What is Retro Style Clothing?
We see the words Retro Style Clothing, and images of clothing worn by your mom when she was your age, post clearly in the front of your mind. In the last few years, vintage and retro style clothing has become unique, hot and even sexy, as celebrities, socialites, and ordinary women seek out neighborhood resale shops and thrift stores to take part of this trend. Why is it so popular now? Well there are a few reasons, but the most apparent would be because vintage means value. You can get great, unique clothing, often at unseen prices for traditional stores. All you have to do is keep your eyes open and be bold enough to try it out.
The word “retro” is so tossed around so often these days, you would think that almost anything that isn’t the current season is retro. That’s not true. There are several distinct categories of secondhand, vintage clothes or retro style clothing that you can include:
Antiques- Generally, referred to as anything made or worn before 1920. These usually run pretty in pretty small sizes and made of delicate fabrics so care is to be given to these items. They are often bought as investment pieces, and not to be worn.
Vintage- Fashion styles of generally from the 1920’s to the mid-1970’s.
Retro- Fashion styles of generally from the mid to late 1970’s through the early 1990’s. The new term for the 1990’s is often referred to as “throwback”.
Consignment – Current or near-current styles, usually less than three years old. Some vintage pieces can and do end up in consignment shops, particularly handbags, jewelry, and shoes.
Thrift – Usually applied to clothes donated to stores for charitable purposes at places like Salvation Army and Goodwill. This items generally would be inexpensive goods, and also sold at flea markets.
What can be done with retro style clothing?
Special Occasion- Having a big social event coming up, like a reunion, ball, prom, wedding, or charity function? Of course you would want to make an entrance so, why not turn the lights on in smashing gown from the 1930’s? Or a hot number from the 1950’s? This is one of the biggest peel outs for celebrities and at social events. You will turn heads at a fraction of the price of a department store gown.
Costume – What about costumes? Wearing retro style clothing will for sure be a breath of fresh air, for the sake of authenticity. Even if it’s a costumed ball or just a walk in the park, wearing retro style clothing will make you feel like you stepped out of a time machine. You will like the attention. Trust the past, because history is known to repeat itself.
