Vintage Wearers Speak: What vintage reproduction piece (or supply to reproduce your own vintage) has become a treasure to you?


This post is part of the "Vintage Wearers Speak" series. Read more about the series and find the other posts here.


Q: What vintage reproduction piece (or supply to reproduce your own vintage) has become a treasure to you?  What product would you recommend to other vintage wearers as an indispensable must-have?

I really love three things: Wearing History sewing patterns, Kat Von D lip stain, and Besame vanilla powder. Wearing History patterns make up a big part of my wardrobe, and I love that Lauren has taken such care in reproducing vintage patterns faithfully while being mindful of the modern woman. I love Kat Von D for its all-day staying power and crisp lines; Outlaw is my go-to daily shade. Besame vanilla powder has also been a game changer for me. As someone with blemishes and skin problems, the powder really evens out the redness in my face and helps it look much clearer. 
- Emileigh

Honestly, I wear my Smooth Sailing trousers and blouse quite often.  They're great wardrobe basics! 

- Lauren Maringola, Wearing History

Hmmmmm. For tool it's my Grandma's tracing wheel for sure. It makes tracing vintage patterns soooo easy, and the fact that it too is vintage makes all the difference! (see photo below). The plastic ones fall apart so easily. 
For product, I think it would have to be a good old classic western style shirt. It can be worn casually, or more formally. Tucked into jeans or a skirt. Very versatile, and also timeless. 
- Debbie Yam, @happyyellowdress


As simplistic as it sounds, a needle & thread are my treasures. I've saved so many great vintage items with a small mend, resewn button, reattached strap, etc. And while it may sound cliche, self love is the indispensable must-have for any vintage wearer. Clothing and bodies have changed a lot since most of these items were made, and that's a good thing! It's your body that shows off vintage clothing & it does it better than any hanger or mannequin ever could 💕

The reproduction pieces that are a treasure to me are not actually garments, but sewing patterns. Simplicity 1364 (a shirt) and Simplicity 2154 (for the pencil skirt) are the patterns I have used time and time again, because they are great basics and simple enough that I can wear running errands and not look too overdressed and that it allows me to add creativity to the garments such as adding pockets, kick pleats, buttons, decorative stitches etc. I recommend finding/creating basics (simple tops, pencil skirt, circle skirt) in neutral or pseudo-neutral colors that you like and can mix and match with most things in your closet. I personally am always drawn to blue (navy and aqua) and white garments, because they can be easily paired with almost all colors (pop of red or pink is my favorite!) and end up being worn the most often. 
- Jocelyn de Anda, Sewing Siren

My most favourite vintage reproduction piece that I wear all the time is from Collectif and it’s a simple black knitwear sweater that goes with all my skirts. Sadly it seems they don’t make the style I own anymore, so I guess this is a real treasure now. This would also be the product I would recommend to have in your wardrobe. A vintage style top(s) that goes with many pieces in your wardrobe. Black is always a good option as we know it goes with everything and you can spice it up with a cute brooch or necklace.
- Liz Gruening Hay, The Vintage Inn

I think the most treasured bought piece would be my Besame lipstick. I love that the company reproduces vintage make-up, although i haven't had the opportunity to test anything other that their lipsticks. Apart from getting the right color, I love that only one layer of the lipstick can stay on the whole day without any need to correct it.
- Ewa, @kleineewa 

I always love vintage repro shoes, those are what I wear the most in my wardrobe. I love the company DSign Step, which is local to the area that I live in. All of their shoes are special edition, so they normally make about 10 of each version of shoe. I also love having a vintage reproduction coat. I live in a cold place, so I need to wear a coat a lot! I love Emmy Designs from Sweden for this as well as Ulyana Sergeenko for vintage inspired pieces (I can't afford these- but one day! All of her designs are stunning and completely vintage inspired).
- Katherine Funk, The Modiste

Everyone knows that no matter how great your outfit, you still have to think about the shoes. Royal Vintage Shoes has some amazing reproduction shoes (I've bought 4 different pairs from them already and have yet to be disappointed). It's icing on the cake to have period appropriate footwear!
- Carmen, Vintage Dream Blog

My very first vintage repro piece was my wedding dress, from Stop Staring.  (Linked here!)  It was the first one I tried on and it fit perfectly, plus it was something I could reuse for different events later on.  It will be in my closet forever, even if I can’t fit into it anymore!
The one product that I love...  Well, there are two.  First, go get yourself a pair of good seamed stockings from What Katie Did.  That’s a must.  I’ve tried other brands and nothing beats these as far as comfort and durability.  Seamed stocking are my go-to way to add a vintage touch to any outfit.  Secondly, a waist cincher or corset from Rago is necessary for that classic retro shape.  I love my Rago cincher; it's so well built and made of quality materials, and it works just as well now as when it came out of the package.
- Sabrina, Vibrant Vintage


My vintage reproduction pieces that I treasure would be my Besame Cosmetics. The lipstick in those beautiful, metal bullet tubes to me just says vintage and classic. All the makeup that they make is AMAZING. A classic red lipstick help gives one that vintage feel. If you are just getting started, go find a nice red lipstick at your local drug store to start. Once you feel confident wearing it regularly, then splurge and get a high-end lipstick like Besame.

For accessories, I love the turbans, berets and sun hats they sell at Trashy Diva (my favorite turban is sold out or I'd provide a link), but I always prefer to find vintage versions first. 
- Jessica Parker, @noaccountingfortaste

What are YOUR favorite items or brands?  What has become a necessity for your vintage style?

5 comments

  1. I wouldn't call it a 'must have', but I'm currently making up a vintage pattern using my recently acquired 1917 Singer, and I'm loving the experience! There's just something about using a tool which has been well used by so many hands before yours.

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  2. Thanks for featuring me again! What a lovely group of answers (sorry for the delay on seeing this, just getting back into blogging after being away).

    Liz

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  3. I probably don't belong in this conversation because I never go full vintage with the hair and makeup and everything but I have a couple of retro style dress patterns that I use over and over again - Vogue 8789 and Butterick 5748. Also, a really important thing to me when wearing this kind of dress is finding the right bra, which can be hard to do but I recently discovered the Sona brand (that's right, Sona with an N) I wrote a blog post about it just yesterday.

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  4. For me, it would have to be high waisted panties. They just hold things in and create a better defined waist and are a nice comfortable foundation.

    Susie

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