Expert Q&A: Judy Berger, vintage & swap guru. Oh yes!

Lena: I’d love to know, Judy, what’s the real difference between vintage and secondhand?

Judy: Vintage is everything that is 25-years-old or over, up to about the 1920s. Fashion from the 1920s or older is usually referred to as period or antique clothing. Anything from around 10 years ago is retro. Vintage, retro and antique clothes are all secondhand, but if we call something vintage we sort of think of it as ageing well, getting better with age, like a good wine.

Lena: One of the problems with vintage is that clothes often don’t fit properly. What can I do about this?

Judy: It’s a good idea to have clothes altered so they fit and look more up-to-date. This could be taking up the hemline of a 50s dress to above the knee, cutting off the long sleeves of a 70s disco dress or getting rid of the shoulder pads of an 80s jacket. We offer a customizing station at the Fair with seamstresses on hand and some amazing designers too, who will rework old bags by painting over them or custom-make necklaces out of vintage trinkets. It’s all about using what’s already been made to create something new.

» Next page: Judy, I want to feel like a vintage style queen, not a jumble-shuffler. What are the vintage queens looking out for right now?