How to Thrift for Vintage Clothing Online - The New York Times

Posted: 13 Mar 2021 12:00 AM PST

I want to stop buying fast fashion, but most slow fashion brands are light years out of my price range. Thankfully thrift stores exist. Do you have any tips on finding good pieces in either a brick and mortar or online secondhand store? — Julie, Portland, Ore.

Welcome to the age of re-commerce. It's one of my favorite new terms.

Thrifting — indeed, the whole secondhand market — is probably going to be one of the biggest fashion phenomena of the 2020s, whether it takes the form of vintage shopping, upcycling or swap meets. According to a report from GlobalData Retail and thredUP, the secondhand clothing site, the market will grow from $28 billion last year to $64 billion by 2024.

The drivers are multiple: the growing cost of both designer fashion and independent fashion, in which companies can't achieve any economies of scale; the environmental and human cost of fast fashion, now broadly recognized (even by fast fashion companies themselves); and a new generation of consumers that finds creative and political satisfaction in reinventing old stuff.

It's no accident that Depop, the social secondhand shopping site, has 27 million users in 147 countries — and 90 percent of them are part of Gen Z. Or that brands like Stella McCartney and Gucci are getting in on the game with their own shop-in-shop on TheRealReal.com.

As you point out, though, it can be hard to navigate this brave new world, especially when you can't feel or try on a used garment for yourself. So for some concrete suggestions, I turned to two expert advisers: Brynn Heminway, the founder of Display Copy, a magazine dedicated to covering used fashion as if it were new fashion; and Sarah Sophie Flicker, the artist and activist — and one of the most stylish proponents of vintage fashion I know. Here's what they said.

Brynn recommends skipping eBay "unless you know what you're looking for. Etsy is easier and has amazing hidden gems, but you still have to like the thrill of the hunt." She suggests you search by brand or specific item type and make sure to include "vintage" in the search "so you know you're getting pre-owned." She also recommends Depop.

Then, she emailed, once you've found something you like, look at all available photos and ask the following questions: "Are there any stains or tears? Can you see a close-up of the stitches? Does the thread look synthetic and thin and poorly sewn? You can see good craftsmanship in the stitches. Same thing with notions/hardware."

Also check the label. "You can often determine an impostor by how new the tag looks," she wrote. "It shouldn't be too bright and shiny. There should be a bit of discoloration and age."

And finally, she noted, "a general rule for finding quality pieces is to look for natural materials over synthetic."

Sarah Sophie favors sites like the RealReal, Depop and Poshmark, as well as vintage fairs like Pickwick and A Current Affair, which have now gone digital because of Covid. She also suggests combing through flea markets and Goodwill. "That's where the best deals are," she emailed. "And garage sales are always great too," especially ones outside urban areas.

Finally, she suggests that you record your measurements properly and keep them written down. "Vintage sizing is often wonky," she wrote.

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Every week on Open Thread, Vanessa will answer a reader's fashion-related question, which you can send to her anytime via email or Twitter. Questions are edited and condensed.

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Doo Wop Vintage brings inclusivity to the clothing market - Minnesota Daily

Posted: 23 Mar 2021 07:01 AM PDT

University of Minnesota student Olivia Anizor is on a mission to bring funky, slow, fashion-friendly vintage clothing to the plus-size fashion community.

Emily Pofahl

Olivia Anzior poses for a portrait with vintage clothes from her shop, Doowop Vintage, in her Minneapolis apartment on Sunday, March 22. Anzior opened the Instagram shop in the early months of the pandemic.

Grace Davis
March 23, 2021

University of Minnesota student Olivia Anizor saw the lack of representation and accessibility of vintage clothing for plus-size folks and decided to do something about it.

Anizor began curating and selling plus-size vintage clothing during the slow months of the pandemic summer of 2020. She created and runs the Instagram account @doowopvintage, where she directly posts and sells to her almost 400 followers.

"I am the audience. I know what I want, and I know what I think other girls with curves want," Anizor said about her motivation for starting Doo Wop.

In a culture where a certain body type influences media and retail, it can be especially hard and discouraging for plus-size folks to find clothing that appeals to them. In 2018, Plunkett Research estimated that 68% of women in the United States are size 14 and up, yet market research company NPD found that 56% of women still said it was hard to find plus-size clothing of equal quality to "regular" sizes.

Anizor has considered herself an active thrifter in the Minneapolis scene for a while now and has seen the positives and negatives of the thrifting community as a plus-size vintage curator. "I've always loved the Minneapolis vintage market. I just think they could branch out more size-wise, and I know it's hard because vintage isn't known for being super size inclusive, but it's out there; you just have to find it," she said.

The slow but steady rise of Doo Wop Vintage is better than Anizor could have expected.

"A really big spike came after I did a pop-up for Small Business Saturday at Les Sól boutique in Minneapolis. After that, I got a lot more of the vintage community in Minneapolis to recognize Doo Wop, which is amazing," she said. "Now I have out-of-state orders! It's growing faster than I could have ever thought it would."

The reaction from local thrifters has been nothing but positive, noting the intention of Doo Wop and the wide array of standout, vintage finds.

Liv May, a University of Minnesota student, reflected on Anizor's business, saying, "The vintage market is dominated by fashion for thinner people, and it's so refreshing to see a plus-size woman of color putting her spin on it. It's cool because more often than not, plus-size women have to rely on fast fashion to meet us halfway regarding size and price. It's really special that Olivia's meeting us at the intersection of size, inclusivity, sustainability and affordability."

Doo Wop has a colorful page of eclectic and one-off patterns, but finding these pieces isn't an easy task, with most thrift stores in Minneapolis not necessarily catering to plus-size folks. Anizor swears by a couple of places to find her perfect pieces for Doo Wop — mainly Savers and Goodwill.

Anizor's intentions have never been about money. "I feel like because plus size vintage is such a niche [market], that it makes it a really good opportunity to like, price it up, which I think is absolutely ridiculous," she said. "I try to sell it for almost what I bought it for. I just love the idea of helping other girls who never find things thrifting, to find things a little bit easier."

Sophia Meza, a friend of Anizor who follows Doo Wop Vintage, had nothing but good things to say about Anizor and her mission.

"Everything Olivia touches is magic and filled with love and thoughtfulness and truly in an effort to make the world a brighter and more inclusive place," she said. "Doo Wop Vintage is a perfect example of all of that!"

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