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Spice up your fall wardrobe with vintage fashion

Sheila Gibson Stoodley
Sheila Gibson Stoodley
fashion
This Chanel vintage caviar gold logo leather handbag is the perfect color for accessorizing fall fashions. It sold for $1,200 plus buyer’s premium at Eros Auctions Inc. Image courtesy of Eros Auctions Inc., and LiveAuctioneers

NEW YORK — Well-designed, well-constructed vintage clothing never goes out of style. If anything, it can set you apart as someone who is fashion forward. If you’re wearing a Mondrian-inspired 1960s mini dress or a vibrant 1980s Pucci shift to a party or dinner at a local bistro, you won’t see anyone else dressed the same way. If that were not enough to plead the case for vintage, recycled garments and accessories are eco-friendly and sustainable, unlike “fast fashion” from chain stores.

Plaids, russet hues, velvet and suede are staples of fall fashion, and there is enough variety in brands, styles and price points to suit all collectors. Iconic items and pieces previously owned by celebrities are in another realm and tend to bring high prices — sometimes thousand dollars — but there are many choices available for only a few hundred dollars and umpteen bargains to be had for less than $50.

For Women

When it comes to fall fashion, few brands are better known than Burberry, which is celebrated for its trench coats, ponchos, bags, skirts, suits, and scarves, ideal to don for apple-picking or taking a brisk walk. A selection of eight Burberry items, including silver leather gloves, a plaid camel gift set and scarves, went for $900 plus the buyer’s premium at Leonard Auction Inc., in March 2021.

A set of Burberry gloves and scarves brought $900 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2021. Image courtesy of Leonard Auction, Inc. and LiveAuctioneers.
A set of Burberry gloves and scarves brought $900 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2021. Image courtesy of Leonard Auction Inc., and LiveAuctioneers.

While Hermes Kelly bags come in orange boxes — a perfect hue for fall — finding one in orange is a surprisingly difficult task. A vintage Noir Porosus shiny crocodile Kelly bag in the desirable 28cm size makes for an exquisite accessory and a fine substitute for an orange-colored Kelly. Such a bag sold for $21,000 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2020 at GWS Auctions Inc.

This long-sleeve Chanel cashmere sweater earned $1,800 plus the buyer’s premium in August 2022. Image courtesy of Mynt Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
This long-sleeve Chanel cashmere sweater sold for $1,800 plus the buyer’s premium in August 2022. Image courtesy of Mynt Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

One of the best things about vintage fashion is that there name-brand items can be found for modest prices if you search diligently on sites like LiveAuctioneers and place absentee bids if you don’t think you’ll be near a computer when a particular auction is taking place. A long-sleeve gray Chanel Paris Dallas star cashmere sweater was a good buy at $1,800 plus the buyer’s premium in August 2022 at Mynt Auctions.

A vintage Valentino boutique wool plaid flare midi skirt realized $360 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2021. Image courtesy of Jasper52 and LiveAuctioneers.
A vintage Valentino boutique wool plaid flare midi skirt realized $360 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2021. Image courtesy of Jasper52 and LiveAuctioneers.

Plaid skirts are as fashionable as they are versatile. For a preppy look, pair it with a collared shirt or, for a bold look, a trench coat. A black blouse or sweater would also work well. A late-20th-century size 8 Valentino wood plaid midi skirt in black, white, red and yellow plaid realized $360 plus the buyer’s premium in a September 2021 auction conducted by Jasper52.

A pair of women’s cowboy boots decorated with gambling motifs sold for $450 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2020. Image courtesy of New England Auctions - Fred Giampietro and LiveAuctioneers.
A pair of women’s cowboy boots decorated with gambling motifs sold for $450 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2020. Image courtesy of New England Auctions – Fred Giampietro and LiveAuctioneers.

One need not live in Nashville or out West to indulge in cowboy attire. Elegantly stitched and exuberantly decorated two-tone leather cowboy boots are popular, and unusual examples are even more coveted. A lucky buyer nabbed a whimsical and fashionable pair of vintage women’s cowboy boots decorated with gambling motifs for $450 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2020 at New England Auctions – Fred Giampietro.

For Men

Menswear staples are all too often supplied in shades of black and gray, so when savvy dressers find a colorful item, they don’t hesitate – they pounce. A colorful late 19th-century Szur jacket in black and red wool with cotton cording and leather accents brought $475 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2022 at Augusta Auctions.

A colorful 19th-century mens’ jacket from Hungary brought $475 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2022. Image courtesy of Augusta Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
A colorful 19th-century mens’ jacket from Hungary brought $475 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2022. Image courtesy of Augusta Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

Equally eye-catching is a man’s velvet jacket from 1967 that is totally in sync with the mod look of 1960s British fashion popularized by the Beatles. The jacket’s maker was Irvine Sellars, who operated several shops, including his main location on Carnaby Street in London. The voided velvet single-breasted jacket realized $454 at Kerry Taylor Auctions in December 2018. It was embellished with gilt military-inspired buttons, and a hem and cuffs edged in gold-fringed braid.

An Irvine Sellars of Carnaby Street mens’ voided velvet jacket from the 1960s realized $454 plus the buyer’s premium in December 2018. Image courtesy of Kerry Taylor Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

An Irvine Sellars of Carnaby Street mens’ voided velvet jacket from the 1960s realized $454 plus the buyer’s premium in December 2018. Image courtesy of Kerry Taylor Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

Hanes advertisements from 1986 warned that if you “buy cheap socks, you pay through the toes.” Standing the test of time, a grouping of men’s wool winter socks, all new-old store stock with original tags, and two Cabbie newsboy hats sold as one lot for $70 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2018 at Denise Ryan Auctions.

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Here’s an instant wardrobe builder that appeared in a Susanin’s auction, three Brioni cashmere houndstooth plaid men’s jackets. They sold for $275, a fraction of what one of them might have cost brand new. Image courtesy of Susanin’s Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

Look in any fashionable gentleman’s closet and you’re sure to see a trench coat. There was strong competition for a Brioni trench coat in a pleasing gray-brown pattern which rose to $6,000 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2022 at Mynt Auctions. Three Brioni cashmere houndstooth plaid men’s jackets were sold in a Susanin’s sale for $275. Quality plus value!

Chilly weather is just around the corner, and smart fashionistas are already starting the search for vintage clothing and accessories to layer as temperatures drop. The possibilities are endless, especially if you build a list of favorite auction houses, brands and other keywords to use in your online searches.