If you have been following my blog for a while, you’ll know that I love wearing vintage. When you wear vintage, you are not only wearing something unique that no one else has, but also something that has been made with care and made to last. Moreover, wearing pre-loved stuff is ecologically sustainable because you are essentially recycling clothing.
As a fat person, though, finding cute vintage stuff is a huge challenge. The best pieces are usually made for very tiny people, and by the time you get to the size 16/18s, most of what is left is the ugly, polyester stuff. And the larger you are, the more dire the selection gets. Over the years, though, I have become something of an expert at sniffing out beautiful and exceptional vintage pieces. Etsy is my favoured haunt, but I have bought amazing vintage stuff from eBay too. In the UK, I had wonderful thrifting/vintage shopping experiences at Brighton and Norwich, but as I live in India now, online is the only way to go.
A while ago, I started tweeting vintage treasures I would find during my regular Etsy/eBay trawls – that’s how Georgina came across her lovely Alice inspired dress! Today I thought that maybe I should share my vintage resources here for a more comprehensive overview. Hopefully this can be a sort of regular thing, and contain not just resources, but tips on buying vintage online and things to look out for, too.
1930s chiffon and lace summer dress US 12/14, 1930s feedsack shirtdress US 12, 1930s wool hat
My first go-to place for beautiful vintage is Fabgabs. One of the reasons I love this store is because of how wonderfully curated their collection is. They focus mainly on stuff till the 50s and natural fibres/fabrics, and everytime I have browsed their plus section, I have found something I have fallen in love with. They are also great for vintage hats in a larger size – as someone with a 23" head, it’s really difficult for me to find vintage hats that I can wear, but I got my beloved Borsalino hat from them, and my 1930s felt beret (as well as this gorgeous 40s summer dress!)
_Embroidered denim pinafore US 22/24, Collared floral dress US 20W, Sailor dress US 18/20_
The Curvy Elle is a new discovery, and although I haven’t bought anything from them yet, I love how varied their selection is, both in terms of style and sizes. They are one of the few vintage stores I have seen to have a size 24 (UK 28) and above section which is filled with cute things to boot. I love the sailor dress so MUCH, I wish it was in my size!
And apart from these two stores, here are some other awesome finds I chanced on today.
Deadstock 1930s dress US 14/16, 1950 yellow crochet lace dress US 20/22, 1950s beaded felt hat
Deadstock vintage is particularly hard to find, especially in larger sizes, and the first dress perfectly ticks my current red, white and blue obsession. I love the crochet dress, mostly because it’s essentially the vintage version of my broderie ASOS dress, and finally, unusual felt hats are my kryptonite. Can never resist!
