Finding Vintage Glamour for Your Next Austin Dress-Up Party

Austinites go vintage at Austin Influential Group’s Secret Society Ball!

We’ve covered a lot of the crazy dress-up events in Austin. Carnaval! The Mad Men Soirée! The Secret Society Ball (article coming soon)!

If there is one thing that Austinites LOVE, it’s dress-up parties.

So how do you get ready for one of these wild fêtes? I’ve found that there are lots of places to go in Austin to find vintage glamour and easy ways to make your night well-coifed!

Vintage Sass

Austin is filled with stylish vintage stores to make your night feel authentic. To prepare for the Mad Men Soirée, I went to Venus Envy, a consignment store in North Austin on West Anderson Lane. They specialize in costumes, formal wear and plus-sized things. I figured it would be a great place to start (and it might happen to be right around the corner from my house).

Venus Envy is a small boutique, but I still came away with two different dresses to choose from. One was $25 and the other was $10! I may have also walked off with a couple other things, and my busty friend Chrissy found some fabulous tops for herself. Venus Envy’s selection of formal wear and costuming was impressive for the small shop size, and the staff was friendly and helpful.

I also went to ReStyle. It’s a much bigger, fancier space than Venus Envy, and they carry a lot of quality designer-brand consignments. Their focus is more on contemporary clothing, so I didn’t find any dresses that fit the 1950s/60s. I did buy a super-sassy, green sequined mini-dress that I can’t WAIT to wear to karaoke this Friday night. ReStyle also has a great collection of shoes and other accessories for all eras.

I had great luck at Blue Velvet, finding a cute poofy tulle underskirt and marveling at the sheer NUMBER of vintage outfits I could put together from their exciting selection.

Austinot’s own Brittany looked fabulous in her dress from the Buffalo Exchange.

What is fantastic about Austin is that there are a number of vintage clothing stores that specifically cater to particular eras. Case in point: for the Austin Influential Group’s 1920s Secret Society Ball, a number of ladies got their garb from Amelia’s Retro-Vintage, a shop that specializes in earlier-era gowns and things!

Dandy Pandering

And of course, not to forget the MEN, there are some stores for the gents in Austin that cater to vintage fashion as well. Among them is Dandy’s, so the fine fellows of Austin can find a perfect tweed vest to go with their inevitably eccentric facial hair.

The finished product! Channeling my best Joan Holloway for the Mad Men Soirée

The Aquanet Finish

I typically also finish my looks with a trip to Blast Blowdry, a local salon that can give you a vintage hairstyle and makeup for your big event. Even if you have an outfit that isn’t necessarily vintage, just styling your hair and makeup in a certain way will help to cement the era you’re going for!

For the Secret Society Ball, I found a dress on the clearance rack of Marshall’s. But with some elbow-length gloves and a 1920’s hairstyle, no one knew the difference!

So check out our Calendar of Events and keep an eye out for the next Dress-Up Party, and revel in another decade for the night, thanks to the help of these great Austin vintage stores!

@amalthya asks: 

How many of these Austin shops have you checked out? Where do you like to go for vintage clothing?

Images courtesy of Wildun Photography/The Austin Influential Group and Laura Darby.