How to Wear a Vintage Sweater

Not sure if you caught my thrifter-stalker moment on Instagram last week...  You see, Goodwill Alberta has an excellent social media presence, and they have been posting a fun series of pics "Sweater or Sofa" - they post a close up and you guess which!  They posted this last Friday...

 

And I correctly guessed it was a sweater!!  Ta Da!

I then tweeted Goodwill AB and asked where this beauty could be found, ya know, just in case... As luck would have it, I had just enough time for a thrifting pit stop on my way home from work so I snatched this vintage sweater up before anyone else could snag it!  AND I LOVE IT!  I don't know if it's the dark floral or the easy fit or the indestructible vintage fabric but whatever it is, this sweater has magic!

Sweater $7 Goodwill

Navy cords $4.20, shoes $3 

Vintage pieces can be a bit tricky to wear because the fit is so... vintagey.  This sweater is fairly boxy and the sleeves are short, which brings me to my first styling tip: roll the sleeves!

Don't let short sleeves keep you away from vintage beauties!

I can hardly stand full length sleeves anyway - they get in my way!

Styling tip #2 for a vintage sweater: pair with contemporary-fit pants.

 

Ankle crop skinnies fit the retro vibe without being too vintage.

Tip #3: Accessorize.  Today I went for my usual accessory-trifecta of earrings, necklace, bracelet because I didn't want a scarf getting in the way of the beautiful sofa-y print, but generally, a contemporary scarf would make a fine match for a vintage sweater.

Earrings and bracelets by She Does Create, necklace $1.50 from Hope Missions Bargain Shoppe.

Tip #4: Wear makeup.  If the rest of your look is "dowdy" or unpolished, you run the risk of looking as old as the sweater.  Wait, that would make me about 20... never mind that.  You run the risk of looking tired, in the out-of-date manner.

I am tired, in the never-enough-sleep manner.

Same goes for the girls.  Now is not the time for a saggy situation in the front, so if for any reason you have a stretched out old brassiere, don't even think of wearing it with a vintage sweater.  Tip #5: wear your best bra so your curves show in the right way!

And now go forth and thrift your very own one-of-a-kind vintage sweater!  You may think it looks like a sofa, but apply my 5 styling tips and you'll soon fall in love!

I'm so glad I found you, Vintage Sweater!

Thank you Goodwill AB!