Everything I Know About Thrifting IV: Cleaning and Caring for Thrifted Clothing

Thank you so much for all your comments on the previous posts, everyone! If you haven't had a chance to read through the comments yet, you should definitely do so when you get the chance - there are some excellent points and tips in there.

Mending and altering

I know a lot of you are extremely skilled seamstresses and can do most alterations yourselves, but I'm afraid I am not. I can hem garments, take them in and make small repairs, but that's about all. If the garment is vintage, or special in some way, I prefer to take it to my lovely dressmaker, because I trust her to do a far better job than I! (Although I did attack a vintage dress with scissors and thread one Chardonnay-fuelled night. I woke up in the morning with hazy recollections, thinking I had ruined it - it actually looked quite good, but that was sheer luck. The moral of the story is that wine and alterations do not mix).

There is nothing more elegant than a perfectly-fitted garment, and I think it pays to become fussy about the fit of your clothes. Alterations are not usually expensive (although it pays to factor in the cost of alterations when thrifting a garment that doesn't fit, as it may turn out to be less of a bargain than you thought) and they make an enormous difference. The only advice I would give is that I think it's best to take the garment to the dressmaker as soon as possible - it's easy to develop a pile of to-be-altered garments, and it's less overwhelming if you take them in straight away. It also means you'll be able to incorporate the items into your wardrobe - and wear them! - more quickly.

If you do not already have a dressmaker you visit regularly, ask friends and family for recommendations. I found mine by asking the owner of a vintage store who she used - that way I could be sure that they were used to handling vintage garments.

Cleaning

I'm not an expert on any of this; these are just the methods I use! I know that many of you have infinitely more experience and knowledge in this area than I do, so please add any further tips and tricks in the comments. Advice on cleaning special items, like hats (Solanah, are you out there? I have a feeling you'll be an expert on this!) and vintage swimsuits would be fantastic.

Washing vintage clothing

Okay. I'm going to make a confession here. I do wash some of my vintage dresses, the cotton ones, in the washing machine - in warm water on the Delicates cycle, with detergent designed for delicate fabrics. I know this makes me a bad, bad person, but - what can I say? I really hate hand-washing. The one drawback of having a large vintage wardrobe, however, is that you do need to do a lot of hand-washing, even if you cheat with the washing machine occasionally, and it is certainly the best way to wash your newly-acquired thrifted vintage for the first time. I wash each item separately in a little basin, in lukewarm water, with a delicate detergent (without agitating the garments in the water), and then rinse them in fresh water (without scrunching and wringing them). I then dry the dresses flat, in the shade. When it comes to ironing, I use a fairly cool iron, and place a thin cloth (like a napkin) between the iron and the garment. It's a good idea to check if this will work on a small section of the garment first, just in case it explodes or melts or something! I also hang garments in the shower room in the mornings to steam.

As a general rule, you can wash cotton, linen, man-made fabrics and some wool blends by yourself (although there are always exceptions). There are some fabrics, of course, that need to be dry-cleaned. I think it's a good idea to ask the owner of your favourite vintage store which dry-cleaner they use, as then you can be sure that they know how to deal with vintage fabrics.

Basically, when in doubt, get it cleaned by a specialist!

In addition, don't wash your vintage clothing too often, as it speeds its deterioration. We're a bit spoiled with laundry, anyway, in the Western world, and wash our clothes more than is necessary. As a well-brought-up little Zimbabwean girl, in a country where water is a scarce resource, I was taught to keep laundry to a minimum, and I think it was good advice.

Consider buying some dress shields, as underarm sweat is a vintage fabric's Kryptonite. They will help to preserve the fabric, as well as keeping the dress cleaner and sweeter-smelling! If your garment has yellow underarm stains, these can be tricky ... try dabbing at them with white vinegar on clean cloth. This can improve things, but I've never had much luck with it. As always, if you have any tips, please chime in in the comments!

Cleaning shoes

I know a lot of people don't like the idea of buying second-hand shoes, but it's not something that makes me squirm. I will say, though, that I usually only thrift new or near-new shoes - you'd be amazed how often people give away band-new shoes! I do, however, clean the insides with white spirits on a bit of cotton wool, to kill any lurking nasties. You can buy new in-soles, too, to reduce the ick factor.

Cleaning rare or historic items

I don't own any items of clothing that could be museum pieces, but there is a chance that you may fall in love with a rare find from the Victorian era, or one of those gorgeously delicate beaded dresses from the 20s. If so, the garment may be too delicate to clean, or even to wear, but if you want to conserve it, there are conservators who specialise in antique fabrics and who will be able to help you preserve it in a good state. If you are having trouble finding a good conservator, ask at your local museum - they will usually be able to recommend someone. A good friend of mine works as a conservator here in Christchurch, and the bulk of her clients comes from museum referrals.

Storing and displaying your vintage clothing

I am hardly a shining example of proper storage, as my husband and I share a closet the size of a Porta-Loo and my clothes are living in cramped quarters. Basically, though:

1. Make sure your clothes are clean before storing them
2. Keep them away from light, as they will fade and become damaged
3. Try and keep as much air between each garment as possible
4. Hang scented bags in the wardrobe to make them smell lovely and to keep away insects - cedar oil is good for repelling moths!

I like to hang dresses on the walls of my room, as well, as they are works of art and should be enjoyed (in my opinion). I keep the displayed dresses on a rotation so that they don't spend too much time in the light.

As for hats - well, you've all seen my stairwell of hats! This isn't the ideal home for them, as there is a small window in the stairwell and they may fade, but they look so pretty. Hatboxes are much better - and they look gorgeous, too! You can buy plain ones in lots of different sizes at craft stores, and decorate them yourself. I think they look great covered in pretty wallpaper. When storing your hat in the box, stuff the crown with tissue paper to keep its shape.

Please do add your thoughts, everyone, as this is such a huge subject! I'd love to know any information you'd like to share.

P.S. Woman of the Week is suspended this week while I do this series - back next week!

Everything I Know About Thrifting III: Spotting Vintage

How to tell if it's vintage

These are the signs I look for - I'm sure all the vintage lovers and sellers out there can chime in with more!

Style

If you love the clothes from a particular decade, you probably spend quite a bit of your spare time researching the different styles and looking at gorgeous images. You can often recognise a vintage piece just by looking at the style of it - and after a while, you'll grow confident enough to trust your instincts.

Fabric

I wish I knew more specific information about these, so that I could give you a definitive list of which fabrics were more common when. I did find this history of textiles, however, which is pretty thorough and extensive, if you want to look up a particular fabric.

I think the best way to become familiar with the sort of fabrics used in your favourite vintage period is to visit vintage stores and have a good look at the garments you love. You will soon get a good idea of the sort of thing for which you should be looking on your thrifting expeditions. I love the brushed cottons, taffetas and tulles of the 50s, but have a pathological hatred for 70s polyester!

Quality

Vintage clothing is generally very well-made, with generous hem allowances - not like the stingy hems and seams of some high street garments today (and can I also just have a little rant about buttons sewn on with one tiny piece of thread that fall off as soon as you sneeze?).

There are also lots of handmade vintage garments out there, as it was more common for people to sew their own clothes back then. I have noticed this particularly in New Zealand and Zimbabwe - the fashions imported from Europe and America in the mid-20th Century were limited and often out of a woman's budget if she lived out in the 'colonies' (some of my British friends still joke that I'm living in the colonies ... but then I remind them that we have better weather out here and score a point that way!). You see a lot of handmade garments made from overseas patterns over here. I am particularly attached to the handmade vintage garments I find, especially if they are a perfect fit for me, as it is easy to imagine the woman who put so much love and care into the construction of the dress, and then wore it out with pride. "Oh this old thing? Just something I whipped up." I feel a real connection to that woman when I'm wearing her dress. Some people would think this is weird and creepy, but I just think it's cool.

Zipper

Items that date from before the 1950s will usually not have a zipper fastening. If the zipper is metal, then the garment probably dates from the 50s or early 60s. If the zipper is nylon, it will date from later in the century - if plastic, later still.

Label

One of the best ways! It is generally quite easy to recognise a vintage label, even if you aren't familiar with the brands - it will be in a vintage typeface, and just have 'that look' to it. I wish I could describe it better, but I'm sure you know what I mean. It will probably also be a bit faded. When you get the garment home, look up the manufacturer online - sometimes you can find really interesting information and date the garment very accurately. (Thornton & Hall and Gainsborough are the two vintage labels I come across most often here in New Zealand).

Washing Instructions

Washing care labels were only made compulsory in the 1970s. Some earlier garments will have them, but this is still a pretty good way to date a garment to the 70s or later.

This is a bit of a side-note, but I couldn't write a series of posts on thrifting without mentioning ...

Thrifting karma (also known as thrifting serendipity)

Anyone who thrifts knows about thrifting karma. You think of an item and then find the exact one on the first rail you examine in the first store you visit. You find the perfect dress in the perfect colour, and it fits as if it were made for you. I don't know why thrifting karma is so common ... Perhaps because the whole process is based on chance? Perhaps because old clothes retain a sort of personality and magic, like haunted houses? Whatever it is, there is definitely a sprinkle of fairy dust in each store, no matter how dirty and dingy, and every so often that fairy dust will do something magical for you.

I present for your edification My Favourite Thrifting Story Ever (originally posted here). My husband bought me a beautiful white 50s dress while we were on holiday in Nelson, for our anniversary. I loved it - it is still my favourite dress. A few weeks later, back in Christchurch, I visited my favourite vintage store. The dress LOML bought me is very distinctive - it was made by Juliet's of Christchurch and has a gorgeous fabric-covered button at the neckline. The first thing I saw when I walked into the vintage store was that very same button, calling to me from a rail. I had found the matching jacket! Same label, same fabric, same buttons. Turns out that the owner of the vintage store had bought the jacket in Nelson, too (but at an entirely different place from where LOML found it) several weeks before we went there. What are the odds of my going to Nelson and finding the dress, and then finding the matching jacket in an entirely different city weeks later? THRIFT KARMA. It was meant to be.

Trust in thrift karma. It comes when you least expect it, but it will work its magic for you frequently - I guarantee it.

And please add any points that I've missed in the comments! Tomorrow - cleaning and caring for vintage and thrifted garments (which I meant to get onto today and didn't).

Everything I Know About Thrifting II: Finding Treasure

Okay, we're at the thrift store and about to start the actual shopping. As you can see, I'm wearing a simple, low-maintenance outfit in an attempt to follow my own advice about thrifting uniforms (as I mentioned yesterday, I'm prone to making impromptu trips dressed in something completely weather-inappropriate that takes fifteen minutes to get out of). So now that we're here, it's time to hunt for the good stuff.

You can usually tell if a thrifting expedition is going to be a good one as soon as you step into the store. I don't know how this works. I think it is the same sixth sense that tells a hunter there's good eating in them thar woods. Or something. There's a sort of tingle in the air. The rails look inviting. You catch glimpses of tantalising prints and fabrics. Sometimes, of course, you can tell straight away that there's nothing at all for you there, but you press on anyway with dogged determination and maybe leave with a scarf. That's just how thrifting works. And that's what makes it fun!

You can improve your chances, however! (Just a quick note - these are all tips for thrift-shopping for yourself, not thrift-shopping to re-sell, as I really wouldn't know anything about that. I thrift for me).

Take your time

I think this is the most important point, and the one that will yield the most rewards. You usually won't spot the treasures straight away - you have to dig. A lot. For lengthy periods of time. Sometimes you will have to dig literally, if your thrift store has bins of hats and bags and scarves. You can't expect to find something wonderful as soon as you walk in the door (although sometimes you will), and you can't expect to find something wonderful every time you visit a store (although you might have a magic store and if so I envy you). But if you spend enough time rummaging around, I guarantee you will find completely amazing things.

Remember your wish-list, and remember to keep an open mind!

Rummage through the whole store, definitely, but keep your wish-list in mind. It will add focus to your search. On the other hand, though, don't limit yourself - try anything that appeals to you, and be prepared to fall in love with some pretty unexpected things! I know this sounds contradictory, but thrifting is a bit of a contradictory beast.

Be a bit picky

There's a difference between being a thrifter and being a hoarder. You don't need piles of clothing just for the sake of it. The fun bit is actually wearing the clothes! By all means, buy lots of things, but keep your actual, day-to-day wardrobe in mind to make sure you're adding to it rather than drowning it.

Try everything on

It's heartbreaking when something you love doesn't fit, but it would be even more heartbreaking if you had spent money on it and brought it all the way home. Try it on. You can always get it altered (or alter it yourself) if you're desperate - if it is too small, however, check to see how much seam allowance it has. I bought a gorgeous too-small evening dress in December without checking to see if I could actually let it out. And I couldn't. And that thing was TINY. I was very sad.

Look carefully for stains and rips

Someone may have thrown this out for a reason! Yes, you can mend some rips and remove some stains ... but not all. If you find a yellow Monster Stain of Doom on the front of a pair of pants, you should probably leave them behind. (Although I did buy a dress with a purple Monster Stain of Doom on the front once, and dyed the whole dress purple when I got it home to disguise the stain. It worked! But sometimes it won't. So, check).

Become fussy about fabric, quality and cut!

If you have the same high standards whether you're buying new or used, you'll have a closet full of great items. Of course, you can clean, mend and alter secondhand garments, but the garment should have good 'bones' - that is, it should be of good quality to start with. The great thing about thrifting is that it allows you to have expensive tastes on a slim budget. Look for well-made clothes in good fabrics - you'll get to know which ones really speak to you.

Become semi-fussy about fit

I say semi-fussy because you can always get things altered. You do need to know, however, whether the garment actually suits your body shape. That way, you are more likely to wear it on a regular basis and really love it. Be aware of the potential for re-sizing, but be strict with yourself, too: it's easy to end up with Clothes Mountain in your spare room, a ceiling-high stack of garments waiting to be altered or taken to the dressmaker, representing time and money that needs to be invested in them.

I also have a superstitious belief that a garment is really MEANT for me if it fits perfectly. I will occasionally buy one that doesn't fit and take it to the dressmaker, but usually I leave it behind, thinking that it is waiting for its perfect owner. Like a puppy.

Hang on to the things you like!

Don't leave garments on the rail while you think about them - carry them around. That way no one else has a chance to grab them before you've made up your mind. Also, if you think someone else is undecided about the garment they're examining, and you want it, hover unobtrusively and then grab it as soon as they move six inches away. I know it's a bit aggressive, but all's fair in love and thrift! And it will teach them an important lesson: if you like it then you've got to put a ring on it. Whoops, I mean, hold on to it.

Ask: is it really worth the price?

Some thrift stores have ridiculously high prices. I saw a horrible Glassons top in a thrift store the other day for $15, and it would probably have cost about $25 when new. So why buy it? Wait till it's on sale at the actual store and buy it then. On the other hand, I'm willing to pay a bit more on the rare occasion that I find a perfect 50s dress, as it is almost certainly unique. Weigh up the cost and the worth before you hand over your valuable thrifting money.

Don't buy it just because it's old

If it is just plain ugly, it is still going to be ugly sixty years later. Uglier, in fact. Don't buy it just for the sake of owning something from that decade.

Don't buy it just because it's cheap

Enough said, really. If you don't like it, don't buy it - even if it's just a dollar. But - if you can't decide whether to buy it or not (and are agonising over the decision) and it's under $5, you should usually go for it!

Look in unexpected places

The men's section, the children's section and the wedding dress section can all yield treasures. I find some great boys' clothes, particularly - blazers and little coats - and they can fit us girls in really unexpected (and cute) ways. Wedding dresses can look amazing shortened - and even dyed.

Make friends

One of my favourite things about thrifting is chatting to the ladies running the store (it always seems to be women here in Christchurch). If you smile, greet them politely and chat, it makes both of your experiences more pleasant. And, as a selfish side-note, it makes them more likely to give you a better price or save garments for you (if you start going in regularly, which you should!). I have a few favourite op-shops I visit weekly, and I've got to know the ladies really well. In one shop, they saved a gorgeous full-skirted fifties dress for me in the back room, and then refused to charge me any more than $5 for it! So lovely. I bought them chocolate muffins to say thank you. It was all very heart-warming.

Of course, not all thrift-store workers will be friendly. Some are downright terrifying. But be polite and friendly anyway, because, well, you're a nice person.

Tell them what you're interested in, as well! They may remember a garment tucked away in the back room, or point you in the direction of something you'll love. It's worth asking.

Go often

Find out what the store's delivery days are, and visit on those days. Visit on other days, as well. In fact, visit as often as you can. That's really how you find the treasures; you never know what magical item will have arrived! You'll soon learn which stores in your area merit a bi-weekly visit, and which you can pop into once a month, or even less frequently.

Indulge in quick-fix thrifting

Sometimes you just want to buy something to get that happy glow that comes from thrifting. I think we all buy things to cheer ourselves up now and then - I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of, as long as you don't go crazy. In my experience, there are a few things that are always relatively easy to pick up for a few dollars at pretty much all thrift stores. Scarves and belts are usually super-cheap, and it's a quick and easy way to add something new to an outfit. And you can wear them in so many different ways!

Tomorrow I'll talk about recognising vintage clothing, cleaning and caring for your thrifted items, and incorporating them into your wardrobe. Goodness, that sounds business-like. What I mean is that I'll try to do these things. I hope you're having fun!