Rocking the '80s All Over Again: How To Be A Smart Vintage Shopper

Okay girls, I’m going to let you in on a little secret I like to call Smart Vintage Shopping. This guide will help you be the girl with the awesome ‘70s clutch that everyone gushes over, as opposed to the lady who thought it would be acceptable to wear an orange jumpsuit to the first day of class. I’m not trying to bash orange jumpsuits, I’m just saying, I’ve bought one—I tried to rock it and not look like I belong in a jail cell—it wasn’t pretty. But seriously, vintage shopping is one of those things that sounds awesome but can ultimately be pretty intimidating. After reading this guide, though, even your mom will want to raid your closet—and you’d think she would be the one with the awesome wardrobe from 1970!

First things first: why buy vintage?

Vintage is technically defined as any piece of clothing that is 20 years or older—which means theoretically, all your t-shirts from 1990 count as vintage now! Danielle Mandel, NYU student and vintage-shopper extraordinaire points out that not only is vintage clothing accessible, but it’s also usually cheaper than stuff you can find in any retail store. Also, it’s durable. Sara Ryer, another NYU student and sales employee at well-known Manhattan vintage boutique Zachary’s Smile, says, “Vintage garments hold up a lot better than contemporary clothing. They’ve remained in good shape for up to 30 years—what’s going to make them fall apart now?”

How do you get started?

Headshot contributed by Sammy Davis Sammy Davis, founder of “the H&M of vintage,” Sammy Davis Vintage has a mission: to “help women achieve feel-good fashion through do-good practices.” For the lady who has never shopped vintage before and needs some inspiration, she suggests checking out WhatIWore.com, a daily fashion blog created and maintained by Jessica Schroeder, a particularly stylish vintage goddess. She champions the internet at large to find actual stores: “You just have to use Google,” she says. “FIND the Goodwill, the church stores, the Salvation Army—you can go on their site and go to their store locator, just like you would with a supermarket!” Mandel also suggests making lists: “I made lists of all the stores I wanted to explore, and I just went. That way, I got a feel for prices, quality, and styles.”

What to do if you don’t live in a big city (hi, college towns!)?

Davis is actually very enthusiastic about small town vintage shopping, so get psyched—you could have an edge on the big city shoppers. “Different regions, different clothes,” Davis says. “It’s definitely a positive to be elsewhere because there are different clothes, and if you’re shopping outside of NYC you are definitely going to be spending half the cost.” Mandel agrees. “Try to avoid New York at all costs! Just go to Goodwill…it may seem skeevy—get over it.” Skeevy? “Well, if you’re shopping at a boutique the clothes are usually cleaned before going on the racks. If you’re shopping elsewhere though, you MUST wash your clothes before wearing them. You don’t know where they’ve been…I try not to think about it.”

Stay focused

From a Sammy Davis Vintage photo shoot, contributed by Sammy Davis Girls, you know that shopping is like a battle—you’ve got to find your stuff, get it before anyone else does, and then get outta there! Vintage shopping is just like that, but even more intense (think the notorious wedding gown sale at Filene’s Basement in downtown Boston). Check out your wardrobe before you start shopping—don’t buy what you don’t need! Then pick one item you really want to find, and strategize from there. “Think about what you want in your wardrobe,” Davis said. “Say you want a little black dress.” She explained that vintage stores are often organized by color and by style, so you can go to the black section, or the dress section. That cuts down the time you spend looking by a lot, and means you’re more likely to make a good buy.

Go with a group

Davis points out that your friends often know your style better than you do, so if you bring along a group, you might get a great find thanks to your friends’ eyes! “Also, if you’re intimidated in the beginning, making it a social outing can be really fun,” she said. “You can go for coffee afterwards and check out your stuff!”