The first piece of vintage clothing I remember buying came from a small shop on 10th Avenue in Vancouver, Canada.
asserted
I → remember → Vancouver
The city had – probably still has – a thriving vintage clothing scene.
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city → have → scene
In this little shop, I found a jewel I still wear, decades later.
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I → find → jewel
It is a slim-fitting V-necked sweater in a shade halfway between navy and royal blue.
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It → fit → navy
The label says “Ades of California” and the shop assistant told me it was probably a man’s top because of the way it was made.
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it → say → way
I wanted to try it on because it was adorned with embroidery that, I thought, was pretty cute – a golf club, tee and ball and, top left, the words “Palm Springs” with a figure sitting under an umbrella.
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I → want → umbrella
DO NOT DRY CLEAN, the label says, and I never have.
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I → dry → ?
It’s versatile and has lasted a very long time, considering the style and label suggest it was made in the 1950s.
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it → ’ → 1950s
I like to imagine the original owner bought it in Palm Springs as a memento of his (or her) time there.
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owner → like → time
Perhaps he owned it longer than I’ve had it now, or maybe there were multiple owners before me.
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I → own → me
Regardless, its final home is with me as I intend to keep wearing it forever.
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I → intend → it
Plus, I have never seen anything like it anywhere else.
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I → see → it
This is a common characteristic of vintage clothing: those who go looking for pieces often do so because they can’t find anything like them now.
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they → go → them
In an age when almost everyone is trying to look like everyone else – why else would fast fashion flourish if it weren’t for that impulse? – individuality only seems to be prized when we see it first on Instagram or an influencer.
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we → try → Instagram
If you buy a vintage piece, you get the chance to make it uniquely yours.
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it → buy → chance
Part of the fun is altering a garment to suit you better.
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Part → alter → you
What we miss when we don’t want to stand out is the chance to be creative.
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we → miss → What
Which can be fine, but one of the most likely reasons you wanted to leave school behind was because you had to wear the same thing every day.
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you → want → thing
If you’re someone who has flirted with the idea of dressing creatively, even a little bit, vintage pieces can provide a gentle entry.
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pieces → ’re → entry
This is partly because you are likely to feel more comfortable browsing in a Vinnies than in a boutique, initially at least, so you’ll have more time to think about the clothes you’re trying on.
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you → feel → clothes
You may even meet someone working in second-hand shop with extensive knowledge of fashion and the time to share it.
uncertain
You → meet → it
Encountering one such lady at Lifeline in Sydney’s Cremorne ignited the spark that became The Frock Shop, my latest novel.
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that → encounter → spark
That day, I’d bought a 1980s Trent Nathan blazer in red that had ornate, jewel-toned buttons in different colours.
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that → buy → colours
It wasn’t until I arrived home that I realised one of the buttons on the cuff was missing.
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one → arrive → cuff
I went online, searching for a button that would work with the others.
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that → go → others
I found it, ordered it, then sewed it on, making the repair because the blazer was too well-made not to wear.
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blazer → find → repair
Now, decades after its manufacture, the lining remains intact and the material in great shape.
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material → remain → shape
And I still haven’t seen anything else like it.
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I → see → it
If you buy a vintage piece, you get the chance to make it uniquely yours.
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it → buy → chance
Part of the fun is altering a garment to suit you better, or to work with something else in your wardrobe.
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Part → alter → wardrobe
And the only way you’re going to do this is – that word again – through play.
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you → go → play
Fun, I like to say, is underrated for adults.
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I → like → adults
We expect kids to have fun, but we baulk at pursuing it once we’re past our school years.
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we → expect → years
However, life is too important to be taken seriously and learning to dress playfully is an excellent way to have fun.
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learning → take → fun
It’s fun to find a piece of clothing that was made ages ago and is still in great condition.
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that → ’ → condition
(If you’re looking for inspiration, there are any number of accounts on social media where women of all ages work vintage pieces into their wardrobes.)
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women → look → wardrobes
The popularity of vintage clothing is surely one of the reasons my own suburb has an abundance of opportunities to buy second-hand – two consignment shops, a Vinnies, a huge Lifeline.
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suburb → have → opportunities
They’ve recently been joined by Uturn, which claims on its website: “By curating pre-loved pieces and connecting them with new owners, we create a circular way to dress, where style feels good, does good, and is accessible to everyone.
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style → join → everyone
It’s not a requirement of vintage shopping that you feel good about doing it.
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you → ’ → it
But perhaps when you do find that piece that is unlike anything else – the one that puts a tingle up your spine – you’ll stop to think about how it’s had a life before you, and perhaps will have one after you.
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it → find → you
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
