I don't know about you, but I think vintage clothes can be ridiculously overpriced for what they are. Especially in Brick Lane and its environs, but also generally at street markets and vintage shops in university towns around the country.
Shopkeepers charge whatever they think you will be willing to pay for said item. So, if that is a tattered 1930s chiffon tea dress with sweat stains and a questionable smell emanating from the armpits the price really should NOT be £450.
These people think they know how to price vintage, and they don't. My first job in what would have been called my Gap Year today (better known as my "I don't know what to do with my life" year) was the fashion vintage sorter for Rokit, the vintage fashion institution with outlets on Camden High Street, Brick Lane and in Covent Garden.
In the end I worked at Rokit for three years (working around my degree), as a result I know a lot about vintage. And I know most of what we buy in shops is initially sold to the supplier by weight. Hence the concept of buying by weight has always appealed to me. So when a press release for Kilo Klub, a vintage sale that charges for vintage clothes by weight, popped into my inbox at Grazia I just had to tell you about it.
This pop up sale claims to be the cheapest way to buy your vintage. Whether you are looking for the perfect 1960's cape coat, a gorgeous 50s prom dress or an 80s jumpsuit, be prepared to rummage through 12 tonnes of stuff to hunt down your bounty. Items are sold by kilo weight, £15 per kilo, which means ladies shoes will usually be £6-£8, shirts/blouses around £3, dresses come up at £4-£8. We've got our fingers crossed that there will be some amazing finds to be had - and at those prices, there will be minimal wallet damage.
Rummage sales can be hard work, but if you enter into the spirit of the thing, they can be a whole lot of fun, and more entertaining than a 2am eBay bidding war! I have personally experienced the stress of shopping for vintage online - when you are unsure about the fit or quality, and then it arrives and your worst fears come true. With my years of rummaging experience, not to mention an ability to check for sweat stains, holes, odd smells, loose seams and worn out patches in a record ten seconds, I expect Kilo Klub will be a blast.
With the AW season approaching I have prepared a hit list of the sort of things I will be looking out for:
Marc Jacobs faux fur
Prada sweater and skinny belts
Chloe camel coat
Louis Vuitton 1950's dress
Miu Miu 1960's shift
Stella McCartney grandad cardigan
Additional reporting Fashion Junior at Large
(Image: Lauren, courtesy of Queens of Vintage, all catwalk shots, Style.com)
