As I perused through the racks of 1950s party dresses, squealed over the beaded 1920s flapper gowns, and nearly fainted over Edwardian dresses, I started to wonder why do I buy vintage. Why were these women around me buying vintage? As having been on both ends of the spectrum at these shows I have learned to recognize who is there to buy for their shop and who is their to buy for themselves (and maybe it will end up in their shop someday...that would include me) and who is there simply because they just can't get enough of vintage clothing and everything that encompasses the wearing and the collecting of vintage.
If you're reading my vintage blog chances are you adore vintage. You can relate to that feeling you get inside when "she" catches your eye. That cream colored flapper dress with tiny rosettes at the neck and the smocking along the drop waist with pale pink and blue ribbons cascading down along the hips. She speaks to you in that soft sing-songy voice of hers "I have a story to tell, would you like to hear it?" And you walk in a daze towards this glowy ethereal garment many many years your senior... "ooo yes, do tell!"
But then heartbreak... her story is $595 and the saddest moment of truth comes that you cannot afford her story. Not now anyway.
As I floated around the vintage expo (because when I am at these vintage events I am almost always in a happy daze of oblivion, vintage is my drug y'all!) I came to a sad realization that many, I mean nearly 80% of the clothes at the show were too far out of my price range.
I should point out I don't use credit cards. I'm fairly frugal when it comes to money and have heard one too many horror stories of credit card hell. So I just avoid it like I avoid the snake room at zoos. So, no buying dresses I can't really afford.
We have a quick little dance these vintage dresses and I, and then I must say a tearful goodbye and hope that perhaps our paths will meet again (and perhaps by then I will be many pennies richer).
If you've never been to the Vintage Expo in Santa Monica (and it is held in San Francisco as well) let me share a bit of my knowledge with you...
It is by no means cheap or even "affordable". Now I tend to view my prices as fairly fair for the vintage world. And perhaps you will not agree, but if you shopped for vintage where I shop for vintage, I'd be on the cheaper end of the spectrum.
1920s Dresses START at $180-$220 and the $180 flapper dress was a plain sheer off white linen dress with hardly any embellishments. For a velvet or beaded gorgeous number expect to pay between $295 (not as elaborate) to $2200. Average price for a 1920s dress is around $350.
One woman I spoke to spent SIX MONTHS restoring a STUNNING black velvet number with metallic gold threading and very intricate beading. This was one of those $2200 flapper dresses I was talking about. Can I afford a $2200 dress? Absolutely not. Do I think her labor and love and the dress are worth $2200? Yes, absolutely I do.
Sure you can find dresses for $75-$85 dollars. But I'll be straight up honest, it's dresses you can get on Etsy for about the same and usually less.
Let's move on to hats. Because the vintage expo has many, many gorgeous vintage hats! Hat prices vary. You can get a cute 60s felt hat for $38-$48 or really spend the cash on a stunning sequined cloche from 1920s Paris and spend $595. It goes the same for the jewelry. Most of it is expensive, but you can find the odd whimsical brooch here and there from the 1950s or 1960s for $18-$28.
Going to the vintage expo for me is like living out my vintage fantasies for a little. I always leave so inspired and even more in love with vintage than before I arrived. If you are ever in Los Angeles during the weekends it is held here, I highly recommend on attending even if it's just to browse. I'd bring $500-$1,000 if you're looking to buy and that's on a decent budget. You could get a couple dresses and some accessories with that amount of money.
If you're a vintage buyer looking to supply your shop, this wouldn't be the place for it, unless of course your clients can pay double what you paid for something... *hehe*
Oh...and one last note... the prices reflected are of course only items I looked at which as you can see from my instagrammed photos tend to be dresses from the 1920s, 1930s, and Edwardian dresses. If the 40s, 50s, 60s is more your thing or more new age 80s... prices do vary. A 50s day dress would cost anywhere from $128 (on the low end) to $328 on the higher end with party dresses around $195-$595. And of course some dealers will work with you on prices, but having sold vintage myself, please don't try to negotiate us to 50% off the listed price. It just plain hurts our feelings!
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