SHOPPING VINTAGE.

Wearing vintage clothing is one of those things I've always wanted to do, but never felt I could pull off (I've written about this here before). For starters, let me just say that all my clothes should probably be tailored: I have broad shoulders, a short torso and big boobs, but I can generally find stuff that works off the rack in regular "modern" bricks-and-mortar and online stores. Not so with vintage clothes; to begin with, the clothes' material and lengths are quite different, and so whenever I trry anything on I'd often end up looking like the queen of Planet Frump. Not great. But I've always loved the shapes and patterns on vintage clothing, and often find myself perusing vintage Etsy shops and wishing I could wear the clothes I see—or purchasing vintage-inspired clothing at stores like Anthropologie.

But then I read Joy's post about making vintage clothing work for your body type, and how she has almost every vintage piece she owns tailored. The "before" and "after" photos are pretty striking—a simple hem makes such a difference—and so many vintage pieces do have such great prints. So I started perusing Etsy shops and actually ended up buying a couple of well-priced skirts with pretty patterns that will probably just need to be hemmed. My tailor lives within walking distance of my house and is really reasonably priced, so I'm excited to see the difference her work makes with my treasures.

Also, one thing I've discovered in just the little while I've been Etsy vintage shopping: While there are really delightful pieces out there, not all vintage is pretty. Remember the '80s and '90s, people? I do, and with a few exceptions, I don't have a whole ton of desire to revisit that clothing. Vintage shopping, even online, requires sifting. I'm not great at that, but the results seem to be worth it.

Do you guys wear vintage? More important, do you get your clothes altered? Do you love the difference it makes?

Photos from the sweet vintage shop This Vintage Girl.