Style icons, mash ups and timeless looks
Goal for this step: Challenging your style preconceptions and consider how vintage and second hand can become a part of your personal style.
Style is not about how much you spend - It is about the ability to compose a look
Style can be about combining clothing pieces in new and different ways, or have the courage to wear a certain item. Vi could compare it to having a “unique sound” as a musician. After all, the way a new look, trend or entire fashion is created is by combining clothing and accessories in different ways. It could be something as simple as just changing up one item, color, or material to something new and unexpected.
In short - Go for mixing things up rather than creating the perfect match to find inspiration and create new wardrobe synergies.
Matching clothing pieces is all about creating harmony, but the really interesting stuff happens when you dare to break the mold and think outside the box. By mixing stuff up you create possibilities to find an entirely new sartorial expression. Step out of your comfort zone, experiment and try new combinations even though you think they might look dreadful they could actually end up creating an entire trend. Just think about the “dress over pants” look trend that recently had a resurgence in popularity.
The classic look is easily achieved with vintage and premium second hand clothing
Many vintage fans are into a more classic and minimalistic look and the category offers a plethora of timeless classics to invest in. However, the timeless look can be achieved with second hand and thrift store finds as well, as long as you keep some things in mind.
Think crisp cotton shirts, tailored trousers and camel coats. Second hand and thrift store finds don't have to be crazy colors and 80's tees but offer great opportunities to score some really good quality items for a fraction of their original price.
In summary - Vintage and second hand shopping offer amazing opportunities to reinvent, or re-evaluate your existing wardrobe and spice up your style with items you didn't even know existed, or never would have considered wearing. Vintage shopping is sort of like cooking, the same basic ingredients can result in very different tastes depending on how you prepare and season them.
Dare to experiment and you'll have a lot more fun putting outfits together and find new ways to wear your wardrobe staples.
TODAY'S MISSION
Set aside some time to contemplate the following (write down your answers):
How do you dress today? To fit in, to stand out, or just because it is the way you have always dressed?
What are your thoughts on vintage and second hand shopping? Why do you want to shop vintage/second hand?
How much more vintage/second hand do you want in your life? Are you going all in, aiming to only shop second hand in the future? Do you want to mix vintage and second hand with newly produced items? Or are you just looking to take the first steps and getting the feel for vintage by adding one or two items to your wardrobe?
There are no wrong answers. Answering these questions will help you set goals for what you would like to achieve with your wardrobe and keep on track as our vintage journey continues.