Whether your wardrobe is stuffed with one-off pieces that represent every decade since your grandparents were born, or if you’ve only ever worn clothes from your favourite high street brand, vintage shopping possibly conjures images of trawling through rail after rail in order to find one suitable piece to buy.
Some may delight in this – the thrill of the chase is, for many, entirely worth the sometimes arduous search – while for others, this is not the case. Whatever your stance, you may be interested to know that vintage shopping has never been easier thanks to online platforms like Instagram. This has been especially good news in the context of a global pandemic, during which time many vintage sellers have enjoyed excellent success.
The latest endorsement to venture into the world of vintage clothing has come from Zendaya. In the latest season of Euphoria, her character, Rue Bennett, wears vintage Jean Paul Gaultier – and to the premiere, she pulled a similar move, arriving in a black-and-white gown that was vintage Valentino (circa SS92). Zendaya has made a name of herself over the past few years as a lover of vintage (ditto her stylist Law Roach). Late in 2021, she wore vintage Roberto Cavalli – a black gown with the most spectacular skeleton-like embellishment on the reverse – to the Ballon D’Or. Um, spine-tingling!
At last year’s BET Awards, she pulled another vintage blinder, wearing Versace SS03. As well as being a gem pulled from the (undoubtedly treasure-filled) archive of Roach, the purple number paid homage to Beyoncé, who wore an almost identical dress for her iconic performance of Crazy in Love at the same awards in 2003.
Of course, there’s always been an appetite for pulling out vintage on the red carpet. Jennifer Aniston is a huge fan and so is Olivia Rodrigo. In July 2021, she arrived at the White House, primed to talk about the importance of getting vaccinated and film a promotional video with President Biden, wearing vintage Chanel.
Iris Law is another vintage convert. She wore a glittering green slip dress from Roberto Cavalli’s AW04 collection to last summer’s Bulgari Magnifica Gala dinner at Spencer House.
But if we’re talking about being on a retro roll, Rihanna has got to be ultimate ambassador for old being the new ‘new’. One of last year’s greatest hits was a rare Dior by John Galliano coat, teamed with tie-dye trousers and a white crop top.
There was also a spring-ready pastel tweed coat from Chanel’s 1996 autumn/winter collection, which she wore with a blue beaded choker from John Galliano’s Dior era. The latter is from Nina Gabbana Vintage, run by Marie Laboucarié who operates her online vintage business from her home in Paris. ‘Wow this is by far the best thing that happened to me this year,’ wrote Laboucarié on Instagram. ‘Rihanna guys, RIHANNA!! ??? She purchased this absolutely gorgeous Dior by Galliano blue pearls choker from me a little while ago, and how fabulous does she look wearing it?’
Halle Berry has also been embracing vintage. She posted a picture of herself on Instagram wearing a gold sequin dress with a very, very high-slit (her caption? ‘Mediocre called, i hung up…’). Cue fire emojis. The dress might tap into the ongoing va-va-voom trend for going commando, but Berry’s dress was scored from La Dolce Vita Vintage, which has both an Etsy and eBay stores stuffed full of the kind of ‘up all night’ pieces that are perfect for parties.
While many larger vintage shops have been selling online for some time now (and a lot of vintage fashion has long been sold via platforms like eBay and Etsy), Instagram has afforded smaller, independent sellers like Laboucarié the opportunity to make a living with limited overhead costs. Many of these sellers are individuals – some of whom may already have a large following – who are sourcing, modelling and selling vintage pieces. As well as Instagram accounts that act as shop windows as such, linking back to an online store, the likes of Florrie Thomas and Daisy Murray – both fashion journalists with thousands of followers on Instagram – are selling their vintage finds directly through Instagram, encouraging people to browse and buy via Stories.
If you’re on the hunt for pre-loved designer pieces that won’t completely break the bank, meanwhile, it’s worth keeping tabs on ASOS Marketplace, which is home to many boutiques selling verified luxury items. Even better is The Rare Edit, a limited curated collection of rare designer vintage pieces. From Fendi T-shirts and Dior bags to Celine jewellery and Chanel sunglasses, prices are far more accessible than you might think and everything is hand-picked to ensure the edit is the most exciting it could possibly be.
While ASOS doesn’t usually announce the launch of each Rare Edit before it goes live, it’s worth following @asosmarketplace to find out when the next one is coming.
