Vintage Clothing Trends and Microtrends

One of my favorite parts of selling online is analyzing what goes where, spotting little regional microtrends and the general shift of a trend from the coasts inward. Here are some of the observations I have made recently in regards to vintage clothing trends:

Vintage Wrangler Cowboy Cut Jeans– Los Angeles

photo credit: Urban Outfitters

-North Hollywood if we want to get extra specific. You’ve got the whole Laurel Canyon Revival going on, and the Silverlake Shaman mystical sack dress look, so it would make sense that sandwiched in the middle you’d find dusty authentic American western 70’s jeans, but ones with thighs so tight that only the ultra-slim ladies of Los Angeles can wear them. As with all jeans right now, chop them at the calf for a cute kick crop look.Them and the young Texas men.

Vintage Levi’s 512 and 550 Jeans (“Mom Jeans”)– Southern CA, Austin, Brooklyn, Nashville

photo credit: Avelina’s Vintage

-so both coasts and Central Texas agree on high waisted 100% cotton (NO STRETCH) tapered leg jeans a.k.a Mom Jeans. The younger women wear them with skimpy tops from Brandy Melville, the older women tend to tuck in vintage blouses or faux-vintage T-shirts.

Vintage Western Snap Button Shirts– Chicago

-Now the more plain Wrangler snap buttons get bought up by men and women alike in CA, TX and WY (there are some seriously well dressed young western style men in Wyoming that know their vintage!) but the fancier, brighter, embroidered shirts that look like they’d be on stage at the Grand Ole Opry have been getting scooped up by fashionable women in Chicago for months now. It came as no surprise recently when the runways of Saint Laurent, Givenchy and Coach AND Justin Timberlake in Stella McCartney at the Super Bowl were all Western- influenced. Chicago knew.

Vintage Men’s Levi’s 501 Jeans– New York City

photo credit: Racked

-Preferably button fly, the women are stealing the men’s jeans in New York City and looking fabulous. Semi-high waisted but a much more classic look than the 550 and 512, they look best with their long straight legs cuffed wide on the bottom for a Rosie the Riveter effect. Distressed ones go for more than new, light stonewash is the shade.

Vintage 70’s dresses– Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Washington

-No surprise here that Brooklyn and Los Angeles dominate my vintage sales, particularly 60’s through 80’s and if it has a Union label it’s straight to Brooklyn before others even get a shot at it. Sheer poly blends, micro pleats, faux wrap tops, little matching tie belts- get all those into one dress and you’ve got a great piece that goes from work to rock concert.

Vintage 90’s dresses– Everywhere- even Alaska

-keywords here are rayon, babydoll, dropped waist, dark floral and sleeveless. Take it up a notch with a “teacher dress” complete with lace collar. Winona Ryder’s character in Reality Bites is the main inspiration (heck AND Janeane). Fantastic dresses for those super hot months, and the dark florals keep any sweat stains hidden. You can keep the 90’s vibe with some stompy boots, go boho with tan western ankle boots, or pretty with strappy sandals.

Have you seen any of these trends in your city/town?