‘Tis
the season for all vintage apparel collectors to feel seriously jolly. No, it’s not Christmas, but it may as well
be. There’s no better time for a
clothing enthusiast to hit the thrift stores in search of wild one of a kind
finds. Yep, it’s better than Christmas
for those of us concerned with alternative fashion. In this blogger’s opinion not even the
massive mailing of holiday catalogs can beat the ultimate thrill of thrifting
during the Halloween season!
In defense of this last statement I’d like
to argue the official color of Halloween is black. BLACK, for God’s sake!...the color adored by
fashionistas, artists, hipsters, beatniks, elitists, and goths. In addition, if one takes into account the
amount of lace, leather, fur, chains, and fishnets that often make an
appearance on this most sacred of seasons, it’s hard to decipher a costume party
from a Saint Laurent fashion show.
Of course this argument hasn’t even added
the vintage equation into the formula yet. During the month of October thrift stores magically begin to hand
select their most outlandish vintage.
They organize these, “crazy,” pieces into one area of the store that
they define as clothing intended for Halloween costumes. Suddenly, the work is done for me. I don’t have to spend endless grueling hours
searching through what seems like a million discarded pieces from Coldwater Creek and
Dressbarn. Okay, I’ve got to take a
moment here to state yet again, “What woman wants to wear a garment from a store
that has the word BARN in the name?!”
The leap to farm animal comparisons just doesn’t seem that far.
Sorry, I can’t seem to let that one go. Anyway returning to the topic of thrifting
during Halloween, it’s definitely the perfect time to conveniently find the
best vintage clothing at secondhand prices.
Admittedly, I have a nasty habit of buying vintage on Etsy quite
frequently. I do this as a result of
this website's superior selection when regarding this type of apparel. However, due to the ease of simply typing in
one’s wish list, most sellers are able to get away with charging rather exorbitant
prices for their wares…and they should.
It’s not an easy task to find an original 1980’s denim Guess tote bag in
perfect condition…however, someone did…and I gladly paid them an arm and a leg
for it. I guess what I’m stating here is, "it takes skill to locate quality vintage clothing." I don’t believe everyone is capable of doing
it.
This being said, Halloween is the only time
of year that dummy-proofs the process of shopping for vintage clothing. One can go down the, “costume,” aisle and
find potential in almost every item.
Unfortunately, it’s not just one individual that's in
search of vintage treasures. During the
month of October alternative fashionistas everywhere converge into the space of
about two aisles. While it should be a time of comradery among peers, it often results in competition. Again, Halloween is a time of bloodshed. Maybe Michael Myers was bloodthirsty because
some little twenty-something beat him out on the cutest little orange Go Go
dress he'd ever seen.
In closing, my mind was focused on the glory
of the Halloween season because of the jacket I’m wearing in the above photographs. This piece is but one of my finds from this
year's, “costume,” aisle at Savers. I
put it on and instantly knew it was coming home with me. In fact, it was so obvious even two very kind
ladies who looked like they had no clue clothing existed outside of the Dressbarn
told me, “I had to buy it!” Yes, it was
yet another Halloween miracle. Savers
transported those women out of the Barn and into the 1980’s where potentially
they could find the original founders of Dressbarn and change that
hideous name.
-r.
Jacket: Vintage
Skirt: Vintage (Diane von Furstenberg)
Sandals: Vintage
Belt: Thrifted
Earrings: Vintage
Bangle Bracelets: Amrita Singh
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