Vintage Style 2022: What’s Interesting About Vintage 2022?

Prepping our 2022 wardrobes may require figuring out what trends and styles will be big, but vintage buying may be different. Thrilling, an online marketplace for vintage shop treasures, issued its Year In Review for 2021 to find out.

Brittany Cohen, Thrilling’s Senior Director of Fashion, tells NYLON that the company believed it was vital to illustrate the differences between vintage and fashion store trends. The team analyzed search data and sales performance from the site’s 700 vintage boutiques to discover what vintage fashion trends dominated in 2021 and what could be big in 2022.

Online data alone can’t predict the future of vintage buying. Jennifer Jefferson, Thrilling’s Director of Content, says ongoing engagement with sellers, collectors, and their social media community has helped inform their projections. Teeanime receives constant input from those looking for distinctive trends. Jefferson breaks down Thrilling’s top five vintage fashion trends for 2022 and what to buy secondhand. Onward!

1. CHANEL REBOOT

With Chanel handbag prices rising and availability low, Jefferson sees buyers flocking to secondhand stores to buy a fashion.

“People won’t stop shopping luxury, I simply think they’re engaging with it in new ways,” she says. Due to the erratic supply chain, commodities are less available. As output drops and costs rise, I expect consumers will buy for luxury in new ways. We’re thrilled. Chanel is our top search.”

Getting a new Chanel item may be harder than before, but there are lots of possibilities in antique boutiques. You might even save money.

2. NEW AMERICANA

Thrilling shoppers bought Gunne Sax dresses, Levi’s denim, vintage Coach, Liz Claiborne, and Banana Republic in 2021. With secondhand shopping becoming the norm (and occasionally as an alternative to fast fashion), the retailer expects demand for local names to rise in the new year.

People who shopped with them were falling in love with Americana, says Jefferson. “In fashion, it must be pricey and designer to matter, in my opinion. Our customers demand quality. People choose their outfit based on their originality and personal expression, not the label.

3. DAY & NIGHT LINGERIE

Corsets and bras as going-out tops have changed how we think of (and wear) lingerie, and Thrilling sees enormous potential in the vintage space. “Shoppers are thinking about [lingerie] as a fashion decision, as outerwear,” says Jefferson. The runways bring it back into the mainstream, so more people will look for it.

Thrilling anticipates slip dresses, sheer and lace fabrics, and lace-up items for summer. Jefferson adds that several ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s lingerie silhouettes are returning.

4. FRUIT BOWL COLORS

Over the last year, “Dopamine Dressing” has become the antidote to our mostly-loungewear wardrobes, and this easily translates with a bright and punchy color palette. (Even beige fans Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen experimented with color in their latest collection for The Row.)

“In the spring and summer, we’ll see a lot of warm neon colors like strawberry, lemon, lime, and tangerine,” Jefferson predicts. “We expect antique monochrome sets to take center stage – we saw this happen during the Valentino Spring 2022 Couture show.”

5. ABSTRACT & PSYCHEDELIC PRINTS

Along with bright hues, there will be a growing interest in abstract and psychedelic prints. Printed garments accounted for the majority of Thrilling’s sales in 2021, and their popularity is expected to rise further this year.

“People wanted to get dressed again, but not in a little black dress or another pair of jeans. “They were looking for something spectacular,” Jefferson explains. “By 2022, we’re going to see a lot more individuals truly exploring that, in a way that’s really fun, super young, and super weird. I believe that will be quite intriguing to witness.”

This style has already largely skewed toward hallucinogenic designs, from party trousers to ’60s-era mod themes, but the majority of it has come from designer names and mainstream merchants. But it appears that clever customers are catching on and going directly to the source to see what vintage dealers have to offer.