Vintage is Boss and Boasts Longevity to Boot

Vintage wear has always had its serious backers, but if anecdotal evidence is to be believed -- and we usually do, with anecdotal evidence -- then gently used clothing is finding takers who've never worn secondhand anything before in their lives. We'll thank the economy on that one, but perhaps also a growing sense of adventure and flair out there.

But if you're thinking "secondhand" is threadbare/balding/torn/nubbly/ripped, then a stroll through the Vintage Fashion Expo in Santa Monica should change your mind. The goods there were worn atop heads and hips back in the '50s, '60s, and '70s -- though sometimes earlier and sometimes later -- and they are in really mint, or close to it, condition. Really.

The exhibitors at this sartorial spectacular, which happens a few times a year at the Civic Auditorium, show everything from chapeaux to shorts (or ohhh, skorts) to purses to spectator pumps. Whether you lean Breck-girl, early-'70s fringe-y or pert-bob, full-skirted '40s, you can lean right into the right rack of clothing.

But, as we were saying. In these times -- don't so many sentences start that way these days? -- we're looking for clothes that last. Haven't the items at the Expo already proven they can do that?

Vintage Fashion Expo
February 7-8
Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St, Santa Monica
707-793-0773

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