You can choose the best vintage wedding clothing by learning to describe the clothing, shopping online to find what is most appealing, and calculating the cost of tailoring into the budget. Describing the clothing helps narrow down what kind of clothing you want, because “vintage” is sometimes as vague as describing something eco-friendly as “green.” Online shops are a major source of vintage wedding clothing, usually complete with descriptions. By assuming you will need to tailor the garment to fit perfectly, you can pay less attention to the sizing and more attention on what looks best.
Learn to describe the kind of vintage wedding clothing you are looking for. The word “vintage” does little to narrow down the possibilities; in fact, vintage can refer to new clothing that has a vintage flair. You can narrow it down to a specific era or search for clothing with certain features, like high-lace collars, pigeon-breasted gowns, or high-waisted tuxedo pants. Online item descriptions can help you identify favorite features and eras, or you can visit a secondhand shop. Many secondhand shops are known for carrying out-of-season and even out-of-era clothing and can be a good place to find cheap vintage wedding clothing.
Shop online to get an idea of what kind of vintage wedding clothing appeals to you. Be wary of buying online, however; a lot of sellers include disclaimers on vintage clothing. “This garment was checked for stains, rips, and other blemishes, but something may have been missed,” is a common disclaimer. In many cases, a disclaimer makes the seller no longer liable if your wedding gown or vintage tuxedo was damaged beyond what was mentioned in the item description. The seller might also refuse to accept returns at all, which is another red flag.
Pay less attention to the size of the clothing than the aesthetic appeal of it. When buying used vintage wedding clothing, dry cleaning and tailoring are often required. For tailors, removing fabric is usually easier than adding fabric, so fret about sizing only if the garment is smaller than your size. Seek out a skilled tailor to re-size or manipulate the details of the clothing, and ask him or her about the rates of altering vintage wedding clothing. Good tailors are often on the expensive side as far as tailoring prices go, but not all tailors are willing to or have experience in altering vintage clothing.