what makes a good vintage dress
you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince, or whatever they say!
The world of vintage is infinite beyond comprehension. Because it’s basically the entirety of human existence on Earth…told through clothing.
And it’s kind of like a black hole in that it’s a one-way door: once you get sucked in, you can’t go back. The physics don’t work. Think about how many vintage/secondhand store names tap into this existential feeling of vastness: Wasteland, Afterlife—even the Swedish founder of Buffalo Exchange chose “Buffalo” because it reminded her of the *American West* and its associated expansiveness.
I spend most of my time learning about vintage online, through a combination of social media, Reddit, Wikipedia, Vogue Runway app, the synopsis section of papers on JSTOR, and online vintage/archive stores. It’s how I’ve slowly developed a decent recall for what pieces from what designers are from what year…and the ability to ID them in the wild, which is the most rewarding part! I admire the experts among us who can rattle off vintage knowledge with the reflexes of an F1 driver. (Petition for wine bars to host fashion history trivia nights?)
But visiting a brick-and-mortar store is really what rekindles my interest in vintage.
A dozen slumbers or so ago, I popped into Pretty Penny Clothing in Oakland. The curation is not based on designer brands, but rather on artistry and historical relevance. And it’s serious vintage! You won’t find a random Forever21 dress from 2014.
I wasn’t really looking for a specific item, but the dress rack drew me in with its colors and patterns. It seems everyone on Substack is looking for a wedding guest dress though, so maybe I subconsciously had dresses on the brain even despite not having any weddings on the social calendar this year! I
Can we also agree that shopping out of urgency sucks?? I swear, House of CB and Reformation must make a hefty % of annual sales because we don’t know what to wear to a wedding. I prefer to shop out of curiosity and exploration, taking my time to add special pieces to my wardrobe so that when I have a matrimonial ceremony to attend…I already have outfit options I’m excited to wear.