Twiggy in this Decade

In 2001, Twiggy was honoured by Cosmetic Executive Women UK. She is pictured at the event's reception posing with two photographs of herself. Left: A photo by Barry Lategan. Right: An image by Brian Aris. Shown in 8/20/2009 on www.Telegraph.co.uk

DO YOU UNDERSTAND VINTAGE SHOPPING?

If you deck yourself out in head to toe in any era does not mean you understand vintage shopping. A vintage mistake is just as bad as any other fashion mistake. You need to do research on the eras that you like before buying. Vintage fashion will be around for a long time because it offers unique clothing with the kind of quality that only top end designers provide today. Vintage tends to be a lot cheaper.

So what exactly is vintage? Well it’s certainly not an item of clothing made in the last 15 years, despite what all those 80’s and 90’s groupies might think. But it’s still a fairly broad category, covering everything under 100 years old. Years ago vintage clothing was either old clothing or simply second hand. It was looked down upon by the fashion conscious folks.. Vintage is now so popular that it has become a mini-industry in itself. There are numerous vintage fashion boutiques around the country and even in Europe and Asia. The top end designers are resurrecting earlier creations of their design salons.

Now you can go to regular vintage fashion events like Manhattan Vintage Show in New York or Vintage Fashion Expo in San Francisco. These types of events that are worth writing on your calendar so you will remember to go to them. These shows have so much vintage available and the shows are so big that it is easy to become overwhelmed and you end up buying nothing.

The real advantage of buying vintage is not the price, or even the much vaunted uniqueness of the pieces, but the cut and the fabrics. Vintage clothing was built to last, and limited budgets plus expensive manufacturing processes meant that good quality clothes were treasured. Vintage clothing is cut to fit so forget skinny actresses that you see in Vogue and Elle. The ideal vintage buyer is a curvier woman. Remember that vintage sizes may be smaller than today’s sizing guidelines that manufacturer follow. Clothing from earlier eras does fit a woman that has hips, bums and busts. You just need to try the clothes on.

To stay a step ahead of the crowd, shop outside of the season. Right now is the best time to hunt for some winter clothing. A good vintage fur coat is great for the winter in New York and works equally well if you are lucky to travel in Europe. A brand new fur coat is extremely politically incorrect. A vintage fur is a bit more ethical. But, if your conscience demands something a more ethical but you still want the fur look, you can try a vintage faux fur.

Now is the time that you should look for vintage cocktail dresses that can be shortened to bring them up to date for the holidays. 1940’s fashion is great for a slightly gentler take on the big shoulder that has dominated the 2009 Designer catwalks. The more unpopular something has been in recent years, the easier it is to find a vintage steal. Velvet is about to have a massive comeback having appeared on the Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Lanvin and Chloe catwalks and is great for injecting a bit of feel good glamour to your winter wardrobe. Look out for rich, dark colors and a fine pile to the fabric.

So where do you find the best vintage for the dollar?

Serious devotees buy at auctions and estate sales. This will are more likely to find a real treasure but these tend to take place during working office hours making them fairly inaccessible to most shoppers. The next best places are the websites of the members of the www.VintageFashionGuild.

Other things to remember when shopping vintage stores:

Don’t worry too much if there are buttons missing, these can always be replaced by your drycleaner, tailor or yourself if you are handy with a needle and thread.

Rips and tears are harder to deal with, especially if they’re not on the seam or the fabric is very delicate, so check carefully before you buy.

Avoid anything with stains under the arms – this cannot be fixed and is very hard to cover up.

Check carefully for moth holes as there is nothing worse than bringing home a lovely dress that ends up not being wearable.

Don’t be afraid to bargain, it doesn’t hurt to ask and vintage sellers are usually in the business because they truly love the clothes, so if they think it’s going to a good home they may be willing to chop the price.

Other things to remember when shopping vintage on web sites:

Read the descriptions carefully. Descriptions will tell you if there are any rips, tears or stains.

If you have any questions about the vintage garment you like then email the online vintage seller.

Remember Internet vintage seller measures the garments flat. So measure a garment that you own flat that is similar to the garment that you plan on buying.

Remember the online seller’s terms and condition for the sale and return policy.

Be sure that you want to buy the garment before ordering.

If you have to return the garment make sure that you can return the garment in the same condition as you received it. Also email the seller within 24 hours of receipts if you need to return it.


Don’t be afraid to wear your vintage buy! There’s no point in buying a gorgeous embroidered 50’s ball gown if it’s just going to sit at the back of your wardrobe. As long as you don’t treat them badly, your vintage clothes are more resilient than they seem. Take care of your vintage as you would any fine garment. Enjoy!

Take a tour of vintage jewelry designers. Chanel, Carnegie, Boucher, KJ Lane, Haskell, Florenza, Hobe, Vendome, Trifari, Josef, Eisenberg, Weiss, Schiaparelli, Mazer, Hagler, Regency, Renoir,…

The must have—A Vintage Handbag

Chanel Quilted Lambskin Leather Shoulder Bag - Navy Blue With Certificate Of Authenticity - French Designer Signed AccessoriesIn addition to the beautiful CHANEL vintage costume jewelry I have listed I also have two CHANEL leather bags to list too from the late 1980's from Sweetie’s Memorable Gemz at Rubylane.com

Handbags are practical jewelry - an accessory that you can use. If a woman wants to have a dramatic flare, there's only one way for her to go…..that is a Vintage bag! Vintage bags have been a fashion treasure for decades. Women loved these bags way back when and today, we are searching for them even more. They are the must-have trend of today , they are seen on the fashion catwalks and fashion magazines, side by side with vintage clothing and accessories, with "vintage" meaning dating anywhere from the 1920s to 1980s.

Julia Roberts, Kate Moss, and Sienna Miller are among the celebrities who have helped spread vintage fever. Now this fever has the old fashion houses scrambling to reproduce their own vintage collections, including handbags, while new designers are launching their vintage-inspired lines.

Vintage bags are everlasting and unique. They fit and look beautiful when you carry them, whatever the occasion. Vintage bags are not just mere items to be worn, but are more like family heirlooms, which can be passed on from one generation to another. Remember when you buy a vintage bag you don't simply buy a handbag: You buy a work of art. Handbags of the 1920s to 1940s were covered with beads and sparkles, embroidery, combined with fine fabrics such as satin, silk, fur and lace. Other popular handbags during the 1940s were made from wood and plastic because metal was saved for the World War II artillery supplies.

In the 1950s, the trend was leather handbags. Popular handbag designers from fashion houses such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Gucci, Prada, Gianni Versace, Judith Leiber, and Balenciaga created designs that are described today as "classic". An example of a classic handbag is the popular Hermes Kelly Bag that was named after actress and Monaco princess Grace Kelly. It was given the limelight in 1956, and has been an iconic handbag ever since.

During the 1960s and 1970s - bags were bright neon colors and patterns like bubbles. In the 1980s, there was a craze for clutch handbags because of the compact design that was great for carrying the essential women stuff for the fancy evening party and the elegant dinner party. The clutch of those days came in various colors worn to match the shoes. The popularity of the vintage handbag is because of their original designs and high quality, plus their potential as a collectible item. Vintage and classic designer handbags are forever, they never go out of fashion. Most vintage handbags are made from fine materials, such as high-quality fabrics that are no longer manufactured, or too expensive. Their details such as the buttons, beads or other ornaments are rare and lovely. No wonder collectors are hunting down these vintage handbags, whether for investment or because of their appreciation of history, especially for the roles and skills of previous generations, including respected designers. And being a part of this "generation-to-generation" history is what you get when you own and wear. Vintage handbags have higher or relatively more stable prices than contemporary ones. This means it's more profitable if you want to sell those vintage bags again. So the vintage bag is a marvelous green item for your wardrobe.

1980s Judith Leiber Alligator Clutchavailable at Decades Inc.

From morninggloriousvintage.com

The Fall Season Jewelry Trend

Costume jewelry is the easiest way to add charm, style and elegance. It is also the most economic fashion investment available in tough times.

The Fall "bling bling" trends are vintage styles mixed with a touch of romantic rock 'n' roll spirit.

Look for statement sizes and gold plate tones like antique gold and burnished gold. And don't be afraid to put layers upon layers, and enjoy the mix-and-match fun.

Vintage glamour is evoked in the multiple-strand tassel necklace featured above with rich texture in its mixed golden metal finishes and intricate braidings. The fringe treatments help add fluidity.

Big, bold romantic rock 'n' roll pieces, are must-have fashion pieces throughout 2009.

So rock on this fall

Incorporating vintage pieces into your modern wardrobe

Now that you have found the greatest piece of vintage clothing, so how do you wear it?

You might think of your vintage clothing as the focal-point in your outfit. The rest of the outfit should compliment it, by shape and color. You pretty much follow the rules as modern fashion goes, but throw in some unique elements of vintage to replace some major parts. Vintage dresses are the are the easiest to incorporate but some ways to modernize them are by simply wearing tights, a modern cardigan, shoes(such as ballet flats) or even just by the way you do your hair. It's up to the wearer to decide how "modern" she(or he!) wants to look, so by adding just a few or all of these things can determine if you look like you are even from this decade!

Buying Future Vintage

Buying vintage needs a discerning eye is required to ensure maximum returns. Buy a good designer at their peak if the label says Dior, you want it to be by Christian himself rather than by Marc Bohan, who took over in 1962. If the piece of clothing is by Yves Saint Laurent, it's haute couture that will accrue the most value in years to come, not Rive Gauche (from the Seventies and Eighties), or Variations (from the Nineties) – both are still too recent to hold the same cache. And even if those criteria are fulfilled, avoid anything that has serious staining or alterations, which seriously decrease the value. Store the pieces out of sunlight (fading is a no-no), and start to get paranoid about moths, damp and mildew.

As far as jeweler goes, wisdom is that signature pieces are key: whereas clothing requires a famous label, stylistically strong pieces from the 1920s and 1930s don't have to be Cartier to be of value. "Rather than the value of the stones, it's the dynamism of the design is the key. Remember that jewelry is very much part of high fashion.

If your investment potential doesn't stretch to haute couture, there is still much to be said for starting small. This theory of demand for exclusivity filters down on to the regular department stores, too, if your budget is a little more limited in this economy. So if you pick up some of-the-moment high-demand fashions – such as the collaborations that some named stores do with big-name designers such as Stella McCartney or Vera Wang for instance – you are almost guaranteed a return for your money.

As the outlay is not as great as that in high fashion, it makes sense that the profit margins won't be as high, but it also makes sense to start somewhere, accruing capital that you can then put into more expensive wares. A sharp eye for detail, the knowledge of what name counts on a label, and a great deal of patience are required if you want to start making fashion work for your bank balance. Shopping to make money necessitates something of a mental shift, it's true, but if you can bear to buy fashion that you will never wear, a potential goldmine awaits.