Judy's Affordable Vintage Digest Judy's Affordable Vintage Digest issue 4 | Page 23

an incredible shop, The Real McCoy, and continued to spend any available money and time in there throughout my course. I remember for my first year ball I bought a vibrant blue lace prom dress, with blue velvet ribbon bows. I loved that I was wearing a dress that others had perhaps worn to their first balls, and also rev-elled in the fact that in a sea of black stretch mini-dresses (it was the victory belles interview 2002, enough said) my dress was completely unique. Liz: I’ve always had hand-me downs with clothes growing up and I always enjoyed picking stuff up at boot sales for a bargain price. My friends always laugh at me because if they compliment me on a piece of clothing or an accessory, I always reply by telling them how much it was and where it was from! What do you like most about vintage? Marcia: So many things appeal to me about wearing vintage clothing. I love its history, that others have created and worn the clothes, taken great care of them, and quite often vintage clothes are incredibly well crafted, which is why they still look great today. From an environmental perspective you can also give clothing a new lease of life, and wearing clothes that are 50 years old is one of the best and easiest forms of recycling. Instead of buying mass-produced, poorly constructed garments, that will last a season and then be discarded, go have a rummage in a vintage shop! Karen: I completely agree with Marcia. I am not a fan of the disposable fashion culture that is prevalent today, I am much more of the ‘make do and mend’ school of thought! There is a real sense of class inherent in the styles of decades past and the idea it wa ́