Old is the New Vintage

By Vivian

I adore vintage stuff. Nothing makes me squeal quite like walking into a vintage boutique and running my hands along the delicate lace dresses and feather trimmed hats. The fact that all vintage shops have such adorably cleaver names just endear them to me more (Hello, Again Boutique? Another Man’s Treasure? *squeal!).

Sigh. Too bad they’re all too damn expensive to shop from. Ever since vintage became fashionable, the prices have skyrocketed. Eighty bucks for a blouse? That’s like, eighty times what it sold for in the seventies! When it comes down to it, I’m not willing to pay that much for a brand new shirt, let alone an old, used one. And don’t get me started on Goodwill – trust me, you don’t want to set foot into the one by me. Not only do they lack anything remotely cute, but the place is pretty gross, smells funny and houses some sketchy people. Ever get hit on by creepy homeless men while digging through a barrel of old nighties? No? Well you can take my word for it – it’s not fun.

Anyway, back to my point. In an act of sheer desperation born from an utter lack of cash, I went rifling through the only other place I knew that could possibly cater to my vintage needs: my 78 year old grandmother’s closet. Oh yeah, I went there… and to my surprise, I actually snagged some great finds!

It turns out you can find a lot of great stuff that, while it may not look so hot on your aged grandmother, will look pretty darn fashionable on you. It’s all about how you rock it – add a belt to an oversized dress to make it fit better, hem the skirt if it’s too long. Hell, while you’re at it, turn it into a mini and make your grandma really squirm.

If sharing outfits with your granny is too much for you, dig through her old jewelry box (with permission of course; you wouldn’t want to lose the diamond heirloom passed down for generations at some club). With luck, you might score some awesome costume jewelry: chunky necklaces, cocktail rings, and pearl-encrusted brooches maybe? Have fun with it. I did. And the best part of it all? I didn’t spend a dime.

So go for it, dear readers, and make sure you leave a comment to tell me about your awesome finds! Just do me a favor and stay away from the granny panties (literally)!