The Price of Vintage

It's become pretty clear in recent months that we're living a fully-fledged vintage revival era. Have a look at the latest red carpet looks of the stars, and you'll see that most of the rave reviews from enthusiast style critics go to those ladies whose stylists chose to drape them in vintage gold, flapper-style dresses or any other glamorous garments reminiscent of the golden age of Old Hollywood. Whether it's Gwyneth Paltrow in an Yves Saint Laurent frock or the fabulous Christian Dior emerald dress the actress wore at the Golden Globes, today vintage is the ultimate expression of taste and style.

The vintage fashion market has seen a spectacular increase over the past year and prices for vintage clothing have soared. For example, if you decide to go for one of the summer's must-have alligator handbags, a designer piece can set you back up to a whopping $80,000. The prices for vintage clothing at most trendy boutiques such as Didier Ludot in Paris or Rellik in London's fashionable Notting Hill have soared, as boutique owners have snatched up the vast majority of bargains from Oxfam stores or various flea markets, putting huge price tags on them in an attempt to make the most of rich celebrities' expensive tastes.

There are however a series of little-known vintage fashion, textiles and accessories fairs that take place discreetly in trendy cities such as London and which help designers pick out and buy various cheap pieces of clothing which they can then use as inspiration for their own fashion labels. Over the past years, the popularity of such fairs rose exponentially and they turned out to be easily accessible to all of us, not just high-fashion gurus. At London's Vintage Fashion, Textiles and Accessories Fair, an alligator or lizard skin bag costs less than $200 and gold pointy-toe court shoes sell for less than $100 a pair. So, if you're a vintage aficionado in search of a good bargain, keep an eye out for such fairs and you'll be impressed both with the cheap merchandise and with the glamorous celebs you could easily run into.