Welcome to "I Tried It" Week. From our editor in chief purging over 19 shoes from her closet to our assistant editor dressing exclusively in vintage, follow along this week as the Who What Wear editors take on personal wardrobe challenges and document the process along the way.
Even though it's literally my job to spot trends and test them out IRL, there's still a special place in my heart for wearing and shopping vintage. Chalk it up to a residual habit from my cash-strapped college years or simply a creative way to shop for the items no one else will have, but I've built up quite the collection of one-of-a-kind vintage scores.
While I usually incorporate them into my daily outift mix, I thought that Who What Wear's I Tried It Week would be a good opportunity to test out wearing head-to-toe vintage. Would it feel frustrating to be limited to certain options? Or would it feel liberating to wear what no one else was wearing? As you've guessed, it's a little bit of both. Full disclosure: The most challenging part was sourcing shoes and jewelry to complete my look, and in the end, I had to wear some non-vintage shoes (don't judge!).
As frustrating as it was not to be able to participate in certain new trends, when I got to the end of the week, I was more fulfilled by the outfits I had picked out. Knowing that everything I was wearing held a timeless quality that most brand-new clothing lacks weirdly made me more satisfied in my outfit decisions.
To find out why my vintage outfits felt more fulfilling to wear, I chatted with Sasha Skoda, a vintage expert and head of women's at The RealReal. According to her, "It feels so much more special to have a piece that no one else has—there's something really personal about that. Especially in today's world of social media—as soon as a new handbag or coat is released, you see it all over Instagram. Instead of following the pack, vintage allows you to shop according to your personal style. And there's no better badge of honor than being able to say, 'Thanks, it's vintage'!"
Ahead, see all the vintage outfits I wore throughout the week and shop similar pieces from online vintage sellers, of course.
To kick off the week, a good-old jeans and blazer outfit was in order. Seeing as I usually incorporate tons of trends into my outfits, I relished the chance to pare back my look here to the basics—and great quality basics at that. Another reason to shop vintage? Filling my closet with designer quality pieces without shelling out the designer price tag.
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Designer logos are something that always comes in and out of style, so I've found it's a worthy investment. I have my stylish grandmother to thank for keeping this Fendi Zucca baguette in mint condition all these years and passing it down to me. Not only is it a 2019 It bag, but it's also basically a family heirloom, which makes me smile from ear to ear when I wear it.
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Vintage sunglasses are admittedly hit or miss since the quality can really vary. I found these in good condition at a local vintage store where I learned that they're deadstock vintage from Italy. Chic, no?
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I picked up this vintage Dickie's jumpsuit a while back, but it's remained one of my favorite vintage pieces to date. I personally think it creates a cool outfit all on its own, and so do others since it never fails to earn me compliments left and right.
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Hot tip: Vintage stores are flooded with great '90s trends like the slinky minidress and strappy sandals I'm wearing here.
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Meet the square-toe ankle boots I wear more than any other shoe I own. I bought them years ago, but thanks to the return of the square-toe trend, they feel fresher than ever.
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I'm a sucker for some good pleats, so when I saw this top listed on the vintage Insta shop SVC, I snapped it up immediately. It's such a unique fabric and makes all my other going-out tops pale in comparison.
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More of my favorite vintage outfits:
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A post shared by Lucia Zolea (@luciazolea) on Jan 26, 2019 at 1:55pm PST
Next, read about the only five denim brands I really trust.
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