Hello there! I’ve been on lots of charity shop and vintage hunts lately and founds lots of new treasures! I’ve always loved a good charity shop jaunt, especially for skirts to compliment my knitwear. One item I found yesterday in a vintage inspired charity shop was a skirt - it’s pillar box red with knife pleats you could cut your fingers on, looks fab on and was a real bargain. It needed a wash, so I put it on a delicate mixed wash and it’s come up beautifully.
I’m not one to be concerned about the sizing of my clothes - clothes should fit my curves; not my curves fit the clothes; and the style and shape will always dictate the size I need. I know, for example; that I have to size up for a pencil skirt if I want it to skim my hips, whereas I can downsize for a swing skirt as it’ll fit my waist really well. Likewise with tops, I can downsize for v necks, scoop necks and sweetheart necklines as they won’t pull across my boobs; but I have to upsize for a button up blouse or Peter Pan collar as the top won’t fit across my bust.
Learning to buy vintage requires a flair for knowing what you feel comfortable in and an understanding of the dress size changes over the years.
Manufacturers in the UK first upsized their clothes in the mid 1970s. Some companies, such as Marks and Spencer were well known for having a ‘generous cut’ to their clothes, and most of the other clothing outlets followed suit (excuse the pun!) and what had been a size 16 was relabelled as a 14. Size 10 was the smallest size available and it wasn’t until the late 1990s that manufacturers relabelled sizes again, so the size 14 (originally a 16) became a size 12. This meant that sizes 8, 6 and 4 became available at one end of the sizing scale and sizes 26 and 28 became available at the opposite end.
The increase in larger sizes was pushed forward by a generation of women who were unable to find beautiful fitting, fashionable clothes on the rail and didn’t want to resort to having them made especially. There’s now an increased interest in making clothes accessible for all; whatever your body size, shape or shoe size; but getting vintage in larger sizes can still be a challenge if you don’t have access to a changing room.
The pillar box skirt I’ve bought is an 18. My usual size for a pleated skirt would be 12 or 14; depending on the amount of tailoring and fabric used.
Here’s some examples:
So my all time top tips for vintage shopping?
Don’t go by the size label, try it on and look at the fit
Remember that the clothes should fit you - not you fit the clothes!
Til next time, happy vintage knitting and shopping!
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