Do you idolize the fashion of a different era? Perhaps the mod style of the ’60s or the roaring ’20s flapper dress tickles your fancy. On the other hand, maybe you dare to be different. Maybe everything about your style screams unique and unusual. Or perhaps you simply have been dying to buy that gorgeous pea coat on Newbury Street, but realize that it is way overpriced, yet a similar coat is sold for one-third of that price at a vintage store.

Don’t get the wrong impression, however.

People with hoards of money – including movie stars – still shop at vintage stores because they hope to create a distinctive style. Stars such as Sienna Miller, Kate Moss, Drew Barrymore and Kate Hudson often attribute their chic attire to the world of vintage.

In other words, vintage and thrift stores are the places to be when it comes to satisfying your appetite for period clothing, creating a bohemian style, finding something cheap or, as you may have learned last week, even preparing for a costume party.

The Garment District has seen its share of students searching for costumes in the past two weeks. The T was swarmed with people carrying its trademark bright magenta bags. Located on 200 Broadway in Cambridge, The Garment District is not only a well-known place to find Halloween costumes, but also a wonderful place to find cheap vintage clothing. In fact, the store is dangerous.

Here’s why: You can spend an entire day rummaging through racks of vintage clothing and come home exhausted with an entirely new wardrobe. Of course, this shouldn’t faze you. Most things for sale at this store are less than $30. The store also has a wonderful pay-by-the-pound system, in which you can fumble though racks of clothing, fill up bags full and pay as the scale says.

Oona’s, located at 1210 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge, is another lovely vintage clothing shop around Harvard Square. This store specializes in its retro outfits and as expected, it too has a selection of Halloween costumes and decade-related clothing. Its vintage collection includes vintage and used clothing since the ’70s, and many fun accessories and articles of clothing to choose from, such as pea coats and cargo pants.

Yet another vintage store is located in Brookline on 131 Cypress St. At Cafi Society, you can find decade and retro fashions from periods ranging from the ’20s to the ’70s. Much like The Garment District’s pound system, Cafi Society has the Treasure Hunt, where you can delve into $3 bins in search of … a treasure. In addition to that, if you want to make some money of your own, bring in your old clothing and, who knows? It could be worth something.

At 233 Newbury St., you can find Closet Upstairs, another vintage store that has many retro racks. The sheer amount of clothing fills up the store to make it full and messy. It also has a sale rack where shoppers can find cheaper prices, but you have to have an eye for these things.

So we’ve explored the world of vintage, but what about thrift stores? What exactly is the difference? Vintage stores tend to have more clothing from particular eras because they sift through clothing and specifically pick out the vintage. Thrift stores, meanwhile, are more random because they simply take donations and sell old clothing, regardless of quality. For this reason, thrift store shopping takes more effort, but is certainly worth the prices.

Some good examples of thrift stores are places such as Urban Renewals, located at 122 Brighton Ave. in Allston. There are many Goodwill and Salvation Army stores located all around Boston, which are also worth the hours of sifting. Planet Aid used to be an option as well, but they closed both stores in Boston and Cambridge. Fred Olsson, the New England general manager, explained the stores have lost money over the years and they would rather close the stores in order to save money and continue contributing to development in Africa.

Whether you shop vintage or thrift, you are bound to find some interesting and older styles to improve your wardrobe and make it more unique for probably a cheaper price than at any major retail store.

Perhaps it is time you grabbed your creative eye and explored some of these places. After all, fashion history certainly does repeat itself … and when it does, you will be prepared. m