A while ago, I wrote a post with tips for buying plus size vintage, which goes into detail about what to consider when buying vintage clothes and mentions some of the sellers I know of that often have plus size vintage clothes in stock.
Since the post is a few years old now, I thought I’d update the list. (This list is original vintage clothes sellers – I’ll do a separate post with where I buy my reproduction vintage clothes from).
1940s Style for You
1940s Style for You sells handmade knitted jumpers and cardigans (and also takes commissions), but also often has vintage clothing on offer (check out the brand’s Instagram stories for clothes, as things will often sell there before they make it to Etsy).
Black Sheep Antiques
Black Sheep Antiques sells at events all over the UK, but also has an Etsy shop and sells things via its own shiny new website. I’ve currently got my eye on a couple of their dresses…
Company Voulez Vous
There’s plenty to look at on the website, which is helpfully broken down into decades. Everything is very reasonably priced – I bought a fabulous 1940s dress and jacket set in a sale they had last year, but with one thing and another (mostly pregnancy), I haven’t had a chance to style it yet, but it’s on my list!
Cockadoodle Vintage
As well as selling at various events around the country, Cockadoodle Vintage has a website and Etsy page. The clothes (and hats, if you’re in the market for one) are absolutely gorgeous. I picked up this dress at a 1940s event at Bletchley Park. I wore it to Pickering 1940s weekend when I was seven months’ pregnant and it did a surprisingly good job of gently disguising the bump. Sort of.
This is me in the same outfit six months later.
And here it is with the coat I also wore to Pickering (picked up at the same Bletchley Park event).
Curious Orange Vintage
One of my favourite stands to visit at Twinwood Festival is the joint one with Curious Orange Vintage and It’s Deco Darling, because it’s chock-full of beautiful things, like this dress.
The Curious Orange Vintage Etsy page is also nice and easy to navigate, with plus size items marked as volup in the item title (mega-helpful!).
Elegant Era
Regular readers of the blog will know that I wear a lot of things from Elegant Era (usually hats!), but there’s also plus size vintage loveliness to be found – in person if you happen to be in Harrogate, where there’s an Aladdin’s cave of a shop, or online via Etsy if not.
Etsy
There are masses and masses of sellers I haven’t mentioned here that have Etsy shops. It’s worth searching for things like ‘volup vintage dress’, ‘volup [era]’ or ‘plus size vintage’ – I’ve found a few clothes I love that way, but have also found shops I love that way too.
Gingermegs Vintage
I’ve seen plus size vintage from the 1920s onwards in the Gingermegs Vintage shop (although this is, somewhat understandably, rarer than the later decades).
I’ve bought a couple of dresses from Gingermegs in the past, and they are both utterly delightful. The blue dress has been to many an event, and the stripy patterned dress is perfect for more low-key days.
As mentioned above, It’s Deco Darling has a stand with Curious Orange Vintage at Twinwood Festival, and it’s fabulous. The Etsy shop is set up with plus size items tagged as volup, meaning it’s really easy to find plus size vintage clothes.
I’ve bought a dress from The Looking Glass in the past, but as with a few other entries, I haven’t had a chance to wear it yet. There’s a website, Etsy shop and Instagram account, but the best way to find out what’s new in at The Looking Glass is through the epic Facebook postings that happen on a regular basis. You’ll need to wade through the photos, but every one is clearly marked with sizes (and they’re all lovely, so it doesn’t feel like a hardship).
As above; I’ve got a dress, it’s beautiful (and has a lovely stretch to it), but I fell pregnant soon after buying it and it wasn’t the sort of dress that was going to hide a bump, so I haven’t worn it yet.
I’ve bumped into the ladies behind the brand at several events and they are two of the loveliest people I know; they’ve got a bricks and mortar shop that I’m dying to visit, but in the meantime, the website is regularly updated with all sorts of loveliness (and clearly labelled if it’s a larger size).
Two of my very favourite dresses are from Sartorial Matters; I came across the brand when I was in the Miss Vintage final back in 2016. Laura – the fabulous woman who won – was wearing a beautiful skirt from Sartorial Matters, so I kept an eye out for something in my size. It was the atomic print dress on the right – it’s glamorous and a bit fun too.
Then, more recently, this 70s-does-50s novelty print came up in my size and into my wardrobe. Finding a plus size novelty print is rare, so I’m absolutely delighted to have it. If you search for your modern dress size, you’ll find anything in the shop that is around your measurements.
Scarlet Rage Vintage
Oh my word, the clothes available from Scarlet Rage Vintage are insanely beautiful. As well as a website that’s set up so you can search for clothes via waist size, Jade hosts regular personal shopping appointments via Instagram, where you tell her what you’re looking for and your size, and as if by magic, she finds something that fits the bill perfectly.
Simplicity is Bliss
Simplicity is Bliss has glorious dresses, and the Etsy shop is really helpfully sectioned by waist size, meaning you can easily browse items that will fit.
Timebomb Vintage
Fellow blogger and chum Tanya, otherwise known as Secret Plus Size Goddess, introduced me to Timebomb Vintage at Twinwood Festival a few years ago and I’ve loved seeing them at Twinwood and Pickering 1940s weekends since. There’s have a huge range of sizes available to browse, with an Etsy shop to visit while the UK is on lockdown with no events happening.
Other places to try…
There are still some gems to be found in charity shops, although it’s been a while since I found anything. There’s a specialist vintage and retro Sue Ryder shop in Peterborough where I tend to go, which is especially good if you don’t mind mixing your eras and/or going for some 80s does 50s and the like.
You’ll often be able to find things at vintage fairs (my favourite sellers are the ones who group things by size, so I don’t find something beautiful and set my heart on it, to find out it’s several inches too small). One of my friends told me to always take a tape measure to vintage fairs to double check things will fit – she is very wise, and it’s something I try to do every time, as you can’t always try things on.
And of course, don’t forget eBay and social media. I took myself off Facebook a while ago now, so can’t recommend any specifically, but there are plenty of great vintage selling pages there (search for the word ‘volup’, which lots of sellers use when their item has a 32″ or above waist), and you can search for things like #volupvintage on Instagram, which will help you find clothes for sale and sellers that often have larger items (as a bonus, you’ll also get to see some absolute babes in their vintage outfits, as it’s not just a selling hashtag) or #vintageforsale – with the last one, bear in mind that you’ll need to wade through lots of straight sized items too.
I’m sure there are plenty of sellers I’ve missed on this list, so I plan on updating it as and when – if anyone has any recommendations, please do let me know and I’ll add them in!
Something Definitely Happened 