Retro style

   Walking into a vintage clothing store is stepping into a different world, a way shoppers can experience several decades all at once. At Maude Vintage Clothing and Costumes, in Columbia, Mo., a plastic alligator with a manequin's arm in its mouth greets customers at the door, a good sign of the unique vintage wares to come.
   It may take a little bit of searching, but those who shop in vintage clothing stores can expect to find a decade-defying swirl of color, texture and style.
   Many  students who search for ways to extend their wardrobes beyond the traditional clothing of chain and department stores while spending less money know shopping vintage can be both cost effective and fun.
    While northern Missouri may not be the Mecca of funky style, there are several clothing stores in the area that sell retro clothing. Those who do not mind driving an hour and a half can find many in downtown Columbia, but surprisingly, Truman students need not wander farther than the downtown Square to find clothing and accessories to create their own individual style. 
   In Kirksville's The 'Ville, a resale clothing store, men's neckties double as belts, pants are purposefully patched and some Truman students' retro creations are proudly displayed.
   Junior Dru Parrish, an employee at The 'Ville, who has frequented thrift stores since he started shopping for himself, is a believer that fashion should be unique to each person.
"It should be an outward expression of who you are," Parrish said.
   As Parrish threaded a striped men's necktie into the belt loops of some gray slacks, he described the elation of finding vintage bargains of his own.
   "Sometimes you have to look a little harder, but you sort of feel vindication at having found something," Parrish said. "You can be walking around in a pair of pants, and be like, 'You know what, nobody has a pair of pants like these.'"
   Owner of The 'Ville, Truman alumna Beth Lojewski, opened the store with a friend two years ago knowing that opening a resale clothing store would be a business with low start-up costs.
   "Kirksville is a pretty easy place to set up shop because people are glad to see new businesses," Lojewski said. "There really was no place in town to buy fun, one-of-a-kind stuff that's relatively inexpensive."
   The bright yellow sign outside The 'Ville hints at what lies within: an eclectic mix of original '60s inspired clothing, blue jeans, racks of blouses and rental clothing. For $10, one can be the proud owner for five days of a leisure suit or a brightly colored gauzy '70s dress in electric blue polyester or lime green with white lace.
   Lojewski's selection of resale clothing is supplied with the help of her mother, who visits Chicago- area stores and comes to Kirksville every two or three months with a carload of merchandise for her daughter. 
   "Every now and then you'll find someone who is cleaning out their home from 20 years ago," Lojewski said.
   Retro clothing, however, does not necessarily mean old and dusty. Many vintage clothing stores carry original clothing that has been revamped to reflect more modern styles, mixing old with new. 
   One example of this is senior Karli Kujawa, a visual communications major, who recently contributed her own designs to the eclectic mix at The 'Ville in her clothing line called "Off the Rack."
   She has been making clothing for herself and friends for about four years and has only recently tried selling her fashions, many made of donated clothing or clothing traded with The 'Ville.
   Kujawa's clothing incorporates many styles, from hippie-inspired patchwork sewn on plain jeans to screen-printed French posters on T-shirts.
   Kujawa said Truman is a casual type of campus and that vintage fashions are a trend that most students are open to in some respect. 
   Maybe the best part about vintage fashions for many students is the price. For Kujawa, selling the clothing she designs herself is not necessarily about the profit.
   "I know as a college student you don't have a lot of money," Kujawa said.
   Truman students, however, are not the only ones who shop in vintage clothing stores, seeking to save a little money and set themselves apart from the crowd.
   Sabrina Braden, owner of Maude Vintage Clothing and Costumes, said while the majority of her customers are students, she is starting to get parents who  shop at vintage stores to get better deals before going to the mall.
   Braden emphasized cost effectiveness as one reason why students shop vintage. She also listed originality as a benefit and a problem with vintage styles. Because the items in vintage stores are from various sources, finding a look that fits perfectly might be more difficult than in a chain or department store.
   "When you buy something you can generally rest assured that it's unique and your own style," Braden said.
   Although the misconception sometimes exists that resale and vintage clothing stores sell only old items or outlandish clothing, that is not always the case. 
   Both Lojewski and Laura Wilson, owners of Blackberry Exchange vintage store in downtown Columbia, mentioned they often resell clothing from chain stores such as Gap, J. Crew or Banana Republic.
   Shoppers may be able to find styles for less money that have come back as retro remakes in chain stores by shopping vintage.
   "Clothing is cyclical, so styles that you see now in Gap or Banana Republic were in style 20 years ago," Wilson said. "Shopping this route gives you more variety. The variety is key."