Catching the Vintage Bug

I was reading my last post from September 11th and my last line says that this week I would discuss what to look for when vintage shopping. I realized that in my prior post I already covered a lot of that discussion. So I thought I would change it up to discuss where you can find great vintage items. I have been on this quest for quite sometime. This is what I've concluded:

Some of the best hidden treasures I have found were actually from local garage sales and estate sales. The thing with garage sales is that many people who have garage sales do not know the true value and uniqueness of what they have. Their main objective is clearing out and selling whatever anyone is willing to purchase. Like they say, "One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure". What I love most about this is that you will find very unusual items that you won't see someone else wearing. Most vintage clothing is very well made and stands the test of time. You will want to really look over the item carefully before making an offer. You need to search for stains, pulls, missing button or other embellishments that may be on the item. Is the zipper working if there is one?  All these needs need to be carefully examined. 

Estate sales are another excellent place to curate vintage clothing. However, if the owners have hired a company to run the sale then chances are they are experts in the field and will know the true value of pieces and will price them accordingly. So therefore you too need to become an expert and know what the item should be worth. 

There are many online auctions that you can research. I love this way of searching for vintage because you bid on an item and set your maximum bid and if it's for resale then you know your limit of what you're willing to pay and still make money. Online auctions work well for contemporary clothing as well, not just vintage. You can get some really awesome designer clothing for very low prices. If you're dressing yourself you can look like a million bucks for under $100. Believe me. I've done it myself. 

I am beginning to understand the vintage craze for myself first hand.   Once you get bitten by the vintage bug is becomes an obsession, and the thrill of finding the next great item is like hitting the lottery!