Vintage Shopping

If these photos don't excite and inspire then I recommend going back two posts or forward a few, when we discuss all things new. But for now I will bask in one of my favorite past times... vintage and thrift shopping.


As far as I'm concerned, there are 3 types of this kind of shopping:

1. Down & Dirty Digging
2. Presorted and Simple Sifting
   
3. Careful & Considerate Choosing

Category 1 holds the Goodwill's and generic thrift stores of the world. Not many people can go here. It takes a lot of patience and endurance because it's very time consuming and you have to have an eagle eye to find that jewel of an item, wedged between a rack of horrible, smelly discards. But I happen to believe this is the most rewarding, because when you find that gem - it's usually extremely cheap and oh-so-cool. (And there is such a thing as dry cleaning, so don't be such a snob.)

Category 2 falls within the preselected thrift (or trading) stores, usually run by people with some sort of taste and fashion sensibility. All of the items in these stores, such as the ones I've told you about like Crossroads and Buffalo Exchange, are presorted. This takes the edge off of the heaps of garbage found in most generic thrift stores.

And lastly, category 3 is in the real vintage shopping boutiques. Oh, this kind of experience is divine because you can actually feel the history surrounding you like a whisper of moments from days past. I always, always walk away deeply in love with something, and quite nostalgic for an era that I have only visited in my dreams... But please note - items in these stores aren't necessarily for the dirt digging bargain hunters, and they can cost you a pretty penny, because they are true and valuable vintage.






Category 1. 1970's vintage jumpsuit (with pockets!) from Out of The Closet for $6.00!
Category 2. Hat from Crossroads - it was a new item, that I happened to get for free, because I traded in a bunch of stuff from my latest closet reconstruction.


Happy shopping!