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

[Miss Liz E. Borden {★}]

Ah an area of expertise :) I buy nearly all my clothes online. Sites like pinupgirlclothing.com, 8ballwebstore.com, and ebay top my list. I've been doing searches on ebay currently for 50's/60's items. I've had pretty good luck so far. Of course I've been shopping online for sometime and the key (which has been stated) is to know your measurements. I prefer to buy clothes slightly larger than my measurements. This allows a little extra room for movement or if it's too much I can have it taken in. Also, we have vintage junk stores in my town called peddlersmalls or traderbakers. These stores have everything from the kitchen sink to a dashing gown (usually not in my size lol). You might check Forever21. I've found a few nice pieces from there without breaking the bank.

As for heels on a 16 year old I think it all depends. If you're parading around on five inch heels and a skirt that disappears when you bend over, well that's not good. Pair a nice knee length pencil skirt with 3in heels though and it's quite lovely. Of course you also said you're 5'1" so you could wear most any heel without feeling like godzilla. I'm 5'7" and I won't wear anything over 4" as it throws my balance off.

I hope this helps :)

[Harlean Carpenter {★}]

I came to this post with the intention of saying pretty much exactly this :) A lot of thrift stores get genuine vintage items and simply have no idea what they are, and end up selling them for a fraction of their true worth. It takes some digging, but it's worth it when you strike that particular gold.

Another thing to keep in mind when you're out hunting and gathering is that if you find a wonderful vintage piece at a good price, even if it isn't your size, you should consider grabbing it for resale. We all have to finance our wardrobes somehow ;)

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 Nikki Sin{★}]

learn to sew.. lol. that's what I'm going to be doing. I can't afford a lot of the stuff they sell online, but it's mostly basic sewing patterns. u can probably find the stuff at walmart. lol!

[Miss. Sara Lee]

Great tips thanks everyone for all your help!!!

<3

[Cats Like Us {*}]

Hi, You do have lots of options for clothing... Vintage is a little hit or miss, of course the styles cant be beat but sizing and particularly the material can be difficult. New retro styles tend to be a little more forgiving in sizing and fabrics. They're not Wal-mart cheap, but quality (and value) are way better. Also consider that many of the retro clothing companies make the clothes in the USA and go a long way to support the overall scene...

We sell new retro clothing in pinup and rockabilly styles. We sell some less expensive dresses ($60) and more expensive ($120) and I have to say you get what you pay for.... quality fabrics, metal zippers and flattering styles.

As far as "fit", measurements are pretty important. We list measurement for all our dresses, and you can always call if you have a specific question about fit!

There are a lot of places online to shop retro. All I can tell you is that we are new kids on the block as far as web-stores, and we want your business bad! We are competitively priced, and our customer service cant be beat: We ship out orders (placed before 4pmEST) THE SAME DAY. If you call the owner will answer the phone. Orders over $100 ship free (to USA addresses) AND use the coupon code PLVIVA10 to get an additional 10% off your order in march! CatsLikeUs.com

Have fun shopping!

[Dangerous fX]

Hi Sara,

We're dangerousfx at www.dangerousfx.co.uk, Jamie Bahr just did some modelling for us. We sell loads on line so don't worry, we have size 8-36 and post worldwide - we'd love to see you. Get 10% off your order with code dfx01

Happy shopping

Julie ;d

[Sara Sundae]

Being as small as you are Forever 21 has a lot of cute retro inspired stuff that will fit nicely too. Ya gotta dig through all the mega trendy crap though to find good stuff. Or shop online . . .

[Shirley Rowe{★}]

Walmart has a new line of clothes called Suzy Red.They look very vintage and are a great price too. they also have some Max Azria for miley Cyrus vintage looking rompers for $15.00. I bought one today for my studio. Sometimes you get lucky at garage or estate sales too. Keep hunting!!