Vintage clothing: when is enough, enough?

[pigeon toe]

I probably need the 12 Step Program too! But I plan on owning a vintage clothing shop in my future, so I think it's understandable that it's a huge part of my life and a passion for me. I need to calm down with the spending though!

At least I'm starting to wear a lot of my pieces out more. I think I'm finally getting sick of wearing jeans..!

 

[NicolettaRose]

For $53 plus tax I got:
vintage:
black handbag
60s totebag
chiffon dress with dropped waist and rhinestone trim
Persian lamb swing jacket with sable collar
dressmaker aqua suit top with mink collar
dressmaker orange skirt
70s orange and white top
70s orange top from a nice department store with tag still on it:$24.99! back then!
new:
Talbots silky nightgown
safari-style dress with the belt
50s style black and white topper, store tags still on
Anne Klein II houndstooth silk dress size 6 haha it fits me!
the only pair of vintage shoes were size 8 so it looks like neither Lady Day nor I are going to have any shoes today.

oooo, nice haul!!!

 

[BegintheBeguine]

No shoes last week either

Thank you! I do pretty well. Last week I got a new brown Ann Taylor leather jacket for $10, and for an extra $20:
vintage:
2 muumuus
red dressmaker suit
beige silk dress from Hong Kong
boucle jacket dress with the belt
azure pants suit from Sears
seersucker short sleeved jacket
black handbag with the mirror
new:
quilted zebra striped jacket for my mom
baby's Chinese ceremonial jacket and hat with tags still attached, for Mr. Wong the pug to wear for Chinese New Year (just in case y'all thought I was sane)

 

[Brooksie]

baby's Chinese ceremonial jacket and hat with tags still attached, for Mr. Wong the pug to wear for Chinese New Year (just in case y'all thought I was sane)[/QUOTE]From BegintheBeguine

Gotta love that!

Brooksie

 

[Zig2k143]

Enough is never enough!!

Vintage is my passion, my livelihood, my income....I would die without it! I live and breathe vintage. I never want to stop buying, and chances are I never will. I only get rid of contemporary clothing when it's tattered.

I 2nd that grace... I'm into more is better myself with most things in life...

 

[nightandthecity]

Yes...*stands up* My name is Nicoletta C, and I am a vintageholic....

I wonder if there is a 12 step program for recovering vingtageholics? My guess it would probably going shopping at the gap.

One step programme - become a dealer. Then you have to move the stuff on or starve.

It won't cure you but it does add a measure of control!

 

[pigeon toe]

I think I'm getting to be in the recovery stages already. I hardly Ebay anymore and at the last Vintage Expo I only bought one dress (granted, it WAS over-priced...).

However, my poor boyfriend is now getting hooked (he jokingly calls Classic Style "the Good Book"). He'll probably find a way to drag me back into the addiction with him!

 

[Renee]

Well, I don't do actual vintage, mainly I use vintage looks for a "classic style" inspiration. However, I'm quite strict with myself. I just don't see a use for overbuying/overcollecting. The problem is, there's always something that you will like or want - whether new or old - and it's easy to get caught up on that rollercoaster.

I started paring down my closet about 10 years ago. I took a good look at my lifestyle, what I was actually wearing in my closet, and went from there. I refuse to impulse buy anymore, so I avoid E-bay (which encourages impulse buying, as you've got to get that bid in!). I treat every new purchase as if it's a major one, even pantyhose. An old vintage beauty book that I own (it's in storage so I can't quote it exactly) advised having a maximum of three items that are worn frequently - one to wash, one to wear, and one for the drawer. (I admit I break that rule with underwear and nighties, but I'm constantly working on it.)

I think having a smaller wardrobe is actually quite vintage-esque. Have you seen the size of the closets in older homes?! You can't squeeze much in there!

 

[ShooShooBaby]

I think having a smaller wardrobe is actually quite vintage-esque. Have you seen the size of the closets in older homes?! You can't squeeze much in there!

ahh, but my bedroom in the 1897 farmhouse i live in has 3 closets and 2 cupboards, and 4 drawers built into the walls, so i guess that means i get to fill them!

 

[Kimberly]

I was reading this thread earlier and laughing to myself because I can identify with a lot of it. I have accumulated a ton of vintage clothes that I am going to sort through and put on consignment. I don't have enough room for the new stuff I am buying so it's time for some of it to go. I was just going through my closet and found 4 dresses I forgot I bought that are very pretty and they are all off to consignment because I don't think I will ever wear them.

I too want to open a vintage shop one day and I want to see how my stuff sells. I could never do it on eBay though because I don't want to deal with the hassles you get from online purchases.

 

[Foofoogal]

I love this thread. As a dealer of antique items since 1996 and a collector I think since I could walk, I have found collecting is 90% emotion and need.
A need to really gather comfort from perceived simpler times.
I don't think this is off topic but may be.
As a little girl I lived near an old lady who owned a small antiques store in her home. I come from a large family with lots of children but this lady would let me come in her shop and sit on a stool and watch her. She had beautiful glass and things. This planted the seed.
In the early 1980s my mother talked me into buying 2 old dolls at a yard sale. Soon after she passed away suddenly. No kidding when I say all of a sudden I had to have more dolls. I went to doll shows and bought dolls and even won ribbons with my vintage dolls mostly 1950s ones. One day just like a switch when I had about 40 dolls I had enough.
Searching for the dolls I picked up alot of glass and I think milk glass was the first thing I collected, then carnival glass and then art glass etc. So of course when I became a dealer it was almost out of necessity to make room and I was mostly a glass dealer and doll dealer as it was what I knew.
Now I had picked up some clothing and sold them here and there but somehow when I found this site really about 2 years ago I started thinking more about seriously collecting and selling vintage and so here I am trying to do this seperately from my antiques. So now I have my current collecting obsession and am fascinated with the designs and the creativity.
As children people really used to be encouraged to collect things. Hobbies used to be a huge thing during earlier times before gadget times.
I feel unless it is hurting you or your family by spending too much and it brings comfort or joy it doesn't seem to me to be bad.
I actually took a recent financial class and was actually taught in that class that things that will generally go up in value are assets and not liabilities. Sure helped me. With all that I would say be sure to buy quality clothing if a return is expected some day unless of course it is just a fun thing which is okay also. I feel the same about vintage clothing as with all my antiques. They are only getting older. Period. People ship them back and forth or wear them and sooner or later the real ones will be less and less like my glass. Pristine is hard to find and supply and demand law kicks in unless of course someone invents a time machine. I will be first one on. lol
Collectors need to see themselves really as preservers of history. Beautiful gorgeous history. I wish I could tell you the stories I have heard and what joy some of the stuff I have sold brings. I see it sort of like being a clown in a circus. Really gives me satisfaction when a person is happy with something and I pass it on to them to love. Who knows if 70 years later it will still a family heirloom. I would like to think so.
The antiques business has a rhythm to it I am told by the older dealers. Comes in real cycles and I am told it has to do with the age of collectors and generations. Hope I didn't get too far off track. Sandy

 

[Kimberly]

Foo, I love your post. The story about the elderly lady letting you into her store and the one of your mother are very touching.

It is definately a comfort thing for me. My mother was a minimalist and I remember going to my grandmothers who had a ton of old stuff. I used to love to look at them, touch them, smell them, etc. Now I am the direct opposite of my mother and have a cluttered look going on that I love. Vintage clothing to me is magical. I actually like to turn my garments inside out to look at the stitching!

That is why I love the FD so much. I always felt like a freak of some sort and it's so comforing to know there are thousands out there just like me!

 

[imoldfashioned]

I've finally lost enough weight that I can start finding vintage dresses that fit me again and that old feeling of wanting to figuratively open my arms and grab every dress on the rack like a bride at the Filene's basement sale is back in spades. I use Lauren's rule of not using credit cards, which I find quite effective, but it's awfully hard when you have to let a lovely piece go.

For more about the Filene's event for all you non-Bostonians:

http://www.boston.com/yourlife/fashion/gallery/filenesbasement0220/

 

[Etienne]

Somehow I never saw this thread earlier...but upon reading it, I immediately thought, "When is enough CLOTHING IN GENERAL enough, vintage or otherwise?" I guess I am of the school that says that I don't want things in general to own ME! Moderation is the ticket for me!

 

[Miss Dottie]

I think of vintage clothing as the tip of the iceberg for collecting vintage things. There are books, furniture, kitchen items (that's where it really gets me!) and so many other areas as well!

I try very hard to stay to that rule of not buying clothes (or much of anything) on credit cards. I'm still trying to pay off what I have on my card! But by the end of the year, I should be free of consumer debt. Hoorah!

 

[Pink Dahlia]

fftopic:
Hey Dottie when are we gonna see a new hair pic?

 

[AllaboutEve]

Well, I don't do actual vintage, mainly I use vintage looks for a "classic style" inspiration. However, I'm quite strict with myself. I just don't see a use for overbuying/overcollecting. The problem is, there's always something that you will like or want - whether new or old - and it's easy to get caught up on that rollercoaster.

I started paring down my closet about 10 years ago. I took a good look at my lifestyle, what I was actually wearing in my closet, and went from there. I refuse to impulse buy anymore, so I avoid E-bay (which encourages impulse buying, as you've got to get that bid in!). I treat every new purchase as if it's a major one, even pantyhose. An old vintage beauty book that I own (it's in storage so I can't quote it exactly) advised having a maximum of three items that are worn frequently - one to wash, one to wear, and one for the drawer. (I admit I break that rule with underwear and nighties, but I'm constantly working on it.)

I think having a smaller wardrobe is actually quite vintage-esque. Have you seen the size of the closets in older homes?! You can't squeeze much in there!

Amen.:eusa_clap

 

[gluegungeisha]

I'm starting college] in a few short months, so I'm in the process of both thinning out my clothes and making sure I have the necessities. I've always been a complete shopoholic, so this is a big deal for me, haha!

I've actually got a nice system going! I sell my clothes at a consignment store for credit, and then buy my vintage clothes there. No extra money spent, for the most part, but I've got to come at the right times, because vintage there is hit or miss.

It looks like I might land this job at my favorite vintage store too, so maybe I'll be able to get a discount...

 

[Adelaidey]

I have the opposite problem, hon-- I moved back home from college for the summer, and found that I had grown too accustomed to the closet in my dorm, and now have too many clothes to fit in my room (I don't have a closet, just a tiny armoire and some drawers), as I only began to acquire actual vintage pieces while I was away at school, and now I find myself with a small space that's not even tall enough to hang a dress in! So I'm making my way to the shops this weekend to look for a new storage system for my lovely vintage dresses.... any tips?

But for me, my vintage collection is still so small (6 dresses + bits 'n' bobs) that the "Enough is Enough!" stage seems so far off! I have very little money (thanks Uni!...grr...), and I am extremely frugal by nature, so I only add a piece to my collection every month or two. Needless to say, if any of you ladies weeding out your wardrobes have extra vintage sizes 16 or 18, just send 'em my way!

 

[Hamilton_Honey]

Vintage anything - enough is enough?