Vintage Resurgence

Those of you in the know may have spotted that the Walmgate/ Fossgate area is host to a plethora of second hand bargains, offering 3 charity shops and 2 vintage/retro shops that will leave you spoilt for choice. Not just a past time for the old, second hand shops are a student’s paradise; overflowing with vintage and kooky items at prices that still leave you with change for a pint. Forget heading to one of the many vintage sections that are popping up on the high street, where you’ll end up blowing your budget in one go; with a little bit of time and effort spent searching, you could be one of the next on campus to be sporting an original vintage piece, at a fraction of the price.

Vintage clothing has become a breath of fresh air for those students fed up with the limited options that the high street provides; an injection of vintage into anyone’s wardrobe can immediately update a look.

an injection of vintage into anyone’s wardrobe can immediately update a look

With this in mind, I paid a visit to both of the second hand shops in the Fossgate area, first of all stopping off at Expressions, a vintage and retro store that is currently selling everything at half price, which is ideal for those of you who may be running low on funds.

Vintage dress, bag & belt from Expressions

Jam packed with clothes for men and women, Expressions has quite a lot to offer, and for those bargain hunters amongst you, it gives you a chance to have a proper rummage around the rails for a one of a kind piece. Not everything will necessarily be to your taste (or anyone’s for that matter) but the fun comes when you do come across a find: a white vintage dress £20, will see you through the summer in style, and if you were aiming to create a head to toe vintage ensemble, adding accessories such as a brown belt £5, bag £6 and shoes £5 would complete the look. Of course, adding your own accessories keeps costs down, or if you’re really saving your pennies adding vintage accessories to one of your own outfits would have a similar effect.

Moving on to Vintage @ Fossgate, a brand new vintage shop boasting ‘exclusive and original clothing’, you’ll find that it offers both variety and reasonable prices. A large store, which has more stock coming in each week and caters for both men and women, it also sells retro items such as roller skates and classic board games. The shop has a sizeable collection of shoes and bags, and as the owner told me, “there’s something for everyone”. There is certainly plenty to discover, with a multitude of bold designs from by-gone years and pieces of pop culture from the past, as well as retro furnishings such as an old fashioned telephone and Mickey Mouse alarm clock. If you’re looking for something alternative to wear or perhaps give your room a retro feel, Vintage @ Fossgate is a good place to start. And with prices that don’t break the bank, it seems like a perfect shop to visit for those of you looking for something different; dresses, bags and shoes can all be snapped up from just £10 each.

Buying vintage not only keeps your bank balance healthy, but the quality of the pieces can often rival brand new clothes. With the focus of modern stores being squarely on profit and quick turnaround to keep up with trends, clothes are often made to be worn a few times before being replaced. In stark contrast, vintage garments have been made to last, and are indeed still in good condition after decades of wear. Buying second hand not only keeps waste to a minimum, but also tackles hot topics such as ‘clothes miles’. Increasing numbers of consumers are becoming aware of the distance their clothes may have to travel across the world to get to stores, and how the carbon emissions produced from this may have implications for the environment.

So, keeping on trend and buying vintage doesn’t have to cost the earth, figuratively or literally; meaning you’ll be saving yourself money, and possibly the environment, in true vintage style.