Vintage for really busy women

Do you get up, throw on the first presentable item, make breakfast and lunch and drive your kids to school on the way to work?

Then you may think that vintage fashion is a luxury that you don’t have the time to afford.


No need to be overwhelmed! Just take a deep breath and consider what vintage will work best for you. And it will work, with the attributes of better quality for the money, saving the world’s limited resources, something no one else is wearing and the opportunity for self-expression. Also—dare I say it?—a chance to have fun.

I would suggest taking what you are currently wearing as a starting place. Are you the type that wears pants and a sweater? A dress and jacket? Go look for the equivalent pieces in vintage.

I know that vintage princess-y poofy formals, dramatic flapper dresses and siren swimsuits are the sorts of things that we most know and love about vintage. There is a place for the most outgoing of vintage pieces in your wardrobe, but for the busy woman who wants vintage to mix in as part of her day-to-day life, start with what you wear now.

Here are some great vintage choices illustrated by street style bloggers, and some options currently available on Etsy from seller-members of the Vintage Fashion Guild.

A blazer

Courtesy of Jessica Abo

CarlaAndCarla, Catbooks1940s

A blouse

Courtesy of The Sartorialist

vintagerunway, Noble Savage Vintage, Personal Pursuits, JazzbugJam

A sweater

Courtesy of Nora Finds

1932vintage, Noble Savage Vintage, my shop

A skirt

Courtesy of The Sartorialist

MetroRetroVintage, ladyscarletts, StellaRoseVintage

A coat

Courtesy of The Art of the Trench/Burberry

LunaJunctionVintage, RanchQueenVintage, AnatomyVintage

Accessories make perfect choices, and if you are having a hard time dipping your toe into the water, these are great starting places.


A bag

Courtesy of Hummingbird Girls

northstarvintage, VintageFanAttic

Jewelry

Courtesy of That's Life

decotodiscovintage, daisyfairbanks, JazzbugJam, northstarvintage

A scarf

Courtesy of Chicago Street Style

BeeDeeVintage

Glasses

Courtesy of Street Style Sacramento

PinkyAGoGo, LunaJunctionVintage, PinkyAGoGo

Shoes (that look great and you can actually walk in!)

Courtesy of Collage Vintage

RanchQueenVintage, MorningGlorious, BarefootVintageShop, StellaRoseVintage

If you could use a primer, I’ve written a stage by stage guide to getting started with vintage.

Here’s hoping you can put your feet up at the end of the day—not because they hurt, but to show off your great vintage shoes!

What about you, do you lead a very busy life and wear vintage? Any tips from your own experience? Please comment and let us know!

Fresh spring styles interpreted with vintage

I recently went looking at spring fashions at Nordstrom online and I am here to show you why you might want to start your spring shopping with vintage.

Just to be clear, this isn’t about Nordstrom. I am from Seattle, Nordstrom’s home, and I have loved Nordstrom ever since I was a child and a shoe salesman gave me a pair of shoes because I sat on some gum. They’ve always had wonderful customer service.

It’s just that I can’t help but do head-to-head comparisons with some of the items I have in my own shop. I suspect the vintage items are of equal-to or greater quality even as compared to modern well-made designer items.

1960s vintage De Liso Debs pumps, $67 and Manolo Blahnik pumps, $695

Dolce&Gabbana black fit and flare dress, $2,895 and 50s vintage black fit and flare dress, $135

St. John Collection gown, $1,795 and late 40s/early 50s vintage designer gown, $220

Kay Unger pumps, $250 and 60s vintage pumps by Socialites, $29 

Valentino blush pink dress, $5,690 and 60s vintage blush pink dress, $120

Comme des Garçon bloomers, $420 and 20s vintage bloomers, $79

Eliza J floral skirt, $188 and 50s vintage floral skirt, $39

Michael Kors pleated skirt, $995 and 50s vintage Koret pleated skirt, $54

Simone Rocha embellished cardigan, $795 and 50s vintage embellished cardigan, $44

Adieu oxfords, $645 and 50s vintage oxfords, $38

Dolce&Gabbana striped skirt, $695 and 50s vintage striped skirt, $44

Marc Jacobs leather moto jacket, $2,100 and 80s vintage leather moto jacket, $80

Chloé gladiator boots, $1,450 and 60s/70s vintage Thom McAn gladiator boots, $79

Slip dresses, nautical stripes, flowered handbags, wooden box bags, lace...I could go on and on and on!

And you know what? My customer service is pretty good too—I was inspired by Nordstrom after all!

Nordstrom HQ in Seattle, and Me-alias-denisebrain (a very small business!)