VINTAGE

  Picture girls scrambling to find chic and sometimes not so chic thrift stores, consignment shops and estate sales on a sunny afternoon. They pick through piles and search through racks in hopes of finding unique gems. They shop boutiques catered to the once worn and sift through blogs that reminisce through. THIS is the life of vintage.

 As the current generations run out of original ideas for style, fashion mavens turn to gems from yesteryears and other previous eras to fill in the gaps of their wardrobes. From timeless pieces to atrocious have-nots, the need for original pieces has shifted thrifting from a need for inexpensive clothes to a hunt for one of a kind pieces to make or complement ensembles. Brands, companies, and stores have made their name by selling vintage and vintage-esque clothing such as ModCloth, NastyGal, Urban Outfitters, etc.

What is the fascination with vintage I wonder? Is vintage nothing more than old clothing, shoes, and accessories that are no longer stylish or trendy? One of the few cons of vintage life today is its mainstream status.  It’s the never ending conundrum of using vintage as a way to stand out while everyone else does the same thing. I call it the “hipster effect”.

It seems that the relics of our nation’s culture and other cultures from 20 years past and beyond have more prevalence in the fashion world than anything contemporary that designers can come up with. It’s just something about nostalgia that stylish devotees have to incorporate into their wardrobes.