When 'Old' Becomes 'New'

No one calls it "used" clothing anymore. The styles your parents were giving to the Salvation Army 20 years ago are resurfacing today in "vintage," "antique," or "experienced" clothing boutiques--and fetching higher prices than ever.

Stores around the Square selling the fashions of the past have multipled in the last five years, and although the eras most in demand may change, the popularity of vintage clothing shows no signs of fading.

When Reddog (1737 Mass. Ave.) opened 11 years ago, customers came in search of used denims, patchwork skirts, and flannel shirts. "We don't even carry them now," says owner Cindy Crosby.

These days, people are looking for more formal styles from the '40s and '50s, according to Crosby. "Contemporary designers keep reverting to the older styles--the '20s, '30s, and '40s," she says. Clothes from the '60s are less expensive and easier to come by, she says--"They're mod and not quite as classic."

"During the '60s, people came to buy cheap clothing," says Arlene Evans, manager of Oona's (1208 Mass. Ave.). "It was an alternative to regular stores and high prices." Now, she adds, they come in with a specific look in mind--like that of the '60s--and are willing to pay more."

Rock groups wearing past styles have helped create the demand for vintage clothing says Evans. "When The Clash was big, we sold a lot of army wear," she says, adding that new-wavish skinny ties and pegged pants are now in. Elaine Thompson of C&S Talking Machine (864 Mass. Ave.) says "you have to keep up with the styles" to stay in business.

But one group of stores--those setting very old and antique clothing--doesn't have to worry about following trends. Atalanta (1700 Mass. Ave.) and Arsenic and Old Lace (1743 Mass. Ave.) both sell Victorian and turn-of-the-century clothing to a mostly middle-aged and affluent crowd. Prices here reach $200 or $300 for 19th-century lace dresses, some jackets and blouses, a little the worse for wear, sell for around $50.

The elaborate styles and fragility of most of these clothes make them fancy dress only "The only time we do much business with young people is for proms and weddings," says Mary DiCicco of Atalanta She says that the store's most popular clothes continue to be white summer dresses from the 1900s.

Taking the opposite tack, Sherry Gamble of Arsenic and Old Lace started out two years ago selling only black costumes: Victorian dresses and capes, many heavily decorated with ribbon and jet beads. Now she has branched out to include other colors and styles up through the '50s, though black still predominates in a shop filled with Victorian furniture and witchcrafty decor.

Many of Gamble's customers come in looking for costumes for plays, as do shoppers at The Wandering Eye (1297 Cambridge St.). In the back of the store, behind the usual selection of old clothing and jewelry. The Wandering Eye has a costume rental department. For $15 to $25 a day, you can rent out a beaded dress, a ball gown, or a feather boa. And they aren't in demand just at Halloween, says owner Emily McAdoo: "I'm surprised at the evidence of really interesting parties that go on here all year round." She has outfitted groups going to a medieval wedding party and a "Vicars and Tarts" party, as well as the usual Roaring '20s fetes.

The current vogue for vintage dressing means the clothes in most of these stores, though handpicked and drycleaned, won't be dirt cheap. In the old-but-not-antique shops, dresses run around $25, coats around $40. Their condition varies, and the words "as is" on a label are a signal to look closely before buying, tags usually warn of rips and missing buttons.

Ten years ago vintage clothing was "harder to get but less expensive" and in better shape when it came to the stores, says, Thompson. She says she used to purchase most of her store's clothing directly from estates and individuals, but now wholesalers have stepped in and "the quality is different because it's gone through more hands," she says.

"It's a hot business because it's a cash business for everybody involved," says Reddog's Crosby. "And prices are basically what the market will bear."

Odeon (366a Broadway) claims to undersell its Mass. Ave. competitors, with dresses at $14 to $18. "We'd rather take less of a markup on goods, and turn them over faster," says owner David Christina.

Keezer's (221 Concord Ave.) has bargain prices on men's clothes ($38.50 for a tuxedo), but owner Len Goldstein resists calling them "vintage" goods, saying, "Vintage clothing stores think they can charge much more for stuff just because it's old."

Other sources of old clothing at possibly less-than-vintage prices are the Harvard Square Bazaar. Saturdays at the corner of Church St. and Mass. Ave. and Dollar-a-Pound Clothing, open Saturdays till 1 p.m. "Antique" clothing from Japan is available at Turkoman (12 Arrow St.)

But for real old-style aficionados, clothing that has lived for awhile may be worth even more than the new.

"Why buy vintage clothing?" says Sherry Gamble, pointing to a Ginger Rogers-style silk dress hanging on the wall at Arsenic and Old Lace. "If you went to buy that in a regular store you'd pay a fortune. And vintage clothes just make you feel very good.