Hip Retro Chicks Flock to Vintage Shops for Their Frocks and Vintage Accessories

Young Gals Returning to Vintage Shops

The buzz out there in the vintage world is that young gals are returning to making their own clothes, buying vintage clothing, accessorizing with with older costume jewelry and decorating their apartments with hand me downs, thrift shop specials and flea market finds.

Antique Malls Making Room For Clothing

Vintage is hotter than ever and you will see this trend blossoming in many established antique malls. At Old Carriage Shop Antiques in Litchfield, CT , there has been a "take-over" of booths
by vintage clothing dealers catering to young retro chic chicks .

Hello Platform Shoes

Some of my favorite booths are gone in this terrific multi-dealer shop, replaced with fur coats, platform shoes, cocktail dresses, pocketbooks, scarves, belts, robes, hats, jewelry and more.

Remember Old Fashioned Rummage Sales

I do remember once upon a time that "vintage" clothing (aka old stuff) was the kind of item you would find at grandma's holiday bazaar or annual rummage sale. Now the piles and piles of unwanted clothing that I would help grandma "bag" at the fair are carefully sorted and displayed
at antique and collectible shops everywhere.

Suburban School Gals Dressing For The Prom in Vintage

While free standing "Vintage Clothing Shops" have always been around, they tended to be found in offbeat sections of cities and towns catering to yesterday's hippies or artsy types. Today,
suburban school gals and their moms flock to shops for their prom frocks. The twenty or thirty something crowd can be found picking out formal wear in vintage shops, while baby boomers walk out with coats, chunky bracelets, handbags, accessories etc.

Many antique shop owners have caught on and know to even promote their beads and bangles at holiday time or showcase their formals during the weeks before proms.

In many group shops, owners are renting to vintage clothing dealers with a lot less reservation than they did in past years. And one clothing dealer attracts others forming "mini-malls" within a multi-dealer shop.

So if you are holding onto boxes of "stuff" from mom, grandma or your Aunt Sadie, now is the time to unpack these garments, air them out and get them ready for the hip chicks.

Tips for Sellers

1. Old racks of all kinds, as well as a variety of glass jewelry cabinets are of interest to vintage clothing dealers. So are vintage jewelry boxes. (Used for display).

2. Don't throw out old wooden hangars and closet accessories, vintage gals and dealers want them.

3. Everything sells, so don't be afraid to display your old scarves, belts etc. Group them together.
Stuff may seem weird to you, but buyers come in all types.

4. Set up attractive vignettes or groupings of clothing from the same period. (fifties belt, pocketbook, gloves). Keep plastic with plastic, flower power with flower power etc.

5. Don't over stuff your booth so you can't rummage through areas.

6. Try to keep vintage clothing and accessories in their own section, so you have a vintage area.

7. Clothing makes great window displays, but watch out for fading. Don't put your precious stuff in the window.

8. Mannequins of all types are HOT.

7. Vintage remnants, torn clothing, embellishments sell to crafters and those who like to sew.


C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.

To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link:
C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff

Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com

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Dianne is a member of:
The American Society of Journalists and Authors
The Authors Guild, Inc.