Vintage Fashion

I used to not have the greatest sense in fashion. Being that I was the third child born in a six child household, most of my clothes were hand-me-downs. I would dress in boot cut Old Navy jeans, and a shirt from Children's Place. It was this way up until I got a job, and created my Instagram account. The doors to a whole world of fashion opened up to me.

At first, I didn't know where to start. It took time for the vintage shops from Europe to find me. So before that, I was just a kid with a mediocre Instagram feed, filled with nothing but what was trendy. Navigating through Instagram was almost like a war, where I was constantly bashed with topics that wanted to compete for my attention.

In these wars, I almost fell victim to vapid meme pages, that would fill my feed with empty jokes. But one day, I saw it. After following all of my favorite bands, skaters, and just overall people, my feed began to change into a style of my liking, and the first indication was a vintage Adidas Originals Adoplore Polar Fleece jacket. At the very sight of this jacket, I felt the hole in my pockets start to rip open, as I would find myself investing almost all of my money into these vintage jackets.

The only kicker was that the majority of these jackets came from the UK, so on top of the already $160 dollar jacket, the import fees were insane. I've made my peace with the pain of losing my whole paycheck in a single purchase, but it just gave me incentive to work harder to be able to afford these magnificent jackets, like the vintage Lacoste Harrington Jacket.

It doesn't stop here. Once the algorithm of Instagram started to notice my love for fashionable jackets, it began to show me what my next addiction would be: shoes. A pair of Checkpoint Pro Ox Converse would look great with some chinos and my North Face 1994 Retro Mountain Light Future Light jacket. Or a pair of my Adidas Gazelle ADV would complement my Corridor Corduroy jacket perfectly. The only question remained was, what else? What can I add? I had the shoes, and I had the jackets, would else is missing?

As the algorithm kept adjusting to my style, more things would appear. And my question was answered. I was being shown shirts from independent clothing brands, and pants from Levis, Carthartt, and Gap. With these new items, my outfits will have been completed, and my wallet depleted.

To be honest, there were times that I thought that I could have used the money for more important things, like a better car, but if I had the chance to buy all my clothes again, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Besides, I'm not really into cars, I don't have the latest phone, and I don't have any other expensive habits. Truth be told that my fashion might have had me eating instant ramen for days on end, but it was worth it because now I feel more confident. When I get looks on the street, or when I get complimented, it brings me joy. And when I put a nice outfit together and see myself in the mirror, I see someone I actually like.

Some people ask why I don't just go to a thrift store, because that way I would support a small business, and I would find the same clothes but cheaper. Well the stores I get my clothes from are all small businesses, they are just located in the UK. And I might be able to find the same clothes for cheaper in a thrift store, but with the stores that I buy my clothes from always have vintage clothes in mint condition, like the Nike Spell Out Puffer jacket from the 90's. It may not be cheap, but it's the way that I prefer. If I am going to be fashionable, I didn't want to do it half-assed.

My bank account is almost always empty, but I still manage to keep my savings high. Ways that I managed to afford all of these clothes is easy. I micromanage my bank account so that I always have enough money for the things that I want. In reality, I am really stingy about my money so that I can have enough for clothes. I set a separate fund for my clothes, and another for my groceries, hygiene products, and rent. I am in no way rich. I am as poor as they come, but this just means that this can be done by anyone, as long as you aren't reckless with your spending, you have style, and you aren't afraid to have to eat ramen for prolonged periods of time.