If you swoon over the clothing in old films and books, then look no further than these designers and sellers of antique and vintage clothing. Antique and vintage fashion is alive and well and thriving online. You too can wear these incredible pieces of fashion history. Many of the highly talented and most discerning in the industry show their wares on Instagram.
To note: there are myriad vintage clothing sellers out there. Vintage clothing is having a resurgence due to the robust reseller marketplace and renewed interest in recycling and the environment. These women take things to a higher level as they sell and document not the vintage of the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, but the clothing and accessories of much earlier generations back to the last century and earlier.
These incredible women sell in a variety of places including a B&M store, eBay, and their own websites. Find Julie, whose inventory spans 100 years plus on her website 1860-1960 as well as on eBay.
Angela of Dorothea’s Closet Vintage sells an extensive list of items from the 1800s to the modern. Beckiy (yes, the spelling is correct) is based in Canada, and whose website Trunk of Dresses focuses on clothing from the 1930s to the 1960s.
In addition to these sellers, I must include a fabulous clothing designer who sells antique and vintage clothing as well as making fabulously detailed gorgeous clothing from vintage textiles as well as a fashion historian who has a seemingly endless well of knowledge that she doles out to her followers daily. Elisa of Morgana Fae Couture also creates decadent silk ribbon embroidery and Rachel Elspeth Gross writes about vintage fashion and the designers themselves. Both women are a brilliant wealth of fashion knowledge and worth a follow.
I’ve included a list of all these talented ladies’ Instagram accounts at the end of this post.
Designing clothes is so much more than showing collections on the runways of Paris and New York. Fashion designers create the looks that ultimately influence what we wear every day. Creative fashion can and does lead the way toward sustainable textiles, recyclable clothing, and where and how we buy what we wear. Looking to the future, here are some of today’s new designers who are making a name for themselves. Will our grandkids be wearing some of these looks 50 years from now?
For the fashion curious there are many documentaries available to learn more about fashion and the people who have created the looks we covet and wear. Here is a list of 25 Fantastic Fashion Documentaries to See Before You Die. Among them, these five must-see movies will whet your appetite for more:
Diana Vreeland: The Eye has to Travel – Diana Vreeland was a columnist for Harpers Bazaar from 1936 to 1962 and Editor in Chief of Vogue from 1963 to 1971 as well as a fashion consultant for the Metropolitan Museum of Art for many years afterward.
Iris – Iris Apfel is a fashion icon and one of the most recognized women in New York. At 99 she is still active. Her story is a fascinating one.
The Gospel According to Andre – Andre Leon Talley an unlikely fashion journalist, creative director, and editor at large for Vogue who changed the face of fashion.
Bill Cunningham New York – Bill Cunningham began his career as a Milner and went on to become one of the best know fashion photographers in the business. Often seen riding his bicycle through the streets of New York City camera in tow, he was known and loved by many in the industry.
McQueen – Lee Alexander McQueen was a bold young designer who in addition to his own lines worked for both Givenchy and Gucci. His life and tragic death elude to the emotional ups and downs of the high-stakes world of a brilliant young fashion designer.
Fashion and fashion designers have molded history in ways most of us never notice. From military uniforms to the length of our hemlines, UV reactive fabrics, to the fine line between clothing and art. Antique and vintage fashion is alive and well and still influencing what we wear every day.
Find these talented sellers, designers, and historians on Instagram here:
Julie: 1860-1960
Angela: Dorothea’s Closet Vintage
Beckiy: Trunk of Dresses
Elisa: Morgana Fae Couture
Rachel: Rachel Elspeth Gross
For more articles on antique and vintage fashion see our ten-part series When We Were Fab
