Pretty in… Vintage?
By Glinda
Tough economic times are hitting everyone, including teens looking for the perfect back-to-school outfits.
The LA Times recently reported that “Thrifty Chic” is now the new cool. Teens are shopping at places such as vintage clothing stores, Ross, and Wal-Mart for their fall wardrobes. The harder it is to find the clothes, the more they will appreciate them. Or, at least that’s the theory, anyway. Vintage items are the most coveted, as it is possible to score stylish, well made clothing for the same price as a new, more cheaply made garment.
I have to say that I fully embrace this new turn of events. I don’t have a teenager (yet) but it’s about time kids realized that demanding their parents buy them multiple pairs of 7 Jeans (retailing for 150.00 and up) every year was just a bit on the conspicuous consumption side of things.
Let them think they have stumbled upon something novel, something new that only their generation has thought of. Let these teens discover for themselves the thrill of the hunt, the quest for that perfect boyfriend sweater or Jackie-O inspired wool dress.
This quote from the article warms the cockles of my shriveled little heart:
Wearing frayed shorts, ankle boots and a T-shirt that said “L.A’s Wasted Youth” on the front, Maddy moved methodically through the store, eventually spotting exactly what she wanted: a tan Member’s Only jacket for $35.
“I’m so happy,” she said, heading for the fitting room. “I’ve been looking for a Members Only jacket forever.”
You know, I can’t wait to tell my 90 year old grandfather that he is totally on-trend.
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:12 am
This is not anything new. Kids have been shopping at vintage stores and the like for decades now. The LA Times is just trying to create another story about tough economic times, knowing that if it’s parroted enough, people will believe that everyone’s in misery.
There have always been kids who buy expensive clothes and kids who buy inexpensive or older clothes. These are simply typical clueless reporters. They notice something for the first time only when it fits the paradigm of what they want to think is true.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:15 am
While I agree that there has always been a certain segment of the teen population that shops at thrift stores, I wouldn’t have necessarily called it a “hot trend” in the past five years or so.
And, economic times are indeed tough for many people, I don’t think it is a fabrication created by the Times.
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:31 am
I’ll hop in and say that tough times are indeed here for many. They will eventually pass, as they always do, but that doesn’t mean that they are imagined or just psychological.
My mom taught my brother and me about how to shop for clothing by giving us a clothing allowance, and when the money was gone, that was it. I will admit to spending a bunch of money on the ‘it’ jeans one year, a decision I regretted when I realized how much more I could have bought had I been less trendy. A cheap lesson to learn so young, I would say. Thanks, mom.
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Obi-Wandreas is right that kids have been buying vintage and thrift all along, but in some places (San Francisco, for example) it is more common than in others (like the OC). In the latter, Glinda is right–teens over the last five years have been more likely to sport new and expensive designer clothing.
I don’t shop exclusively vintage and thrift, but I do love purchasing from those stores. In a place where so many people dress alike, it’s nice to not wear something no one else has.
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Gee, I must be old. When I went to school, only the Goths shopped vintage. Everyone else called it “Used” and shunned it.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
I suspect I’m a WHOLE lot older than you are, Raincoaster, and I was buying vintage at fleamarkets when I was in grammar school, many long years ago – and wearing “goth” long before “goth” started.
However, there’s no denying that I absolutely was NOT one of the fashionable.
July 24th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Ah, La BellaDonna, did YOU skip out of University to line of for Nirvana tickets before their first album came out? Do you remember where you were when the Beatles split up?
July 25th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Raincoaster, worse: I never skipped out of University for anything … at least, not until I ran out of money. Then I skipped out on graduating. As far as the Beatles are concerned, though, I neither knew nor cared when they split up. (See, “Not fashionable,” above.)
Sigh. Geeky, unfashionable, and old.
July 25th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Just ahead of your time, my friend.
July 28th, 2008 at 8:40 am
As a youngster in the 80s I loved the vintage. I still do. However, now I contain myself to wearing hand-knit sweater or silk scarf.
Economics have nothing to do with wearing vintage clothes. I certainly wasn’t rich but it was being different and the quality of workmanship of the clothes that is attractive.
And as much as I loved vintage clothes in the 80s I hated that dress Molly created. She had a perfectly nice vintage dress and turned into a really ugly typical 80s ill fitted frock.