One of my best recent finds was a large lot of vintage fashion magazines, mostly of them from the 1980s — Cosmo, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, and many others, over 100 in total. I am slowly reading and leafing my way through them, trying to savour the experience as much as possible. Vintage magazines are getting shockingly hard to come by! Last time I found some older Vogue and Vanity Fair magazines at the thrift store (and, keep in mind, these were only from the mid-2000s), they were $5 each. Oof. To say that I regret giving away a large portion of my late 90s and early 2000s magazine collection is an understatement.
I enjoy looking at old magazines for many reasons. One, it’s a window on history … and before you protest, may I remind you that the early 80s are now 40 years go. I know, it took me a while to adjust to that reality too. It’s really interesting to see how society and culture was back then, versus now. Also, and this may be a niche interest on my part, I really like seeing mundane details of daily life back then: how much things cost, what jobs people had, etc.
Two, 80s and 90s magazines are a wealth of style inspo given my current fashion interest in that period. What has surprised me many times is how fresh and contemporary some of the styling still appears today, especially for certain designers in particular. I recently saw an 1983 ad for Calvin Klein that, honestly, would not look out of place in a magazine today. It’s definitely changed my perception of 80s and 90s fashion, even beyond my current interests.
One thing I will say is … interior design in the 80s? Hard pass.
Three, and on a related note, these magazines are providing me a whole education on vintage fashion. I’m discovering (or rediscovering) brands and designers that were popular back then, which informs my hunt for vintage pieces at the thrift stores (and on Poshmark). It’s interesting to see how some brands, which have since “come down” in the fashion world, used to be considered quite fancy — Anne Klein, for example. It’s also nostalgic to see names that I hadn’t thought about in years, like Byblos, Krizia and Agnes B.
Here are some of the images I have saved in my “inspiration” folder so far (all from Harper’s Bazaar):
Details: Gap dress (Poshmark), Lena Bernard necklace (Poshmark), Old Navy shoes (Poshmark)
Details: I love this dress so, so much. Apart from the fact that it perfectly encapsulates my summer 2022 style, it fits and wears like a dream. I also plan to wear it open, as a duster. It’s pre-2000 vintage Gap; back in the day, the quality of Gap was really good. This dress is in great condition, even after all these years.
Details: indie maker corset, Zara duster (thrifted), Ines de la Fressange x Uniqlo pants (thrifted), J. Crew shoes (retail)
Thoughts: I’m loving the look of crop tops and high waisted bottoms, and this was a slightly more risque take on that formula. The older I get, the less f*cks I have to give about wearing clothing that some people might think is inappropriate for my age. That being said, this is definitely more of a house outfit, though not for the reasons you might think. The fringe on the duster coat is awesome, but it has a tendency to get in the way, and I am worried that if I attempt to wear it outside, it will snag on something or get caught in my car door or something. Maybe I just need to take that risk anyway …
Details: Vince top (thrifted), Golden by TNA jacket (thrifted), Madewell jeans (thrifted), Chico’s belt (thrifted), Birkenstock shoes (thrifted)
Thoughts: A casual outfit that felt “elevated” thanks to the drapey knit tank top and the belt. Chico’s accessories are really underrated in my opinion, by the way. This belt is a cool, funky take on southwestern style.
Details: Lord & Taylor dress (thrifted), Gap shirt (thrifted), Sweet Grass vest (thrifted), vintage belt (thrifted), Fluevog shoes (thrifted)
Thoughts: Speaking of southwestern flair, I really leaned in that direction for this outfit. Not sure if it’s quite me, but it was fun to try. I was inspired by this amazing belt which combines my love of turquoise and my love of corset-style belts. The vest is something I got last year on a whim, and I’m still not sure if it’s my vibe; gonna have to see if I reach for it again this summer, and then decide whether to keep it or not. I did add some goth shoes to balance things out.
Details: Ralph Lauren top (gift), Anthro pants (thrifted), vintage jacket (thrifted), J. Crew shoes (retail)
Thoughts: Just an easy casual outfit — perfect for school drop-offs and errand-running.
Details: indie maker corset, BCBG skirt (thrifted), Tabitha jacket (thrifted), Lena Bernard necklace (ebay)
Thoughts: Same corset as before, different vibe. I couldn’t resist getting this skirt because it’s my favourite colour, and the material is a lovely, gauzy, floaty fabric. I have another skirt in almost the exact same colour, though a slightly different style and different fabric, and now I am trying to decide whether to keep both or not. This BCBG number is definitely a keeper, though.
Details: Tabi skirt (thrifted), Vince top (thrifted), Denim & Supply jacket (thrifted), Holt Renfrew belt (retail), Old Navy shoes (Poshmark)
Thoughts: I had been wanting a denim maxi skirt for a while, and I thought I had hit the jackpot with this Tabi number. It buttons down the front and is a full style, both exactly what I wanted. But the fabric is a really stiff denim, and after wearing it, I realized that I didn’t like that at all. I prefer skirts that are more drapey and floaty. Sad this didn’t work out.
Details: Talula tank (Poshmark), DKNY shirt (thrifted), Adriano Goldschmied jeans (thrifted), Chico’s belt (thrifted), Ash sneakers (thrifted).
Thoughts: I was very happy to find this vintage DKNY oversized shirt – it works so well as a duster. The fabric is a lovely washed silk that floats like a dream. Very lightweight and perfect for summer. It did have a couple of small grease stains that I couldn’t wash out, but they aren’t super noticeable and my plan is to eventually try dyeing it. I’ve never dyed anything before, so I am a little scared and in no rush, haha. I really like its current colour and the fact that it isn’t quite in perfect shape makes it easier to wear as a casual piece — I can throw it and go, without worrying about ruining it with sunscreen, etc.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that I had been looking forward to this year’s clothing swap ever since last year’s wrapped. That’s how much fun it was to host everyone, after a year’s absence, in our newly landscaped (and ready for entertaining) back garden last year. The new set-up worked so well that I decided to do it again, in exactly the same way, this year.
The stone patio area was used for seating — a record number of attendees this year (13!) — and the deck was once again set up as a “boutique” area for accessories and house decor, which people could browse at their leisure in between swapping sessions. Speaking of which, I like to keep my swaps pretty informal and laidback, and also create opportunities for people to connect. What I find works well is for each person to show the rest of the group each item that they’ve brought, along with some key information about sizing, fit, brand, etc. It creates a really nice sense of intimacy and community — it’s that feeling of being in your best friend’s closet, talking about clothes and picking new outfits. Sometimes, swap newbies feel a little shy at first (we don’t make them go first) but after a round or two of sharing, everyone gets into the spirit.
The garden is a perfect space for hosting, as it gives us lots of room to spread out and a nice atmosphere as well. The only downside of an outdoors swap is the fact that you’re hostage to the weather; luckily, after a very wet start to the summer, our swap day was beautiful and sunny. So much so that I got a bad sunburn out of the deal (my fault entirely for somehow forgetting sunscreen all day, d’oh).
But I know what y’all want to see. Here’s a peek at what I took home.
It’s a lot more than I had planned to take, but still less than the 3 large bags of clothing (plus a bag of shoes and purses) that I brought to the swap. The nice thing about swaps is that they’re a low pressure way to try out things. It’s all free, and if it doesn’t work out, you can always bring it to the next swap (or donate). These days, I am pretty ruthless about what I choose to take in the first place, but there is always so much stuff to choose from and everyone is cheering you on to try so … don’t mind if I do.
I do think that, for the most part, I kept to my style brief pretty closely. There are one or two calculated style risks in the bunch, but you should be able to see my reasons for taking them on.
I don’t normally gravitate towards animal prints but this Topshop skirt had a lot of other things going for it. One, it’s suuuuper long. Like, ankle-length. Love. The fabric is a chiffon-like material, very floaty. Also love. I’m not a huge fan of the pattern, but I like that it’s a very small animal print; also, the background colour is my favourite shade of orange brown, so I think it will work nicely with some of my fall wardrobe. The skirt does have some interesting slits in the front, so it remains to be seen how it will work out for me long-term.
Again, not a piece that I would normally jump on, but it fits like a dream and has an intriguing bohemian vibe that might actually work really well with my current style.
This might be the piece I’m not excited to play around with. It looks like a knit dress but it actually splits open in the front so it’s really more of a tunic slash layering piece. It’s also very long which … well, you know where I stand on that.
This was one of the pieces I wasn’t really sure about, but I could not resist the vintage.
I have been looking for a pair of these Wilfred faux leather leggings at the thrifts for the past 5 years, no joke. Never found one. But now, I finally have one! It’s a greyed out olive colour, which is neat because I already have black and burgundy leather leggings.
This skirt had me at the vintage Gap label — it’s from 2000, which is funny because I’ve begun collecting various pieces from that year. I’m giving denim skirts another try; another vintage one I thrifted recently didn’t work out for me, so I am hoping this does. It’s long (yes!) but I am not sure how I feel about the cut. It’s more of an A-line than a column style (it flares out a bit at the bottom) so I don’t know if I love it. I do love the slit in front.
Okay, it’s not vintage but it is Pendleton and it is my favourite colour. Sold!
I love this shade of purple, but I don’t find it easy to mix and match with the rest of my colour palette. So this was a risk. I decided to take it because I’ve been looking for crop tops, and struggling to find nice ones at the thrifts.
Super pumped about these high waisted Everlane pants. I love the cut and the colour (a purple-leaning grey).
I couldn’t resist this Ralph Lauren plaid wool skirt even though it’s a mini. I just love the style and the colours. I will have to see if I can make it feel like “me” come fall. I know that style- and colour-wise, it will fit into my wardrobe really well.
I have been wanting a pair of pink heels for a while so I am very pumped about these (no pun intended). The heel is manageable and because it’s a block heel, I hope it will be relatively comfortable to wear. The brand is Lord & Taylor.
My current sunnies are on their last legs, so I was pumped to find this Toms pair. Classic style and very comfortable to wear. This was the first thing I picked up at the swap, and I wore them for the rest of the day.
Picked up some pendants. The turquoise was a no-brainer, as was the (imitation?) tiger’s eye. The faux coral Stella & Dot necklace is a bit outside my wheelhouse, but I thought it might work nicely as a layering necklace with some of my boho summer outfits.
Picked up a couple of small vases to add to my milkglass collection.
And a set of massive iron skeleton keys as a fun, unique display item. Hand for sizing reference — they really are huge and heavy.
Last but not least, I found some books that speak to all of my interests (fashion, history, biography).
And that’s a wrap on another fun clothing swap!
I haven’t been keeping close track but since I started in 2007, I think this was my 15th swap (after missing out on one in 2020). I hope to keep the tradition going for many more years to come. If you have any questions about clothing swaps, feel free to put them in the comments and I will do my best to answer them.
