Is this the end of vintage?

This is a subject I've been contemplating for a while now, at least since I was in London. I visited plenty of vintage stores, but didn't buy a thing. Mostly because I really don't like 80's and 90's fashion, but also because £60 is a lot of money for a dress that needs repairing and/or cleaning. Even if the Swedish krona / British pound-ratio isn't at all at my side, it's a lot of money. The clothes in good condition was even more expensive at £100-150. 90's polyester crap sold for £40.

During the past five years I've been buying, selling and wearing a lot of vintage. During this period, vintage has been at its height (partly because of Mad Men?) but I think we've seen the peak. Malmö Vintage had it's last fair a month ago, former vintage-inspirations moved on from vintage to other styles a year ago and many vintage shops - including FN92 - are closing down or changing their direction.

In a way; so do I. I'm buying a lot less vintage these days, for a number of reasons. I've become more choosy. The cut, the material, the size and the condition needs to be right - and a price that's fair. And the past years craze for vintage means that there are less options out there. After all, as I've said before, there is a limited amount of good vintage. There won't be any more cocktail dresses from the 60's or sun-dresses from the 50's - we have what we have.

Also, fashion has moved on, from the 1950's-inspired of 2010 to the 1970's-inspired of today, and those who saw vintage as a fashion trend probably didn't take so good care of their items...

Perhaps I'm also a bit more lazy - vintage needs taking care of. Hemming, strenghtening seams, airing, dry cleaning... A silk dress that's 50 years old is more fragile than a modern one. And to be quite frank, the musty smell of old sweat haven't decreased.

I guess that is why my cabinet of fabric is so full. I'm preparing to sew the wardrobe of my dreams since buying it is too difficult.