The Vintage Advantage

As usual, everything old is new again. So why are we being charged out the ying-yang for clothes that we can find in our grandmother's musty attic? Because trends are being recycled so frequently now, I cannot justify spending $89 on a pair of high waisted magenta daisy dukes that are going to give me four mooseknuckles and push my bottom into a pancake, simply because (for the time being) someone decided they were back "in." That being said, I will most likely succumb to the fad and be wearing them once the weather plateaus in the mid 80's. Just be sure to squirt some bleach in your eyeballs before I walk past you so that you're not scared $&!%less by what your ham hocks will look like after having two kids. But my point is- what's next? We're all going to be standing around in our high top L.A. Gear's putting scrunchies in our neon Kaboodle?? And please...don't even try to act like you don't remember what a Kaboodle is. And DEFINITELY don't try to pretend you didn't skip around in your L.A. Gears. While I am the first person to advocate trying "new" trends, I am straight up OVER investing in them. I refuse to be tricked by the lazy designers who have been perusing 1990s J.C.Penney catalogs for ideas, and cutting out pictures of clothes they want to pawn off as their own creation by sending them to a sweatshop in Bangkok for mass production! Ahem. Okay, clearly I am being a little too overzealous about this, but in my defense it's after midnight and I'm running on 1 Lean Cuisine and 9 chai lattes.
Thankfully for me and my consistently overdrawn bank account, I have found a solution! Last year one of my best friends introduced me to Etsy. How I never knew about this wonderful website before, I have no idea. At first it's a little overwhelming because there are SO. MANY. SELLERS, but after discovering all of the fabulousness that lies within, the exorbitant amount of one-of-a-kind things doesn't seem to be enough. I've made several purchases on Etsy so far that I am incredibly happy with, and am highly considering making it my one and only source for shopping for THREE damn good reasons.

1.Every item is totally unique. Because the whole site is strictly vintage and handmade, once you purchase an article of clothing, there are no more to go around. Which means there is a one in a million chance you'd EVER run into a girl (or boy..teehehe) wearing the same thing. You get the unparalleled satisfaction of knowing that you are the only person on planet earth who possesses that thang. This is major for me because I'm totally nuckig futs about being the only person I know owning certain things and I desperately need help.

2.IT'S TEN TIMES FREAKING CHEAPER.

3.It's GREEN. Recycled clothes are happy clothes.

On to the good part. After extensive research, I present several comparable Etsy and new items that I found for not-so-comparable prices. Some of the comparisons are so close it's embarrassing. Check it out!

top: Matthew Williamson Embellished Bolero now $808 was $2,695 vs. Etsy Sequin Bolero $39 bottom: Milly Sheer Sequin Bolero $355 vs. Etsy Pewter Sequin Bolero $35 Topshop Tapestry bag $72 vs. Etsy Tapestry Weekender $30 Topshop A-Line Denim Skirt $66 vs. Etsy Button Front Denim Skirt $24 The Row Circle Sunglasses $410 vs. Etsy John Lennon Sunglasses $15 Topshop Midi Pleated Skirt $80 vs. Etsy Black Mini Pleat Skirt $30 Topshop High Waisted Cuffed Jean Short $66 vs. Etsy High Waisted Cuffed Jean Shorts $29 Asos Top-Handle Tapestry Purse $66.34 vs. Etsy Mary Poppins Tapestry Purse$25 Why the blank are these things back?

Topshop Black Denim High Waisted Shorts $90 vs. Etsy Black Denim High Waisted Shorts $24 I LOVE THESE. And seriously, they are IDENTICAL.
Topshop White Crochet Fringe Crop-Top $60 vs. Etsy Grey Crochet Fringe Crop-Top $34

NEW : $2,073.34 - VINTAGE: $285 = Hi, you just saved $1,788.34!!!

Please know that my agenda in creating this post was not at all to discredit mainstream retailers. I love Topshop and Asos, and I think Matthew Williamson and Milly make spectacular clothing. But sometimes, when something is clearly a repeat offender, it's worth looking at alternatives before taking out a second mortgage on your house. Especially when you know the trend is going to be short lived.

"Who's more foolish?" The fool or the one who follows him?"- Obi-Wan Kenobi