Voyeuristic thrift shopping...

I'm not much of a clothes shopper.  My shopping style tends to lean towards that of swat team ... plan your mission, get in and get out, try for as few fatalities as possible.  But there's one type of clothes shopping I'll always enjoy.  Vintage shopping.

Not just any vintage shopping though, oh no!  I'm not talking about trotting down to your local thrift store to see whether you can find a choice piece amongst the ratty eighties cardigans and the less than fresh looking leisure suits.  Lets be honest, no matter how much you might dream of finding a gem amongst the lumps of coal, it probably isn't going to happen.  It's much more sensible to stick to internet sites that specialise in that sort of thing.

Personally, I favour this website.  My theory is that if you're going to look at expensive frocks you can't afford, might as well go for the cream of the crop.

Their stuff is just gorgeous!  Expensive of course, but gorgeous.  Lets take a look at a few of them together, shall we?

Isn't this stunning?  A 1918 beaded lace dress with an absolutely beautiful sash.  It looks like the sort of thing Kate Winslet should have been wearing while she clung to the bow of the Titanic.  Now that's what I call vintage fashion, but at $1,400 I don't think I'll be buying it any time soon ...unfortunately.

Or for those that favour the mid 1800's, this plaid taffeta dress could be yours for the modest sum of $1,250.  Hmm, still a little out of my price range, but if I ever need to audition for a role in Seven Brides For Seven Brothers I'll know where to go.

Can you imagine going to a fancy dress wearing this?  Talk about the perfect Bonnie costume for a Bonnie & Clyde duo!  At almost $2,000 it's probably a little pricey, but doesn't it just make you want to do the Charleston?  Or shoot a tommy gun?  Or make some bathtub gin?

Yeah, sorry, my ideas of the 20's are pretty much taken straight from Bugsy Malone.

And lets not leave the kids out of this!  For $2,850 your little darling could own this early 1800's hand embroidered dress.  Of course after paying so much for it you'd never actually let the ankle biter wear it, they'd probably rip it or get mud on it or spit up on it.

Hmm, perhaps buying a dress for a kid that'll set you back somewhere in the four digits isn't the best idea ... unless you're Beyonce of course.








So, overlooking my sarcasm, I'm sure you can see why I like this site so much.  The clothes are just gorgeous and looking at them is a little like thinking you're going to win the lottery.  It's not likely to happen, but it's amazing while you're fantasizing about it.  But until that lottery ticket of mine starts living up to its reputation I'm just going to have to accept the fact that I can't afford any of them.

Still, it costs nothing to dream.