Vintage clothes shopping can be extremely satisfying or exceptionally frustrating. The hopes of stumbling upon an ’80s Alaïa miniskirt or pristine Charles Jourdan heels from the ’70s at the local church thrift has become increasingly difficult. Enter curated vintage - where hard-to-find designers and amazing pieces are sourced and presented under one roof or website. Brick and mortar vintage stores can be a great introduction to finding designers that fit your body type and to also research and understand vintage sizing. Ebay is still the go-to source to find vintage online, however vintage e-boutiques have become more popular as well, allowing store owners to create an entire aesthetic that eBay cannot provide.

A couple of newcomers to the online vintage scene:

Vagabond NYC is like V magazine come to life. Slick studio fashion photography highlights special pieces each month in editorial spreads with a very downtown aesthetic. Vagabond’s goal is to find pieces that illustrate current trends while staying away from items that are too retro. There is a focus on very current designers (Alexander Wang, Marni, Balenciaga) while uncovering many forgotten designers of the near past (Kansai Yamamoto, Stephen Sprouse), many of whom have directly inspired the very current designers. The current drop-crotch pant craze is one such example - Vagabond has uncovered the originators of this trend, Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake, respectively.

With a more upscale bent, British site Atelier Mayer’s aesthetic is more glamorous day dresses, sparkling costume jewelry and one gorgeous Bob Mackie evening gown. Pieces are presented in a visually clean way with pop-up “style sheets” detailing the fabric, and editor’s notes discussing the fit and even the time period of the piece. Also, for a brief history of each period in fashion (from 1900-2000), visit the Decades in Fashion editorial section.

Tags: Alaia, Alexander Wang, Atelier Mayer, Balenciaga, Bob Mackie, British, Charles Jourdan, downtown, ebay, fashion photography, Kansai Yamamoto, Marni, online boutiques, Stephen Sprouse, thrift, V Magazine, Vagabond NYC, Vintage Fashion, Yohji Yamamoto.

Dear Reader,

An email can say a thousand words. Not literally - no one wants to read a thousand-word long email, but the closing line has become a stylish way to make a mark and set a tone by choosing the perfect one or two words. The sociology behind this everyday etiquette is quite interesting; one wants to sound unique without trying too hard and often will spend too much time thinking, deleting and rewriting. The puritanical days of “Sincerely” are over and have since been replaced by a multitude of phrases vying for the sign-off spot. “Best” has certainly received top rank. However, no one is ever quite sure what saying “Best” really means (we probably wouldn’t give the best of anything to half the people we write to), but it’s short, non-committal and popular. In turn, “Best” has become overused and formulaic, trotting out to the closing post when one is too tired to think of a smarter option.

The gratingly annoying one is “Cheers” - the informal slang that is slung too often when any other closing is just too formal and no closing is just empty. I used “Cheers” once and I felt sick afterwards - it felt fake, unmeaningful and no one was passing drinks around. I am not sure how this closing ever made it into email form. People who use it think they sound upbeat and are spreading good will. Please abandon “Cheers” unless you are British. It is not unique and will only piss people off.

The fashion crowd uses a much more intimate goodbye in correspondance - the “xo.” Like kissing on the cheek as a greeting, the “xo” steps out for those times when “Best” or “Thanks” is not intimate enough. Sometimes it appears as if the person’s keyboard became jammed, as in “xoxoxxoooxxoooo.” Messy, sure. But if you have known the person for more than five minutes, this is the way to go (you know who you are).

Closings can put a smile on your recipient’s face or confuse the hell out of them. Always use one. And if you’re in need of a new ending, using the trusty “Sincerely” is a throwback that will have people taking a second look as they are probably wondering if what they’re reading is a typo.

Sincerely Yours,

Joyce

The Longest List of Closings

The Six Worst Email Etiquette Mistakes

Tags: Best, British, Cheers, closing, email, Etiquette, goodbye, Sincerely, sociology, Thanks.