Well Edited: Vintage

photo: BoroughVintage

There was a great discussion, over at The Sartorialist, regarding the appearance of vintage stores. One of the main complaints of shoppers is usually the overcrowded feeling of most vintage stores. Here are some of the comments that I found interesting:

"I love the idea of vintage and I love people with a great eye for wearing vintage, but personally, I just don't have the patience to shop at vintage stores. Usually they are overstuffed and poorly edited, and once you find a piece you love, it is never in your size."

"I love vintage especially when combined with new to make your own look. But I've walked out of many a vintage store because I just didn't want to spend the time to wade through all the Salvation Army rejects to try and find the diamond in the rough. That's the vintage stores job and why you pay a premium."

"Well, I am both a Goodwill shopper and a vintage shopper. I agree with many of your readers that for a vintage store you ARE paying a premium, and so the selection should be edited for you, for those pieces that are well cut, in good condition, and appropriate to current trends."

"Very true. But shopping for vintage clothing is kind of like reading this blog. There's little hope of duplicating the look exactly, but that's not really what you want anyway. The ideas here and in vintage stores are jumping-off points, things you [should] use to spark your own ideas and develop your own style."

"P.s., for those of you that love sifting through cheap and crowded shop to find a gem- that is THRIFTING not vintage shopping. And of course it is fun and rewarding for those who have the patience. Thrift stores get their stuff for FREE by DONATION, but a true vintage store is one that individually buys, sources, cleans, and repairs select pieces for their collection. I know because I was a buyer for a vintage store on the west coast for a long time! It is expensive and hard work, I don't think most people realize."

"The expectation that Vintage will be cheaper also makes it difficult to settle into a higher end position as often quality, top end Vintage will be expensive to buy, and as someone else said expensive to get to store by the time sourcing/preening etc is completed."

"I s'pose the trick is sticking to one formula which works well for both the owner and the customers present and future, in a certain area. And maybe having many forms of Vintage shop is a good thing. Not having a predetermined idea of what they should be all like is also a good thing."

 

Photos:BoroughVintage

I am of the school of thought that if you like to dig through mountains of stuff, there are many outlets that allow you do that ie: Goodwill, Salvation Army, Value Village etc. But, if you are going to a boutique/store that specializes in vintage clothing - then, some care and thought should be put forth in the presentation of the merchandise. My goal for Borough Vintage is to always showcase the original designs that influence the designers of today. In order to do that effectively, the merchandise has to be put together in organized "collections" or groups. What are your thoughts?