Where should I shop online ?

[Erin Bailey]

Hello! I’m newer to the vintage style overall.
Is there any sites anybody recommends that is not extremely costly for swing skirts/dresses, tops, ect???

 

[LuvMyMan]

Hello! I’m newer to the vintage style overall.
Is there any sites anybody recommends that is not extremely costly for swing skirts/dresses, tops, ect???

Erin, I am sure some of the ladies here can give you some direction, myself I just spend time on eBay and Etsy, keeping my eye open for what I would desire and then to find something decent, not over priced and that would actually fit. You will find a lot of vintage items floating around for us, normally will be either way too large or very small. I wear a size 4 dress and even at that smaller size, it is not easy to find really nice vintage items.

 

[LolitaHaze]

Hello Erin! Welcome to the wonderful world of VINTAGE!! Etsy and Ebay are probably your best bets. My advice is to get your measurements; bust, waist, hip, as well as your shoulder to waist measurement. I know for me, I am extremely long waisted, so dresses that should theoretically fit me in the waist are actually too short and actually ride around my ribs, right under my boobs. So not exactly a great fit! It is because of this I find myself sewing my own clothes so I can build them to scale - so to say. Good luck on your journey!

 

[The1940sHousewife]

Etsy is a great site for finding reproduction clothing. Also try Modcloth or Unique Vintage Sometimes I can find a really cute skirt or top on there for cheap. But I usually don't shop on there just because sometimes you get what you pay for. I'd rather save up and spend my money on a few high quality items or just sew them myself.

 

[Aerielle Max]

Hello! I’m newer to the vintage style overall.
Is there any sites anybody recommends that is not extremely costly for swing skirts/dresses, tops, ect???

I would love to hear more ideas and sites about vitage clothes.

 

[Thaxter]

Hi -- I'm also new to this site overall! For clothes, I just search contemporary sites for "midi" skirts and dresses, and blouses and tops long sleeves. Some of these are vintage enough looking that with vintage-styled accessories and the right hair I can approach a more traditional late 40s look. It's harder to find vintage suits and really specific vintage articles if you have them in mind, but ebay would be a good place to start. Also, it help if you have a brand you like and a size you know fits, especially during the pandemic when stores are closed. For example, I know that Ann Taylor clothing size 10 fits me well, so I can go to ebay and search for Ann Taylor skirts size 10 and then narrow it down to midi lengths and more traditional styles.

 

[MissNathalieVintage]

Hi -- I'm also new to this site overall! For clothes, I just search contemporary sites for "midi" skirts and dresses, and blouses and tops long sleeves. Some of these are vintage enough looking that with vintage-styled accessories and the right hair I can approach a more traditional late 40s look. It's harder to find vintage suits and really specific vintage articles if you have them in mind, but ebay would be a good place to start. Also, it help if you have a brand you like and a size you know fits, especially during the pandemic when stores are closed. For example, I know that Ann Taylor clothing size 10 fits me well, so I can go to ebay and search for Ann Taylor skirts size 10 and then narrow it down to midi lengths and more traditional styles.

Your best option in to learn the cut and style of what era you are trying to go for first before you spend money on clothing you may never end up wearing.
Plus it also depends on your figure too. I adore the 1930s and the 1960s and none of those eras work for my figure. My shape favors the 1940s-1950s.

Start at your local public library, books to look up:
Everyday Fashions of the Forties as Pictured in Sears Catalogs

Few publications illustrate so comprehensively what American men, women, and children wore in the 1940s than the Sears catalogs of those years, when the company's fashions typified the tastes of the American mainstream. This book is a compilation of 122 fully illustrated and captioned pages selected and reproduced from rare copies of Sears catalogs of the World War II era.
Over 120 large-format pages have been carefully reprinted on high-quality glossy stock. They reveal in sharp detail the broad range of clothing fashions available during a period when wartime gasoline rationing made mail-order shopping reach new heights of popularity.
Hundreds of accurately detailed drawings depict articles of clothing and personal accessories, including hats, overcoats, shoes, dresses, sportswear, undergarments, neckties, and more. Styles for children range from play clothes to "Sunday best." Men's clothing reflects the conservativism in male fashions during the period. Women's wear ranges from slacks, newly popular with women in the workforce, to dresses with plenty of "Oomph."
Here is a richly revealing document that historians of costume and readers interested in fashion, social history, and Americana will find endlessly fascinating. JoAnne Olian, curator of the Costume Collection at the Museum of the City of New York, has written an introduction that appraises the fashions of the 1940s and the many ways in which they reflected the times.

Everyday Fashions of the Fifties as Pictured in Sears Catalogs

One hundred twenty pages of illustrations, accompanied by descriptive captions, depict one-piece strapless bathing suits and dresses with plunging necklines for women; business suits with wide lapels for men; bluejeans, plaid shirts, and full, knee-length swing skirts for girls; fringed cowboy suits for youngsters of both genders; more. Over 300 black-and-white illustrations.

And you can watch old movies too from the era you are going for. And I'm pretty sure you already have a few items in your wardrobe you can piece together. All you really need to start with is a skirt that goes up to your knees and a button down shirt.

And from what I learned is you want to start off with plain colors these will become your foundation items. A plain colored button down shirt in one color same with your skirts and dresses. And no need to get into real vintage just yet you'll want to build up your wardrobe first and the quickest way to do that is to start off with just the basics. Plus it also depends on what you do for a living too.

I myself use to wear real vintage but after worrying about spoiling the garment I quit buying true vintage and I buy new that looks like it came straight out of the 1940s or 1950s.

If you have any questions on anything from hair-undergarments to shoes I'll give you all the advice I can and you will not have to spend tons of money to do it.