Shopping For Vintage Clothing??

Love all those vintage goodies you've been eyeing? Wondering just how fabulous you'd look in that KILLER 40's suit? Will it fit?? The last question is gonna be THE deciding factor in whether you even contemplate the purchase, is it not? This is also the single most asked question by brand new vintage vixens or in the know fashionistas wanting to incorporate that certain vintage something that are hesitant to buy vintage clothing online.

Grab a soothing/energizing beverage, your choice, and in mere minutes, learn how to tell if nearly any clothing item is going to fit. Happy day, huh? This works for all clothing, even, gasp, brand spanking new garb!

It's all in the measures. Yep, in the measures, as in YOUR measurements as well as the proposed GARMENT's measures. Numerical sizing is spastically all over the place, for both vintage AND new. Even within new garments, sizing charts vary wildly from designer to designer. A prime example of this is that while I can easily wear a size Large or 10/12 from Ralph Lauren, I can't squeeze my anything in a Betsey Johnson Large or 10, at all, tres tragic, I know. Hence, measures/measurements are the most accurate way to determine fit. How? you say. I'm getting there, forgive the ramble please, it needed to be said.

How the garment is measured

The most common measurements you're likely to see are: bust, waist, hips & length. Let's start with these. To measure the bust, the garment would be laid out flat, and measured from underarm to underarm, and then the measure doubled or x2. The waist is measured at the narrowest point, from side to side and double or x2. (You'll also often see shoulder to waist measures, I"ll get to that in a minute.) The hip, from side to side also doubled or x2. Length, either measured from the shoulder or center back to the hem, typically. Moving right along, next we have shoulder, shoulder to waist, arm and sweep. Shoulder measurements can be quite important, particularly for jackets & coats, and is simply shoulder to shoulder, on a garment with shoulder seams. Shoulder to waist is pretty self explanatory as well. Arm lengths can be measured from the underarm or shoulder.

Sooo, the easiest way to gauge if an item will fit is to compare the garment in question's measures against a similar garment of your own that fits you well. I hope you found this useful! Check back later in the week for another installment: Getting Your Own Measures, for the MOST accurate fit of all. Happy vintage day!!!!!!!!!!