Dear Vintage Goddess....

Dear Vintage Goddess, 

I keep hearing different words to describe vintage. What's the difference between vintage, thrift and retro? 

Thanks, Jennifer

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Dear Jennifer, 

With the ever increasing popularity of vintage - the terms used to describe it are also becoming more confusing. There are disagreements however, but basically it follows this:

Vintage - an item that is at least 20 years old. So this would put 1992 in the vintage category. However, ask a die-hard vintage collector and they would insist (as I do) that pre 1980s is 'true vintage'.

Thrift- Anything used. So this can mean used from last week. It is not necessarily of good quality nor old nor collectible. It applies to not just fashion, but all second hand items. A.K.A. recycling.

Retro - This is more tricky. Traditionally, retro meant the 1950-1960s era. However, it is now encompassing the 1980s. (We're not sure what happened in the 70s here...). Think Mad Men, Las Vegas and swinging cocktail parties.

Hope that helps!