The Importance of Colour When Valuing Vintage

Recently, I have been reminded several times of the importance of colour (especially in relation to scarcity) when it comes to valuing vintage.

Example: think of glomesh. And I bet, when you do, that you think of either white or tan glomesh, or, if you’re feeling really adventurous, black. The prices for such glomesh are (or should be) fairly modest. But the less common colours - say, gold and bronze - are going to fetch a premium. And the really rare, out there colours - I still regret not buying an apple green glomesh handbag - are going to be priced even higher.

Go See ‘Black in Fashion’ at the NGV – You Can Thank Me Later

Every time I make the effort to go to the NGV, I think ‘this is great – why don’t I do this more often?’ (I go through the exact same process every time I make soup or visit an aquarium).

And at the moment, vintage lovers in Melbourne should be particularly keen to make an excursion to our state gallery in order to see an exhibition entitled ‘Black in Fashion: From Mourning to Night’.

Taking Vintage Hats Out of the Too Hard Basket

Great vintage hats aren’t hard to find. Most reliable op shops seem to get them on a regular basis, and they tend to hang around longer than shoes, scarves or jewellery. This, of course, is because hardly anyone wears hats these days unless they’re off to the races or a very traditional wedding.

One reason people don’t wear hats these days is because they no longer know how. Hats can look overdone and absurd if worn incorrectly – which they often are (on the odd occasions when they’re worn at all), because nowadays we don’t grow up with knowledge of hat styles, fit and proportion like we grow up with a knowledge of clothing and jewellery. So when we are faced with a hat-critical situation, we usually plonk any available bit of flotsam on our heads, without realising that selecting a hat that flatters is as difficult as selecting a pair of trousers (and lordy, do I hate shopping for trousers).

Up to now, I’ve put hats in the ‘too-hard’ basket. I always eventually feel self-conscious when I’ve got one. I convince myself I look like a potato-head before jamming the poor thing in my (inevitably oversized and full of junk) handbag. This is nonsensical for a vintage lover. Hats are plentiful, beautiful and inexpensive on the vintage market (and another thing to stick a brooch to, which is double points for me).  So I plan to change my hatty ways.

Here is the info I’ve gathered thus far about vintage hats…

Ten Things to Do With Vintage Scarves

I’ve mentioned previously on this blog that I have a tendency to ‘overdo’ the vintage scarf thing. This is because they’re easy to find, cheap, one-size-fits-all, don’t take up much space and I always convince myself that there are so many ways one can wear a scarf…surely I’ll wear it…right?

This has led to me having pretty, versatile, never-worn scarves spilling out of every cupboard, drawer and wardrobe in the house (my general, continuing storage woes are for another day and another cup of coffee).

But today I’m wearing one of these scarves (gasp!), and seeing as I don’t want to get rid of the little buggers, I figure it’s time to get creative and use them. They are rad after all. And democratic – anyone can look great in a scarf (unlike hats, which make some people such as me look like total potato-heads).

So here’s my list of ways to use vintage scarves.