Vintage clothes find new life in current fashion

What was in style back in the 1920s or even during the disco era is now all the rage among young people - even if the wearers of such styles are generations removed from the clothing's first appearance.

The vintage secret was once known to just a few youngsters who shopped at vintage and thrift stores to distinguish their fashion from the crowd.

But now, it seems everyone knows about the en vogue - and less-expensive - clothing treasures found at stores such as Rialto Extra, 1725 O St., and Ruby Begonias, 1321 P St.

Ericka Flanders of Rialto Extra said she's been working in the vintage industry for 10 years. Many of the styles she sees in the latest fashion magazines remind her of past trends.

She said now that vintage clothing has become more main-stream, even shopping mall stores have began to pick up on the new trend of wearing old-looking clothes.

Many people refer to vintage clothing as retro, Flanders said, but an item is only considered retro if it was re-created to emulate a style of a certain era. New, vintage-looking clothes often sold at mall stores could be considered retro, she said.

In contrast, Rialto Extra sells clothes from eras past - what one can truly consider vintage, she said.

Flanders said Rialto carries clothing from the 1920s to the late 1970s and she doesn't believe anything younger than the 1980s can be considered vintage - at least not yet.

Flanders said the store's most popular clothes are disco dresses, metallic heels, leather pumps and flat boots.

Matel Loop, who has worked at Ruby Begonias for over a year, said many of the store's customers come looking for dresses made in the 1950s. Day dresses and cocktail dresses are popular, she said.

"I think people shop vintage because the quality is hard to find," she said. "Not everyone around is wearing the same thing."

She said she doesn't have a problem with the malls selling retro clothing because it allows everyone to see vintage clothing as it was. But she said people who chose to shop at vintage selling stores know it's the real deal.

"I've seen a lot of remakes, and it's not the same quality," Loop said.

People don't just shop for vintage clothes just because they want to be different, she said.

"They like trying to find unique styles not found in today's clothing," she said.