Expensive “thrifted” vintage is a bugaboo. Fifty dollars tops for something pristine, maybe more for rare designer… anything more is robbery. It’s rags that would have ended up in the trash, you opportunistic, self-important idiots! Jane and Mommy are excellent examples of the thrift smugness.

I have to agree fully with PennyDreadfulVintage- since the takeoff of ebay people are donating less and finding other avenues for their goods (garage sales/flea mkts/relatives) to bring in extra income in a worldwide economic downturn. And it is also right that thrifts have become savvy in listing their rare collectible goods online or seeking antiques/vintage people to price and advise them on their inventory. I think if there’s anyone to be mad at, be mad at your local charity that doesn’t keep the goods within the community (through selling online amazon/ebay) that supports it and also never even gives the community the chance to buy it.

Vintage sellers work hard to gather an inventory of one-of-a-kind items and educate themselves on the minutia of costume history in accurately dating pieces and determining rarity–> in addition to shop overhead, this is why a vintage rock tee will never be sold for super-walmart-sale-cheap. What if vintage stores did try to mimic fast fashion in their prices instead of rarity determining value; the selection of such vintage store would dry up in a day. That vintage store would no longer be your favorite store if they couldn’t raise enough money to invest back into their store and new acquisitions.

For the WGACA folks- they cater to designers to sell designers back their pieces from the 60’s. They’re a private showroom that I’m sure a ton of people utilize to ‘get inspired’ and then leave without buying anything. I think it interesting that they’ve worked so hard to conflate vintage-(ie worn, secondhand, used, usually stigmatized clothes) with covetable couture high-fashion. Designers and design houses also cultivate relationships with buyers all over the world to bring them originals they can knock off: I happened into a private meeting between a designer’s mens team and some sort of vintage sourcing independent person who were viewing a table with a bunch of ‘thrfited’ vintage satchels with price tags attached- the team going to buy a vintage bag from her not because they wanted to use it but they were going to use it for a prototype.

As a grad student, I also research thrift stores and used clothing- what goes where and ends up where, and find this video below really mind-blowing in looking at the fashion design industry and hyper-consumption.
Shantha Bloemen’s film “Tshirt Travels” is fucking superb in exploring how global trade/IMF Debt politics result in USA 80’s mtv or Nike shirts on kids in Zambia

a fucking discount!

I used to say I was going to London to look for vintage clothes in Oppies, but purists say that my designer bargains from the 90’s don’t count as vintage according to the 20 year rule, so I invented “Thriftage” as opposed to True Vintage.
I really don’t care as long as it is well made and a zillion % cheaper than when the first poor sap bought it at full price. (sorry saps, I do love your impulsive purchasing then donating power)

Sadly, these trips no longer “pay for themselves” (as I used to explain to Mr Hammie)

AS IF I would EVER buy a Cashmere Armani full length coat at full price! but I “claim the difference” when explaining how ecomomical these trips really are.

because the pickings are indeed very slim these days and I absolutely REFUSE to shop in Tragic Hipster Second Hand “Marketstall High Street Shops”

If it ain’t going to charity then what is the guilt assuaging point?

xx