I like to think I have a very unique style. I scour yard sales, thrift stores and basements for the sake of fashion. For me, finding clothes is like the show "American Pickers." I could always go buy new stuff, but to find really cool stuff I have to be willing to look in strange places that many people wouldn't want to go to. And in my opinion, the older something is, the cooler it is. I don't wear vintage clothing every day, but I'm working on that.
I love shopping, but I'm incredibly cheap. To me, spending more than $20 on any article of clothing is a ridiculous splurge. All of the expensive things I own were gifts—if you point out anything in my wardrobe that costs more than $20, I can almost guarantee you that I did not pay for it with my own money. It's okay though, because nearly all of my favorite things were extremely cheap, or even free. I wouldn't have it any other way. This love of good deals feeds my desire to hunt for my clothes
I guess my obsession with old clothes comes from my love for history. I'm not going to lie; I'm not a fan of most things pop culture. I think all reality shows are stupid, and I can honestly say there are no women I've seen in magazines lately that I really have any desire to dress like. For inspiration, I look to people who have been dead for a long time, or perhaps to historical photographs, old advertisements, or 1970s family photo albums.
Wearing something older than me gives me a connection to the past I really can't get in any other way. There's no better feeling than rescuing someone's old, unwanted stuff and making it you own. I love having clothes with a history. And when people ask about my vintage clothes, I love to tell them where I got them.
Last July, for instance, I was "yard saleing" (this is what everyone in my family calls our random drives through an area in search of yard sales) with my cousin Rhonda near West Virginia when I made some of my best finds yet. I bought a leather bomber jacket for three dollars and a very nice lady's 1968 lime-green, floral linen prom dress for five dollars. I felt like a champion.
My favorite T-shirts all came out of my basement —they were my mom's in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, which means they are cool again. Who has a 1982 Kenny Rogers concert shirt? This kid! The older and quirkier a shirt is, the prouder I am of it. They are conversation starters and complement getters.
There are many benefits to buying vintage clothes other than saving money and looking cool. For example, if you buy pre-existing clothes, then you aren't supporting any sweat shop labor in Southeast Asia or polluting the environment. Also, chances are they are made better than anything you can buy at a department store for any sort of reasonable price.
I know that buying clothes from a thrift store is unthinkable to some women. "People died in those clothes," someone might say. They stick up their noses at the discarded clothing. I pity these people. Everyone needs to be adventurous when it comes to fashion; otherwise, life is less fun. And I can almost guarantee there is nothing wrong with most of these clothes that a run through the washing machine won't fix.
I would recommend a trip to a local thrift store like The Shop on Main or a Goodwill store to anyone. You never know what you might find. If you're feeling a little less adventurous, you can even buy vintage clothes online. I like vintagetrends.com and Etsy.com, though they are sometimes a little overpriced for me. Just know that we can't all wear UGG boots and North Face jackets every single day— life gets boring that way.
If you want, you can even take it a step further. My love for old things also transcends into furniture. I refinish it as a hobby. The pink chair in my dorm room? I pulled that out of the Rappahannock River, sanded off the old finish, constructed a new seat out of plywood and old t-shirts, and painted it myself.
My philosophy is that style shouldn't be a sort of canned thing that you just copy from a magazine or buy from a department store. Go out there and find it for yourself. No matter what size you are or style you're into, I believe you can find your new favorite article of clothing this way. Look in the darkest corners of every store. Fight cobwebs and dust and never be afraid to take some risks.