Curvy Girl's Guide to Wearing Vintage
*By Arianne Segerman from To Think Is To Create and Simple Design.
Y'all. This day is totally trying to have me. It tried to have me before I woke up, and then again when my baby woke earlier than normal at 5am (after I'd been up until 1am, tossing and turning). And then it tried to have me when I got disappointed and hurt and then it tried REALLY hard to get me when I walked into my closet.
But I thought about the day I really wanted to have.
I remembered that I have a choice.
I wanted the kind of day when I feel creative and talented and loved and special. The kind of day where I can wear a dress no one else has. The kind of day where I feel like wearing a vintage dress.
So I pulled out this vintage dress for the first time in over a year, and put it on. It still fit and I made the choice to not really care if it pulled and puckered in some less than ideal ways, and it made me feel better. Then I grabbed my "business clutch" (a.k.a. the one I use when I'm headed to the coffee shop to work) and now I'm already having the day I want to have and it's not even half over yet. How are you doing?
I have a few tips for those of you who are curvy like I am and want to wear vintage. Let's face it: there are not many options for us, or at least we have to look a LOT harder than regular sized ladies.
Curvy Girl's Guide to Wearing Vintage
1. Ignore sizes - this is a tip for any size woman, in any era of clothing, but really especially for vintage clothing. The clothing industry sizes things completely different now, so you can't look at (or take to heart) those numbers.
2. Buy online - I've very rarely had luck finding vintage in my size when I'm vintage shopping or thrifting. I used to think it was because they never have any, but now I have the theory that the good stuff is rare enough that it's always snatched up well before I get there. Great sources to start at are Etsy and (yes) eBay.
3. Measure yourself - go ahead and just do it. I'll hold your hand and you hold mine and we won't give a rip what the number is, we just need to know it. As those numbers get smaller we'll celebrate with drinks and dance and sing and if the numbers get bigger we'll still dance and drink, ok? Because knowing your measurements is the only way to REALLY know if something will fit you when you purchase online. The up side to this is that you really know it will fit when it arrives.
4. Accessorize with vintage - when I go stretches where I don't have a lot of luck finding vintage I always have a blast accessorizing with vintage. You can pair vintage jewelry or shoes or clothes with a modern wardrobe for a really cute, eclectic look.
5. Combine vintage with modern - vintage clothes look best accented with modern jewelry and vice versa. Don't wear vintage from head to toe unless it has a modern feel to it, otherwise you'll look a bit too much like your 90 year old granny (unless that's the look you're going for!).
What are your tips for wearing vintage? I'd love to see how you dressed for the day too, so be sure to link up with Abby every Wednesday.
**style info**
floral dress :: vintage (similar)
genius jeggings :: lane bryant
peep tow wedges :: target (similar)
green dangly earrings :: savage heart
(favorite her shop, she'll have more goodies soon)
fuscia bobble for my hand :: thrifted
chevron clutch :: red velvet (similar)
