Vintage Winter Warmers

I love winter.  I don't like being cold, but I do like rugging up, and my vintage coat collection is just the ticket to keep me toasty in the moths to come.

I've never bought a 'good' coat.  I could never justify the money for an item that I would most likely be sick of after a few months.  I tire of things rather quickly, especially if my choice is limited.  Gosh I must sound quite spoiled!  I think it has more to do with my [undiagnosed] OCD / ADD or whatever neurosis I suffer from!  Therefore my motto is:  Why limit yourself to just one good coat, when you can have many!  Vintage coats allow me to have great quality, unique coats at a fraction of the price I'd expect to pay for a new one.

I recently culled my vintage collection to just seven coats.  Don't for one minute think I am being sensible; I culled the tatty, well worn items in order to open up some cupboard space should another vintage gem take my fancy.

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These four vintage coats are definitely my favourites, and given that I'm sitting here with the heater on writing this post, I'm tipping I'll get a lot of wear out of them this winter.

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Grey shoes - Chie Mihara from Zomp

Oxblood shoes - Wittner

Blue/White dress (under blue coat) - Kinki Gerlinki

Pink dress (under pink coat) - vintage

All coats shown are vintage.

All gloves worn are vintage.

Me - also vintage.

Vintage Shopping
So you want to find yourself a vintage coat?  There are a few options, all requiring some effort.

Option 1:

Look close to home.  Raid your Mum / Grandma / aunt's cupboards to see if they have any forgotten treasure.  My pink coat was from a friend of my Mum's who used to wear it to walk her kids to school in the early 60's.  I like knowing the history of garments. 

Option 2:  

Head to a nearby vintage store and see what's available.  This may require a few visits as stock can change regularly.  Talk to the owner / manager and let them know what you are after (era etc) and ask them to keep an eye out for you.   Vintage stores, unlike op shops, only sell vintage clothing, hence you usually pay a premium price for the effort someone else has gone to to find the item.  Premium vintage price is still much cheaper than retail price.

Option 3:

OP Shops.  This option takes the most effort, but yields the highest reward.  Unlike vintage stores, you will have to wade through a whole lot of Millars, Target and Kmart brands over many visits to find vintage gems.   Small, church, or suburban op shops are my tip.  The Nanna's who work in them are always nice and up for a chat.  The prices at OP shops are extremely reasonable.  My camel check coat was a mere $8 from a tiny little op shop in the burbs.  The Black 70's coat was $10 and the blue wool coat was $12.

Option 4:

Markets.  One woman's trash in another woman's treasure, so keep an eye out at your local or specialised market.  Camberwell market is a common treasure trove of vintage delights.  Alternately, you can head to a recycled fashion market such as Take 2 Markets where you are bound to pick up a bargain.

A few good sites / blogs / fb re: op shopping:

I Op Therefore I AM

Moustache Vintage

Circa Vintage Clothing

Shag Vintage

If vintage is not your thing - that's OK.  There are some great coats in stores right now, here are just a few:

And lastly - because I went to so much trouble to create a beehive hairdo (that you couldn't see in the shot), I had to share ...   soooo not my style, but fun nonetheless.  I feel like I need to either go-go dance or join the CWA!

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