documented, be it with their friends or alone for the first
time in a new city. The internet has fostered a global community, and the act of rebellion via joining a
subculture can rise into mainstream culture. The web's ability to connect has not stripped authenticity as
some would assume because the beauty of vintage and thrifting is accessibility. The online vintage world
maintains a consensus that it is okay to be similar, as no one will do it precisely like another individual.
So the more people who talk about it online, the more likely these industries will expand in the real world
and across eCommerce. This phenomenon is why we now have brands like ASOS and Urban Outfitters
dedicating parts of their sites to vintage "marketplaces." They want in on the digital community too. So to
reiterate, no, the world wide web did not bring vintage into the mainstream; it just gave it the support it
needed to grow into something past New York City and London into a cultural giant that gains new
participants daily.
The Sustainability Aspect
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The accessibility of information that the internet has allowed us means we can better understand
our impact as human beings on this planet. Sustainability practices have inspired a wave of change
initially considered a simple trend, now establishing itself in the mainstream (Paul; “Consumers Have
Spoken & Sustainability is Here to Stay”). Vintage falls into this topic of conversation as it helps combat
clothing and textile overproduction and waste that leads to some harmful aftermath. What makes vintage
so alluring, sustainability-wise, is the lower amount of compromise to be made for the sake of
self-expression. If anything, one has a more extraordinary ability to express oneself than ever before, and
Gen Z is pioneering this effort (Chu).
Gen Z has already grown up amongst climate change, a recession, a pandemic, a movement
towards racial justice, and a slew of other significant moments that have been happening back-to-back, if
not simultaneously. This bombardment of noteworthy events is a lot to take in for a group of people that
can currently only be as old as 24-25, currently. Teens and young adults have expressed genuine concern
for their futures and the future of the planet. However, they also care about themselves individually,
desiring to be financially savvy and emotionally stable (since their generation is currently the most
unemployed and the most depressed) (Casey). We cannot deny the joy behind an impulse purchase. So,
what if that impulse purchase was about $10, no one else for miles had it, and it benefitted the earth’s
health? This purchasing style is conscious consumerism, where brands are now being held accountable for
their practices on an environmental and social level. After all, sustainability is not just about going green;
it also involves sustaining communities and improving ethics. As previously mentioned, vintage buying is
more ethical than consuming new fast or slow fashion, but it is still not without its flaws. Considering
how much timeliness still correlates with certain mindsets, we still do not know the true intention of most
brands that have expressed solidarity with groups and initiatives such as Black Lives Matter and the
LGBTQ+ community. Only time will tell if they intend to permanently alter and align their identity or if
they are doing it in a marketing way of keeping up with the Joneses. Just because you create a pride
collection and put a rainbow logo in your social accounts for June does not automatically qualify you as
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an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. Gen Z consumers looking to make almost a personal investment in
their purchase decisions will not tolerate this performative activism. They want their community to know
where they stand on social issues, especially the brands they relate to.
PART FOUR – Get In...We’re Going Shopping
Chapter 11: Before You Call Up Your Bestie + Get Dunkin’ For The Road…
It may feel like good vintage is hard to come by, especially if you have no prior experience in
searching. Of course, there are physical and digital spots that will try to deceive you, and you may feel
overwhelmed by the variety at first, but through patience and lots of practice, this feeling will subside. We
will start with the basics of finding where to go; then, I will test my hypothesis that vintage sustains itself
well outside the trend cycle.
How to Find a Good Vintage Store IRL
Below are what I have found to be the best tips on finding the vintage “spots” and how to survey
an unfamiliar area for good vintage.
For starters, follow some vintage lovers and sellers in your area on social media. By checking in
on their posts and stories, you can see where they like to shop personally. If you live in a major city or
relatively close to one, your key here is neighborhoods. More often than not, the best vintage in a given
city will clump together in specific areas. These districts and streets even become synonymous with
vintage itself. Examples besides Haight Ashbury include Hawthorne in Portland, Williamsburg in
Brooklyn, the East Village in New York, the North Loop in Austin. The list goes on. Often, these major
cities will have pamphlets or dedicated websites listing other great places to shop. For example, Austin’s
has their Vintage Around Town Guide, “the master list of Austin vintage shops,” that is updated annually
(“Shop Listings). Look in the vintage stores you are aware of for physical pamphlets or search “[city
name] vintage guide” to see what is available to you locally.
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A great tip is to go to the tourist trap areas first. Although areas like Hollywood and Haight
Ashbury seem like they could be a joke vintage-wise, they are wonderful places for vintage education.
Tourist districts cater to history fans of any level, even if that history is retold orally through a megaphone
on a double-decker bus. Use these stores to become familiar with fabrics, labels, and the commonality of
pieces. Through this process, I have found some of my favorite items, both bought and in deep regret of
leaving.
Price Awareness and Haggling
Always, always, take these tourist areas with a grain of salt. There is a difference between
outright getting scammed and something priced high within the context of item value and building rent.
What draws the line is the item itself and who is selling it. For example, I went into sustainable fashion
giant Reformation’s vintage store on Melrose and saw a handful of atrocities, including a group of Kasper
blazers priced at around $110—from a more seasoned perspective, this made them look like they grabbed
their stock from the Goodwill down the road. However, the most notable horror was a modern,
Fiorucci-inspired top that I quickly found in a search on Amazon for $16.99. Reformation wanted $88.
That is a scam.
If you are on a budget and out in a vintage store, whip your phone out and Google. Search eBay.
The odds are that someone might have what you are looking for at a lower price, and it gives you peace of
mind if you cannot find it elsewhere. I encourage this over just paying the amount because it is entirely
acceptable to be selfish about how much money you dole out, especially on frivolous items. Make
educated purchasing decisions a habit, and you will still be able to support small businesses while
maintaining a level of realism in this highly grandiose culture.
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Fig. 7: An Amazon search for “blue angel mesh top” priced at $16.99 and $12.98 (left); the same Amazon top for sale at
Reformation’s vintage store on Melrose, priced at $88.00 (right and bottom)
The #GIRLBOSS herself said “Some people may say that I was a horrible person for haggling at
a thrift store, but I was just another person trying to get by.” This is not a bad piece of advice despite me
overall disagreeing with her life advice and the way she handled her fast fashion business/employees
(Amoruso 110). Speaking from personal experience, you very much can haggle at Goodwill. They, along
with many other thrifts, are huge corporations. Worst they can say is no. However, understand that in most
cases of physical, small vintage businesses, haggling is outright disrespectful. Online is very different, in
that most apps encourage offers to be made, either via the seller making it known themselves or even
having offer buttons built into the platform. There are only two instances where haggling is acceptable in
a vintage brick and mortar:
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1. The item in question is damaged (stained, torn, discolored, etc.) and there is no indication
of price marked “as is.” You can absolutely call out these flaws in your price argument.
2. If an item is at or under $100, you are asking for no more than $10 off.
When I started vintage hunting a few years back—I got rightfully yelled at by the owner of
Decades of Fashion for trying to haggle on a ‘70s yellow, cap sleeve dress with raised, felt-like daisies all
over. I wanted it for $80 when it was priced at $100. She did in fact ask me if I knew how much she paid
for overhead and obviously I could not fathom it, so I apologized and put it back. That’s how not to
haggle.
Vintage Store Warning Signs
There is one primary identifier for vintage stores you should avoid if you are exclusively seeking
out vintage clothing. Places with “mall” in the title will not have the clothing you seek. Vintage malls are
best for ephemera (old postcards, pamphlets, and other printed goodies), tchotchkes (miscellaneous
objects with a minimal purpose beyond pure novelty), and coolish technology that does not work and for
which you have no use. Not to say that you might get lucky and find something adorable to take home,
knowing the odds of it being clothing are extremely low.
Places with “antique” in the title or antique malls may not even have clothing to sell at all. If you
plan on going to a place with this title, do some additional research on the vendors and what they carry.
Beyond that, the majority of places are fair game. Do not knock a place off your list because you can only
find their info on Facebook, or the store looks incredibly unorganized. Instead, open yourself up to
exploration and be ready to take on a variety of shop styles. That is the thrill of the hunt.
What Do I Bring On This Trip?
We now know where we are going and the specifics of what we would like to find. However, we
have only scratched the surface. Before heading out to the stores you have selected, there is a bit of prep
work involved.
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The foremost critical thing to know before heading out is your measurements. No, I do not mean
a Men's M or a US Women's 8— you will need your measurements in inches (or if you are on the metric
system, meters). A soft measuring tape is your new best friend from here on out. You will want to use it to
take down these numbers and take it with you. This tool has been indispensable for me, especially during
the pandemic when fitting rooms were closed, and I was working with the standard no returns/store.
Additionally, not all vintage stores are generous in organizing their clothes by size accurately, if at
all. You will come across racks arranged by item type (dresses, pants), color, era—heck, Held Over in San
Francisco has a Long & Groovy section. If you want to be a bit speedier and skip the fitting room line, go
by what catches your eye and check sizing with your tape. Making a habit of this might make you look a
bit crazy, but it will help you better eyeball your proper size and give you an idea of what vintage sizing
groups you fall into. The essential measurements you will need are:
● Across the middle of your chest
● If you are a person with breasts, know that cup size is pretty standardized across all
brands and eras. It is also good to know your sister sizes (shoutout to the sales reps at
Victoria's Secret traumatizing me during my middle school years). For example, I am a
32C, but if I want that underwire swim top that's a 34B, it will still fit well, and I could
purchase without significant risk.
● Around the smallest part of your waist
● Even though some modern and vintage brands size their bottoms by these numbers, they
may not always be accurate. For example, vintage Guess jeans are notorious for this.
Besides, our waists are not perfect whole numbers either. So having this exact
measurement for you helps you should you need to decide between two sizes.
● Around your hips
● The tape measure should go across the middle of your butt.
● Your inseam
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● generally, from your crotch down to the top of your ankle. Can vary depending on where
you want a bottom garment to fall.
● Your rise
● Also can vary, but generally crotch to belly button is a high waist rise, and it goes down
from there.
Of course, you can get some other measurements like neck and wrist, but these measurements are rarely
necessary. Besides, if you keep that measuring tape on hand, you can check right then and there.
I am not going to tell you what to wear on these shopping trips. That would void the majority of my
argument. So I absolve myself from suggesting anything here.
Next, take stock. As someone who has ADHD, object permanence is a problem for me. I love to pop into
my closet and glance at my clothes before heading out shopping or finalizing an online purchase. This
scan will give what you already have versus what you "need." Sometimes, especially if I am preparing an
outfit for an event, I bring the garments I have already purchased to ensure everything goes together in the
real world, not just the fantasy in my head.
Finally, you must maintain a loose game plan. You may lose an opportunity in the '60s section if you start
in the '80s—you get the idea. If you are heading to a flea market or A Current Affair (the pompous
version of a flea market), see if you can get a map or list of the vendors. This way, you have already
figured out a rough idea of where everything is and where to begin. It is okay to split up from whomever
you came out with; they most likely are not looking for the same things after all.
Criteria for Vintage Stores and Clothing to Meet
For my field research, I will be looking at items with ranging specificity, era, price range, and level of
difficulty to find. All in all, each piece will be boiled down to whether it is a trending style or not.
Unfortunately, I cannot analyze every single vintage store in every city or digital platform. My personal
preferences, including my style of dress, friends, and whom I follow on social media, run the risk of
biasing my research.
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We can only evaluate vintage vendors based on the stock they have available when I conduct this
research. Therefore, I will not ask individual sellers or local vintage businesses how much they make or
seek out other related information that is not already public. This approach is not appropriate and a
violation of privacy.
For vintage to be trendy, we must consider the following for the stores themselves, almost treating them
like individual brands momentarily for the argument.
● For physical stores
● Are the vintage items in line with currently trending styles?
● If they carry modern styles, are they also in line with currently trending styles?
● Are the people shopping in the store wearing trending items or discussing trending
content?
● Is the ambiance modern? (music, TV , interior design)
● For online vintage
● Is 50% or more of the shop’s content trending?
● If we can see what they have sold, are buyers purchasing trends?
● If the store uses social media to promote or sell, do they discuss relevant content or media
that is also trending?
The list below will be the general guidelines of my thought process when evaluating individual items
in physical stores:
1. First look – my initial impression of it
a. How it is positioned in the rack
b. What aspect of it catches my attention
2. Label / No Label
a. If it has a label, do I know it?
b. Is the label considered valuable?
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3. Fabric
4. Era/Style
5. Price
a. Is this piece a bargain or more so a collectible?
b. Is this item priced under, over, or in line with similar garments?
6. Condition
a. Are there any flaws?
i. If so, what kind?
7. Relevancy
a. Is this item trending currently?
b. Could I see someone wearing this multiple times/well into the future?
8. Uniqueness factor
a. Have I seen this exact item before?
b . Is its uniqueness favorable or unfavorable?
Finally, I will be evaluating my interactions between sellers and other buyers. These observations
help to develop insights on the culture behind vintage, which is crucial to this argument.
Chapter 12: Trend Report for Summer 2021
We will need to know what is “in” for womenswear to evaluate adequately how “trendy” a
vintage store is. In this case, microtrends and trends that occur between June to August of 2021 will count
here.
It is important to note that trends do not just receive real-time reporting. Trend forecasting is a
significant component of the fashion industry. However, because of time constraints and the fact that we
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are smack dab in the middle of summer, I will only be focusing on trends for summer 2021 and not
addressing anything for fall. However, I am aware of trends and microtrends that are “out” before this
season, so we can also call those out. Therefore, I will be focusing on four significant trends:
1 . Designer: Trend expert and forecaster Douglas Brundage says, “The designer has also become a
pop culture phenomenon in a way that previously never reached such a sky-high level.” The
obsession with labels like Marc Jacobs and Vivienne Westwood is relevant right now, but are
vintage stores also stocking these popular designers? Or are vintage stores sticking to their
community’s longstanding repertoire of names like Emilio Pucci, Missoni, and Christian Dior?
2 . Swim: Swimwear is essential to summer, full stop. I will flesh these trends out in a case study, as
there is a lot to cover in this one category.
3 . Florals: As we know, florals are not exactly groundbreaking. Floral is one if not the most
common pattern in fashion. What changes is the floral that is “in.” Current floral styles that are
“in” feature ’60s psychedelic style; muted tropical, and bright + abstract (as seen in the Target
Christopher John Rogers Collection). Are vintage stores matching up with these patterns?
4 . Iconic Characters: as mentioned previously, modern retailers are releasing nostalgic
merchandise. The trending nostalgia right now includes Bratz (after all, they have a passion for
fashion) as well as Looney Tunes/Space Jam—Space Jam: A New Legacy, the sequel to the ’96
classic, comes out soon. Also, anybody from ’90s Nickelodeon has become relevant again. This
Nicktoon relevancy aligns with the launch of Paramount+, the streaming service releasing new
series for The Rugrats, Blues Clues, and Spongebob. These films and shows are some of the most
recent to gain genuine nostalgia status from the younger generations that were conscious enough
to remember watching. Additionally, they have been off the air long enough for them to be
missed.
Chapter 13: Field research – LA
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Squaresville
We’re starting off field research by heading over to Squaresville, a two-story joint that carries
clothing of all styles and eras with the occasional modern piece mixed in. Here’s what I discovered:
We are starting field research by heading over to Squaresville, a two-story joint that carries
clothing of all styles and eras with the occasional modern piece mixed in. Here is what I discovered:
Squaresville’s setup is quite organized. Higher value items hang on the wall, then pants/denim,
modern styles, dresses, skirts, and shorts live on the first level. Shoes, tees, men’s shirts, and
coats/sweaters make up the second level. I immediately go to the pants because something caught my
eye—an excellent skull print on cotton pants. I immediately spread the rack to get a better look, and they
are questionably tiny. Now I know that kid’s vintage exists, and there is a market for it, but I have always
felt a little off about selling it mixed in with the adult sizes. Moreover, the label says “Kids Baggy’s” on
the care tag, confirming my suspicions. I take the pants off the rack to prove a point and grab a few more
pieces from the midi/maxi and mini dress racks.
In my Squaresville fitting room:
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Fig. 8: Squaresville try-on’s from L to R:, Kid Baggy’s, ‘60s evening dress, Jam’s World, Laura Ashley
Kid’s Baggy’s skull pants: I want these to look good so bad solely because of the pattern. Nevertheless,
just because I can get them on my body does not mean it will look attractive. Not only is the “cropped”
leg not exactly a vibe for me, but the waist is somehow too big. I mentally shed a tear and decide to pass.
Unlabeled - ’60s floral evening dress: I immediately realize this dress exists for two people: the one who
wears it and the one that will help get it on them. There is no physical way I can fully get this frock on.
On top of that, many of the snaps are extremely weak, making any attempt at proving myself to be special
ultimately futile. Once again, coming to grips with my solitude, I give up and decide to pass.
Jam’s World: This one is my favorite try-on so far, primarily because of the simplicity of the dress’s
shape. I feel cute in it, and I could not find a similar dress when doing a quick Jam’s World internet search
to pass the time waiting for a fitting room, so I feel like I might buy this. What stops me from a full
conviction is the color. Green, yellow, and red are not colors I usually flock to, especially together,
especially now that I have red hair. So I put it aside as a maybe.
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Laura Ashley floral midi dress with sailor collar: Laura Ashley’s frocks remain coveted pieces known
for their romantic style—pastel colorways, full skirts, ruffles and puff sleeves . This one feels unique
because of its sailor collar; you usually see sweetheart necklines here. Although I am not crazy about this
specific combination of purple and green, I brought it into the fitting room to see if it can sway me.
Having it on feels good; I even like how it looks with my Nike’s. The price is excellent too, but I cannot
see myself wearing this enough times to justify owning it. Plus, its three-quarter sleeve in this Los
Angeles heat will be destroyed by my sweat. Upon taking it off, the zipper gets stuck, giving me an
all-to-familiar anxiety attack. I safely get it off and mentally mark it as a no.
After the try-on, I decide to hang on to only the Jam’s World dress. I shop around for a little
longer and find two modern pieces in the dress section. The first is a Reformation piece that definitely fits
the recently passed Fiorucci cherub’s trend which has already gone into the “outdated” category. This
cherub pattern was really big in late 2019 early 2020, and has been very much considered a fad for almost
a year now. I can tell this is modern without needing to look at the tag based on both this pattern and the
style and because of the overt trendiness of it, I am immediately turned off by it. We don’t often see an
underwire chest on vintage dresses, accompanied by a weak puff shoulder and a mini front slit. Still, I
check tags to confirm and think the price is great. Someone’s going to have their day made finding this,
though I don’t know if they’ll know to find it in this store.
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Fig. 9: A modern, short-length dress from Reformation which would sell at retail priced at $40 at Squaresville
The other, I gasp at the pattern down the rack, immediately recognizing it as an ‘80s Betsey Johnson punk
label (this excitement can be seen in the blurriness of my photo). I open the rack up to get a better look
and see that pink script tag at the neck with some depressing-looking lingerie straps. It is an authentic
Betsey Johnson but a modern reproduction. The quality of the knit is significantly thinner than her ‘80s
pieces I own. Google tells me the print was reissued in 2008, explaining why I also see a picture from
2010 of Paramore’s Hayley Williams wearing a similar dress with the same pattern (“Hayley Williams:
Betsey Johnson Guns Dress”). I probably would not buy it even if it were really from the ‘80s, as
something does not feel right about wearing a gun pattern, so I leave it on the rack and carry on.
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Fig. 10: A modern, early ‘00s reproduction of an ‘80s Betsey Johnson punk label sweater dress.
I go back into the fitting room to see Jam’s World on me again. I put it back on and love it a little
less, as it is starting to give me Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. I decided to put both items
on hold for an hour and leave the store otherwise empty-handed.
Squaresville Purchases
None
Squaresville conclusion:
● Are the vintage items in line with currently trending styles?
● Designer: No, my eye caught a gorgeous Missoni piece on the ceiling, but nothing from
the Melrose designer darlings.
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● Swim: n/a
● Florals: Yes – bright + abstract
● Characters: No
● If they carry modern styles, are they in line with currently trending styles? No. Of the two I
came across, one was already outdated, and the other was a vintage reproduction.
● Are the people shopping in the store wearing trending items or discussing trending content?
Yes and No. I see a girl wearing a two-piece set that looks like one American Girl Doll
Josephina’s holiday outfit. However, another person is in Big Bud Press shorts, which are super
popular right now. Very much a mixed bag.
● Is the ambiance modern? No, they are playing Nelly Furtado, and I am at peace.
Bearded Beagle – Los Feliz location
Walking just a few blocks from Squaresville and into this tiny but mighty shop, I again go straight for the
dresses and am grateful I did because I suddenly have an armful of stunning pieces, one being a Gunne
Sax (we will digress on this one in a bit). The sales associate probably remembered me and kindly let me
take everything in despite a two-item-max rule. I save the Gunne for last since it is the highest-priced of
my picks, and the style is not what I would wear every day.
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In my Bearded Beagle fitting room:
Fig. 11: Bearded Beagle try-on’s from L to R: unlabeled ‘60s yellow cotton dress, unlabeled ‘60s lavender
dress, unlabeled gingham gown, ‘70s Emma Domb, and ‘80s Gunne Sax
Unlabeled – ‘60s yellow floral cotton dress: Upon adornment, Dedicated to The One I Love by The
Mama’s and the Papa’s starts blaring in my head, as sufficient Mama Cass energy exudes from this frock.
I love the oversized fit, the giant yellow poppy print, and its natural fabric. Unfortunately, there is quite a
bit of fraying at the zipper, causing it to get stuck as I take it off. I still do not even think twice; it is
coming home with me.
Unlabeled ‘60s purple floral dress: Usually, ‘60s mini dresses feel too costumey, but something about
this lavender number maintains a more practical appeal. The inner pleat at the skirt, the belt with a
removable buckle (giving me versatility/an excuse to spend money on another accessory), and the fact it
is a matte polyester make me fall in love.
There is an orange stain on the left cuff, so as I take it off, I do a full scan to see what I am working with
damage-wise. I only find one other blemish near the front of the skirt, but I know it would be worth a shot
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to try and get out. I also know I can dress this up for a work function and wear it out on the weekend with
no problem. So I accept the stains and decide I am buying it.
Unlabeled – unknown era blue gingham gown: I was initially worried that this would read too Wizard
of Oz meets junior prom once I got it zippered, but it outperforms my assumption. The V-cut back, along
with a wide A-line skirt, give me an idea—I can turn this into a glamorous camp look by accessorizing
with fruit and bug-themed pieces, turning myself into a human picnic. However, it is about the price of
the two mini-dresses combined. I quickly think and text my mom a picture, and she suggests it could look
nice for one of the few weddings we have coming up. Given that there is no label, meaning that I could
not easily find this piece again and that I have events coming up I can wear this to (instead of hiding it
from the world in my closet), I justify the price and decide to take it home as well.
‘70s Emma Domb: There is no way this thing is a medium like a tag says. It zippers up on me perfectly,
dares I say even just a hair too snug. The bright, almost neon color combined with the femme frills make
this piece unique to me, once again giving it an edge outside of its decade. However, I have already
committed to three dresses, and this one is a bit too heavy for summertime, so I reluctantly pass on it.
Late’ 70s/early ’80s Gunne Sax: I am not keen on buying this, as even only upon first glance, it is a bit
too frilly for my taste and $125. However, I do love this era of Gunne Sax because of how opulent the
pieces are. Jessica McClintock transitioned from cotton-voile prairie and renaissance styles to more
suitable collections for proms and bridesmaids. Her ’80s pieces melded then-modern trends with
Victorian and a hint of gay ’90s style. So this piece very much exists in between, as it has a ’70s fabric
mixed with heavy frills, a very ’80s Chantilly lace, and a tea-length skirt. In the end, the dress is too big
on me in the chest, and because of the rich detail, I could not even consider taking it in if I wanted. I am
delighted it crossed my path, but I am fully satisfied in only trying it on.
Although there was less to comb through, I left with three pieces versus zero from Squaresville.
Even with the items having flaws and slightly higher prices, these dresses are doubtful to have another
existing copy, which gets me to swipe my card. Even worse, I found myself thinking about the Emma
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Domb dress almost a week later and decided to give Bearded Beagle a call to see if it was still there. It is,
and I reserve it for pick up and take it home the same day.
Bearded Beagle Purchases
● ‘60s Unlabeled Yellow Floral Mini Dress - $44
● ‘60s Unlabeled Purple Floral Mini Dress $44
● Unknown Era Unlabeled Blue Gingham Plaid Gown $88
● ‘70s Emma Domb Orange Maxi Dress $52
Tax collected? Yes
TOTAL: $249.66
Bearded Beagle Conclusion
o Are the vintage items in line with currently trending styles?
▪ Designer: No. I run across a Gunne Sax, though, which in the vintage world
counts as designer.
▪ Swim: n/a
▪ Florals: Yes – ‘60s psychedelic
▪ Characters: No, I see a few fun designs with recognizable characters, but none
are currently trending.
o If they carry modern styles, are they in line with currently trending styles? No
modern styles seen.
o Are the people shopping in the store wearing trending items or discussing trending
content? No, the one conversation I sat in on was another vintage seller coming in to say
hi. She complimented my choices, and that validated me.
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Is the ambiance modern? The design/décor of the space is more modern minimalist than Squaresville,
but I am so blissed out by the try-on’s I cannot recall what music played.
Chapter 14: Field Research – Seattle
Bar House’s Vintage “Flea Market”
A friend initially recommended this location as a great place to get drinks, knowing that I love an intimate
venue that exclusively plays ‘80s alternative (I miss you, Barbarella Austin). Nevertheless, upon mapping
out my week, I found they had a mini vintage “flea” in their back room the Sunday I was in town. So
excitedly, I got on the bus that day and headed to the Fremont district, crossed the street into a back alley,
and was welcomed in by The Cure gently crooning overhead. Roughly four vendors set up there, each
with a section of one to two racks, including some tables for accessories and shoes.
Fig. 12: The back room and some racks of the Bar House flea market.
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What immediately caught my eye was a very ‘90s Goofy head hat—if you remember that one scene in
Aladdin with the genie dressed like a tourist, that is the one. As casually as possible, my brother and I
tried to find a price tag but did not see one, and considering I no longer have a Disneyland annual pass
(may it rest in peace), I did not bother to ask if it even was for sale. Right next to it was this odd but
endearing-looking monster. I do not usually go for brooches, but this thing looked so unique, and in one
of my favorite shades of pinky-purple, so for $5, I was taking this cute uggo home from the bar.
Fig. 13: A seller’s table featuring a vintage Goofy head hat (left); a grotesque monster pin I decide to purchase (right).
I mistakenly left the AirBnB wearing a big, multilayered white maxi dress paired with a vintage Harley
tee under it, so I felt like I needed to change to survive the rest of this hot day. So I went to the left end of
the clothing racks and saw a decent number of skirts available. I managed to find one perfect for the day
and in my size—a satiny, sizable floral print maxi skirt with an elastic waist; I knew I would feel cool and
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comfy all day in this. For only $14, all I had to do was double check fit with a try-on, and I was
purchasing.
Fig. 14: Tag for the satin skirt I decide to buy.
Then, a white leather fringe jacket caught my eye, very Sloane from Ferris Beuler. I saw it was
also priced well at $30 and added it to my pop-up tent fitting room pile. I grab one more item—a
multicolor striped mini dress from the brand Anxiety. I know this label because my mother has many silk
tank tops; these pieces were arguably some of the first vintage items I ever came into contact with. I knew
the tag read large, but I wanted to see how it fit on me before giving up.
In my Bar House fitting room:
‘80s white fringe leather jacket: The leather jacket’s shoulders were a bit too ‘80s re: heavy on the
shoulder pads to the point that they swallowed me, so I passed.
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Anxiety striped multicolor dress: It was just too big on me, which I figured would be the case. Whoever
ends up buying this is going to look great in it.
CLIO Satin floral maxi skirt: To my relief, the satin skirt fit perfectly, and as Kate Bush had her turn on
the speaker, I was ready to checkout.
In conclusion, Bar House had a great little pop-up for a tourist like me! Not overwhelming in the
slightest, the selection was decent despite getting there almost 2 hours past the pop-up’s opening. I would
have liked to see how much there was at noon to gauge how much inventory sellers came in with, but at
the time we arrived, racks were still quite full. The prices fit the items, but I remained focused on season
and size, as I am on summer vacation with my brother, and we had just started the day. Things were
organized moderately well with an easy breakdown by item type, and tags had sizing written on them. I
would say almost all of the available at this pop-up was genuine vintage, making the brief experience
exponentially more thrilling.
Fig. 15: My two try-ons that I do not purchase, an ‘80s white leather jacket (left) and a striped dress by Anxiety (right).
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Fig. 16: The satin skirt I buy from Bar House, on the hanger (left) and in the wild (right).
Bar House Purchases
● Unlabeled Purple Monster Brooch - $5
● ‘90s CLIO Floral Maxi Skirt - $14
Tax collected? No
TOTAL: $19
Bar House Flea Market Conclusion
● Are the vintage items in line with currently trending styles?
● Designer: No, no named designer at all.
● Swim: n/a
● Florals: No, they are a more oversized floral than what is in, and the colors and
botanicals depicted are not in alignment either
● Characters: Just Goofy and Garfield, so no.
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● If they carry modern styles, are they in line with currently trending styles? No modern pieces
from what I could see.
● Are the people shopping in the store wearing trending items or discussing trending content?
No one is wearing anything super standout, but no one is in a t-shirt and jeans either.
Is the ambiance modern? Absolutely not. I could close my eyes and be at an ‘80s night with all the Kate
Bush and The Cure they were queueing up. I re-added The Wedding List to my Spotify likes.
Fremont Vintage Mall
After a stop in a record store and a quick check on Apple Maps, I realized we were across the way
from the Fremont Vintage Mall, a stop I recalled seeing when planning the vintage leg of this trip. I was
not sure what to expect since “vintage mall” usually denotes more furniture than fashion. However,
immediately upon seeing the wares, I knew it would be worth my time regardless. There were many fun
knick-knacks to look at; however, the clothing left me feeling generally unsurprised. There are two levels
in this mall, and the first showed mostly modern or handmade clothing of unknown date, with the obvious
signs of printed tags and dated styles—leopard print skinny jeans, lace detailing on booty shorts, and
more of the usual suspects in a case such as this.
Fig. 17: Left and center left: ’90s kids Seaworld overall shorts, Right and center right: Jetsons boxer shorts from 1990.
I came across two standout vintage pieces—the first was a pair of kid’s overalls with the cartoon
cast of SeaWorld characters. The second was a pair of The Jetsons boxers from 1990 that caught my eye
hanging on the back wall by the register. What drew me to them was first, who sees Jetsons merch these
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days, and two, they were this coveted shade of faded black/dark grey. So what I am thinking is, could I
wear these as shorts? Lo and behold, and after getting some second opinions from friends, I decide to buy
and feel as cool as I possibly can with this concept; all I have to do is sew the front flap closed when I get
home. These are also great because they have copyright dates all over with the family orbiting Earth, so I
know they are legit even though the mere content of this pattern is enough of a giveaway of age. I mean,
who sells anything these days with The Jetsons on it? I am way too stoked to be bringing these home, but
I will give them a good wash and get started on sewing them. I am looking forward to telling people they
are boxers.
In My Fremont Vintage Mall Fitting Room
‘90s Jetsons Boxer Shorts
‘50/’60s semi-pointed satin bra
Fremont Vintage Mall Purchases
● ‘90s The Jetsons boxer shorts - $28
Tax collected? Yes
TOTAL: $30.83
Fremont Vintage Mall Conclusion
● Are the vintage items in line with currently trending styles?
● Designer: No, no named designer that I could find.
● Swim: n/a
● Florals: n/a
● Characters: No, I saw the cast of Seaworld, Garfield again on non-clothing merch and
went home with a Jetsons piece. The only Looney Tune I spotted was a giant Tweety Bird
plush.
● If they carry modern styles, are they in line with currently trending styles? Modern styles
were heavily available; however, they were obviously outdated.
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● Are the people shopping in the store wearing trending items or discussing trending content?
Despite this place having more of a touristy feel, the crowd does not come off as such. I even
swap compliments with a person wearing heeled leopard boots, which they tell me are
Converse—surprised and enthralled.
Is the ambiance modern? Somewhat! The TV I came across was running Star Wars, which has had a
significant resurgence in the last fiveish years (do not ask me which one it was. I am too hot for that.
However, Jabba the Hut was on screen so my best guess is Return of the Jedi.). Nevertheless, the music
was still oldies.
Red Light Vintage
Upon entering, the energy of the already present shoppers is infectious. It is exclusively people
my age since we are in the University District. They flock in groups of two or three, practically floating
from rack to rack.
Red Light had section names I had hardly ever seen before in a vintage store. The first was that
their Dress section’s full title was Costume Dresses, in a way relieving the browser of any snobbery. Of
course, it probably also means the literal—these pieces can very much work well for a play—but the word
costume out of a theatrical context denotes one of joyous disguise, a moment to move away from the self
and live another life. This type of costume is very much apropos for why people buy vintage today. While
I am in the dress section, I overhear a conversation between two friends—probably a little bit younger
than me—about how a gown they have come across looks like the one Molly Ringwald wears at the end
of Pretty in Pink. They are so thrilled by this realization that they start rapidly speaking over each other.
They then go through the remaining pieces in their section, carrying that level of joy till they reach the
end of the rack. I go to it once they move on to see the dress that made them so happy, and I have to
agree, it very much gives off the same Ringwald energy.
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Fig. 18: A pink gown from Red Light and Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink (left); ‘80s floral print dress at Red Light
(center); Right: A dress from the Christopher John Rogers x Target collection from summer 2021, image courtesy of today.com
(right).
Red Light yielded no clothes I felt compelled enough to try on, but I found myself wandering
through racks two, three times over despite this. The only thing I had picked up was a bright blue scarf
with Mickey Mouse making different faces on it. It lingered with me since I could not determine if it
would be worth the $12 price tag. There was no tag on the piece itself to indicate authentic Disney
merchandise, and I have difficulty determining if something is natural silk. So I parked myself in a corner
and Googled “vintage mickey mouse scarf” and found a few listings on eBay for the same pattern, just in
different background colors. Eventually, I found a detailed listing with item pictures showing a tag. This
scarf is authentic merch made in Japan, 100% silk, and priced at about $46. After learning this and
spending almost an hour with it in my hand, now imaging it on me tied as a top with my acid wash
Palmetto jeans, I decide to buy, knowing I can make an outfit out of it.
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Fig. 19: An eBay listing of similar scarf with contents label (left); The Mickey Mouse scarf found at Red Light (center); My
Google search of Mickey Mouse scarf yields another eBay listing result (right).
In My Red Light Fitting Room
n/a
Red Light Purchases
● ‘90s Disney Mickey Mouse scarf - $12
Tax collected? No
TOTAL: $12
Red Light Vintage Conclusion
● Are the vintage items in line with currently trending styles?
● Designer: No trending ones, I saw some Dior and lower value Emporio Armani, but that
was about it.
● Swim: Nope. Swim was a small but messy array of strapless tops and grandma
one-pieces.
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● Florals: Yes. I saw an ‘80s dress that looked mentally identical to a piece from the
Christopher John Rogers Target collection.
● Characters: I saw Mickey Mouse on a pair of shorts and, of course, the scarf I bought,
along with other Disney icons. But no one recognizable and trending.
● If they carry modern styles, are they in line with currently trending styles? Modern styles
carried but not trending. This is the first curated vintage store where the bulk of modern pieces
are out of season. It is Seattle, though, so I understand the wall of Patagonia puffers and fleeces.
● Are the people shopping in the store wearing trending items or discussing trending content?
Yes and no! As mentioned, I heard a convoy about Pretty in Pink and then another about Mrs.
Maisel. Other than that, people were mainly discussing the excitement over the items they had
found.
Is the ambiance modern? Nope! My indicator of a tried-and-true vintage store that relinquishes modern
aesthetics is if they have tutus on the ceiling. This one is covered in them and additionally bedecked in old
plush and other random novelty items. I feel like I am in a life-size claw machine, in a good way.
Chapter 15: Field Research – San Francisco
To conclude the vintage leg of my field trips, I come full circle and go where this all started for
me—Haight. A perfect corner of life, one never feels out of place in their outfit, whatever it may be.
Thus, I am presented with a homecoming and a challenge—to apply my critical analysis to shops I so
dearly love.
Held Over
I arrive only a few minutes past opening on Saturday to get the first pick, gym-class style power
walking straight to the back rack that I dream of almost nightly—the Long & Groovy section. Only a few
dresses wide, I take my time with each, scanning size, pattern/color, and flaws. The commonality found
between these pieces is trend-aligned, as most contain some frill or ruffle element. Another bunch falls
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into what vintage fans commonly find in sections made for ‘60s/’70s maxis. If you do not see a polyester
dress with a solid-color torso and a patterned skirt, are you really in a vintage store? Additionally, florals
fall right into a trending category, with the rack donning large, psychedelic swirls of botanicals. The
number of modern trend features versus the all-too-common vintage ones is about equal, with some
crossover between the two.
I weave through the rest of the back section containing short dresses, women’s bottoms, and one
long rack of Bavarian crop tops above one in equal length containing ’80s sequin blouses. Held Over
brings forth as the first terry item I directly encounter. Vintage terry pieces, if they are not rompers or in
the swim vertical, are usually handmade and upcycled from old towels. However, this ’60s Hawaiian shift
dress appears designed initially as the garment presented to me today. I also catch another ’60s Hawaiian
maxi on the wall in a unique map pattern. Then, down the line, I spot another dress distinct to
20th-century fashion. This pattern I decide to call “deconstructed neon houndstooth” is a descriptive
string of words that practically sings. Unfortunately, the eye-catching number is too big for me, but I
grabbed plenty of appealing styles to join me in the fitting room.
In My Held Over Fitting Room
Fig. 20: My Held Over try-ons
’60s plaid shift dress: I usually avoid shifts but never say no to plaid (Catholic school guilt, probably), so
I wonder how a piece like this will fare. Though a very rigid material—my best guess is polyester and
cotton—it lays wonderfully. I can see myself wearing it with a cream or tan lug sole boot and some
acetate accessories. I am buying it.
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’70s Raggedy Ann micro mini: I tried saving the best for last but could not wait. I see micro minis all
the time on the vintage community’s Instagram pages but never found one I genuinely wanted to
entertain. Raggedy Ann, though, is an icon of even my ’90s kid childhood; we had a large plush of her
and Raggedy Andy, as I am the girl half of a fraternal twin pair. I decide to buy because of the pattern
over any other aspect, but honorable mention goes to the woman who made a point to compliment me on
my selection.
Unknown-era geometric dress: I initially selected it because I have tattoos and, despite the world’s
changes, need long sleeve pieces should I ever need to go back to a physical work setting. However, when
it comes into contact with my body, the dress reads a lot more like 2012 Anthropologie than mid-century
chic. I start to question the authenticity but decide it is not worth bothering since I have already settled on
passing.
’70s square + formal floral skirt: The two skirts are the only pieces containing measurements. The
formal skirt is an inch above my size, while the other is an inch below. I pick the formal to try on first
because it softens the blow of the other potentially not fitting. The formal skirt fits quite well, actually,
and despite a longer length, I will pair it with heels. So at worst, I will barely take it up, and it will not
affect the integrity of its shape. I am buying this one.
’70s quilted calico maxi skirt: I trusted this skirt to get on me because it had some elastic at the back, but
that elastic was as stubborn as the San Francisco fog. I managed to pull it on without incurring any
damage, but I would not recommend attempting something like this unless you are a very seasoned
vintage trier. My anxiety goes up regarding “you break it, you buy it” guidelines, so I even more carefully
remove the skirt and call it a maybe.
’60s brown/cream faux lace dress: I knew this dress would not fit me, but it held that type of not-lived
nostalgia we now crave. It exudes family holiday party energy, from the mid-length hem to the woven
velvet ribbon at the neck. I already know I am passing, but it gave me the moment of joy I expected from
it.
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As my parents meet up with me while I check out, I glimpse an ’80s knit sweater that possesses
details of my color obsession: Cinderella blue. My mom holds my place in line, and I quickly grab it and
throw it over my clothes in front of a publicly available mirror. A handful of outfit ideas instantly flash in
my mind, and I weave through tourists and teens to see what I can swap out since I have accumulated a
pile and need not add to it. I decidedly give up the quilted calico maxi skirt, as I never felt entirely sure of
how to style it and the barely-fit aspect of sizing.
Held Over Purchases
‘60s plaid shift dress $45
‘70s Raggedy Ann micro mini $55
‘70s square + floral formal skirt $32
‘80s blue + cream knit sweater $32
Tax collected? Yes
TOTAL: $178.15
Held Over Conclusion
If I may momentarily present a bias, Held Over remains my favorite place to shop. Not only
because of the dense amount of fun, vibrant styles but also because their inventory captures the blurred
lines between vintage and modern so well. Even the gaudiest maxis denoted a modern trend and felt like a
way to amp up those “in” features for a more camp fashion experience. Their prices are certainly not a
steal but still quite reasonable, with the majority of my items each being under $40.
From an outside perspective, I can tell Held Over would feel more time-consuming than on
average. I infer this comes from both the lack of sizing on the tags (as most vintage items may not even
have tags, let alone an accurate, modern size marked) and disorganization of the sizes within the racks.
You are indeed on your own here, meaning more time spent analyzing per piece, especially with a
six-item limit for the fitting room. I have learned to utilize this issue to my benefit, as Held Over became
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my classroom, giving me the golden opportunity to understand how vintage clothing and vintage stores
generally operate.
Fig. 21: A wall of inventory at Decades of Fashion, complete with discounts (left); An up-close shot of the ‘40s dressing gown I fell in love with.
Decades of Fashion
A short walk away from Held Over, we now return to where my unattractive haggling attempt
occurred. Decades asserts its historical status as one of the few remaining, original vintage shops of the
neighborhood, though their website unclearly suggests it opened in 2000. Nevertheless, the shop carries
“the largest selection of men’s vintage in the city” and stocks a wide array of clothes, shoes, and
accessories from the 1890s to the 1980s.
With the strictest policies out of any vintage store visited thus far, I hand my tote of Held Over to my
father to avoid having to “check” it. My mother and I, now plastic-gloved up per the shop’s requirement
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that we do so, are allowed in once the sales associate lifts a cane laid just so to block off the entrance—a
makeshift gate if you will.
The store heavily marked down its wares due to Covid, terming it a “Save the store” sale. Almost
everything we pass received a discount, though most are still higher in price than Held Over. I can never
remember if the store allows photographs, but I discreetly take a few shots to capture a unique moment in
its existence as it expands its sale rack to the entire store. I go through the same item types as Held Over,
not seeing anything I would see myself wearing and want to pay for even the markdown amount.
The only garment I linger with is a ‘1940s blush silk dressing gown with a muted green grape
pattern. Priced at around $100, I cannot justify taking it home. To console myself, I examined it closely
and found substantial damage, which at this point felt too nervous about photographing further). I mean
this as gently as possible; the back of the neck is torn and decaying. You can see the inner stuffing of the
padded shoulders and collar, leaving little hope for an unnoticeable repair. I say my final goodbyes and
finish the line, calling it a day afterward.
In My Decades Fitting Room
n/a
Decades Purchases
n/a
Decades of Fashion Conclusion
Decades certainly provides charming, awe-inspiring pieces that hark back to the hallmarks of
each era it carries. However, Decades sets a precedent reminiscent of pre-Internet vintage. In plainer
terms, this is not the store for someone who gained recent interest in vintage, primarily through social
media. Not to say you should never bother coming here, but Decades does not generally cater to the
young, less seasoned, or more casual vintage shopper. The sheer size of the place, copious rules, and glass
cases lining the walls make this store the most intimidating, even years after I first encountered it. I
understand there will always be a need for higher-end, specialty vintage styles, but I would not
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recommend this place for beginners unless you want to window shop or educate yourself sans try-on. On
the other hand, Decades does get my praise for its organizational accuracy—they are the best at correctly
prescribing eras to pieces. So, the meticulousness alone makes it worth it to look, but limit your touch.
PART FIVE - Thrifting IRL
Because there are too many thrift stores to cover that vary in layout, policies, and location
availability, we will be focusing on the thrifting giant, Goodwill, as they have locations all across the
U.S., have relatively standard pricing and layout models, and are flocked to by vintage lovers looking for
a deal. Thrifting field research will look at the two formats of the Goodwill store—retail and the bins.
Chapter 16: Goodwill Retail and General Thrifting Need to Knows
Many of these rules are entirely dependent on your location—even Goodwill’s operations vary by city.
Still, these are good to keep in mind when heading out to thrift:
1. Most thrift stores offer some form of discount, either as a daily percentage off certain items,
a punch card, or special case discounts. Sometimes these things can cross over. For example,
Houston Goodwills offer those age 50 and over 25% off their entire purchase every Wednesday.
Los Angeles Goodwills have a color of the week sale every Thursday, with one color being 25%
off and another being 50% off. Look up your local thrifts online or check signage in-store to
figure out what they offer every week.
2. Most thrift stores operate on a color tag system. These colors indicate how long an item has
been in their shop, and tag sales are usually on items that have been in-store the longest.
However, I would never advise waiting on clothing to get discounted unless it is originally
highly-priced (in this case, over $25 and not a high-end designer), and you are okay with the risk
of losing it.
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3. Do not rule out a section because you do not wear anything from it. There is no actual
curation happening here; thrifts usually handle a lot more clothing and customers at a time, so
things will get put back in the wrong place or accidentally categorized as something other than
what they are.
4. Generally, item pricing goes by item type. For example, a women’s skirt is $5.99, whether
Christian Dior or Coldwater Creek, short or long, wool or polyester. Some thrift stores have
started implementing case-by-case pricing; most notably, some Goodwills have a “Boutique”
section dedicated to designer/vintage/generally higher quality items.
5. You will learn very quickly what clothing types and brands are commonly donated. If you
go back to a curated vintage store, keep this in mind and see something similar for a markup.
Remember how I saw Kasper blazers at Reformation? Those are a dime a dozen at Goodwill.
6. Thrift stores will have free standing racks scattered around full of clothing—this is the
freshest stock on the floor. Depending on your store’s culture, some may allow you to browse,
and others will make you wait till it goes to the stationary racks. Keep your eyes peeled for these,
no matter what.
7. Goodwill does not accept returns. They do accept exchanges on clothing and electronics,
however. So, if you buy a belt or a pair of shoes, there is no turning back. Goodwill’s exchange
window depends on location. In LA, it is 60 days (this window reduced to two weeks during the
height of Covid); in Houston, it is a week.
Chapter 17: How to Thrift in Goodwill Retail Efficiently
Since the only thing we were allowed to do mid-pandemic was shop, I accidentally created a thrifting
formula to maximize my time best there. For the best thrifting experience, I would suggest setting a block
of time out of your day to do this, about an hour or two. As always, bring reusable bags and have your
phone charged, ready to surf the internet and resale apps.
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1. Grab a cart and start in sections you are most interested in, as well as freestanding racks if
you are allowed. Go from beginning to end of the rack until you become comfortable enough
with eyeballing pieces. Anything that piques interest in purchasing goes in the cart. Worry about
everything else later.
2. Once you have searched each rack you want to go through, get situated in a part of the store
with low traffic and mirror adjacent if you can.
3. Inspect your items for damages, flaws, and missing parts (buttons, hardware, attached belts).
Filter anything you are no longer interested in and put it back on a freestanding rack or in their
original section.
4. Now with what is left, you can start to identify what is vintage. Look up tags if a label is
present, then go down possible descriptors until you can confirm. If you cannot find an answer
via search, check for obvious signs of modern clothing—large, plastic-like care tags, satin
lingerie straps, printed fabric, no lining, and the like.
Chapter 18: Field Research - Los Angeles/Atwater Village Goodwill
My Goodwill trip happens on a Monday afternoon, in which I happily enter a mostly dead store.
This emptiness is good because I have little competition, but bad because it is the end of the day—I am
sifting through what is left over. Still, I am hopeful, grab a cart, and get going. I immediately find a
freestanding rack and can take a look. I see someone must have either been a cowboy in the true sense of
the word or the glamorous version of it, as there is a chunk of funky western button-ups neatly sectioned
together. I pull out two of these and add them to my cart. At the end of the rack is this neon puffy jacket,
and from first glance, I think it could be some streetwear. Nevertheless, because of my no hesitation
policy on clothing items that look interesting, I put it in my cart and decided to figure it out later.
My Goodwill fitting rooms are not open yet, but I can still get in front of a mirror. After making
an executive decision between the two western tops, one being ‘70s and the other ‘90s, I go with the ‘90s
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piece because of the obnoxious coyote landscape scene across its chest. I then try on the puffy jacket and
realize it is a ski jacket. I find a label that looks old, so I get on Etsy and start searching. It turns out I am
holding an ‘80s or ‘90s Nevica jacket valued upwards of $100, in excellent condition. Value does not
sway me to keep it; instead, I cling to how it reminds me of Dana Scully’s puffer from Season 1 of the X
Files.
Fig. 22: The two western shirts I pull from the freestanding rack. I pass on the top pictured left, purchase the one
pictured right.
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Fig. 23: A Pinterest collage of Dana Scully’s jacket (left); Me trying on the ‘90s ski jacket I thrifted (center); an Etsy
listing of a similar style jacket from the same brand and era (right).
On my way to check out, I caught a silk-ish top in a lovely sage green. It is perfectly ‘90s down to
the light shoulder pads, and I quickly try it on over my dress to ensure I am happy with it before I get
back in line. As I check out, the person ringing me up sees my Scully jacket and asks, “Does it fit?” I say,
“I mean, it fits how I want it to, yeah,” and oddly, this uttering somehow convinces the salesperson to
offer me a discount. Not sure if this is up to Goodwill code, but because they saw how stoked I was on
this jacket, I got it for $4 instead of $14.99. For that, a blouse, a button-up, the Liz dress, some milk glass,
and an old CD of one of my favorite albums from high school, my total comes out to $31.95. Not one of
my craziest thrifting trips, but I was able to secure some fun pieces, both familiar and new.
Chapter 19: Field Research - San Francisco/Haight Ashbury Goodwill
My last stop on Haight is their sizable Goodwill. This thrift is one of the best in the country,
according to many vintage sellers. I will admit some of my most valuable finds and profitable sales
originated from here, as the beauty of Haight’s Goodwill is they are one of the last to continue the
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standardized pricing, regardless of item label. Meaning you can snag a designer dress for $15, but so can a
seller.
None of the Los Angeles or Texas Goodwills I ever visited contain a section distinctly marked
“vintage.” However, Haight’s Goodwill does, and it spans three or four double-sided racks for women and
one separate, long one for men. I have listened in on the debate about whether vintage callouts in thrift
stores are beneficial with no confirmed bias. They can help and hinder both sellers and general wearers
alike; it depends on how you approach these store types. My hunting anxiety hits peak stress levels every
time I come in here, but I love it. I can only find a handbasket, and already sweating in my Levi’s sherpa,
I frantically start combing the women’s vintage section to attempt beating out the midday crowd. I must
have looked lovely, flicking through hangers and shoving anything that remotely spoke to me into an
already overflowing basket. However, if you leave pristine after thrifting, you did not find anything that
good.
I do not bother to check fitting room availability since I am on a tight schedule because of our
parking meter. Instead, I reunite with my mom, guide us to what I believe was the men’s activewear
section end cap, and start examining my pile.
’80s California Dynasty robe: I do not care what anyone says; I will always be pro-Golden Girls
aesthetics. The itty bitty floral, the pearly buttons, and yes, the perfectly puffy shoulder pads make this a
no-brainer to take home.
’90s Emanuel Ungaro Parallèle dress: I have found in my thrifting that if a tag is readable from a
moderate distance, it is most likely designer. This Emanuel Ungaro has so many features you would never
find at its current price point—notable, French cuffs and intricate button design. You already know my
answer, I am buying.
’60s Adolph Schuman for Lilli Ann chore jacket: It remains my dream to come into contact with a Lilli
Ann piece I can impulse buy. Considered the crown jewel by collectors of its era, Lilli Ann is best known
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for its princess coats and distinctly mid-century feminine silhouettes. I know little more, but this offshoot
of the brand must still be valuable, and the berry-stain hue is what I love the most—buying it!
’70s Adolph Schuman for Lilli Ann Ultrasuede set: I recently finished watching the Netflix limited
series, Halston, about designer Halston, who came to prominence in the ’70s because of his Ultrasuede
invention. Therefore, I am ecstatic at the timing of finding my first garment of this material where the
name is proudly displayed. The color can read a bit dated, even for a vintage lover, but I want to see if I
can do something with it; worst-case scenario, I can try to sell.
Unknown-era Liancarlo Couture (sold at Neiman Marcus) dress: This iridescent piece, upon
inspection, is not only way too big for me but also flawed. Snags in such delicate fabric are impossible to
undo or disguise well. However, I am more than okay with passing as everything else I chose worked out.
Chapter 20: Field Research - The Goodwill Bins in Austin, Texas
Kat McCollum, our thrift expert, will be leading field research for the Goodwill Outlets (or,
affectionately, “the bins”) of Austin, Texas, as unfortunately I cannot be everywhere at once. I sent her the
below prompts to fill out as she went shopping.
What is the difference between Goodwill retail and Goodwill Outlet? The main differences are the
setup and the price. Instead of a typical Goodwill layout with (somewhat) organized racks of clothes,
Goodwill Outlet stores are large rooms filled with bins of clothing, hence the name. If an item does not
sell at Goodwill retail within a few weeks, it will move to the bins, a kind of last-call before it is recycled.
The second significant difference is price. Rather than pay for each item individually, customers pay by
the pound, about $1.50 per pound. This discount is the main draw of the bins, as you can get heap loads of
clothes for next to nothing. The crowds, disorganization, and unmatched chaos are well worth the savings.
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What should you know/expect before going to the bins? Try to get a basket as quickly as possible. It
will be easier to go hunting once you have a safe place to store your finds. Once you get your hands on
one, wheel it to the back and park it wherever there is space. Next, find a blanket. I used to bring my own,
but there is usually plenty lying around, so I stopped to save space. Last, drape the blanket over your cart.
Blankets ensure that no one peaks into your basket or steals your cart; it signals to other shoppers that this
basket and everything in it is spoken for. Most patrons will respect this unspoken rule, but I recommend
stopping by to check on it now and then. You can even do this as you drop your finds in.
I would also recommend bringing a backpack, for two reasons. One, shoulder bags tend to slip
and fall and generally restrict your searching ability. Two, it gives you a place to temporarily store items
until you can make it back to your cart. Be sure to bring water and a little snack if they allow it!
Especially if you plan on staying a while. The store by me has a snack bar, and sometimes people sell
fruit, but I cannot say if this is true for every outlet store.
Lastly, people go insane at the bins. So just be prepared for that. Whenever new bins come out, a
whole crowd of people usually bum rush it immediately. It is up to you whether you want to rush with
them for first dibs or sit it out and wait until the crowd disperses a little.
When do you go? For this trip, I went on a Tuesday at 11:30 am and stayed about three hours.
Crowd level? Crowded! I did not expect that level of people. Typically, weekday mornings/early
afternoons are the least crowded as most people are at work, but that was unfortunately not the case this
time. It was so packed that I had to drive to the end of a very long and scorching parking lot to find a spot.
Any feelings you have upon entering, shopping/finding items, and leaving? As always, I feel
overcome with an almost euphoric energy every time I enter the bins. Every time I find something
suitable at any thrift store, I feel a rush. That rush is tenfold at the bins because you have to work so much
harder for each find. Of course, there is a disappointment to be had as well. Like when you think you have
found genuine vintage that is cute and gothy, but it is just a used Halloween costume.
In Kat’s Basket - Purchases
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Unknown era, 70s-inspired scarf: I bought it because it is cute and versatile in styling.
Chinese Laundry kitten heels: I bought them because they are pink and cute, and I am obsessed with
them.
Black-and-white bandana from a Texas-based brewery: I love it because of the little pin-up girl
details. It is a little different and more fun than just normal paisley.
Cowgirl top: I purchased it because I am such a sucker for anything cowgirl/Texas-themed. I will be
wearing it with cowgirl boots.
Mandarin-collar top: I bought it because while I see tops like this a lot at thrift stores, I have never seen
one in a western button-up style.
Black and white striped mini skirt: By far, my favorite thing I found this trip. The skirt even has a little
skull bow. It is the perfect cutesy goth style I love so much.
Oxford tee: It has that gothic font that I love so much. I bought it because it is hot.
Plaid Tommy Hilfiger sweater: It is a bit too big, but I love it. I bought it because I am so into taking a
prep look and making it gothy.
Bob Dylan tee: The last thing I bought was this rather weird but cool shirt from the year I was born. I
thought it was dope despite the stains, and I will try my best to get them out!
In Kat's Basket - Passes
'90s No Boundaries dress: Even though it has a super cute print, I had to pass on it because of the
number of stains and the size (too big).
'90s boy's sweater: very cool but has to pass for the same reasons as the dress. (sad!)
'80s or '90s Christian Dior vest: Even though this is Dior, I had to pass on it as it is ugly.
'90s light wash denim skirt Super cute, but it does not pass the neck test.
90s maxi dress: Even though I love wearing brown, I had to pass on this as I could not see myself
wearing it.
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PART SIX - Longing for the Dial-Up Tone, I Log Online to Shop
Chapter 21: How to Not Head Down a Rabbit Hole
Before You Begin Your Google Search: General Need to Knows
Vintage buying online can daunt even the most seasoned buyer. Things can be posted and sold
within seconds. Items get claimed on the seller’s Instagram before the seller formally lists on a resale
platform. An endless supply of shopping may spike your thrill of the hunt, but it can also cause you to feel
overwhelmed. Sticking to a strategy manages expectations by prioritizing research over what I call “rabbit
holes” (trailing off so far from the original purchase intention that you end up buying something else or
watching a YouTube playlist on the history of McDonald’s).
I never recommend Googling for actively for-sale vintage items. Not only does this show few
listings overall, but the majority of them already sold; Googling can lead to an immediate feeling of
discouragement. Instead, use Google for specific details on your ideal item, specifically in cases when
you can only visually describe a garment or need more context on, say, era or fabric. Furthermore, when it
comes to labels, I highly suggest Vintage Fashion Guild’s Label Resource. If a label does not show up
there, I still recommend starting your search on a platform.
Whether you are price-matching in-store or solely buying online, start your search on Etsy or
eBay. Depop search contains heavy flaws, as sellers more commonly add keywords and hashtags “for
exposure.” For example, a Depop seller may add Betsey Johnson in their description so the post can
receive more views. eBay allows you to create a search that includes sold listings, giving you an even
bigger pool of items to browse should you need details more. If you type “vintage” at the beginning of
your Etsy search, it automatically applies that word as a filter, removing any handmade listings from your
results.
Finally, it remains possible that what you seek cannot be found. That piece may not have been
listed yet or is very niche/rare. Even then, a seller may have that item, but they misspelled something or
marked it as other than what it is. Have patience and play around with your search content—try different
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misspellings, remove or add words, and toggle filters. Heck, even using locational lingo can move you
closer to your desire. For example, I was searching for a specific Disney Store Goofy sweatshirt and
managed to find it by replacing the item name with what the British call them—a jumper.
Digital Vintage Evaluation Notes
To reiterate, I will be evaluating online vintage based on the sellers/shops themselves rather than
what is available based on a search query. Searching, be it hyper-specific or general, will not accurately
display what I need to find out. I will use search queries to get to shops and sellers, however.
Out of all the platforms I am surveying, eBay is the only one without social-media, profile-esque
seller pages. eBay sellers are borderline or wholly anonymous, and eBay contains a higher rate of sellers
listing one-off items rather than curating shops. In this case, we will have to evaluate eBay based on the
number of trending listings.
Chapter 22: Etsy
From Crafts to eCommerce Giant
Etsy started in 2005 as a way for amateur furniture maker Robert Kalin to better sell his wares
online. Etsy quickly became the hub for “makers and craft enthusiasts,” as no other reselling site had
prioritized them before. Thus, the platform allowed individuals with niche small businesses to establish a
digital stake and live off their creations (Gelles). The company went public in 2015 and, according to
Etsy’s 2020 Annual Report, had its revenue increase 111% to $1.7 billion, “as [their] community
expanded to 4.4 million active sellers and nearly 82 million active buyers” (Etsy). They have notably
made it a priority to create a more optimized search, “making it easier to find just the right item even
when a buyer doesn’t have the right words to describe it,” an all-too-common problem in this world.
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Major news broke last month, June 2021, that Etsy bought Depop for $1.62 billion, a resale app that now
CEO Josh Silverman sees as closing the gap on a target Etsy has yet to capture—Gen Z (Browne).
Etsy Pros + Cons
Etsy is my favorite online vintage platform as a buyer, so take that as you will from someone born
in ’96. However, I say this because of two main reasons. First, the eCommerce site has maintained a strict
guideline that all items sold must be handmade or vintage. Of course, there are discrepancies, but they
remain few and far between. The second is the higher level of trust I have with Etsy sellers than those on
any other site. As a result, I almost always feel that my items will guarantee to ship within a reasonable
period and come as described. In addition, the listing descriptions are often the most fleshed out.
From a buyer’s perspective, the cons of the site are that haggling is not as widely accepted, let
alone incorporated into the platform. I shop on Etsy with the understanding that the price of a listed item
is the price of the item, and I can choose to buy it now or hope that I will receive a discount code by liking
it or adding it to my cart. Nevertheless, I have not reached out for a personal price change since my teens.
Additionally, I have found that Etsy’s prices are usually higher than any other platform, even when the
same seller lists the same item elsewhere. This price hike correlates with the ever-growing seller fees Etsy
sellers must pay. Etsy’s free selling version, known as the Standard Plan, lets you “list products on Etsy,
buy and print discounted postage, and market [your] products with sales and coupons” (Hull). You can do
all this both on the desktop version and in the Sell on Etsy app (not to be confused with the Etsy app,
these are two entirely different applications).
On top of numerous fees, their selling community feels they are not protected as much as the
buyer. This favorability shows in Etsy’s Order Dissatisfaction Rating (or ODR) and their case system.
When a buyer reports a significant issue with their purchase (for example, their item never shipped or was
grossly misdescribed), Etsy prefers to side with the buyer regardless of the actual severity/truthfulness of
the issue thus damaging sellers’ reputations over minor or misconstrued claims. Etsy is still a corporation,
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and even though they aim to prioritize the small businesses and individual sellers, they are not
unsusceptible to corporate greed.
I will be providing Etsy Need to Knows and evaluating sellers through a case study in the
appendix.
Chapter 23: Depop
The Depop Girlie Origin Story
The baby of the bunch, Depop, came to life in 2011 under the idea that a ecommerce platform
could simultaneously exist as social media. Depop has thus been marketed as a community first, a place to
shop second (“Depop is not a platform. It’s a place.”) About 90% of Depop users are under 26 (Paton),
with over 10 million users on the app. Depop recorded revenue of $70 million in 2020, seeing a consistent
80% year to year growth from 2017 to 2020 (Wilhelm). Moreover, as mentioned, Depop was just bought
by Etsy. Already you can see Etsy’s features implemented into Depop, such as a “free domestic shipping”
search filter and the ability to save searches. What makes Depop so successful? They target the new
generation of vintage buyers and sellers. Their strategy allows the barrier of entry for buying and selling
in the vintage community to lower; however, Depop is not without its flaws.
Depop has a handful of cons. The first is that sellers can only add a maximum of four photos per
listing that must be in a square crop, making it difficult to flesh out an item for buyers visually. Depop
sellers are also known to list haplessly, often not posting pictures of tags, leaving out item measurements,
and more often inaccurately describing or dating items. The platform’s search algorithm fuels the chaos.
Depop also has dealt with various scammers, to the point where they had to ban drop-shipping style items.
A recent controversy across other social media platforms, TikTok and Instagram, called out Depop sellers
for insane markups on very worn and damaged clothing, selling children’s and baby clothing as if it were
for adults (again at a crazy markup), and being exclusionary in their concept of sustainability. This
controversy led to the coined term “Depop Girlie.” A Depop Girlie is very much like a #GIRLBOSS in
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confidence and egocentrism, except they overbuy arguably worthless items from thrift stores and try to
sell them for Reformation on Melrose prices. I have had more canceled and unshipped purchases on
Depop than any other app.
Depop Need to Knows
1. Depop does not require an account for you to browse, but you need one to make a purchase.
2. Any item, vintage or modern, can be sold here. You will need to tailor your searches a little
more than usual to get the best results.
3. Everyone automatically has access to listing items upon account creation. Your username
cannot be changed, however.
4. Depop allows sellers to review you as a buyer and vice versa. All reviews are public, and you
can edit them at any time. Both parties are also allowed to report an unfair review to get it
removed.
5. Depop allows sellers to check off a pre-made list of individual shop policies; however, these
are limited to about five things and do not always appear on seller pages or listings. To combat
this issue, many sellers have fleshed out their shop policies in the form of a listing and may also
ask you to DM them if you have any questions.
6. It is far more commonplace to haggle on Depop despite no in-app feature to make an offer.
Offers exist in the DMs instead of as comments since most sellers prefer privacy. Ensure you
have checked the seller’s shop page to confirm they accept offers or have not explicitly stated. If
either is true, it is worth it to ask.
7. Despite Depop’s flaws, these sellers will often competitively price their items at more
budget-friendly rates. You can thank the app’s prominent haggle culture and younger audience
for this.
The Explore Page
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Because Depop’s search feature is weaker than other platforms, I will look more specifically at
their Explore Page and suggested sellers categories. We will look at two shops from the Top Seller
recommendation category and see what is happening in the feed for July 16th.
The Explore Page is a living section of Depop, updated in real time based on a theme or trend.
The theme of today’s explore page is twofold: ‘90s sportswear and anything Space Jam. This is not
accidental—as Space Jam: New Legacy was released today. I am seeing lots of Air Jordans, Basketball
jerseys from NBA teams, the Tune Squad, and some bright nylon short shorts to match the vibe. I feel like
Depop took the trend a step further and curated it to keep it unique and separate from what we currently
see in fast fashion. Women's activewear summer trends are currently two-piece sets, bike shorts, longline
sports bras, and onesies. For men, it is a little bit harder to find a trend report in the same style as
womenswear gets, but British GQ lets us know of a simple formula: lots of logos, loose fits, and neutral
or muted tones. Depop’s Explore Page is, at best, doing the loose fit for men, but the loose fitting items in
question are basketball shorts. There are more fitted men's shorts here. Women’s is even less aligned—the
closest thing is one Reebok sports bra, but it is your standard cropped length. So, roughly a third of the
Explore Page is trending, most of that showing up as a Space Jam microtrend.
I look at a few of the shirts, there is little vintage for someone of minimal stake in the microtrend.
Space Jam's franchised merchandise has earned them about 6 billion dollars to date, so there is certainly
no shortage of it. However, this has a twofold con; there is an oversaturation of product available due to
continuous merch production since the film's 1996 release, yet anything created during the first film’s
release year maintains grail status. So, as we can see on Depop, our options are $12, modern shirts, or
$500+ vintage tees.
@dsmstash
I Zabel is our first Top Seller up for evaluation. They have 26k followers and have made about
3500 sales on the app. However, their styles are very much more niche and mostly steer away from
trends. One of the pieces I would say is the closest in alignment is a ‘70s Puff Shoulder Prairie Blouse.
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This piece aligns with the puff sleeve trend happening right now, but cottagecore has been out of the
fashion news cycle for a while, and smaller, ditzy floral prints are not being considered. I scroll down to
see what has recently sold, giving us a better idea of what buyers want. The bulk of her recently sold is
denim, which is considered typical for most major vintage shops of any format. However, looking past
that, @dsmstash does very well with the flowy, gauzy, hippy styles. Lots of peasant tops and loose
dresses, which are mainly from the ‘70s.
@dmstash Conclusion
o Is 50% or more of the shop’s content trending? No. Mostly ‘70s pieces that are not
being talked about right now and your standard denim
o If we can see what their buyers purchased, are they mainly buying trending items?
Nope. Even the graphic tees are not of anything iconic or recognizable. The buyers seem
to align very well with the seller’s curation choices.
o If the store uses social media to promote or sell, do they discuss relevant content
that’s also trending? Their IG only has 292 followers with hardly any posts; posts are
just the items they carry. Nothing relevant to a trending conversation.
@nostalgic_threadz
Nostalgic Threadz has 30k followers and directly mentions in their bio that they give style
inspiration on their Instagram, so I will be sure to look at that in a bit. This shop does carry a little
designer, and the bulk of it is logo items. However, they are not even trending adjacent brands, with the
two bags I see being Dooney and Burke. I scroll a little further down and see they have one of the few
vintage Space Jam pieces for sale, but I have yet to see it on the Explore Page. What also strikes me about
this shop is the lack of seasonality on recent listings. So many listings are still for sale; it takes me a hot
minute to get to the sold section. Suddenly, I lose my train of thought, A piece catches my eye that I
recognize as something I thrifted in Houston. I zoom into the photos and find the stain I could not get out.
I feel like the biggest idiot right now! This sweater I thrifted and planned on reselling had this stain, and I
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went to wash it in my machine, and the pink knit color bled onto the white part, so I resold it to
Squaresville to make back what I paid. I feel embarrassed but also really proud? I initially sourced the
item and saw its potential, but I ultimately gave up on it—the vintage cycle of life, everyone.
@nostalgic_threadz Conclusion
o Is 50% or more of the shop’s content trending? No, but there are highly trending pieces
scattered throughout.
o If we can see what their buyers purchased, are they mainly buying trending items? No,
about the same as above. This shop seems to go for more unique than sticking to what the
general public would seek out.
o If the store uses social media to promote or sell, do they discuss relevant content that’s
also trending? Yes. I see a space Jam post within the first couple. Moving down the line,
it is pretty consistent with what is going on in the culture.
Chapter 24: eBay
Before I Get The Weird Al Song Stuck In My Head…
I am a part of a generation that does not know life without eBay. eBay is the founding father of
this entire mess and the reason vintage was able to segue out of its cult-following status. Founded in 1995
by Pierre Omidyar, the site initially known as Auction Web was not, as lifestyle marketing expert Brends
Lynch shared, was created so his girlfriend could buy more PEZ dispensers. Iy 1996, $7.2 million worth
of items was sold. In 2020, eBay reported a little over $10 billion in revenue; unfortunately, nothing in the
report indicates how much revenue came from used or vintage clothing (“2020 Annual Report” 110).
eBay first gained a real stake in vintage clothes selling as recently as the early aughts. Sophia
Amoruso pre-eCommerce flipped her vintage finds on the site till she got banned. "The reason? [...] I was
leaving the URL of my future website in the feedback area for my customers." This still violates eBay and
every other resale platform's policies—do not try to steer a sale out of their site while on their site
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(Amoruso 28-40). So, the best way around this is posting the same item on multiple platforms and linking
your social media in your account—you can mention your domain or work out a deal there if approached.
eBay is, in my opinion, the best online stop to get something valuable or outright stunning for a
great price. There is not only a wide selection available, but sellers are more willing to strike a deal, as the
Make Offer button is entirely optional (unlike apps like Poshmark and Mercari). On the flip side, eBay
hosts sellers more likely to carry higher value and rarer items, which gives those willing to pay a fighting
chance of owning their dream item.
eBay Need to Knows
Although I will provide the basics on surviving eBay, there is one thing in this whole paper I am going to
gatekeep, and that is my personal strategy for winning auctions. We are more likely to cross paths on the
internet, so if it is between you and me on a Gunne Sax, well, I do not want to die by my own hand. On
that note, I will still offer you as much as I can to make you an eBay expert—let’s get into it.
1. eBay has three buying formats:
a. Auction
i. These listings are time-sensitive and require buyers to place bids where the
highest bidder receives clearance to purchase the item. Depending on the item in
question, sellers set a starting price that can go as low as a dollar or at a much
higher premium. Listings average about a week until bidding closes.
ii. If an item never receives a bid, sellers can relist the item for another auction at
the same or a lower starting bid.
iii. If you need something sooner, sort your search by “Time: Ending Soonest” so
you can see which auctions are about to close.
b. Buy It Now
i. As your standard add-to-cart, pay, and it-is-yours listing, items stay posted until
they sell, or the seller deactivates the listing.
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ii. Buy It Now can also tack onto an Auction listing. A buyer can then immediately
purchase the item at a higher markup than the starting bid. Buy It Now options
are removed from Auction listings once a potential buyer bids.
c. Accepts Offers:
i. This extended option can be applied to both Auction and Buy It Now listings.
Once the buyer offers, the seller has the option to accept, counter, or decline.
ii. Buyers can make multiple offers on the same listing, even if the ones prior were
declined. Nevertheless, the offers per listing are limited—the maximum is five
per listing.
2. eBay’s “likes” system is called a Watch List, where all active and sold listings live.
a. If you have the mobile app, set up notifications for real-time updates on listings. You will
benefit here most when bidding comes close to an end.
b. The most significant advantage to having something on your Watch List is it gives sellers
the option to make you a private offer. This offer will go to everyone who favorited the
item, so weigh your options carefully. In some cases, you are even able to make a
counteroffer to this offer.
3. Just because you win an auction or have an offer accepted does not mean you have fully
bought the item. Go to your cart and pay promptly to help maintain a positive buyer rating and
get shipment processed asap.
4. Finally, and this is my favorite, eBay has a search filter option to view sold listings. I love
checking sold items for research purposes or visualizing what to look for in physical stores. You
can also keep these prices in mind when making offers on available listings.
eBay Field Research
eBay profiles are some of the most private. There is no social-media-style setup, and the profile
pages themselves only serve two purposes: to see what else the seller has and take a deeper dive into their
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feedback. However, you can follow a seller. I am just finding out about that feature right now.
Additionally, eBay sellers are unique in that the majority do not curate shops or sell more than a few
listings. eBay’s general target is people looking to make a quick buck on what they have, not necessarily
turn it into a business or side hustle. Because of this, we cannot evaluate eBay in the same way as the
others, mainly because these people’s usernames are not likely to result in finding a social media profile. I
will need to reverse engineer searches to find sellers who use eBay more seriously than average.
I will be doing a more general survey of the site, profiling two shops I come across, and providing
a conclusion on the site based on these two elements combined.
The Captain’s Vintage
This seller proudly states they have been on eBay since ’98, selling mostly vintage t-shirts. His listings
appear to be exclusively Buy It Now style without the offer option and range in price from $6.99 to
$6,650. The most expensive item? An authentic Woodstock tee. By selecting a wider variety of graphic
t-shirts, this seller caters more to an individual than a trend, especially since specific vintage t-shirts can
be pretty rare, thus sought out by avid collectors and more dedicated fans of the garment’s content.
Black Bear Vintage Shop and Little Hill City
After an otherwise unfruitful Google to find some larger eBay shops, I come across some sellers who
straddle the line between making selling a career and trying to make some cash. Her content is specific as
well, as it is mostly prairie and ‘70s Victorian-style garments. Little Hill City has a very similar vibe, but
with 146 items focusing less on an era and more towards the psychedelic, bright, and funky. Little Hill
City mainly carries dresses over any other item. I could very much see these two eBay shops as sections
in a vintage pop-up or at a flea, as they have this highly curated amount of content that would fit well in a
small or medium-sized booth. There is a particular customer they are after, though, unlike The Captain’s
Vintage, who focuses more on anyone who has the devotion to a specific band or pop culture icon.
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eBay Conclusion
eBay shops are highly niche. Not only because sellers tend to carry a limited amount of content, but it
seems like they must make space in this way to beat out hundreds upon thousands of search results. I can
infer that sticking to what sells for them personally allows a better establishment of trust and increases the
chance of a purchase.
Chapter 25: Instagram
Instagram does include a shopping feature on its app, but that is not typically how vintage gets sold
through here. Instead, individuals and businesses create accounts dedicated to promoting their shop and
sell items via in-feed posts and IG Stories. Some will also use these posting options for special sales or let
people know when new items have arrived on their website or platforms they respectively sell on.
In terms of cons, certain elements that may be integral to someone’s purchasing decision, like reviews or
payment protection, are unavailable here. Sure, you can always see their reviews should they also sell
elsewhere, but generally, Instagram vintage buying remains high-risk, high-reward.
Instagram Need to Knows
1. IG vintage sellers operate one of two ways that I will call Full Disclosure and DM
Disclosure. Whether in-feed or on Stories, Full Disclosure sellers offer every detail they
deem necessary to make an informed purchase. DM Disclosure sellers will either remove
aspects such as price or take away details entirely and only post a photo of the item. DM
Disclosure sellers will expect interested buyers to reach out in the DMs should they want
additional information.
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2. Sellers will often need you to “claim” an item by whatever rules a seller sets up for
their posts/Stories. Claims can occur both in the comments of an in-feed post or via DM.
Make sure you become familiar with a seller’s claim policy should you want to buy from
them. Competition is high for some of these pages, and things can sell out in seconds.
3. Most sellers who use IG primarily will give you a time limit once you claim an item.
Generally, time limits start from the point at which the seller confirms you can buy their
item. For instance, you may have the item on hold for 30 minutes, during which you must
send payment if you want it. Time limits keep sellers from dealing with insincere or
indecisive buyers over longer periods, thus opening an item up to other interested buyers.
4. Some sellers will take “tag requests,” meaning they initially start with a preview of
an item before its formal posting for sale. You then reach out to the seller to have them
take your username (or @ for short) on the official listing. From here, you will receive a
personal notification once an item goes live. However, we do not see this happen as much
with Instagram’s newer post and story notifications features. Instead, sellers will expect
you to have these turned on if you want a better chance at their items.
5. The most common form of payment accepted is PayPal, with other transaction apps
(CashApp, Venmo) and Square invoices occasionally existing as options. If you want
a smooth checkout, have a PayPal account set up before claiming.
@vacationsf
Vacation is one of my favorite vintage stores that I discovered post-moving out of San Francisco,
and I love that their IG is like visiting without taking the flight. They have 14K followers and have a very
organized way of selling through their “Instashop.” Below are their rules:
● Items are posted every day between noon and 7 pm PST.
● International shipping available
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● Unique or highly valued items are posted in-feed.
● All other for-sale items are posted in Stories.
● Items are listed with a picture or two (or sometimes a video!), measurements, condition/flaws to
note, and usually price. Price for higher valued items must be requested via DM.
● Vacation recently started offering layaway on items priced at $150 and up. Buyers put down 20%
of the price to reserve; then, you have four weeks to complete payment. If you do not send over
the total amount by the end of this time, your item is forfeited, and you are not refunded for
whatever amount you have already paid off.
I bought one of my rarest band shirts from Vacation’s IG before their layaway plan existed. Back
in early 2020, they posted on stories a 1977 Wings Over America tour shirt. I called the shop and
requested they send me a Square invoice; that way, I could pay in installments through Klarna (basically,
the seller gets the total amount, and I pay Klarna back in four even payments, each split two weeks apart).
I would recommend buying an expensive item from a small business to pay this way instead because you
are held accountable by an app rather than relying on yourself to remember. However, do not do this
often, especially if you are on a budget. Suddenly you will have four orders due at the same time, totaling
hundreds of dollars. So, remain vigilant and budget appropriately.
Today is a slow day for the Vacation Instashop, as their Stories have not yet been updated. The
latest in-feed oddity is a Seinfeld-Esque puffy shirt, and I have to agree that it looks almost exactly the
same as the piece used in the episode. Vacation also notes it gives us major early Hot Topic and Adam
Ant energy, as well as some general vampire vibes. It is $42, which is about what I would expect them to
price this at, but I would not personally pay that much for a shirt with velcro.
Looking at yesterday’s Stories, I can once again see a lack of seasonality across these pieces.
Yesterday’s items are a Slits band tee, a leather coat with fur trim, an early ’00s Hot Topic Beetlejuice
blouse, and some white denim. None of these items are necessarily trending. Beetlejuice usually resurges
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in popularity by Halloweentime, but we are deeply seated in July. The Slits band tee and Hot Topic blouse
sell; everything else is still available.
@vacationsf Conclusion
o Is 50% or more of the shop’s content trending? No. Lots of obscure, unique pieces that
cater to more niche tastes with no adherence to seasonality.
o If we can see what their buyers purchased, are they mainly buying trending items?
We can see what sold briefly in stories, and out of the available, they are culturally
relevant but not currently trending.
o If the store uses social media to promote or sell, do they discuss relevant content
that’s also trending? Vacation uses pop culture to help sell their pieces, as seen with the
Seinfeld puffy shirt reference. However, these references are very much on a spectrum
rather than specific.
@shopstoneponey
Stone Poney is run solely by Kaylen Alan out of Montana, with about 8500 followers to share her wares
with. Her guidelines are the following:
● Items are posted in-feed either through a post or an IG Reel video.
● US shipping only
● To claim an item: either DM or comment on a post with your zip code.
● Items are listed Full Disclosure with measurements, condition, and price
● To see items that are still available, you can scroll through the hashtag #stockedponey
Kaylen just wrapped for the day about half an hour ago on her posts, ending with a Reel featuring
three available pieces. The first is a ‘90s orange tee, then an ‘80s pair of teal corduroy pants, and finally a
‘70s floral peplum blouse. Although no items on her recent Reels have sold yet, I catch an ‘80s Victoria’s
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Secret bikini has been claimed in-feed. Kaylen posted it only 5 hours ago, and it is very much in line with
the trends regarding an underwire top and a high cut bottom.
@stoneponey Conclusion
o Is 50% or more of the shop’s content trending?
No, I would say maybe a quarter of it follows trends.
o If we can see what their buyers purchased, are they mainly buying trending items?
Yes. Today’s only sold item is very much in line with modern swim styles, and that seems
to be the only in-feed sale for the past five days.
o If the store uses social media to promote or sell, do they discuss relevant content
that’s also trending? Somewhat. Stone Poney also references pop culture like Clueless
and Cyndi Lauper, but their images are used for Kaylen to make announcements rather
than compare their style to what she is selling.
PART SEVEN - Someone Please Call the Experts
Chapter 26: Douglas Brundage on Trends
Tell me about yourself - job title/what you do, previous experience, anything else you’d like to share.
My name is Douglas Brundage and I am the founder of Kingsland, a “Brand Studio” in NYC and LA with
clients including Depop, Tripadvisor, Suntory, Walmart and more. Previously I ran creative and strategy
for Team Epiphany working on clients like Nike, Foot Locker and Google. Since I was in college I have
also been a writer for Hypebeast and Highsnobiety, and helped to rebrand both as well as launch their
print magazines.
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How did you get into studying and reporting on fashion trends? My father’s side of the family were
“garmentos” in the Bronx, so fashion and style kind of run in their veins. My dad was always very stylish
and a little flamboyant, so I never thought it was weird for a young straight man to fall in love with
fashion. I definitely got made fun of growing up, but by around 2012 I noticed a change, even in my
friends, where more men were getting into dressing well and loving designer brands. I wondered why.
This, honestly, was probably my first dive into looking at clothes through a larger sociocultural lens - how
music, art and sport all have an ongoing dialogue with fashion, and how malleable the consumer base can
be. I saw power in that, and wanted to learn how to predict what was next. During all this, I was also
writing for Hypebeast and had to review fashion shows, which was the first time I ever applied a critical
eye to clothing. I often loved shows that other people didn’t because they presented different, new or
comprehensively narrative ideas (eg- Rick Owens, Hedi at Dior Homme - which you need to remember at
the beginning was considered nuts for bringing back super skinny suits and pairing them with what were
essentially high heeled boots for men).
How do you feel the trend cycle has shifted from when you started reporting to now? The “designer”
no longer exists. No one has a singular vision that people will buy no matter what it is. This died with
Lagerfeld probably. Now, designers have to largely be marketers and art directors while delivering the
same, homogeneous product that sells - hoodies, sneakers, bags and accessories with logos on them. This
isn’t my opinion, but a fact of the industry which I’m sure you already have data on - all my friends on the
retail side tell me the only things anyone buys are these items.
In many ways, this is all the internet’s fault. Has fashion really been “democratized” or just
dumbed down? With more sharing of information, local brands became global and every 16 year old in
every city around the world kind of dresses the same. This is bad for fashion and for trends, as it becomes
harder to source inspiration from unique subcultures when they no longer exist.
The designer has also become a pop culture phenomenon in a way that previously never reached
such a sky-high level. Valentino used to be able to walk around the streets of New York, Paris or Rome
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and only his customers would recognize him. Nowadays, Virgil or Kim Jones are hounded by paparazzi. I
personally think this is not good for fashion or any artist as it makes it harder to break the cycle and do
something new if everyone already seemingly loves what you’ve been making. Marc Jacobs was fired
from Perry Ellis for the grunge show. Now THAT’s integrity in vision - he knew what was coming, he
didn’t care if no one could see it yet.
How do you think authentic vintage plays a role in the trend cycle? I think it has always been the
driver of major trends, because the elite in the industry would often “inspiration shop” vintage and bring
back pieces to replicate. However, now it’s probably more important than ever as it is a singular way of
being different in this carbon copy era. Find a piece that’s truly one of a kind and that’s valuable -
literally! Look at depop, stockx, grailed etc. There’s an entire economy around vintage. The brands say
it’s partly driven by sustainability but I highly doubt that. People who really care about sustainability
don’t buy new clothes at the rates these platforms are seeing repeat purchases. It’s about status and
self-expression, not saving the whales.
What do you think is the future of trends? Will people continue to buy into them? I think trends will
always exist but they’ll become less superficial...albeit by being a trend they are kind of inherently
superficial. You could argue purpose is a trend - if these companies really cared about Pride or BLM or
the environment, they’d behave differently. And some do (like Patagonia), but most just market like they
do, So while a trend used to be “high waisted” or “bell bottoms,” it’ll now be more narrative - aligning
with causes, more interactive worlds (like the off white x katsu video game or gucci’s gus van sant short
film), more diverse casting, etc. Although these are interesting and important, I call them trends because I
think if companies don’t see a return on their bottom line from doing this, they will stop.
Some pure trends definitely still exist - like men wearing those silly cross body bags or women
wearing sports bras with a blazer - but I do believe consumers are too smart to be told what to do anymore
and since we lack visionary designers they’re not inspired enough to follow anyone blindly.
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Do you have a favorite vintage item you own? What made you want it/How did you find it? What
memories/feelings does it invoke? This may be cheating, but all of my dad’s clothes that he has given
me. You can see time in them - how the suits’ cuts changed from the 70s to the 80s, what kind of fabrics
were in vogue, etc. But knowing it was my dad’s (who is now 90), I also like seeing his personal style
progression, and how in the 90s when he presumably was making more money, he started treating himself
-a cashmere Brioni cardigan, Armani vicuna topcoat, a real beaver hat, silk Dries shirts, etc. It makes me
smile to see his progression in his clothes, and how his style never changed but the means he has to
express himself did, and the decisions that led him to make. I also love how old school some of his stuff is
and how many comments I get on his boldly pinstriped double breasted blazers with peak lapels and
surgeon cuffs when I wear them over a t shirt and black jeans - people like it because it looks legitimately
OFF. You can tell it’s not new. It fits weird compared to what we’re used to today. Yet it works. All
vintage pieces have a story. And if you don’t know it you can make one up. And that’s simply something
new clothing can’t ever claim.
Chapter 27: Paula Bates on Antique Vintage
Tell me about yourself (name, what you do/what era + item types you sell, how long you’ve been
selling for, anything else you’d like to include to give readers an idea of your expertise) My name is
Paula Bates, and I'm the owner of Witchy Vintage. I sell mostly Victorian era to 1940s clothing, jewelry,
and other accessories and oddities. I began selling vintage online in 2011, but I’ve been selling full time
with Witchy Vintage since 2019.
How did you get into buying vintage for yourself (not to sell)? (Optional: What led you to selling?) I
grew up shopping at thrift stores, yard sales, antique shops, and estate sales and dressing in vintage. I
actually don’t remember a time when I didn’t. Looking back, I know it was a necessity at the time for my
family to buy second hand, but I never saw it as a negative thing. It was always a fun way for me to
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express myself. Both my grandmother and great grandmother collected and sold antiques and had their
own shops, so I also think vintage and antiques are in my blood.
I started selling vintage items on Etsy in 2011, but it was a whim, and I thought of it as something
to do for fun. In January of 2019, I was working as a freelance writer and transcriptionist and wanted to
do something else to supplement my income. I didn't realize it would take off like it did, but I was
passionate about it, and it was fun for me, so eventually I stopped doing other work. Now Witchy Vintage
is my full-time job.
How do you personally define what is vintage? To me, vintage is anything that is approximately 30 to
100 years old. Anything over 100 years old I consider to be antique. This is just a general guide I
personally use, not a hard, fast rule.
When buying vintage for yourself, what draws you to a piece? How does it feel when you score a
great find? I’m drawn to two different kinds of pieces. First is something I will feel comfortable in.
Second is something that feels special to me or speaks to me in some way. Both criteria are difficult to
define in words, and it’s more about a feeling I get from pieces. Sometimes something will just really
stand out to me as special and I will have to buy it, even if I haven’t ever considered anything like it
before. Other times it is about matching a vibe I want to embody and picturing myself wearing that piece.
I live for the awesome scores. It is such a thrill. The treasure hunting aspect of shopping for vintage pieces
is a huge draw for me. It’s what keeps me going and why I can search for hours without getting bored or
giving up.
What is your biggest pet peeve with vintage culture/the vintage community? What I really love about
the vintage community is the support everyone provides for one another. For the most part, it is a fantastic
community with some amazing people. But sadly, not everyone prioritizes kindness, and I have seen
people jump at the chance to criticize their fellow sellers publicly. Yes, we are all competing in a way and
running our own businesses, but we can achieve so much more if we support each other. It’s also the
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nature of social media these days, which is where a lot of vintage selling takes place. Social media can be
a really toxic space, but I have also met some wonderful people through the vintage community.
What do you think is the future of vintage? Vintage is growing so fast, and I believe it will continue to
grow over the next several years. It is getting easier for individuals to sell online through all kinds of
platforms like Etsy, Shopify, Instagram, Depop, and Facebook, and the barrier to entry is really low.
Anyone with enough time on their hands and a good eye can curate their own vintage items and open their
own shop, but of course it takes more than that to become successful. But the demand is there. With a
growing interest in buying second hand, more and more people are discovering that buying vintage has its
perks and can be highly rewarding if you know the right sellers and shops.
Chapter 28: Kat McCollum on Thrifting
Kat, a close friend of mine since high school, has personally committed to only thrifting her
clothes (almost all being exclusively vintage) and has so for 3 years. Sometimes I drag her to the vintage
shops to hang out with me, but she remains patient and abstinent. I interviewed her to get a better idea of
the thrifting side of buying vintage.
What got you into thrifting/buying vintage? I think my love of vintage stems from a love of older
movies. I wanted to dress like the stars of my favorite movies, but you just can’t find clothes in stores like
that, or at least, you couldn’t when I first started going in high school [Kat started high school in 2011].
I was trying to cultivate a look that just wasn’t out there, the look of Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink, the
witches in The Craft, and Ginger and Bridget in Ginger Snaps. The best place to do that turned out to be
my local thrift store.
Introduce your thrifting commitment (when you started doing it, for how long, explain what it is as
if you’re talking to someone who has 0 thrifting experience) First of all, it’s important to distinguish
between thrifting and vintage shopping. Thrifting is actually going into a thrift store like Goodwill,
Salvation Army, or a local one, and sifting through the racks for clothes. Vintage shopping is going into a
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curated vintage store and buying hand-picked items for a significant markup. I personally don’t shop in
vintage stores because I don’t need someone to do my thrifting for me. I can find just as good if not better
items at the same places I know they’re sourcing from, and for a quarter of the price.
I first started dabbling in thrifting my sophomore year of high school. I went with one of my
friends and found a vintage crushed velvet ice skating dress in a deep green color. It looked kind of like
the dress Fiona wears in Shrek except shorter. From then on, I was hooked. I became kind of obsessed
with it in high school, and I even thrifted the dress I wore to senior prom.
In college, I started going more and more, and the better I got at it the more I wanted to go. Junior
year of college, I interned at a vintage shop and learned through osmosis how to date items and what all
the best labels were. My obsession only grew from there, and around that same time, I transitioned to only
buying clothing from thrift stores. I did a massive closet clean-out and got rid of everything I owned that
didn’t come from a thrift store.
Since then, I’ve only shopped in thrift stores and I’m never going back. I’ve reached the point of
no return. I physically can’t imagine going into a regular retail store and buying clothes for regular prices.
I just can’t do it.
What is the easiest/best thing about shopping like this? The hardest? The easiest thing is probably
that thrift stores are everywhere; you can find them in almost every city. To me, the best thing is actually
three things: it’s cheap, unique, and sustainable. The second one is personally the most important to me
because I don’t like to wear what everyone else is wearing; I want to do my own thing. At thrift stores,
you can find vintage items that aren’t anything like what you would find at Zara or H&M. It’s also so
much better for the environment! Fast fashion is bullshit. Adopt don’t shop.
The hardest is probably when you’re looking for something specific because you can’t always
find it. They just have what they have. It can also be annoying when you find something you love but it’s
not in your size. It’s not like they can check the back or something. Another challenge is that some stores
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are better than others. Some just don’t have good stuff or have off days. After a while, you can usually
feel out which ones are worth your time.
On average, how long do you spend in a thrift store on a single trip? How much do you spend as
well?At least an hour. On average I would say about two. When I go to the bins, I usually stay for 3-5
because they’re constantly putting out new stuff, and it’s just an experience. At a regular thrift store, I
usually spend between $15-$30, on occasion up to $40 or even $50, but that’s rarer. I try to keep it on the
lower end and only buy the stuff I can’t live without. (“Bangers only” rule.) At the bins, it’s more like a
$5-$20 range because you pay by the pound.
What do you look for when buying for yourself (era, condition, certain labels, etc)? Out of these
qualities, what is the most important to you and why? I mainly look for items from the 90s- early
2000s, because that’s the style I look to dress in the most. But if I find something cool from the 70s or 80s
or earlier, I’m not gonna pass up on that either. I live for cute labels, and I’m always drawn to the super
girly, colorful ones. Labels are also a great way to date items. I look for specific decade-defining labels
such as Bebe, Juicy Couture, Baby Phat, Arden B, My Michelle, No Boundaries, Bubblegum, XOXO,
and Energie, and of course designer labels like Vivienne Tam, Dior, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, and
Roberto Cavali.
Labels are definitely the most important to me. They can certify something as vintage and/or
designer; plus, they’re really cute to look at.
Condition is important too, but if I’m being honest, I’ll still buy something that has holes or even
small stains in it if it’s cute enough.
What is your greatest thrift find and why? This is such a hard question to answer! I have so many that I
love. One of my proudest moments was definitely when I found a pair of 90s Mary Jane platform Docs at
Thrift Town. They were in my size too! I wear them all the time. I still can’t believe someone donated
them.
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What does it feel like when you score a great find? Ok so my heart rate goes up, sometimes I gasp or
do a little scream. I’ll even hug it to my chest if it’s really good. There’s a little bit of anxiety involved
too, like, I’m scared somebody’s gonna take it. It also motivates me to keep looking because I’m like ooh
I found something good Ii’ll probably find more if I keep going. Also, nothing compares to the feeling of
someone asking you where you got something and being able to respond with “I thrifted it.”
Why don’t you thrift modern/fast fashion? I don’t thrift modern fashion because I don’t want to wear
what everyone else is wearing, bc [the clothes are] ugly and boring, and because I prefer the
quality/feel/self-satisfaction of wearing vintage only.
Any final thoughts? I just want to add that when thrifting it’s important to be respectful. I try and be
conscious of what and who thrift stores are really meant for. In the winter especially I try to limit how
many coats I buy because I know that a lot of lower-income families depend on thrift shops for winter
gear. Just remember to be respectful of who was there first, give them their space, and don’t buy too much
at a time.
Chapter 29: Brook-Lynne Vezer on 20
th
Century Vintage
Tell me about yourself (name, what you do/what era + item types you sell, how long you’ve been
selling for, anything else you’d like to include to give readers an idea of your expertise) Hi! My name
is Brook-Lynne and I am the owner of the online ( and now physical ) shop Old Moon Vintage.
I created the online shop in early 2014 although I had been working with vintage for years before I
decided to open my own shop. I am a collector myself and love to find funky one of a kind, designer, and
those true statement pieces. I tend to focus on the 1940s through the ‘90s, but heavily in the 80s & 60s.
Both of those eras have those really wild pieces that I just can’t live without.
How did you get into buying vintage for yourself (not to sell)? (Optional: What led you to selling?) I
grew up in a very small town in northern Canada.. There were not a lot of options for buying clothes
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there, especially trendy clothing. And the few stores we did have, ended up dressing pretty much
everyone from the town, so that resulted in everyone wearing practically the same things.
My sister and I both loved to thrift, we found our money stretched a lot more in a thrift store and we fell
in love with the fact we didn’t have to dress like everyone else! In fact, I still have some pieces that I
thrifted with my sister from when we were still in high school. So while our friends went to the mall, we
went to Value Village.In 2010 I moved from Canada to California and that was when I was introduced to
Tina. She is the creator and the owner of Crush Vintage. She is an amazing online seller.. and her
collection, love and knowledge for fashion was extremely inspiring to me.
She introduced me to the world of vintage. And my mind was blown.
I always loved to thrift but I never really learned how to decipher eras and labels. Once I met Tina, she
started to show me the ropes.
I started actually working for her in 2012, and together we hunted for vintage all over Northern
California. We did this together practically everyday for 4.5 years straight.
Within our adventures together both of us learned an incredible amount about vintage clothing ranging
from the 10’s - 90’s together.
Tina really focused on selling the 1910s-1950s, but during our adventures we would come across so many
other eras of incredible clothing. So in 2014 ( still working for Tina) I decided to open Old Moon Vintage
on Etsy and start to sell those “newer” vintage pieces that we would find. I stopped working for Tina in
2016 to fully focus on Old Moon.. and now in 2021 I am opening a brick and mortar while still
maintaining my online presence.
How do you personally define what is vintage? I believe anything that is 20 years and older is vintage,
and then anything 100 years and older is an antique.
When buying vintage for yourself, what draws you to a piece? How does it feel when you score a
great find? When I buy vintage for myself I tend to look for specific brands such as Betsey Johnson and
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Moschino. Especially since I am a big fan of the 80s, those labels make nothing but statement pieces. I
personally love those loud funky items that really make the outfit.
When I find those pieces, especially if it’s a piece I have been on the hunt for, for a while.. It literally
makes my whole week. A good piece of clothing brings me so much happiness it’s almost scary. Haha.
What is your biggest pet peeve with vintage culture/the vintage community? Unfortunately I find that
the vintage culture is changing, even within the 10 years that I have been in it. Especially in the last 5
years I have seen a huge culture shift. With popular apps like depop and poshmark, it’s completely
changed the game.
It’s becoming cool to wear vintage ( which is great ) but it’s now a mainstream trend. Which unfortunately
makes my job of sourcing a lot more difficult and a lot more expensive and my pieces that I have worked
extremely hard to find and curate, are now being drowned out by the thousands of new online sellers that
are popping up everyday. Also.. a lot of these new sellers do not take it as seriously as some of us who
have been doing it for a while, so their quality and cleanliness are seriously compromised.
What do you think is the future of vintage? I do see the world of fashion becoming greener and
greener. With the decline of some of these top fast fashion brands and the rise of online selling apps, it’s
becoming easier to wear and want to wear vintage & second hand clothing.
True vintage ( 90s and older ) is going to become more rare & rise in price, but the popularity of
Y2K clothing is going to continue to boom. Trends come back around every 20 years, so we are definitely
already seeing these early 2000’s mall brands being resold and worn everyday and being marketed as
‘Vintage’. As long as it keeps items in rotation and out of landfills, I am happy with that!
There is nothing like true vintage clothing. There is a reason we can still wear jeans from the
1970s that are nearly 50 years old, and they fit, look and feel better than a pair of jeans you can buy at any
fast fashion retailer today.
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Over the years, brands have lost their quality and have just focused on quantity. I am hoping that
the popularity of vintage clothing will inspire new upcoming brands to focus on their quality. And maybe
we will see their jeans & other garments being worn in 50 years or more from now!
PART EIGHT – WHAT HAS MY CLOTHING COME TO?
Chapter 30: The Vintage System
Note that the below critical components of the vintage system are perfectly intertwined, as one
cannot exist without the rest. They meld together to create an appeal that no modern retailer can compete
with or recreate, as it ignites our memory and races our heart; it can even extend the kindness to our bank
accounts.
A. The Thrill of the Hunt
Unless you are going to a flagship Zara or Forever 21 on the weekend, most fast-fashion retailers
do not set up their stores as hunting grounds. Even if the sales floor is messy, modern retailers have an
inventory system; if you want to see if something is available, all you have to do is ask. They will also get
new stock in a more spaced out and structured manner—be it when the season ends, or a trend rises.
Vintage and thrift stores have a daily inventory rotation, and once something is gone, it is gone. This
human desire for rarity creates an exciting feeling when one finds something valuable to them. Value can
be defined beyond price here, as vintage can be valuable in sentiment as well.
As Kat put it, hunting for vintage "motivates [you] to keep looking" because the fear of missing
out produces elation rather than dread. Vintage operates in the same way that people flock to horror
movies. They have no idea what will happen next, and that suspense, that safely distant terror, ends up
bringing them joy. However, the thrill of the hunt moonlights as a lesson on patience, reminding us that
good things come to those who wait or check their saved searches consistently.
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Availability then, of course, also plays a massive role in the thrill. Never will you see a pre-order
for authentic vintage; it is physically impossible. It has even gotten to the point, as we have seen in the
field, where people will create listings on Depop and other apps to let their followers know they are
looking for something. These ISO postings are the clothing equivalent to dating profiles; we are putting
ourselves out there, vulnerable, to have someone reach out and give us what we want. And we have types.
B. Quality
They do not make them like they used to. Even sustainably made brands like Reformation give
you garments with thin fabric, clunky silhouettes, and details with questionable physical integrity.
However, we can absolutely agree that generally speaking, slow fashion is often made more durable and
stands the test of time (for now, we have not lived long enough with these brands to know honestly).
Nevertheless, most slow fashion comes at a significant markup to meet a livable wage and cover the cost
of other ethical practices or materials. Vintage's pricing considers many similar factors, but none of them
are labor-based in clothing production. Though made in a different time, these pieces also belonged to a
central culture of designing a long-lasting garment and now joined a modern culture of maintaining them.
Unlike present-day slow fashion, we have proof of this durability. Additionally, an integral part of the
present-day vintage experience centers around reducing and reusing. Many vintage sellers and influencers
actively discuss their mending techniques—from taking a waist into more advanced practices such as
darning— so that others can preserve their already well-loved pieces. Thus, even mended vintage clothes
have more appeal than a fresh drop of slow or fast fashion.
C. Price
The pricing of vintage is not appealing purely on an affordability spectrum. What makes it so
compelling financially is the sheer luck and ability to work your way towards a budget-friendly price or
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alternative item. You can price match, say an '80s Levi's sherpa jacket, from multiple sellers or thrift
stores, whereas if you want something from Gucci this year, you can only get it at a Gucci store. Digital
designer consignment has popped up recently, with sites like TheRealReal and Vestiaire Collective
focusing on all eras of bags, shoes, and clothing. However, good luck finding something for this year's
collections. You may need to wait a few more years to get it at a better price if that item does get resold at
all.
Vintage buyers have the chance to get a say in exactly how much they pay for an item and its
shipping. Haggling has embedded itself into the digital vintage culture, as most sellers are not so picky
about knocking off a few dollars if it means the item will sell. You can even request shipping discounts or
haggle for free shipping. Thus, a more balanced system of power occurs when both parties are
well-informed. Of course, there will always be sellers that will rip you off and buyers that will not know
any different. Nevertheless, because of the lighting-speed ability, we have to share information via our
phones, so less of these transactions occur.
In vintage transactions, both the seller and the buyer are somewhat vulnerable in this relationship,
whereas a retail sales associate and a customer have starkly unequal power dynamics. The sales associate
almost always has no emotional stake in what items they are ringing up and thus can judge the customer.
Meanwhile, vintage stores are often curated by individuals or small groups of close family/friends,
making their stock directly reflect themselves. So, when an item sells, both parties feel they have gained
personal validation. Moreover, pricing with no standardization allows for accessibility like no other. You
can own something flattering and high-quality for less than a new version would run you. I do think this
democratizes fashion rather than dumbing it down, as Douglas opposingly said. There is no democracy
like this elsewhere in fashion.
D. Personability
Major clothing brands derived from corporations will try to speak to you personally, but the
conversation is solely to drive repeat sales at the end of the day. The bond built on the dollar disguises
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itself as a human connection or the human experience. As much as I loved certain H&M pieces, they did
not directly link back to another human being, leaving me to pick up the pieces and fill in with what
occurred in those clothes post-purchase. Kind of how one might daydream about marrying someone they
met on a first date.
Vintage has little to no desire to go corporate because it prioritizes maintaining that
person-to-person relationship. Most of these top sellers on Etsy and Depop still operate individually or
with a small team without further expansion into a fast-fashion brand for the sake of a profit. Things may
grow more hectic, but these sellers live for that experience; they do not view the hunt as a stepping stone
towards optimization. The beauty is the mess; it does not need to be cleaned up.
Vintage can also help us break free of societal expectations, even with a rising internet culture
making individuality the norm. These solo-run Depop shops become part of the digital community like a
vintage store does to a neighborhood. This feeling of community remains the most challenging thing for
modern retailers to replicate; it drives the mainstream consumer to vintage. Because of Covid and our
oversaturation of technology, studies have shown that we feel more isolated and afraid for the future than
ever. This unprecedented time feeds the escapism currently influencing mainstream vintage culture.
Escapism, though, only causes temporary relief. However, what will keep these people buying vintage is
the solidification of feeling a part of something. Belonging is a natural desire—vintage sustains that
without destroying the individual.
If things continue today down a path of uncertainty, we will continue to cling to what we know.
Things that have already happened and already exist bring us a subconscious level of comfort simply
because they cannot be changed. These old garments prove that good things can last, and by participating
in vintage today, we emit hope for the future.
Chapter 31: Final Thoughts & Conclusions
Was I Right?
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My only wish is that I could have walked into every vintage and thrift store to give you the most
accurate conclusion possible. But based on my aforementioned criteria, I can still safely say that vintage
will continue in acquiring new participants beyond its questioned status as an internet fad.
For starters, I was correct on vintage successfully establishing itself in the fashion world as a
go-to source for clothing rather than an alternative option or final resort. Because of the mass realization
that vintage can participate in today’s trends, vintage acquired mainstay status and now lives top of mind.
People are thus wielding power to utilize vintage to participate in a trend, seeing that it can serve a
personal and communal purpose. Furthermore, thrifting trends lowers the wearer’s risk, as they can source
a piece at a steeply inexpensive level and either sell or donate should they no longer want it without
amassing guilt or credit card debt. Physical vintage stores, especially, are aware of this.
Beyond trends, vintage can survive. As we move away from a collective style of dressing towards
looking within to create our aesthetic, vintage will have the supply for those seeking to build their
personal style. This can lead back to a more innovative, less standardized or copycat design culture prior
to the 21st century. That in combination with lower production numbers brings us unique items at any
price point. Nevertheless, vintage clothing’s biggest and most unmalleable obstacle is sizing. Despite
many items being too big for me, I am a person with thin privilege, still able to find something in my size
and style. The same cannot be said for plus size and or taller people; even mid-size people struggle to find
a variety of styles. This is why I will never suggest that everyone should wholly convert to buying
vintage, as some simply cannot. And that in no way makes them a bad person for not choosing to shop
this way, it just reflects how far we have come and still need to go regarding sizing inclusivity.
I was also accurate in identifying what constitutes worthy-of-buying, vintage, and quality vintage
stores. I proved you are better off avoiding vintage malls for vintage clothing, as they carry the most
modern pieces out of any other, but the best places were a thoroughly mixed bag. I even felt like I had a
better time in the stores I did not buy anything from, which tells me that these shops do not need to sell
me something to win me over. When I visit again, I will go back to all these out-of-town spots, and I
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genuinely believe my odds of buying something at places like Red Light in Seattle will go up
significantly.
The Future of Vintage
From what I have studied, trend-cycle or no trend cycle, vintage will bring about an end to fast
fashion as we presently know it. There will be a considerable shift in the concept of mass
individuality—or how we as a collective seek belonging by standing out, though this contradicts itself as
we are still trying to fit in. However, we are leaving the days of streetwear drops and a quick pop into
Forever 21 behind, as brands will need to acknowledge vintage in some regard despite it being the
antithesis of their existence. My recommendation on participating as ethically as possible is to partner
with small sellers and creatives rather than steal their ideas. They can even add a new position for a
vintage expert/merchandiser, showing that having vintage stock is here to stay. Brands cannot just throw
some library-book-return bins and tell you to toss your old clothes in for 10% off (which is pretty much
just sales tax) and call it a very good, sustainable day. Although implementing these changes may
partially hinder their ability to maximize profit, brands have the opportunity to solidify themselves as
active, supportive members of a community rather than developing their own. Joining this already
existent community can be priceless in the long run.
The Future of the Trend Cycle
Trends are in a state of flux; there are so many that it has become irrelevant whether or not
something you wear is in style. Content has become so saturated that we now live in an ambiguous state
of fashion. Trends will become sequestered to communities instead of genders and seasons. I genuinely
feel that the next generation of consumers will care so little about what is “in” that these trend and
microtrend stories will no longer gain the attention outlets thrive on. Product roundup stories have already
started incorporating vintage items and shops, but this is not beneficial to these outlets because they need
items to be in stock to be successful and worthy of inclusion. You cannot keep stock of one item.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how this all unfolds and if vintage can maintain its integrity once
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it joins the corporate world. I wish vintage could remain wholly pure and authentic, but the world is not
flawless, and nothing is unsusceptible to time, even if it physically lasts through it.
Thank You and Goodnight
We have come to the end of unraveling a long thread. Hopefully, your eyes are not burning over
my clothing choices or reading the whole thing. Beyond proving that vintage is here to stay, my purpose
here is to give you the confidence to go out and find some new, old clothes, even if you have never tried.
That is the beauty of this, you can start whenever, wherever you would like. And you may hate it, think
that hunting is too tedious, and feel everything you find is tacky. Nevertheless, you cannot deny that
vintage will always welcome you back should you decide to try again. It will grow and innovate with us
and the fashion industry itself, hopefully dawning a new day where trends do not rule how we dress, and
we can see being “in” finally on its way out.
Vintage has given me hope for humanity even as it has interwoven with our new, more digital
lifestyles. It has brought the individual back into personal style and breaks rules we have long been tired
of regardless if we felt obligated to follow. It makes us feel more like ourselves while making us feel we
did good for our communities and the environment, rather than give our money to a corporation that cares
about none of these things unless they are relevant in timely conversations that lead to a transaction. We
can style ourselves with purpose again, even if that purpose is to feel closer to our grandparents, care for
our planet, or simply connect with others and within ourselves. All in all, as each of these garments of the
past gets sold to a new home, it regains its own, original purpose: to be worn and loved as long as
possible.
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APPENDIX
I. Case Study - Etsy
Before You Search – Etsy Need to Knows
Besides keeping in mind Etsy’s handmade and vintage-only rule, a few other things are essential to having
the best experience when shopping here.
1. Etsy is one of the few that does not require you to create an account to browse and or
purchase; however, I highly suggest you do. Having a buyer account allows you to message a
seller should you have any questions before or after a purchase, keeps an organized list of your
purchases, and allows you to save items in a likes-based format.
2. Seller pages are known as Shops. Etsy gives you a search bar and a categorical search (designed
by the seller how they please) within each shop. Additionally, these pages give a dedicated space
for sellers to flesh out their policies, including details on things like returns & exchanges and
shipping.
3. Liking things and even adding and leaving listings in your cart can benefit you. Much like
eBay, this allows sellers to send you exclusive discounts to urge you to buy. These actions usually
trigger automatic coupon codes buyers have set up; Etsy will send a code on behalf of the buyer
to the email you have made your account with. Unlike eBay, this in-app action does not allow you
to make a counteroffer. Rarely, but possibly, a seller may reach out to you individually via the
message system with an offer upon seeing you liked something.
4. You can like/favorite shops themselves. From this action, you will receive notifications when
the seller/shop lists new items.
5. Etsy only lets you review sellers. It is common practice for sellers to request you privately
message them should a problem arise. That way, a seller can see if a problem can be solved a bad
review is left. Buyers can edit reviews within a limited time rather than indefinitely. Regardless,
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sellers cannot overturn reviews unless the review violates Etsy policy or the reviewee
permanently deletes their account.
Modern Bikinis for Comparison
We will be looking for a swimsuit on Etsy and comparing it to a search for modern bikinis.
Although I have bought vintage swimwear in the past, I wanted to see what was available and give some
newly made swimwear a shot for the sake of argument. Before this search, I tried a swimsuit from
Amazon that a TikToker recommended (it was about $30). However, it fit me horribly/looked very cheap,
so I will not bother trying Amazon again. Instead, I am going to specifically look at fashion retailers that
carry swimwear for this research.
Of course, when buying new, we will be within the limitations of what is trending. So, I go to
WhoWhatWear, the digital fashion publication that often covers trend reporting. The current swim
available en masse follows a few trends: glittery/metallic, terry, and “retro floral” (think ’60s flower
power) print fabrics; high waisted, high cut and string tie bottoms; puff sleeve and underwire tops.
However, WhoWhatWear also helpfully provides us what is going out of style this season despite it
trending earlier in the summer, including velvet fabric, bandeau tops, leopard print, and neon colors. The
problem is I want a neon bikini. Preferably in a bright pink or green. So, I end up quite lucky otherwise,
as I want an underwire top for support and want something high cut for the bottom, both of which are
trending. Knowing I will have enough variety to browse, I decided to hope for the best neon-wise and
move into finding brands that have this style available.
I Google “high cut bikini,” “sustainable swimwear,” and “underwire bikini,” along with a few
other iterations of these phrases, going through the Google Shopping and Images sections. Most current
suits come in underwire styles, with even some lingerie brands like CUUP and Lively starting to carry
swim. However, these styles feel a bit too mature and full coverage for me. I check out these sites along
with 437 Swimwear, L Space Swim (the only one out of this list I previously bought from), Revolve,
Inamorata Swim, Frankie’s Bikinis, Bamba Swim, Girlfriend Collective, and Monday Swimwear. Each of
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these brands’ average swimsuit price, before tax and shipping, is about $160-200, regardless of whether
they are sustainable. I reluctantly look in this price range because I hope the quality is better and will last
me, thus making it worth the investment. I do not buy much swimwear and generally stick to one suit a
year, if I get one at all. Adding to the difficulty level, most of these sites already sold out of the color and
size I would like from them. The rest immediately turn me off—most of the cuts/silhouettes look horrible
on these conventionally attractive models, and I do not feel comfortable paying that much for something
that will look unflattering on even them.
After over two hours of trying to find something suitable, I settle on an underwire suit from
Frankie’s Bikinis. Because they were priced higher and well-loved by fashion outlets, I thought they
would be of good quality and look very cute. I ordered the Connor Cheeky Bottom and Maggie
Underwire Bikini Top in the pattern/color Morrison, probably homage to The Doors frontman due to its
somewhat psychedelic colors and uneven checkered pattern. There is only one model for this suit, and
they are flat-chested, so it is hard to understand how this will fit me, even with a 360-video view. It has 13
five-star reviews and is $110. I also decide to grab a set from their collaboration with tennis star Naomi
Osaka since the bottom in that set also looks like the type of cut I would like. My total for two bikinis is
$362.17. This total is with a 10% discount and free shipping. Upon looking at my receipt, I see a detailed
breakdown of sales tax applied to my order. I appreciate the transparency, but, in this case, it only adds to
the nausea.
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I check out using Afterpay, the digital service that splits your order total into four payments, each
spread two weeks apart from the other. I do this because I am a college student way in over their head,
and two, I decided beforehand I will only keep the one I like best and return the other. Even though I have
made this decision, I feel physically repulsed that I spent that much money on a swimsuit. I am becoming
more skeptical and filled with regret as each minute post-checkout passes.
For starters, my Connor Bottom was on backorder or preorder, whatever sounds more
consumer-friendly, so only the top half shipped. My other three pieces arrive, and I am very hopeful as I
rip open the package to try it on. To my genuine surprise, this underwire top is entirely flat. When you see
underwire bras and swim tops, they usually have a rounded, concave shape to fit whatever you have got to
go in there. I am desperately hoping this top somehow expands to mold to my body, so I move ahead with
putting it on. Once I have tied it to fit, I go to the mirror, ditch any hope I had left. It looks as if I am
wearing something that should belong to a paper doll, even down to the straps feeling like those tiny side
tabs that need to fold in to get the paper garment on the paper doll. This piece sits on me perfectly flat
despite my chest not being that, and no matter how tight I pull the straps, it sits on more like a cartoon gag
than a garment. There is no way I can even walk from a chair to the pool without something getting
exposed, as if that is the height of embarrassment here. I try on the other suit, and it looks just as cheap as
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the bikini I ordered from Amazon. The color is more like a highlighter orange than the golden turmeric
shade the images depict, clashing with my undertones and adding to the tacky factor. So I email Frankie’s
to cancel shipping out my back ordered bottom, print my return label, send everything else back, and go
to Etsy.
Etsy Search for Bikinis
I go to Etsy, still queasy from my Frankie's purchase. I start as easy as possible to keep myself steady,
searching "vintage high cut bikini." Etsy automatically applies the vintage filter from my search query, I
get 610 results, or 13 pages of listings to comb through. This number is perfectly hearty; I have the variety
but do not feel overwhelmed. I visually ignore any results that are only half a bikini—we want a matching
top and a bottom sold together.
From what I know about swim styles through the decades, searching specifically for something from
the '80s or '90s will bring me closest to what I have pictured in my head. Thus, I can use these decades as
a way to optimize my search. To save me even more energy, I decide only to like the listings that catch
my eye and, at first glance, meet my criteria. Similar to how I operate at Goodwill, I grab now, look into
details later.
I first see that a shop called 205swim has many swim listings, so I open their shop page in a new tab
to scroll through individually a little later. I also see a handful from seller LeoVenustus, DMTVINTAGE,
and Athenitascloset. I decided to change course and focus on only these four shops, as they supply most
of the initial results and carry various styles and colors, meaning I am bound to find something worthy of
adding to cart.
205Vintage has a dedicated swim section/category for their shop, and many of their listings have
videos for details close up. I see nine suits I want to check out, but upon further inspection, I see that most
of these are one-pieces. None of them pique my interest enough to look closer, so I move on.
205Vintage Conclusion
119
o Is 50% or more of the shop’s content trending? No. Mostly neon one pieces, and
tropical florals are bright as well.
o If we are able to see what their buyers purchased, are they buying mostly trending
items? Yes. 205Vintage has sold over 4,000 items, but the 3 most recent swim reviews I
find are of high cut bikinis. There’s only one after that for the next couple of pages, and
it’s a neon ombre-ish one piece. So 3 out of 4 are in line with trends.
o If the store uses social media to promote or sell, do they discuss relevant content
that’s also trending? Whoever has the @205vintage handle is not the same as this Etsy
shop, so there’s no social media to be found. N/A.
LeoVenustus has 113 swim listings and someone modeling them, unlike 205Vintage, where suits are laid
on a flat surface. I cannot be alone in preferring to see vintage on a model—seeing how older pieces lay
on the body endures as an essential aspect of my buying decision.
The shop has a variety of deadstock pieces, all from the same brand. I narrow it down to two pink suits,
both priced at $68.06. I love the color and the top of each, but the bottoms in the darker pink suit look like
they are too tight on the thin model, and the measurements for both tops indicate they would be too small
on me.
LeoVenustus Conclusion
● Is 50% or more of the shop’s available content trending? Yes. This Etsy seller has a little over
100 swim listings, mostly deadstock from the ‘80s and ‘90s. The majority of these pieces are high
cut/high waist, which is in style. About 10% of listings are not trending, as I can see a few boy
short styles and sporty, swim-meet type one-pieces.
● If we can see their buyers, are they purchasing trending items? LeoVenustus has made about
1,200 sales, and a good chunk of their reviews are for swim purchases. Buyers are going for the
trendy pieces; I even catch two styles with muted tropicals.
120
● If the store uses social media to promote or sell, do they discuss relevant content that’s also
trending?
● Instagram: @leovenuss
● Their account has only 200ish followers, so I doubt this reaches a sizable audience to
create a significant increase in sales. Nevertheless, from what I see, no; their content
would not be considered trendy. They are just the same modeling shots repurposed for
in-feed content.
DMTVINTAGE has 53 swim listings, most of which are bikinis. The shop has stellar visuals, so
I am excited to go through it. They have some styles that would align to the summer ’21 trends, but the
listings are not exclusively following what is in, with animal and more Hawaiian-style floral prints,
bandeau tops; velvet fabrics; low rise and boy short bottoms; and even tankinis. The pictures are bright
and clear, and two-piece suits range from $78 to $160, with some designer items priced higher. I pulled
four listings I like—all ‘90s bikinis—and see as I am opening them, Etsy has noted that some of them are
sitting in other people’s carts. As a result, I now have a little good anxiety kicking in, knowing that I will
need to make a quick decision should I definitely want a suit from here.
The first listing is $140, a baby pink high cut bottom and underwire top. I am not in love with the
shade, and the measurements say the cup will most likely not fit me, so moving on!
121
Next is a gold leopard high waist bottom and strapless top for $120. Although this is not underwire, I
still like the shape of it. However, I am not obsessed with it (obsession partially composes the argument
for purchasing), so I will see if I can do better before deciding.
122
The third, a neon floral, rings up the highest at $160. Based on the measurements in the description, it
will fit me, plus I like the top’s style. However, this will be the most expensive of my selections, so I want
to look at my last choice before determining if it is worth it.
123
My last piece is a vibrant, solid hot pink underwire top and high cut bottom for $120. It says size M,
but I see this will still fit me after examining the flat measurements. The best part about this is it has a
medium as opposed to an entire coverage bottom, unlike any of the other vintage suits I have viewed so
far. The top also has thin straps like the floral one, meaning I will not get crazy weird tan lines. The
seller says it has a few pilling spots and snags, but the pictures are very high-def so that I can take a look
for myself. Nothing seems detrimental to the suit, and this does not change my opinion on it in the
slightest. I feel like I have hit the jackpot and do not proceed to view Athenitascloset. Not only is this suit
roughly half the price of what I paid for one at Frankie’s, but the suit fulfills the ideal bikini I envisioned
in my head. I see two other people have it in their cart, but I am fully committed to my choice and check
out immediately. I was able to find a gorgeous swimsuit that matches my style with an underwire top that
has depth for my chest. For comparison, this suit is $77 cheaper than the Maggie Top and Connor Bottom
I bought from Frankie’s.
124
The best part is when I get it in the mail, this feeling of satisfaction and a weird sense of fate
overcomes me. I cannot wait to sit out in the sun in such a fun piece that fits me perfectly. The seller also
makes things extra special, including a lollipop, a thank you note, two stickers, and a scrunchie. These
extra surprises make me feel appreciated and like the seller packed everything with care.
DMT Vintage Purchases
● ‘90s Unlabeled hot pink bikini with high cut bottom and underwire top - $120
Tax collected? Yes
Shipping? Free
125
TOTAL: $132.30
DMT Vintage Conclusion
o Is 50% or more of the shop’s content trending? Yes, I would say about 70% of it is in
line with current trending styles.
▪ Glittery/metallic: Yes
▪ Terry: no
▪ Floral: Yes, there are muted tropical floral suits here, but the patterns remain
more detailed and reminiscent of Hawaiian florals than a general print we see in
current styles.
▪ High waisted, high cut: Yes
▪ String tie bottoms: Yes
▪ Puff sleeve and underwire tops: No puff sleeve, yes to underwire
o If we can see their buyers, are they purchasing the shop’s trending items?
Absolutely.
o If the store uses social media to promote or sell, do they discuss relevant content
that’s also trending?
▪ IG: @dmtvintage
▪ This shop is the most in line with trends, simply because Y2K style is taking off,
not because of the other criteria above.
126
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Khawly, Ariel Cecilia
(author)
Core Title
I was born in ‘96 but my outfit is from ‘69: the ultimate guide to vintage + how it will outlive the trend cycle
School
Annenberg School for Communication
Degree
Master of Arts
Degree Program
Public Relations and Advertising
Degree Conferral Date
2021-12
Publication Date
12/21/2021
Defense Date
12/17/2021
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
accessories,Fashion,fashion history,fashion trends,Los Angeles,OAI-PMH Harvest,online shopping,resale,San Francisco,Seattle,secondhand,Shopping,social media,thrift stores,thrifting,trends,vintage,vintage clothing
Format
application/pdf
(imt)
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Floto, Jennifer (
committee chair
), Kozinets, Robert (
committee member
), Lynch, Brenda (
committee member
)
Creator Email
khawly@usc.edu,thearielk@gmail.com
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC18807273
Unique identifier
UC18807273
Legacy Identifier
etd-KhawlyArie-10317
Document Type
Thesis
Format
application/pdf (imt)
Rights
Khawly, Ariel Cecilia
Type
texts
Source
20211223-wayne-usctheses-batch-906-nissen
(batch),
University of Southern California
(contributing entity),
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
(collection)
Access Conditions
The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given.
Repository Name
University of Southern California Digital Library
Repository Location
USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA
Repository Email
cisadmin@lib.usc.edu
Tags
accessories
fashion history
fashion trends
online shopping
resale
secondhand
social media
thrift stores
thrifting
trends
vintage
vintage clothing