My love affair with vintage clothing and accessories began several years ago while perusing a cluttered antique mall with my mother. There I spotted on a jumbled rack of jewelry an emerald-hued square cut Coro plastic-insert necklace which I knew would look divine.
I hemmed and hawed being a thrifty, yet style conscious pursuer of all things sparkly, glittery or shiny in general. In the end the that little bauble won out and many years later has become my greatest addiction: accessory obsession.
Accessory Obsession is a well known epidemic for vintage clothing aficionados. We all know the symptoms well: our heart rate quickens at the sight of a startlingly stunning vintage accessory, we begin to perspirate when we drive by an impromptu or unexpected estate sale in a state of great expectation of a fabulous accessory hunt, and we begin to hyperventilate when we reach into a haphazardly askew jewelry box and clutch within our sweaty palms the most lovely (for the time being) accessory we have ever seen.
Ladies and gentleman, I know the feeling will and have suffered from this affliction a great many times. Here are a few tips to lessen the trauma and underlying symptoms of Accessory Obsession.
- Make sure you have a specific dollar amount you are willing to spend at an estate sale, vintage clothing store, auction etc. Otherwise, you might be dripping in jewels, purses, or clothing, but your wallet will be lighter than a feather once your vintage euphoria has passed.
- Be sure to only select items that you will actually wear and that are of high quality. Ask yourself the following questions: Do I truly love this item or are you in it's a great price and I need to buy it trance? Are there at least two outfits that I can accessorize this item with? Is the item of high quality or shoddily made (ex. ripped seams, poor sewing, stains etc.)?
- Do you have room in your home for another (insert here)? I myself have had to nearly surgically remove myself from many a dazzling item (until my common sense) finally kicked in. I mean how many gorgeous silver clutch purses can a girl really have? Never enough (in my personal opinion), but I allowed my common sense to win out in this knock-down drag out vintage scuffle.
With that said: Viva la Vintage and Happy Vintage Shopping!
