This outfit is an interesting intersection of consignment, thrift and vintage. (I often get asked about the difference between the three, and this dress serves as a nifty visual.) Here is a quick-and-dirty guide:
Consignment vs. Thrift // Location, Location:
Where did you buy it? If the store was in a strip mall, littered with flickering fluorescent lights and crowded to the high heavens with racks of Amy Byer Too and VHS tapes, you are in a thrift store. Nowadays, thrifting brand-name or designer pieces is more difficult but not impossible — you’re competing with professionals who flip thrift for eBay or consignment.
I found this Nanette Lepore dress at the Red, White and Blue thrift store in Hialeah, Florida late last year. It is an enormous store that 99% junk, 1% treasure. The good news? High quality pieces stick out like a sore thumb, and I could spot the cobalt color and intricate beading easily among the rows of second-hand hospital scrubs for sale. It was priced at $30, which is incredibly high for thrift — whoever did the pricing had done their Google research beforehand.
The sandals were from a consignment store, which are marketed and merchandised like high-end boutiques. (Consignment stores also don’t smell.) Consignment stores can be quite picky about what they sell, because they fork over part of the proceeds to the previous owner. Consignment stores also come in two flavors: high-end (more expensive brands) and mid-tier (less expensive). If you want to quickly discern the difference, check the Yelp reviews — mid-tier reviews will have mentions of Tory Burch and J. Crew, while high-end reviews will mention Prada, Fendi or Chanel. Consignment is more civilized than shopping thrift, but it’s also more expensive. (These L’Agence sandals were around $40.)
Vintage vs. Contemporary // How Old is It?:
There are all kinds of rules for denoting what’s vintage and not, so I’ll keep my rule simple:
1980s and older = vintage (estate sales, antique shops, vintage boutiques)
90s and newer = gently used consignment or thrift (better brands), second-hand contemporary (Plato’s Closet) or just junk (everything else)
I don’t often shop vintage because most items require major reconstructive surgery at the tailor before they can be worn. The sizing is also completely bananas, so you’ll have to try everything on. This dress is the best of both worlds: the silhouette could certainly pass for vintage, particularly with the keyhole cut-out that screams 1960s/1970s. But, this is a contemporary brand, so the beading is still fresh and needed no repairs. (Although I do have to sign a waiver at the dry cleaners saying I won’t get mad if a bead falls off.)
The rest of the outfit was culled from flash sale sites (the purse) and independent boutiques (the earrings). Stay tunes for a full-fledged guide of thrift vs. consignment vs. second-hand vs. vintage soon. In the meantime, you’ll be able to see what I scored at a thrift shop with the new Thrift category on the menu.
