Linda Lindroth - Virtual Vintage: The Insiders Guide to Buying and Selling Fashion Online

Virtual Vintage

THEINSIDERSGUIDETOBUYINGANDSELLINGFASHIONONLINE

Linda Lindroth AND
Deborah Newell Tornello

RANDOM HOUSE TRADE PAPERBACKS

NEW YORK

CONTENTS

The Brave New World of Fine Old Clothes
by Deborah Newell Tornello

Wearing Her Mothers Coat
by Linda Lindroth

PART ONEFIVE A.M., NOON, NINE-THIRTY P.M., MIDNIGHT
Select One and Lets Go Shopping

PART FOURFITTING, FIXING, AND FLAUNTING
Making Your Purchases Wearable and Wonderful

PART FIVEWHERE, OH WHERE WILL MY LITTLE MOUSE GO?
An A to Z of Online Vintage Boutiques

PART SIXRESOURCES DIRECTORY
All Dressed Up and Everywhere to Go: Site-seeing for the Fashionphile

Part Six

RESOURCES DIRECTORY

All Dressed Up and Everywhere to Go: Site-seeing for the Fashionphile

Part Five

WHERE, OH WHERE WILL MY LITTLE MOUSE GO?

An A to Z of Online Vintage Boutiques

Part Four

FITTING, FIXING, AND FLAUNTING

Making Your Purchases Wearable and Wonderful

Part Three

SELLING YOUR WEARABLE TREASURES FOR FUN, PROFIT, AND CLOSET SPACE

Part Two

THE CYBER-WARDROBE: A GUIDED TOUR

Part One

FIVE A.M., NOON, NINE-THIRTY P.M., MIDNIGHT

Select One and Lets Go Shopping

INTRODUCTION

Now, then...

Are you ready to go shopping for vintage clothing in cyberspace? It certainly seems ironic: searching for treasures of the past in the medium of the future, the Internet. Yet plenty of stylish sorts are busy right now doing just thatrummaging through the online vintage boutiques, resale shops, and auction web pages as effortlessly as if they were standing in their favorite neighborhood thrift store or consignment emporium, eagerly sorting away.

Today, as a well-dressed individual, you regard yourself as an individual. Instead of relying on the expression of a single designer, you prefer to trust your own unique influences and inspirations. And vintage clothing works beautifully in this modern context, whether your personal style asserts sophistication or quirkiness. Fabulous fashion is wherever you find it. Indeed, youve happened upon some of your favorite outfits at out-of-the-way yard sales and consignment shops, not to mention the closets, attics, and garages of relatives. Lately youve been hearing about a new source for unique chic. As it turns out, the avenue leading directly to it starts on top of your desk: in your computer.

Many brilliant books about vintage fashion have been written of late, and volumes of information on the subject are now widely available in libraries, at neighborhood bookstores, and through online booksellers. But none has truly addressed the subject of the Internet as a significant and breathtakingly inexhaustible source for sharp suits and retro ball gowns alike, as a cost-effective venue for selling ones wardrobe treasures, and as a surprisingly sociable entity in general. In fact, vintage collectors, shoe mavens, trend hunters, and stylists will often meet online over a sought-after something or other and wind up exchanging stories.

And thats exactly how we came to know each othernot just as friends and fellow vintage fanatics but as experienced shoppers and collectors who could advise each other about this exciting new marketplace. The months passed, the e-mails accumulated, and a body of information began to emerge: the strategies, the sources, the things to avoid, and the things to hunt down with due fervor.

And we decided to write this book.

For our purposes, vintage means fabulous fashion of the past, from the last century to the last season, as reflected in our own diverse collections. If youre like us, your Victorian jackets and 1950s dresses share wardrobe space with stylish finds from more recent eras, like Helmut Lang jeans and Vivienne Westwood suits. Wherever your unique sartorial interests lie, if you love wonderful clothes and can access a functioning, Internet-connected computer, Virtual Vintage is the indispensable guide to have on hand. Whether youre a noviceor simply nervousonline shopper or, alternatively, a seasoned web surfer wishing to expand a collection or downsize an overstuffed closet, well help you navigate the wide world of online vintage boutiques and auctions. Youll discover the wealth of resources for fashion and accessories available online and learn how to search for a specific treasureand, when you find it, how to buy it with confidence and savvy. If youd like to try your hand at selling online, well walk you through the steps involved and let you in on some pretty clever tactics without overwhelming you with technical details. Theres even a chapter devoted to repairing and reworking your finds, advising you whenand howto tackle things yourself and when to call in the professionals.

Youll delight in the comprehensive list of preworn-clothing and vintage websitesthe first of its kind, with the inventory and price points of each online boutique described, making it easy to select the shops that suit your taste and budget. (Whoever imagined there were this many sources online?) And style mavens of every (pin)stripe are sure to enjoy the extensive list of online fashion information sources, including virtual fashion magazines and Internet addresses of numerous top designers boutiques, fashion museum sites, and even websites where sellers may purchase display items or digital cameras.

Think of Virtual Vintage as a shopping companion, vintage boutique directory, fashion reference book, and online auction guideall smartly rolled into one.

Enjoy.

INDEX

The following items may be used as a guide to search for information in this eBook.

Academy Awards

accessories

alterations for

personalizing with

questions about

resources for

scuffs and marks on

adjectives, for item titles

Advanced Book Exchange

advanced selling

domain names and

eBay Stores and

must-haves for

nice-to-have extras for

research for

vintage boutiques and

web-design software programs and

web hosting and

advertising copywriting

After a Fashion (Grimble)

after-market purchase

Alaa, Azzedine

Alans Internet Auction Resource page

All My Auctions

Aloha Vintage

AltaVista

alterations

alternative

for belts

for buttons and buttonholes

finding professionals for

for hems

questions to ask about

for skirts

when to let the pros take care of

Amazon.com

auction tools for

American Express

American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works

Andale

Ann Demeulemeester

Antiques Roadshow (TV show)

AOL

Apple computers, special instructions for

appraisers

Arbus, Allan

Arbus, Diane

archival storage, resources for

Ark Antiques

Armani, Giorgio

Arts and Craftsstyle silver jewelry

Ask Jeeves

AT&T

Attic Vintage Clothing Company

AuctionBlitz