On Where and How I Find Dresses...
The question I get asked the most on my Instagram-account, is where I find my dresses. I'm always a bit hesitant to answer, not because I don’t want to, but because it feels like a concrete answer is expected, and that unfortunately, does not exist. The case is, I don't have one secret, magic place of where all my dresses are found (that would be amazing, though). But read along, and I will try to break down how I’ve gotten to find things during the past few years.
The important thing to remember is that I've been collecting vintage for more than ten years. It's like going to someone's house they've lived in for ages, asking where they got their furniture - most likely, things come from all over and everything from different places. Just like my wardrobe. Truth is, the only secret is that it takes a lot of work and time finding the right pieces. I will try my best to explain how I go about it in this post.
I go through everything! Whenever I look for something on Etsy and eBay, I don’t look in certain shops, I simply enter 1930s or 1940s in the search field and press enter. Then I go through absolutely everything new since the last time I checked. Things aren’t always categorized under «1940s puff sleeved dress» etc. Time consuming -yes, but sometimes also worth it.
Another thing that might be good to know, is that you won’t find anything amazing every time you look. Many of my dresses are special collectors items, and not something you'll find on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis. Cute 1930s and 1940s dresses with amazing details are simply quite rare and not something you’re likely to find in heaps. Even if you are searching through everything, most times there won’t be anything of interest. Or the case is, you find something great, but it’s not remotely your size. Or in a wearable condition, for that sake. Vintage from the 30s and 40s are old ladies, and can't be expected to look like new. Being an odd size myself, this happens all the time. But don’t give up! It’s all worth it when the right pieces comes along.
Try to look past the display of the item. Some of my best dress purchases has been due to that they’ve not been very well represented in the photos. A lot of my dresses did not look anything like the way I choose to display them, when they was purchased. The key is to try to look past the aesthetics and look for details you like instead. It’s a gamble, but so much fun when it pays off.
It’s also most definitely a question of experience. Knowing what will look good on you is like with any form of fashion, all about experience. You probably have to try and fail a few times before getting it right. I have definitely been guilty of purchasing items that look good on other people, but does not quite fit my body type or aesthetics, and I always ended up selling even though there were some amazing pieces.
The base line is -try to find your style. I know it's a huge cliche, but it's so much more fun making a universe of ones own. It takes some trial and error, but as I can’t rock the elegant vampy 1940s style, cutesy teenage dresses might not be for everyone. Figure out what suits your body. If you keep buying the same style of dress over and it doesn't feel good - maybe it's time to try another style of dress.
So, to answer the question, it's broad spectred and no rules for where to find something good. It takes a good eye, patience and a bit of luck to end up with the good stuff. You should not expect to end up with a full wardrobe right away. I've found things in flee markets, antique markets, shops and online all over the world. I almost never buy something locally, so the explanation is not that Copenhagen is filled with my kind of dresses. The style I'm into was way too American for Scandinavia at the time. I've also bought things from friends and another private connections. There simply is not just one way to go about it. Have patience, start looking and don't be discouraged if it takes time between the best pieces.
The consumerist approach to fashion, with everything being available to everyone, in every size and every price range simply don't apply to vintage. The most important thing is to adjust your expectations. I've often seen people being upset thinking it's unfair that it's (usually) only one of each, but remember that's also part of the magic. If you own something special, like with most collectors items, you're likely to treasure it also because of its uniqueness and rarity.