Category: Vintage Clothing

The best places to shop vintage in Manchester

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Posted in Vintage Clothing Tagged with: vintage manchester, vintage shops

Beware these common problems with women’s vintage coats

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Posted in Vintage Clothing Tagged with: vintage coat, vintage coats

Buy better vintage T-shirts with these tips

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Posted in Vintage Clothing Tagged with: vintage shirts, vintage t-shirts, vintage tees

5 questions to guide your vintage menswear purchases

With recent years having seen a boom in the popularity of ‘vintage’ fashion, here at RETRuly, we thought you might appreciate a few pointers as to how you can get your look right when shopping for vintage menswear such as vintage denim jackets, whether through our own online marketplace or elsewhere.

Which era are you targeting? 

One thing that marks out a genuinely great fashion era is that distinctive, unmistakable style that differs from the eras before or after it. One of the first things that you will therefore need to consider is what era of vintage menswear you generally want to focus on.

Bear in mind that if you want to mix your vintage pieces with more contemporary elements, items from the later 20th century are probably best. However, there are also smarter styles from earlier in the century that could still prove versatile in this regard.

What condition should the clothing be in?  

If you are serious about actually wearing your vintage denim jackets and other vintage menswear, you should really be seeking out items in a near-mint or excellent condition. By that, we mean items that have been worn on a few occasions but are otherwise clearly well-preserved.

Unfortunately, there are few pre-owned vintage clothes out there that are in a genuinely mint state – you are almost certainly going to see some level of wear or ageing.

Are you shopping in the right place? 

There are few pleasures in life quite like sifting through the racks of charity shops for vintage gems, although if you’ve got a very specific style or type of item in mind, the experience can quickly become frustrating. eBay is an obvious alternative place to look, but you can’t always guarantee that the items you receive will actually be vintage.

This is where we’ve shaken things up here at RETRuly, with our fast-growing dedicated vintage marketplace. We even remove items from our sellers’ stores that are not genuine vintage items, to assist you as a buyer in your efforts to achieve the perfect look.

How will different items of yours work together? 

There are certain items that can be relied upon to complement each other really well – the white T-shirt, denim jeans and leather jacket look, for example, has been proved to work time and time again over the years, in the hands of such legends as Marlon Brando and James Dean.

How will you achieve a distinctive look of your own? 

Yes, you may be investing in such items as vintage denim jackets in the first place because you were inspired by a certain movie or TV star’s use of them, but you probably won’t want to look like you’re completely frozen in a previous age. A few contemporary touches can be great for bringing your look into the present day without surrendering the best things about the vintage aesthetic.

Remember that not every element of your costume needs to be vintage. As much as you may love that vintage polo shirt or classic Oxford shirt, for example, it may actually look fresher or more interesting when you wear it with some skinny jeans rather than something obviously ‘vintage’.

Click through to learn more about RETRuly and why our sellers should be your focal point when you are seeking to assemble the perfect vintage wardrobe. Remember that you can also find great items across many other classic categories with us – we’re about so much more than vintage denim jackets!

Posted in Vintage Clothing Tagged with: mens vintage clothing, vintage clothing, vintage denim jacket

What to think about when you buy vintage dresses

It seems that you can barely walk down the street these days without a lovely lady sweeping past you wearing a stunning vintage or vintage-influenced dress – something that puts you in mind of an age long gone. Indeed, such dresses may make you feel nostalgic for an era that you may be too young to have even experienced.

Original 1950s Vintage Pink Diamond Print Swing Dress

But when you would like to buy vintage dresses that will give your own wardrobe some of the ‘pizzazz’ of the old days, what do you need to consider?

Is that “vintage dress” truly vintage?

There’s such strong demand these days for seemingly anything evoking that ‘olde worlde’ style, that certain items that aren’t truly vintage at all can end up being labelled as such.

Fair enough, so if you’ve never bought vintage dresses before, you might be happy – at least at first – with items that were manufactured relatively recently, but which nonetheless give off that ‘vintage’ sensibility. Many dresses that make no attempt to disguise their modern origins may even incorporate elements of vintage style in homage to the past, so you’ve got a lot of choice.

Vintage 1960s Beaded Evening Gown

However, some of us – particularly those of us looking to assemble an outfit that is authentic to a specific era – may be quite serious about wanting our dresses to be genuinely vintage. After all, if you want your clothing to be reminiscent of the scoop-necked loose dresses of the 1920s or the vibrant colouring of the 1960s, any detailing that does not belong to that decade could look jarring.

So, where is the best place to purchase vintage dresses?

You could, of course, look to eBay, charity shops and second-hand stores – but how can you be sure that the items you buy from any of these sources really are vintage in both origin and style?

That’s just one reason why we set up RETRuly. We are the first dedicated vintage marketplace online, and we are so committed to all things vintage that we even remove goods from our site that are not at least 20 years old.

Original 1970s Designer Vintage Black Biba Oriental Style Dress

New ‘vintage-style’ items aren’t permitted to be sold by any of our sellers here at RETRuly, so you have no reason to fret about the authenticity of the dresses you buy via our platform!

So, when you would like to buy vintage dresses, don’t hesitate – choose RETRuly, in the knowledge that we really are the place to come for great deals on anything and everything vintage on the web.

Posted in Marketplace Information, Vintage Clothing Tagged with: buy vintage dresses, sell vintage dresses, vintage dress, vintage dresses

Vintage Shopping Guide to Brick Lane E1

As vintage enthusiasts we like nothing more than a vintage shopping trip in London. One of our favourite areas is Brick Lane, E1. In this blog we will present our favourite vintage shops.

Map of Brick Lane E1 and surrounding area

We start at Liverpool Street station and head straight across Commercial Road towards Spitalfields Market. There are not many vintage vendors in the market now but it’s a great place to grab a coffee of bite to eat from the many fantastic vendors here.

We head straight towards Brick lane and to the first stop, Blitz Vintage in Hanbury Street. This is a stylish store set over two floors with a huge range of vintage clothes and accessories for men and women. It makes the Time Out top ten vintage stores so is a great place to start.

Blitz Vintage in Hanbury Street

From here, go back to Brick Lane and head north and you will come across the Vintage Market in the basement of the Old Truman Brewery on the left. This is one of our favourite spots. It is full of vintage vendors selling everything from vintage fashion, accessories to vinyl records. This market is on every week from Thursday to Sunday.

The Vintage Market in the Old Truman Building, Brick Lane

Inside the Vintage Market, Brick Lane

Along Brick Lane there is lots to see, with some fantastic food, craft markets and some great street musicians. As you continue North take a right hand turn into Cheshire Street. The first store on you right is House of Vintage, this is a small store but we always stop here for their superb range of rare leather and denim jackets. It’s a great place for that big E Levi jacket or 1950’s leather biker jacket.

House of Vintage, Cheshire Street

From here, continue along Cheshire Street to Beyond Retro. This vintage store is in a huge warehouse and has an enormous selection of vintage. Their range is for all budgets and if you take the time to really search you will find the odd hidden gem. This is well worth the small detour.

Beyond Retro, Cheshire Street

Back on Brick Lane heading North you will see Rokit Vintage on your right. This is one of the most well know vintage stores and is well worth a visit. They have a large range of clothing and accessories and the sale rail is a must. We have found some real gems at bargain prices.

Rokit Vintage, Brick Lane

At the top end of Brick Lane is Hunky Dory. It is a small shop and although there is very little men’s, they have some lovely women’s vintage. It’s a really stylish little shop and a great place to finish.

Hunky Dory, Brick Lane

We hope this inspires you to visit Brick Lane, it is a great day out and one of the best areas for vintage in the country.

If you can’t get to London, why not shop thousands of lovely vintage items from the comfort of your home at the RETRuly Marketplace.

Posted in Marketplace Information, Vintage Clothing Tagged with: vintage brick lane, vintage clothing, vintage shopping, vintage shopping guide

Would you pay $80,000 for a Pair or Vintage Levi Jeans?

A pair of Levi jeans believed to date back to the year 1893, were found in a family trunk that had been passed down from generation to generation.

The 130 year old jeans are in fantastic condition

It’s believed Warner was at least 6’6′. The jeans have a 44-inch waist and are 36-inches in length.

Since his death in 1899, his his descendants have passed on a wooden chest. An ‘heirloom’ that bears his name.

Jock didn’t think to check who the jeans belonged to until quite recently when an antiques roadshow came into town.

The jeans, which are in excellent condition, look brand new, but the current owner Jock Taylor believes they have actually been laying in the chest untouched for decades – possibly for more than a century.

He believes that they belong to his great-great grandfather Solomon Warner, an Arizona pioneer from the 1800s.

the jeans belonged to Soloman Warner, an American Pioneer

Vintage Levi jeans can be hugely collectable, but to find a pre-1900 is a massive rarity and considered by collectors to be the holy grail.

The construction of Levi jeans has changed over the years

It’s believed Warner was a large man, at least 6’6′. The jeans have a 44-inch waist and are 36-inches in length.

Since his death in 1899, his his descendants have passed on a wooden chest. An ‘heirloom’ that bears his name.

The jeans came to light when they were taken to a local antiques roadshow. The expert soon realised that despite the condition, the jeans were much older than had previously been thought.

Unlike modern Levi’s, the jeans in those days had only a single back pocket. There were no belt loops as they wore braces. The denim was produced at a mill in New Hampshire, and the jeans were produced by Levi’s in San Francisco.

Old leather waist label

These current jeans are like new and could possibly be the oldest unworn pair of Levi’s in existence

The rivets were exposed, meaning they were older than 1937 – and braces buttons showed that the pair were older than 1922. Finally, a single back pocket indicated that the jeans were older than 1901

Pre-1937 jeans had exposed rivets and the braces button show that they were pre-1922

A pair of 501 jeans manufactured in the 1880s sold for $60,000 to a Japanese collector in 2005, Soules said, and another pair, from 1888, sold last year for six figures.

Posted in Vintage Clothing Tagged with: collecting levi jeans, vintage levi jeans

Vintage Levi Jeans – The New Gold Rush

Levi Strauss was born in Bavaria in 1846. After the death of their father in 1846, Strauss and his sisters moved to New York to join their brothers, working in a wholesale dry goods business.

Shortly after the start of the gold rush he moved to California to seek his fortune. He then started his own dry goods business and Levi Strauss & Co was born. Meanwhile, Jacob Davis, a tailor, moved from New York to California in 1856. He failed to strike gold and his tailor shop was struggling so he moved to Canada. He later returned to Nevada and opened a tailor shop and chose Levi Strauss as his denim suppler.

Although denim jeans were already in common use they were not durable enough to withstand the wear and tear. Davis came up with the idea of strengthening the jeans by incorporating metal rivets to the area under the most strain. This became so popular that Davies he decided to patent the idea. Because he did not that the capital he reached out to his supplier Levi Strauss. The patent was granted in May 1873 and the jeans as we know them today was born.

Levi Strauss has become an American icon and jeans from the gold rush era have become very valuable, regardless of the condition. Such is the demand for these jeans, prices can reach as high as $100,000.

But were can you find these rare treasures? Out in the desert in California, Nevada and Arizona, there are abandoned silver mines like buried time capsules. Treasure hunters are now searching these old abandoned mines for old denim hoping to strike gold. Even straps of denim from the gold rush can command high prices as collectors snap them up.

These very rare examples are beyond the reach of most collectors but it is still possible to find investment vintage Levi jeans from the 1960’s and 1970’s if you know what you are looking for. If you want to find our more, check out this Guide for dating vintage Levis.

Guide to dating vintage Levi Jeans.

Posted in Vintage Clothing Tagged with: vintage levi jeans

The Best Vintage Jewellery Styles of 2017

Vintage Engagement Rings:

In a world where everybody has a similar style, it’s so refreshing to stand out from the crowd and have a little bit of personality. Vintage engagement rings have timeless individual style to them and turn heads wherever you go. These type of rings are extremely beautiful but often have little value to them, which is why it is best to use the ring as a base and add to them to increase the value. Depending on how old the rings are (and the lives they have lived prior to finding you), some of the stones and gems may have gotten lost along the way. The best way to style a vintage engagement ring is to replace the old stones with loose diamonds or other gems depending on your preference, this gives an extra added sparkle and ties the ring in with modern style.

Vintage Necklaces:

The up-cycles, recycled, retro and vintage looks are always going to tie your outfit together with a little bit of creativity. There are so many vintage necklace styles to choose from, from chunky bold necklaces, to bright beaded necklaces that you can spruce up an outfit for any occasion. One of the best reasons to wear vintage around your neck is the detailing and care that has gone into making them. 2017 is going to be all about detail, patterns and chunky jewellery which ties in perfectly with the style of vintage necklaces.

Vintage Beaded Necklace

Vintage Brooches:

Brooches are artistic, versatile and timeless pieces and can be found at any good costume jewellery store. In comparison with vintage pieces, modern brooches don’t have the same sparkle or presence to them, so it’s difficult to compromise on quality once you have handled a lot of vintage pieces! The classic vintage brooch is the perfect way of adding a little bit of sparkle or colour to your style without drawing too much attention away from your outfit.

Very Sparkly Vintage Flower Brooch

Guest post by – Alice Porter

Posted in Vintage Clothing Tagged with: vintage brooch, vintage jewellery, vintage necklace

The Fashion Trends of 2017

Whether your style is a little bit Quirky, bold or sporty, 2017 has got you covered. After the explosive year of 2016 expect to see the vibrant colours, big statements and lots of sportswear. The runways have given an insight into the wacky world and wonderful styles that are going to grace our high streets in the coming months.

 

Posted in Vintage Clothing Tagged with: trends, Vintage fashion