For sale: Baby clothes, definitely worn
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Parents have long dressed their children in hand-me-downs, but lately, the used clothes some parents seek are from rarer provenances and require setting eBay alerts and sifting through pages of Etsy search results.
PHOTO: LEXI PARRA/NYTIMES
Charles W. McFarlane
- Vintage baby clothes are increasingly popular as parents seek unique, high-quality outfits reflecting their own tastes and avoiding mass-market fast fashion.
- Specialist stores and online platforms facilitate buying and selling vintage children's wear, with some items reaching high prices due to demand and rarity.
- The trend combines nostalgia, sustainability, and a desire for durable, natural-fibre clothing, making vintage a thoughtful and eco-friendly choice for children's wardrobes.
AI generated
UNITED STATES – When Amrit Tietz combs through packed flea market fields, she is on the hunt for gems like vintage Levi’s jeans, hard-to-find band T-shirts and fringed leather jackets.
Not for herself – for her three-year-old daughter, whose wardrobe, she estimates, is roughly 70 per cent vintage. “I would rather buy that than a Frozen Elsa costume from Amazon,” said Tietz, 38, who lives in New York City and started collecting children’s vintage even before she became a mother. “It feels more thoughtful.”
