The old school way to shop for vintage clothing.

If you have been looking at ideas for fall fashion lately, you know that a lot of the new styles have a vintage flair. Check out Style Bakery's Fall Trend Report and you'll see what I mean. This inspired me to check out some shops in my area to try to pick up some vintage items to add a unique, personal touch to my fall outfits.

I had a couple of things in mind when I went: men's vests and anything tweed. I scored two items. The first is a long, wool, sweater vest with leather buttons and a belt with a tortoise-shell buckle, which I will wear like a belted tunic over jeans or slacks. The second was a tweed pencil skirt with awesome twin kick pleats in the back. The skirt will look great with a black turtleneck and boots, or a classic white blouse, a sweater and a pair of Mary Janes.

Here are some tips when shopping for vintage pieces.
Study the trends. Check out magazines or sites like Style Bakery to get ideas, and make a mental note of what one or two items you could add that would give new life to your outfits. Then go shoppping.
Narrow your search. If you know you don't need another tooled leather purse, skip the purses.
Scan for high quality fabrics. If it looks and feels like high quality fabric, it may be. Check to see if there is an original label still inside the garment to confirm that. I think the best investments are wool or cashmere.
Check the size. Sizing has obviously changed drastically over the years, so don't rule it out if it's not your current size. Best to try on if the shop provides a dressing room.
Think versatility. The belted sweater vest I picked up can be worn with multiple outfits, with or without the belt, and can be layered with a lot of different blouses or sweaters.
Don't buy it if it's damaged. This may be just my rule, but if I take it home with the intention of repairing it, it will probably never happen.

For good quality vintage finds, expect to pay a little more. If you feel like scavenging, sometimes you can find nice pieces at a flea market, a resale shop or even a Goodwill store. Wherever you go, have fun and get ready for the compliments on your signature style this fall.