Free Clothing & Apparel

When it comes to buying vintage clothing there are a variety of different things that need to be taken into consideration. You need to know what kind of vintage clothing you should buy by asking yourself what it is that makes you feel good or makes your heart sing in other words what really appeals to you the most. This is very important especially if you are considering collecting vintage clothes, you really should have a focused strategy.

A vintage clothing collection will often start with a specific time period or a specific kind of clothing like sportswear, a certain designer, hats and so on. This will give you almost limitless possibilities. If the main plan is to actually wear the vintage clothing then you need to look for clothing that is going to be sturdy enough and not going to get easily damaged with average wear. Try to avoid any irreplaceable and frail items and make sure to limit yourself only to items that can be cleaned safely.

When it comes to wearing vintage clothing, size is very important. You need to make sure that what you purchase fits with some ease and isn't snug because the strain might be too much on the older textiles and you wouldn't want to end up being embarrassed out in public if something should happen. If you are buying them in person make sure to try them on and if you are buying them online make sure to look at the measurements given and compare them to your own measurements not the size given. F you are buying them to just collect, then size doesn't matter at all.

Another thing to remember is to look for good labels. However, that can be a difficult task to do because often the labels are missing or too faded to read. If that turns out to be the case then make sure to look at the construction of the vintage clothing by looking at the quality of the work such as boned bodices, hand sewing, bound buttonholes, handset zippers, covered buttons, piped seams, silk linings, bias bound edges and so on, these are all signs of quality work.

Condition of the piece of clothing is also of great importance. You need to look for textiles that still have a lot of strength left in them as well as integrity and ones that are in good shape and don't appear to have any kind of mending that might need to be done. Make sure the clothing appears clean and smells good and doesn't look heavily worn.

You can start looking for vintage clothing in your own family ask older people in your family if they have any older clothes they might want to give away or even sell to you. It is a great way to connect with your family's history as well. When going outside the family to buy this kind of clothing make sure you go to reputable dealers both online and local shops. You might also consider online auctions when it comes to buying vintage clothes. You can often find some amazing items this way. However, expect to pay a pretty good price to an online seller who has taken the time to find the clothing, clean and repair it.

The cheaper route to go to find some hidden gems when it comes to older clothes would be thrift stores, flea markets and estate sales. Just remember that you will also be spending your time, energy and gas getting to the different places around town and may come away empty handed after all the effort.

No matter where you go to find your vintage clothing always remember they can be an investment. So make sure to take proper care of all the older items you purchase because the value of vintage clothing may continue to go up in value if the trend over the past twenty years is any sign of the popularity of older quality clothing items.