My first Vintage Shopping Experience

Since my year of no shopping is done, several people asked me: “Have you been shopping? What did you buy? Did you go crazy and get a bunch of new clothes?” There is such an overt pressure from other people to buy, buy, buy. No one asked me “What did you use up or wear out during your year of no shopping?” Well, in case you wondering, not that much actually wore out. The main thing that needed replacing were my black socks but my husband bought me a few pairs at Christmas. The other thing that was starting to wear were my shoes. I love shoes and I have several pairs that are over 10 years old. Unfortunately, there are small rips in the leather of my red shoes and my gray shoes are starting to fall apart. I keep begging my shoemaker Gerry to make them last a little longer as I still cannot bear to part with them.

Nevertheless, after 14 months of not shopping, the time had come to buy a few things. With so much time to think about what I needed, as opposed to wanted, I had a short list of things that I wanted to add to my wardrobe. My new policy is one item can only come in if another item has come out. I also knew that as a recovering shopaholic, getting a taste of shopping, even vintage shopping was going to be risky.  Would my self control be gone? Would I find myself running from store to store, with reusable bags brimming with clothing and shoes? I decided that I would do what every mindful and slow fashion shopper does: make a list.

After learning everything that I have about the pollution and waste associated with fashion, I knew that it was going to be difficult to shop like I used to before. To be true to my mantra of supporting sustainable fashion, I decided that I would only buy used or vintage clothing. I have to admit, this is a challenge for me. I can afford new clothes, however, I cannot forget that fashion is the second most polluting industry after oil and gas. Consequently, it was with much trepidation that I made my first foray into vintage shopping.  To challenge myself, I decided to start with a visit to Village des Valeurs (Value Village in Quebec, akin to a Goodwill store) to experience the type of shopping that I would never dreamed of doing.  My husband and daughters were beyond mortified. 

I felt overwhelmed immediately upon entering the store. It was a large, open space with aggressively bright lighting and hoards of people. It reminded me of Winners. Did I mention that they were having a 50% off winter clothes sale the day I went to the store and it was packed?

I was looking for two things: a black fitted wool jacket and a light colored long sleeve sweater. Surprisingly, I did not have a classic black wool jacket in my wardrobe. As this is a staple piece, I thought that if I could find one, it would be very useful. Also, as most of my long sleeve shirts are black, gray or white, I was also interested in adding a little spring color to the mix with a light blue or similar toned sweater. I slowly went through the racks, not expecting to find much of anything. My expectations were very low. To my surprise, I located a teal blue Burberry long sleeve shirt for a mere $9.99 (or $4.99 with the sale)!

I already own a shirt with a similar color but it was certainly tempting to bring it home! Finally, I settled on a simple pale lilac cotton sweater. The cost (before the sale):$4.99. I think the low prices of vintage shopping can also allow you to justify buying pieces that you do not need. For someone like me, I have to focus on “Do I love this item? Do I need it? Does it work with other pieces in my wardrobe?”

Emboldened by my successful find, I headed to the jacket section. The selection was much better than I anticipated:

When I found a black Sandra Angelozzi short, flared jacket with an interesting piping, I was floored. Size 36. My size. I was even more surprised when I tried it on and found it to be a perfect fit.

It was made of wool and had a great stretch to it. I knew it would work for both work and weekend. The price tag showed $14.99 but with the 50% sale, I got it for a whopping $7.49. Again, it wasn’t about the price but rather, was the item what I needed, did I love it, etc. I think my expression in the photo speaks for itself.

Shocked and excited, I left the store with my two items. Not bad for my first Vintage shopping trip. I was thrilled to wear the jacket the following week to work.

The next thing on my list: a black classic leather cross body purse. After all, I need to be hands free for shopping at Bulk Barn.

Challenge for the Week: Have you ever tried vintage shopping? How did it work out for you? If not, would you consider it? Not only is it much better for the environment, it is easy on the pocketbook too.