Last weekend, I went to the Rosebowl Flea Market and scored this amazing pink striped jumper for $20! It’s a piece that’s super fun and makes a statement. But it’s also a piece when seen on a hanger might not appeal to everyone. One of my goals in sharing fashion posts is to show you how to see the potential in a piece and also how to consider it for your size and body type…both of those things are even harder to do with vintage since you don’t have a range of sizes to choose from. So, today, I’m gonna show you how a little styling does wonders to a piece like this, and how it works on a few different people in the Oh Joy office…

1. Color and pattern on curves. Nicole says, “I wouldn’t have considered this vintage jumpsuit for myself because I would think I’m too curvy to wear stripes. Plus, I’m not used to wearing color. But now that I’ve tried it, I love it! It was actually super comfy, and I’m surprised how well it flattered my curves. I loved the color and makes me want to head to the flea market next month!” For Nicole, we kept the sleeves closer to their original length and popped the collar to add shape and height to the neckline.

2. When it comes to vintage clothing, bigger is always better. After having two kids, I live in things that are more forgiving around my middle. But I still want pieces that complement my petite body type. I used to feel limited when I couldn’t find vintage pieces in my size, but then I started to keep tailoring in mind for everything. You can almost always tailor something that is bigger if needed whereas it’s hard to make something smaller get larger. When I saw this jumpsuit on the hanger, I knew it could be too boxy. But I also saw that the tie in the waistband could really work in my favor to add definition to the boxy cut. While this piece could be easily tailored if needed, it also became totally fab with…styling the sleeves to be cuffed, adding heels for height, and making sure the tie sits at the smallest part of my waist to give the appearance of a waist!

3. Jumpsuits are perfect for between sizes. When you’re between sizes, a piece like this gives you the flexibility to wear it and not feel wed to one size or another. Angie says, “I’m between a size 6-8. I have a squishy athletic mom bod. I love anything with stripes, but I get so overwhelmed with the amount of stuff at the flea market that sometimes I miss out on finds like this! After trying it on, I loved it. It’s super comfortable and versatile. The cut is playful, and the pink stripe pattern fun and feminine.” We styled Angie with her signature sneakers but added a colorful vintage scarf to add femininity to the rest of the outfit.  

The biggest thing about vintage clothing and to really get into it is to try something you normally wouldn’t have. The worse that can happen is you don’t like it or it doesn’t work, and then you just put it back on the rack! Once you start taking more risks with vintage clothing, you’ll start seeing pieces in new ways!

P.S. Shopping for vintage online!

{Photos by Lily Glass. Outfit styling by Joy Cho.}