Book Review: The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping

Back when I started buying vintage, admittedly, I didn’t know much about vintage clothing. Initially, I just liked the pretty dresses that they just don’t make anymore and I liked the price. But that was way back when you could actually find vintage clothing at thrift stores in spades, and I just never put much thought into it. These days however, it’s a completely different story. Since designers these days borrow heavily from designs of days past, thrift stores are overloaded with 2 seasons ago H&M, online vintage has exploded, it’s really hard to tell what’s what when it comes to buying vintage.

I received a copy of ‘The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping‘ by Melody Fortier from the publisher, and to be honest, I really didn’t think there would be information in this book I couldn’t get on a blog. Not so. From the cute cover (they say don’t judge a book by it’s cover, I can’t help but to be a little influenced) and pretty pictures, I was actually really surprised by the information and nice writing style Melody Fortier a vintage seller herself has to share. Though less than 200 pages, she gives a good starting introduction on how to buy vintage, first by defining it by noting that vintage is not simply clothes that are more than 20 years old, but older pieces that posses ‘Enduring Style’ which could explain how some pieces from the 90’s are now considered vintage. From there she breaks down different descriptions of the kind of clothes you’ll find out there from couture to home sewn, some tips on dating a piece by looking for clues on the tags, the fabric content and the silhouette. Finally she gives some tips on caring for your vintage pieces and even a few spots where to find it, though it turns out I already know where to look for vintage clothing!

All in all the book is very nice, and I did learn a lot from the book, though to be fair, I hadn’t really ever sat down and tried to educate myself about vintage buying, so many of the tips were news to me. If you are already well versed in vintage buying (there are a lot of you out there) this might be a book to skip. But if you are just starting off, then absolutely, this book is a good read. It’s also cute enough to buy for as a gift for someone who is just starting to accumulate vintage wears.