It's hard to believe it was 12 whole months ago that I pledged to only buy second hand clothing. Time really does fly when you're having fun! All in all, I think my resolution turned out to be very successful, fulfilling and more than fun! The only other time I've made (and stuck with) a New Year's resolution was the year I decided to floss regularly. My teeth have never looked better.
Anyways, I calculated my purchases from the past year, and here's a snapshot of the results of my 2014 Vintage Resolution:
- I spent in the neighbourhood of $800 on second hand/vintage clothing and accessories
- I bought a total of about 45 items, of which:
- 23 were vintage
- 17 were second hand
- 4 were donated/hand-me-downs
- 5 were swap items
- Item breakdown:
- skirts: 8
- dresses: 11
- tops: 18
- bottoms: 1
- outerwear: 1
- other: 4
I started out in January full of energy and excitement for what the coming 12 months would bring, and that energy pretty much continued throughout the year. Not only did I discover a lot of fantastic vintage and second hand stores in Toronto (and elsewhere), but I learned a lot about vintage clothing and the clothing/fashion industry in general and, rather surprisingly, I learned that I much prefer buying second hand than new. To be honest, I didn't miss "regular" shopping at all. Any time I had to venture into a mall or big box fashion retailer for whatever reason (which didn't often happen), I felt overwhelmed and drained by the sheer amount of cheaply made, mass produced crap hanging off racks. It gave me no desire whatsoever to browse or purchase.
Looking back, I couldn't be happier with how the year played out. I love hunting for vintage and second hand - there's nothing like the thrill of finding that one unique piece that fits you perfectly and looks fab to boot (especially if you get a great deal on it). I honestly don't think I can go back to buying new clothes. After seeing all that's out there and knowing that there's so much great vintage just waiting to be discovered, as well as having an awareness of and disdain for the dark insides of the fashion industry, I don't think regular shopping will ever be the same for me again. Also, I realized that there are a TON of vintage and second hand stores in Toronto alone, and last January I somehow believed that I would get to them all. No way. I doubt I even stepped foot in a quarter of them. So much vintage, so little time!
And with that said, I look back fondly on some of my favourite vintage finds of 2014! Here are my top 6, in no particular order (because I had a hard time narrowing it down to 5):
#6: 70s black and teal polyester dress (Mama Loves You Vintage - Toronto)
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| Who doesn't love polyester? |
#5: 80s purple leather skirt (Timeless Apparel - Toronto)
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| Something good DID come out of the 80s! (Aside from me) |
#4: 70s Hudson's Bay Company winter parka (Flashback 2 - Toronto)
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| Good ol' HBC - keeping Canadians warm since 1670 (kind of) |
#3: 60s black and gold wool dress (Toronto Vintage Clothing Show)
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| Keepin' it classy! |
#2: 70s yellow pencil skirt (The Sentimentalist vintage clothing - London)
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| Can't breathe, but look fab! |
#1: 70s paisley silk dress (Penny Arcade Vintage - Toronto)
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| Silky smooth! |
So, you may be wondering, what's the resolution for 2015? Will the blog continue? I guess you'll just have to wait until January to find out :)
Happy New Year!
