I have to admit, as much as I love the idea of a great vintage find, I don’t necessarily have the patience to visit the possible hundreds of consignment shops in my neighborhood. I *was* able to score two really cute vintage items from eBay: a cool brown leather blazer from the 70s and a YSL coat from the 80s. Buying vintage is not only a good way to be stylishly fabulous at a fraction of the cost, but it’s also being kind to the environment since you’re “reusing” previously loved clothing!

So how does one go about buying vintage? Check out these quick tips from Jennine of thecoveted.com:

1. Does it fit?

Vintage pieces are often a much higher quality than what you will find today. Many pieces are hand stitched using beautiful fabrics. But everything deteriorates. Some older pieces will tear easier than their contemporary counterparts. If something doesn’t fit properly (meaning, when you are breathing normally) it may give you problems.

Up until the 60’s women wore Foundation Garments under their clothes. They were mostly used to hold up stockings and to give an hourglass shape. That’s how they were able to achieve such a silhouette. Go easy on yourself, besides, there is always Spanx.

2. Check zippers, buttons, seams, is everything working? Are there any stains, tears, weird smells?

A broken zipper can be fixed by a tailor, most dry cleaners can do it, or if you are a crafty one, then great. Factor that into the price, the amount of repairs or work that has to be done. As for smells, I’m not good at that, once I bought a cool army jacket, and I didn’t know until I got home that it reaked. Dry cleaning didn’t help, it was like a Seinfeld episode. The jacket had to go.

3. Picking pieces you are going to wear.

Unless you are a collector, buying dresses you’ll never wear is just a waste of money. I know lots of women who wear vintage in a very inconspicuous way. How they do it, is they look for elements that tie in with current trends.

And here’s a few tips from me on how to WEAR vintage:
* Make an extravagant vintage piece be the focal point of your outfit, keeping everything else relatively plain

* Keep your look modern by pairing time pieces (i.e. a 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, or 80s piece) with something from the present time. You want to avoid looking like you’re wearing a costume.

* To reiterate from the advice from Jennine shown above, fit is so important! It it does not fit, you must quit…lol.

* If you’re a vintage virgin, start out with vintage accessories like necklaces, purses, and shoes.

* For vintage style inspiration, look at celebs like Chloe Sevigny (shown below) and Sienna Miller.

Check out these other wonderful sites with helpful tips on shopping vintage:

Tips on How to Buy Vintage: What to Look For and What to Avoid When Buying Vintage Fashion
InStyle.com: How to Shop for Vintage Clothing and Accessories
Instant Vintage
Marian Kihogo

P.S. Don’t forget to post your looks in the Shop Your Stash Challenge! Show some love to your favorite beauty products and get a chance to win a makeup organizer of your choice.