by R Shimoda

Created on: September 23, 2009   Last Updated: September 24, 2009

The best vintage clothes are used ones. That's right. To those of you that just uttered an mental "yuck", it's probably not worth reading the rest of this article. Those who are interested in getting the most bang for their bucks, I'll share some tips on where to look for vintage clothes.

One of the easiest places to look for vintage clothes are thrift shops. Typically one can find either a Savers (run by Cerebral Palsy), Thrift Shop run by Salvation Army or Goodwill. All three do a good job of sorting clothes but I've found that shops in some areas have better quality clothes than others. It seems to be that stores located close to high price neighborhoods tend to get better stuff. Sometimes the store staff will make a difference on how the clothes are sorted and displayed. In some areas, Goodwill is the best of the three and in other areas, it may be Salvation Army.

When you shop at these stores, keep an eye out for specials such as 1/2 off day or Senior Citizen discount days, those will help you to stretch your dollar a little more. Savers will offer a $3 for $10 or more purchase if you donate stuff so we usually bring items to donate when we shop at Savers. Before purchasing the clothes, check the buttons (are they all there? are they all the same? any ready to fall off?), seams (ripping? minor repair? unraveling?), color (fading in spotty areas?) and attachables such as glitter or rhinestones. A quick assessment will tell you whether it's worth purchasing the clothes or not.

Another good place to look are garage sales. Check the local paper or Craigslist to see if there are any garage sales in your neighborhood. Again, garage sales in areas where the houses are expensive will typically have the best quality items and it will be easier to bargain. Bring about $100 in small bills and your checkbook just in case when you go out on these expeditions. If it's a good garage sale, we will get a mass of stuff then offer a low price to see if we can get it cheap. Surprisingly enough 90% of the times, the owners will let us have the items for the proposed price.

White Elephant sales at Churches, Schools or Youth groups are also good areas to look for vintage clothes. Usually the church run garage sales tend to offer better vintage clothes since there always seems to be a group of older parishioners that will donate unwanted times. I found a ladie's Skagen watch that only needed a new battery ($5) and paid $1 for a watch that should've sold for $50. It helps if you know what you're looking for.

Again just like the thrift stores, be sure to check what you're getting since all sales are final. Hope this helps you in your quest for vintage clothes. Happy Shopping!

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