There's no closet as coveted as that of a pro vintage stylist. From sourcing pieces to properly integrating them into your wardrobe, the task of building a beautiful secondhand collection can seem impossible. Not to mention needing an eye for the best textiles, brands, and aesthetics. Thankfully, that's where stylist and vintage curator Abby Quinn comes into play. "I would go to the thrift store with my mom, and we'd be there for hours, just looking through every little rack," Abby mused during her interview with The Citizen's Poste. "And I guess subconsciously, it all rubbed off on me." Soon enough, her love for vintage style and a need for a means to fund her passion became a full-blown resale business: Star Girl Supply.
An Impossible Market
In the midst of 2020's Pandemic, we all saw a rise in Y2K fashion and a newfound obsession among Gen Z with shopping vintage, and as the years have passed, the niche has only expanded. Hence was born Star Girl Supply. But in a competitive and newly saturated market, some people will spend their waking hours thrifting and digging through bins, and vintage sourcing can quickly go from a sustainable hobby to a way of life.
Thankfully, Abby Quinn has brought it down to a science. A typical week in her life consists of three consecutive days of sourcing her items for resale, which she described as a highly tedious process, especially as she focuses on only the highest quality items. Quinn loves to source textiles like silk, satin, denim, wool, and cashmere, and avoids nylon and polyester as much as possible.
via @abiigailquinn on instagram
Once items are gathered, the restoration process begins. Naturally, sourced items are washed and sanitized, and any damaged items with stains or tears are soaked and stitched. Once everything is back in shape, branding research and pricing are considered before items are posted for resale. "There's a lot more that goes into it than just sourcing the items and selling them," says Quinn. "I guess the biggest part of my job is turning the unglamorous and unwanted stuff into something desirable."
Sometimes, even Abby isn't fully aware of the value of her finds until the last minute. She relayed that last year, she posted a TikTok in which she thrifted a Gunne Sax skirt and didn't discover its worth until the comments flooded with remarks about the piece. "One of the main parts of working with vintage is being aware of brands and their value… It takes a lot of time; I'm still not quite there yet."
via @stargirlsupply.shop on instagram
And it's not just item-by-item resale that Star Girl Supply focuses on. Abby also offers customized bundles, in which clients can fill out a Google Doc detailing their personal aesthetics through the business' Instagram Bio. Once the forms are submitted, Quinn spends endless time and energy curating bundles to match and shipping them as soon as everything is picture-perfect. "I'm chronically on Pinterest," she laughed, "That's definitely where I pull most of my inspiration… I love to experiment with different styles."
The Passion Behind the Project
Nothing was more evident than Abby's love for her clientele. From the tedious work of digging through bins for hours on end to developing her skills in both fashion research and marketing, the thing that makes it all worth it for her is the people. She often spends her weekends at East Coast flea markets from Baltimore to NYC and constantly looks forward to meeting new people in her niche.
"It can still be really hard to work for everyone… I have to find a balance between being ahead of the curve and sticking to my own voice, but I always love seeing how people respond to my pieces."
By Mackenzie Ostrowski
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