Vintage Dress Shopping Online - PART 1

I'd admired vintage dresses online for a long time but was always intimidated by the sizing and inability to try them on before I bought. In March, my friends Elsie and Jill taught me how to measure myself (and add allowance) and I began buying vintage dresses online! With the right measurements & information, (in my experience) buying dresses online offers a pretty sure fit and is even better than buying dresses at the mall where I can try it on ahead (with way more variety and pretty selection)! I have 21 beautiful dresses so far and I wear a vintage dress 3 times a week on average :)

The shopping & searching has been a blast and I feel really pretty and fancy when I dress up! Now I want to share with you what I've learned.. you might become addicted too ;)

Please Note: This 3 Part Series is based on information I've gathered, things I've learned from friends and personal experience. This is a hobby of mine and I am not a professional.

You will need a measuring tape and paper & pencil to record your inches.

1. Bust - With your bra on, measure around your body across the biggest part of your bust.

2. Waist - Standing straight up, measure around the smallest part of your waist (between your bellybutton and bra cups). Don't suck in or you'll have to live that way and you'll turn into a fish.

3. Hips - Standing straight up with your heels together, measure around the biggest part of hips, across your bottom.

4. Shoulder - (this measurement is not always given) Measure from the ball of your shoulder, fully across to the other ball of your shoulder.

Allowance: Once you have your body measurements, you should add allowance (a bit extra) so that the dresses you chose are not 'skin tight'. Depending on the stretch of the fabric, add 1" to 1.5" to each measurement (bust/waist/hips/shoulder).
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Coming soon... Part 2 = Using your Measurements to Find Dresses Online!
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PART 2: Searching and Selecting HERE.

30 comments:

  1. Oooh thank you! This is very helpful! I always see super cute vintage dresses online but never know exactly how they will fit. I'm looking forward to part 2!

    Very pretty pictures! You look so awesome in your dress!

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  2. Awesome! I'm always so intimidated to buy dresses online, I somehow have it in my mind they will all be too small, but you've given me some confidence to maybe give it a go...can't wait till part 2! You look fantastic int hat dress!

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  3. "Don't suck in or you'll have to live that way and you'll turn into a fish." hahhah
    I love this post, thank you for sharing! looking forward to part 2... and that dress is adorable on you!

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  4. thank you!! i too have admired pretty dresses online, but not bought because i was so unsure that they would fit me!

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  5. Awesome tips! I'm such a noob at measuring myself ha.

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  6. I <3 your pic! And thanks for the info, it helps!

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  7. LOVE THIS SERIES. I'm not a skinny girl, and I always feel repelled by the size 2's and 0's online, but heck, you look amazing!! and i love the idea of wearing 3 vintage dresses a week. Love love!!

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  8. i've refrained from buying vintage dresses online for fear that the dress won't fit me just so. these tips make sense -- thanks!

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  9. Wow! What a wonderful, informational post (and that first photo of you is so lovely!). I have been wondering about how to measure myself for vintage for so long, so I truly, truly thank you for posting this! Bookmarked and saved! :)

    xo

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  10. You come up with the best subjects! Thank you for this one! :)

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  11. ok, I don't think I have ever left you a comment, but I do love your blog, and I LOVE these dresses! I can't wait for part two! And I LOVE this blue dress you're wearing here. So jealous...I totally want it!

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  12. Great tips LA, I've always wondered how to properly measure myself! Now it's going to be a race to buy all of the pretty dresses on etsy :)

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  13. Thank you thank you thank you! I was feeling a little jealous reading your blog and seeing all of the fabulous vintage dresses you were buying. I've always wanted to buy vintage dresses online, but I always felt too intimated, especially since I'm not a skinny size 2. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

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  14. Thank you for this great information - Can't wait for part 2. After I move and I get my finances together I will be picking up a few of these. Can't wait!

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  15. Man, this is great! Thanks a lot. I am borderline plus size, and because I'm not one or the other- it's suuuuper hard to find clothes for me (vintage, or not). For this reason, I've started making my clothes (and I'm taking the beginner sewing class to help in my journey), but I sooooo adore the vintage. This should help a great deal!

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  16. Love that pic we took - you are GLOWING! Great post!

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  17. Thank you LA! I was perusing some vintage clothes but the numbers were sooo intimidating as I've never seen a 0,2,4 or 6 in my closet :-)
    Looking forward to the coming parts!

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  18. this is so helpful! it's also difficult for small people to buy things onling...so thank you for sharing!! :D :D
    and that navy blue dress looks AWESOME on you :)

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  19. This is perfect LA! Please use your notes at http://fancycatvintage.com when you get a chance (wink wink)

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  20. You're cute. I'm not working right now, so let's hang out!

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  21. thank you, thank you, thank you! I am so excited for the next 2 parts. :)

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  22. he he...you're so cute, LA. :) Love your dress collection, too!

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  23. Freckled Nest Rules! :)

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  24. great post! I love vintage dresses too. The first one I bought actually became a shirt for me because it was too short!

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  25. Thanks for the info! I, too, admire cute vintage dresses online, but I always hesitate to buy one. And it would be really nice to skip the mall when it comes to shopping! Ha! I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. :)

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  26. Ohh this is so useful! I've never bought dresses online for that same reason. Thanks for sharing!!

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  27. I'm anxiously awaiting Part II of this blog post! I start a new job in about a week, and I would love to wear more dresses at this gig--vintage dresses would be a plus! :)

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  28. Yay!

    I've always wanted to buy vintage dresses online, but never really had the nerve to really DO it (:
    Can't wait till part two is coming!

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  29. Thanks for sharing such useful information. I think this is really a very nice post. Thanks for the great content!

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