Scouring thrift stores and vintage boutiques can mean big style payoffs (and big savings) but let’s face it: The Salvation Army isn’t Saks, and perfect-fit pieces at Goodwill can be needles in an ill-fitting haystack. But that’s O.K., if you’re willing to think creatively. Taking clothes that are slightly off, size-wise, and having them altered to fit your frame can be a surprisingly economical solution.
|
If that vintage find doesn’t measure up, have it altered. |
Local tailors can re-hem those near-perfect pants for about $6-16, while the cost of taking in a jacket averages $35. If you figure that the cost of good vintage pieces from stores like Ike’s Underground or Glad Rags often average in the $25-50 range, it’s still much cheaper to buy an overlong pair of secondhand jeans and have them hemmed, or to get a fabulous-but-slightly-too-large jacket sized down, than to buy comparable things brand new. And if the SPCA Rummage Store is your boutique of choice, the savings are even bigger.
For the fashionably crafty, there are plenty of DIY alterations that are easy to pull off, but have big impact. Check out vintage.about.com for some great tips on how to tweak, wear, and care for your vintage finds.—Lucy Zhou
