Finding Clothes

[Miss. Sara Lee]

Hi everyone, I'm just wondering what some good ways are to find vintage and/or rockabilly clothing because I haven't had the best of luck in general. I'm in the western mass area btw.

Also, I've heard that there is a lot of good rockabilly clothes online, and I was wondering what people's opinions are on buying clothing online. I'm also small (5'1" and 100 pounds) so I'm also afraid things will be baggy.

Thanks for any tips!

<3

[Susie Q.]

I live in Palmdale,Ca and I seriously do digging at every store I go to.I go to Wal-mart and find some pretty cute tops and cardigans. Also, at the mall over here I'll find random things like cheetah print pencil skirts,corset like tops, cute high heels, striped/polka dot shirts & sweaters. There is a lot of stuff online too, if I had the money i'd buy all my stuff online(:


-Susie Q.
xoxo

[Miss. Sara Lee]

Thank you, that's very helpful :)

[Kim Bombshell]

The key to buying online is knowing what your measurements are. Another thing is you can always have something taken in, might be harder to have it taken out.

Do an ebay search for "Vintage 50s dress" "vintage 50s blouse" etc...this time of year the prices are really high because of all the girls shopping for Viva. That is another thing to do when searching ebay, do a search for "VLV dress."

Do you have any vintage stores in your area? Being tiny is an advantage when shopping for vintage. Many women, especially in the 40s during the war, were very small. You should be able to find lots of stuff that fits, and if you have a small foot (6 or under) you should be able to find great vintage pumps and shoes.

There is a thread here about online shops with repro stuff. There are some great links there.

[Miss. Sara Lee]

Alright, great, thanks so much!

Yeah we have a couple vintage stores near by and a lot of times it's just a question of sorting through a lot of Hawaiian shirts and huge sweatshirts.

I have noticed that I have an advantage by being small because a lot of vintage dresses fit me snugly in the waist. My shoe size is a 4ish or 5ish depending on the shoe. I love pumps, but sometimes I feel uncomfortable in high heels because I'm 16 and sometimes I think it's inappropriate and stick to flats, but then again I love them.
Does anyone have have an opinion on that, 16 year olds wearing heels?

And I will check out those links :)

[Kim Bombshell]

For photo shoots, heels look best in my opinion! With regards to the hawiian shirts, if any of them are the silky rayon type from the 40s and 50s, snatch them up! They are worth a fortune!

Miss. Sara Lee said:

Alright, great, thanks so much!

Yeah we have a couple vintage stores near by and a lot of times it's just a question of sorting through a lot of Hawaiian shirts and huge sweatshirts.

I have noticed that I have an advantage by being small because a lot of vintage dresses fit me snugly in the waist. My shoe size is a 4ish or 5ish depending on the shoe. I love pumps, but sometimes I feel uncomfortable in high heels because I'm 16 and sometimes I think it's inappropriate and stick to flats, but then again I love them.
Does anyone have have an opinion on that, 16 year olds wearing heels?

And I will check out those links :)

[Miss. Sara Lee]

Ok, yeah I would agree with that. And yes, haha I'll make sure to grab them :)

Kim Bombshell said:

For photo shoots, heels look best in my opinion! With regards to the hawiian shirts, if any of them are the silky rayon type from the 40s and 50s, snatch them up! They are worth a fortune!

[Roxy Tart {PL Team / Comm. Mgr}]

As Kim said, when buying on line you can always have things taken in. Almost any Dry Cleaner can do alterations, and they do them cheap. For great on line sites, look here: http://www.pinuplifestyle.com/forum/topics/where-to-shop. Also, you can always return things, once you know what size you wear on certain sites, it's easy to buy.

I agree with Susie too, I shop EVERYWHERE! Walmart, Betsy Johnson, Macy's, the little cheepy stores in the mall. If you know what style you are looking for, you can find things anywhere.

Happy hunting!

[Miss H**** Clothing]

check out my web store :) www.misshussy.bigcartel.com xoxo

[Ellie Retrophilia]

Check out thrift stores...not just vintage shops. Goodwill, Salvation Army, DAV Thrifts (DAVs tend to have the BEST selection) even more localized thrift stores...for instance my area has CHKD and Thrift Store City. Check out estate and yard sales.

My favorite cheapie stores to hit for vintage repro looking goods are:

Rainbow
DEB
Body Central
Charlotte Russe
Ross
Dillard's (not cheapie so much but still hit the clearance racks there especially for dresses!)
It's Fashion Metro
Wet Seal
Papaya

Almost ALL of those stores will have something retro inspired from the 20s to the 60s style. A lot of those are more urban wear type of stores BUT since retro tends to suit everyone and is a heavy influence on a lot of urban wear, they're perfect places to shop. I've gotten so many shirts and shoes at places like those as a result.

[Ellie Retrophilia]

I'm also a small girl...5'4" at 105 pounds...make sure you know your measurements.

For instance I am a 32 bust, 26 waist and 33 hip...in inches. I also know that my foot is 9 and a quarter inches long which a lot of ebay sellers will measure the shoe length of a vintage shoe since sizes don't always correspond to modern sizes.

Ellie Retrophilia said:

Check out thrift stores...not just vintage shops. Goodwill, Salvation Army, DAV Thrifts (DAVs tend to have the BEST selection) even more localized thrift stores...for instance my area has CHKD and Thrift Store City. Check out estate and yard sales.

My favorite cheapie stores to hit for vintage repro looking goods are:

Rainbow
DEB
Body Central
Charlotte Russe
Ross
Dillard's (not cheapie so much but still hit the clearance racks there especially for dresses!)
It's Fashion Metro
Wet Seal
Papaya

Almost ALL of those stores will have something retro inspired from the 20s to the 60s style. A lot of those are more urban wear type of stores BUT since retro tends to suit everyone and is a heavy influence on a lot of urban wear, they're perfect places to shop. I've gotten so many shirts and shoes at places like those as a result.

[Miss. Sara Lee]

Those are great tips, thanks everyone. I'll know now to keep my eyes open!

Ellie Retrophilia said:

I'm also a small girl...5'4" at 105 pounds...make sure you know your measurements.
For instance I am a 32 bust, 26 waist and 33 hip...in inches. I also know that my foot is 9 and a quarter inches long which a lot of ebay sellers will measure the shoe length of a vintage shoe since sizes don't always correspond to modern sizes.

[Baby Doll *SGC* ~PLA~]

heyy im 16 and Ive been wearing high heals every day ever since 8th grade! Youve just got to be able to work it Im also tiny too 4'10 and 100 as well. Try stores like forever 21 and H&M, they have really good vintage style dresses that are only about 35$!! Also, with the right hair style and make up can make almost any casual outfit have a classy feel to it. Also when your shopping look for key prints, like leopard, and poka dot.
And Rockabilly dosent always have to be dresses too! :D! On my lazy days Ill put on a cute button down shirt, a tank top, some capris, pumps, and put my hair in a bandanna and there you go! <333
Hopes this helps and good luck!
xxxx

Miss. Sara Lee said:

Alright, great, thanks so much!

Yeah we have a couple vintage stores near by and a lot of times it's just a question of sorting through a lot of Hawaiian shirts and huge sweatshirts.

I have noticed that I have an advantage by being small because a lot of vintage dresses fit me snugly in the waist. My shoe size is a 4ish or 5ish depending on the shoe. I love pumps, but sometimes I feel uncomfortable in high heels because I'm 16 and sometimes I think it's inappropriate and stick to flats, but then again I love them.
Does anyone have have an opinion on that, 16 year olds wearing heels?

And I will check out those links :)