By Emma MacArthur
In an age where everything we eat, wear and do is documented in self-curated archives online for the world to see, it´s become easier than ever to express one’s self and how one wants to be perceived by the world. From Snapchat to Facebook to Instagram, the world is enthralled by the idea that we can express our true identities (or create new ones). With this new ability to create and express, social media has become the epicenter for building communities with people who once felt alone with their interests and hobbies.
One of these, happens to be the vintage community. If you were a lover of vintage fashion, you might have felt like you stuck out like a sore thumb, especially if you lived in a relatively small town. Now in the age of Instagram, you may no longer feel alone, because there are so many great ways to explore the vintage world on this social media platform.
In fact there are so many different types of vintage fashion accounts to pick satisfy your vintage brain and fill your feed with classic looks. Here are just a few from the many waiting to be found on your Explore Page.
Let’s begin with Personal style accounts:
Some of the greatest vintage accounts are those of the every-day common vintage-loving fan. They live their daily lives fully clad in vintage and document their lifestyle. What’s truly exciting is following people who wear different eras and seeing the difference in what vintage means to each of them.
There are people like @katielouisepowell who is fascinated by the 1920s/30s/40s. From her day-to-day wardrobe to her job as a designer for reproduction period clothing, to her husband who studies historical costume and designs with her, Katie lives and breathes her passion for these eras.
Then there are people like @marisolmuro, whose wardrobe, hair and overall energy scream 60s/70s groovy flower power.
And @burntorangepeel who wears a different era, head to toe every day.
This is just a short list of folks who might formerly have felt they belonged to a community of misfits but now share their love of a time that once was.
More include:
- @idacath
- @nibelungenlied
- @erenanaomi
- @suits_and_shooters
- @modernjunecleaver
- @maitoyoshima
- @noirgirl39
- @misslarkbahar
- @rougeyourknees
- @d.c.ceja
- @joyfullyvintage
- @thehenryrodriguez
- @mollyrose
- greengalosh
- scottfrasersimpson
- maggieloveday
Historical Archival Accounts
These accounts are wonderful for high-resolution accurate photos of real period clothing complete with full descriptions. The obvious ones would be official existing museums and archives (Like us!!) however some of the best accounts are those run by regular folks like who, on their free time, repost images and descriptions from museum databases.
Other great accounts are those run by archivists who, in the course of their work give us an up close behind doors that would likely never open for the general public.
Some examples include:
- @terence_donovan_archive
- @hamishbowles
- @1837auctions
- @chicagohistorymuseum
- @timothyhughnicol
- @chanel_archives
- @thecorsetedbeauty
- @metmuseum
- @americanduchess
- @historical freak
- @Jessica_pushor
- @Royal_collection_trust
- @romtoronto
- @benjamin_wild
Ecommerce Accounts
If you love vintage clothing then you most likely wear it here and there. Sometimes it can be difficult to find vintage shops in your small town or you simply don’t have time to go and shop, so online vintage shops are incredibly convenient and fun.
Some of the best vintage can be found online and a prime example of that would be Butch Wax Vintage. The owner of this Instagram shop focuses on ultra rare evening dresses (try not to drool too much when you’re scrolling).
Another great outlet for vintage online is @shopwhurl. Whurl was initially created to be one simple vintage shop, but it has now grown into a vintage marketplace app. To put it simply, it’s like a strictly vintage Ebay. To summarize, since its inception, Whurl has brought the vintage community even closer together by helping us all to buy, sell and trade with our favourite vintage-wearers.
Some other online/Instagram shops to check out:
- @butchwaxvintage
- @shopwhurl
- @siberiavintage
- @publicbuttervintage
- @ms.tipsvintage
- @strangedesires_
- @scarletragevintage
- @loftvintage
- @crushvintage
- @archetypevintage
These are just a few fabulous fashion vintage accounts for you to explore. Once you start you will find your Discovery page will seek out more and more accounts to explore.
Why not forward one of your favorites in our Comment section below.
Happy Vintage Hunting.