The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping: Insider Tips, Helpful Hints, Hip Shops [ペーパーバック]

There's no doubt about it, clothes have changed an awful lot and that is part of the reason why shopping for vintage clothes is so popular.

But along with the changes in clothes is a lack of knowledge about fabrics, fit, and different types of clothing. Add to this the many places where you can buy vintage clothes and the variety of prices and conditions and you have the need for a book like this.

Written by the owner of a vintage clothing store, this little book is an introduction to this confusing world. While the information in it won't be surprising to those who know and love vintage clothes, it's comprehensive enough that someone new to this subject can go into a vintage clothing shop and know what to look for, what is there and how it might fit.

Another great thing about the book is the way it puts clothing in context of time periods, shapes and colors. I found this one of the most useful sections of the book because it allows the reader to look for and recognize clothes of particular periods.

This book won't make you an expert on vintage, but it will go a long way towards making you comfortable exploring this rich heritage of great and unique clothing and accessories.

This book lives up to its name of The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping: Insider Tips, Helpful Hints, Hip Shops.

At 7" by 5.25", the book is small enough to fit in all but the smallest purses so readers can easily take it with them on vintage shopping excursions. However, the light color of the cover and its fabric-like material mean that it could get dirty fairly easily (from an uncapped pen, for example) if the inside of one's purse is anything other than pristine.

The opening pages of each of the nine chapters are beautiful replications of colorful fabrics. There are also color photos of vintage clothing and accessories throughout the book but unfortunately not many are labeled so the reader doesn't know the brand (if there is one) or sometimes even the era in which the item was made. For instance, in the chapter on The Dating Game that attempts to teach readers how to date a vintage item, there is a photo of two coats in the section on buttons, but no caption to inform readers of what era each of the coats represent.

The first chapter, Vintage Defined, goes over terminology (vintage versus antique versus retro) and the difference between haute couture, couture, budget designer, and other terms to describe vintage clothing.

The second chapter, On the Market, discusses quality and craftmanship (which is better in many articles of vintage clothing than today's ready to wear fashions), categories of clothing (dresses, coats, separates, etc.) and what to think about as you shop for them. It covers the various places to buy vintage items (flea markets, vintage boutiques, and the internet) and the benefits and drawbacks of each. I found one tip in this chapter particularly noteworthy: make sure to try vintage clothing on even if it merely hangs on the hanger. The author explains that many contemporary brands are designed to look good on hangers, not necessarily on us. In contrast, designers in past eras designed clothing to look good on real people so it does not always look its best on hangers. I also liked the suggestion to ask locals and even contact the chamber of commerce when you're traveling to find vintage shops.

The third chapter, the Styles of the Times, is my favorite. The author presents a fascinating overview of the style from the 1800s to 1920s thru the 1990s and puts fashion in a socio-economic context (such as the effects of wars and the stock market crash on fashion). There is a page of silhouettes which depicts every decade from 1900 to 1980 to help the reader visualize the changes from decade to decade.

The fourth chapter, the Dating Game, attempts to explain how to date an item by silhouette, tags, buttons, zippers, general construction and fabrics. Age is important to determine value and how to care for vintage clothing. There were some helpful tips (such as how to determine whether a button is made from Bakelite or celluloid) and also the recommendation to visit the Vintage Fashion Guild website for further information (and even to submit questions to Guild experts for free advice).

The fifth chapter, Sizing It Up, explains that past sizes are considerably different than current standards. I found it interesting that a 1940s size 12 dress would be smaller than today's size 4. There is a helpful depiction of how to take measurements (both front and back) which you should take with you when shopping for vintage clothing. There is also an overview of how designs from every decade from the 1920s through the 1980s was intended to fit (such as fitted sleeves and low waistlines) and how to determine if they fit a shopper properly (such as that a neckline is too tight if you can't comfortably slip two fingers between your deck and the garment). There are also some tips about how to determine if a vintage garment could be altered successfully.

The sixth chapter, Labels and Pricing, describes the five tiers of labels upon which the author bases prices for her boutique (Budget/Brand Name Ready-to-Wear, Private Dressmaker/Homemade, Better Name and Boutique, Designer Ready-to-Wear, and Couture). There is a retail price guide with fairly broad ranges of costs for items in eight categories (coats, day dresses, special-occasion dresses, hats, shoes, handbags, lingerie, and separates). I would have liked to have seen a lot more labels included by era as the author did not provide many examples.

The seventh chapter, Condition & Care, provides tips to fix common problems such as musty smells, stuck zippers, and fabric flaws as well as how to care for and store your vintage finds. The author identifies those conditions that are difficult, if not impossible, to fix so you know when to walk away from a vintage item. She also explains how to identify the material (for garments without labels) as this is important to determine how to clean it.

The eighth chapter, Finishing Touches, covers accessories such as shoes, hats, scarves, gloves, aprons and jewelry. The author explains what to look for as far as condition and how to care for these items to keep them looking their best.

The final chapter, Altered States, describes very briefly when and how to repurpose a few vintage items (such as a long skirt into a shirt or dress).

The author provides a list of vintage shops by state (with addresses and phone numbers) as well as shorter list of shops abroad. I noticed that other reviewers expressed disappointment that there was not a list of websites of vintage sellers, but four vintage sites are provided in the Expert Tip sections throughout the book, and there are many more on the website of the author's store, Tangerine Boutique, as well as on the website of the Vintage Fashion Guild. This book will likely be relevant for years so it makes some sense not to list websites that may or may not be operational in a few years.

The cover on this book is so neat, it reminds you of bygone times which fits right in with the subject matter. The author tells you how to tell what's vintage and what's pure trash (like polyester outfits). She goes into the quality of clothes of the past and tells how they were made to fit each individual versus small, medium and large now. A lot of old pictures of clothes and lots of tips where to shop...such as junk shops, vintage clothing stores in malls as well as online, flea markets, etc.

She even tells the reasons why older clothes were better made than today, like the thread quality, etc. She also covers how to remove like rust stains and ink from clothes so if you do find a great outfit but it needs work, then this book may help you revive that outfit! If you are into vintage clothing...wearing or selling, you will find this an invaluable guide and it's small enough to fit in your purse.

If you think you know the value of vintage clothes then google vintage clothing shops. There are a staggering number of them. This book prepares you with information on what to look for, how much to pay, and what to check for, the different designer names, etc.