Where do you get your clothes? Where do you find your vintage? Where are all your hats from? How do you find such wonderful pieces? These and so much more are questions we get asked on a regular basis and while we do our best to always tag the source, sometimes that's impossible. Not to mention that a lot of our clothes is thrifted, found online, and through various different channels. While there isn't one straight answer; we thought it was time to share our favorite tips and tricks to achieving a fabulous wardrobe on a limited budget. We are pinups on a budget after all. We believe that you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to look good. We want to share with you, our dear readers, some tips and tricks we have learned over the years that have made it possible to dress fabulously while on a budget. We aren't experts by any means,but we are here to help and share our knowledge with you. So keep scrolling to see how you can dress like "thehepburnmovement"!
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Tips & tricks
Unfortunately we aren't able to procure many true vintage items in person, as the sellers in our area who charge affordable prices are far and few in between. However thanks to the power of the internet and the amazing vintage community online, we are still able to dress the way we like without breaking the bank.
First off is quite frankly the most important tip of all
KNOW YOUR MEASUREMENTS
Now why is this so important? Well for a few reasons, a lot of vintage is delicate and being over 70 years old we don't blame it. That means if you buy something too small, there are chances of it getting ruined when you try it on. The second reason is a lot of vintage is NOT stretchy, the materials used to create clothing were completely different back then especially compared to today's clothing. Spandex and elastic waists weren't very common especially for the styles of clothes we wear. Last but certainly not least, our sizing today is completely different to how it was 70 years ago or even older. There are no sizing charts when it comes to vintage; your measurements are key to ensure a garment will fit comfortably and well. Some common measurements to have handy include bust, waist, and hips as well as your max length that you are able to wear. While there are others that may come in handy, these are the most common ones shown when items are listed and that will help you when shopping for vintage.
BE SPECIFIC
Secondly, know what you are searching for and we don't just mean a pink frilly dress. Specifics will help you truly narrow it down to find exactly what you're looking for and not spend hours aimlessly scrolling through pages on the internet. We have a few key words we like to use, but feel free to tailor them to your interests as they are fool proof regardless of which style you like.
Key words we use when scouring the internet:
-Vintage/Vtg
-Wounded bird/ TLC (these items will need some love to make them wearable again, but they will be discounted)
-The decade (1940s/40s, 1950s/50s, 1960s/60s)
-The style (pencil/wiggle, circle/swing, shirtwaist/shirt dress, day dress, gown)
Take for example this outfit was found typing in 1940's green dress.
This one was found searching for a yellow 1950's gown
Ball gowns and party dresses
If we are looking for a vintage prom dress to wear to Dapper Day we would search- Vintage 1950s prom, Vintage 50s dress formal, Vtg prom dress, and any other combination because each seller uses different verbiage. Some examples of our gowns found this way are shown below.
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Favorite sellers/stores to shop from
Now while we rely heavily on vintage swap and sell groups on facebook; sometimes we simply can't find what we're looking for in our price range on them so that's when we turn to our favorite stores/sellers. Instagram and Etsy are amazing platforms to connect with sellers, favorite shops, and keep tabs on them for future purchases. A lot of vintage sellers sell primarily on instagram or have sneak peeks to Etsy sales on there. So we definitely recommend following them on instagram if you can. We understand that social media isn't for everyone, so Etsy is our next best option. It is free and easy to use it allows you to favorite items, sellers, and even create different lists and categories for vintage items.
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While we enjoy browsing Etsy from time to time, our tried and true favorite is Ebay. That's right you can find vintage on Ebay as well as other platforms if not better. Here is where key words and measurements truly come in handy. Ebay is a surprisingly good source for vintage, if you know what you're looking for.
We also keep an eye out for sellers that have "Best offer", because with those items you can typically get a good deal because they want the item gone.
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We hope you enjoyed the first installment of this series; while we know online shopping isn't for everyone we wanted to share tips for those who are fans or want to try it out. Shopping online can be incredibly daunting with returns, shipping, and not being able to try it online. Just like in person shopping its risky and scary, but we hope after reading this post you can do it with confidence. While our collection certainly didn't happen over night and we are by no mean experts. We just want to help others achieve these looks in a way that won't break the bank. Thank you to everyone who reached out, suggested this idea and even helped with tips! We hope you found this helpful and make sure to keep an eye out for part two where we tell you how we source vintage in person.
If you have any comments, questions or even suggestions on what you'd like to see us do next, feel free to comment below and we'll do our best to reply in a timely manner.
As always thanks for reading, may your days be filled with pretty dresses, dapper clothes & a lot of happiness.
Paola & Kyra xx
Aka"thehepburnmovement"
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