Why vintage?

[LizzieMaine]

Thirty years ago it was a lot easier for me to wear "actual vintage," because it was (a) available and (b) it fit. Now thirty years later I still have some of the things I wore back then, and they could still be worn, except not by me. Time, as they say, marches on, especially after certain biological processes have taken their toll.

I wear very little "actual vintage" these days. A couple of jackets and my winter coat, and that's about it. But everything I do wear was made, by me, using vintage techniques, from vintage patterns, using fabric made to vintage specifications, and sewn on a hundred-year-old machine. So what does "vintage' even mean? As far as I'm concerned, nothing at all. I wear clothes, not collectibles.

 

[tonyb]

Nothing lasts forever. That can be read two ways.

 

[Edward]

Thirty years ago it was a lot easier for me to wear "actual vintage," because it was (a) available and (b) it fit. Now thirty years later I still have some of the things I wore back then, and they could still be worn, except not by me. Time, as they say, marches on, especially after certain biological processes have taken their toll.

I wear very little "actual vintage" these days. A couple of jackets and my winter coat, and that's about it. But everything I do wear was made, by me, using vintage techniques, from vintage patterns, using fabric made to vintage specifications, and sewn on a hundred-year-old machine. So what does "vintage' even mean? As far as I'm concerned, nothing at all. I wear clothes, not collectibles.

That's exactly where I'm at: "clothes, not collectibles."

There's certainly a value to original stuff being collected, and I like that there are those who do, but for those of us who want to dress a certain way day to day...

 

[bn1966]

It can be quite a drab world around my parts..folk wandering around in sportswear & not doing any sport, white commercial vans lining the kerb sides..charity shops full of cheap modern throw away clothing. And then you have people interested in a brighter more technicolour world & having fun with clothes and their off duty vehicles often having a liking for a style from the past. Nearby I have a Teddy Boy & I spend ages discussing drape suits with him, just up the road is an original 60’s Mod who still rides a a scooter and makes an effort. The clothes thing is an all consuming passion of mine, this week it was a classic Irish tweed two button blazer towards a ‘Country Chap’ look when I’m out with my Greyhound type canine. Vehicle wise not having endless depths of pocket I’ve moved away from classic vehicles but have purchased modern rides that have manufacturer pedigree & nod to past design but get me from A to B, they have to fun to drive / ride and not too clinical. As I share living space with my Wife and it’s all about compromise, the 60’s bar and painting have left the lounge but I’m now granted a ‘study’ and boy that’s going to be a fun room.

 

[tonyb]

Thirty years ago it was a lot easier for me to wear "actual vintage," because it was (a) available and (b) it fit. Now thirty years later I still have some of the things I wore back then, and they could still be worn, except not by me. Time, as they say, marches on, especially after certain biological processes have taken their toll.

I wear very little "actual vintage" these days. A couple of jackets and my winter coat, and that's about it. But everything I do wear was made, by me, using vintage techniques, from vintage patterns, using fabric made to vintage specifications, and sewn on a hundred-year-old machine. So what does "vintage' even mean? As far as I'm concerned, nothing at all. I wear clothes, not collectibles.

How is it that clothes seem to shrink over time? I swear, the rags that once fit me well have gotten smaller over the years.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I still have a winter coat I wore when I was three years old. I don't know why, really, except that it helps me keep a certain perspective.

 

[belfastboy]

I still have a winter coat I wore when I was three years old. I don't know why, really, except that it helps me keep a certain perspective.

A much smaller, narrower perspective?

I worked fulltime and went to school part time my junior & senior year so I had lots of money. I had two made to measure suits, an Italian wool with silk, and a shiny mohair. I kept them for the longest time but finally admitted I was never going to get down to the 170 lbs I weighed at graduation. Donated to Goodwill and some slender, homeless dude looked sharp for a while.

 

[GHT]

How is it that clothes seem to shrink over time? I swear, the rags that once fit me well have gotten smaller over the years.

What you need is a Tina, or somebody like her. I still have, and wear, trousers that she made many years ago. Being the baggy style, with a turned up cuff, that I so like, I still wear them. What you don't know, until now, when she made them she tucked in a hidden two inch pleat each side of the waistband. I have expanded into some of that surplus space but, mercifully, not all four inches.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Romanticism. Not romantic glorification.

A connection to a gone time.

 

[tonyb]

What you need is a Tina, or somebody like her. I still have, and wear, trousers that she made many years ago. Being the baggy style, with a turned up cuff, that I so like, I still wear them. What you don't know, until now, when she made them she tucked in a hidden two inch pleat each side of the waistband. I have expanded into some of that surplus space but, mercifully, not all four inches.

Does she have a sister?

 

[tonyb]

I did some looking into the etymology of “nostalgia” and learned that it originally meant something akin to “homesickness” and was literally considered an illness by physicians treating soldiers who found themselves far from home and all that was familiar. (Fearing for one’s own life might have had something to do with that, wouldn’t you think, doctor?)

It was only about a hundred years ago that the term came to mean how most of us use it today — an interest in things and places from the past. There are still echoes of its origins, though. Nostalgia is often bittersweet. It’s a reminder that those days are gone forever, that you truly can’t go home again. But we still treasure the reminders.

 

[Zombie_61]

For me, I think my parents' influence played a large part in why I like things from the past more than most modern rubbish. Dad was born in 1913, Mom in 1915, so they lived through (and then some) what we like to refer to as The Golden Age and experienced it first-hand. As such, they had a level of appreciation for most of their personal belongings, cared for them and treated them well, and that example was passed on to me. As such, I grew up immersed in the designs from the 30s, 40s, and 50s, and can see how thought and consideration were put into most designs to make items functional, not like modern days when so many products are manufactured to sell, but not necessarily to use.

 

[bolted]

Inflation affects everything*.
I can see inflation in a can of tuna, to clothing.~

I still wear a 1960sMBenz Nubuck leather trunk coat.
It came free with the car, in case you had to change a tire in the rain. Quality lasts.

Newer leathers are cheaper all around to squeeze every penny out of their production.

Many leathers are simply leather as a substantive paste, processed, pressed, and legally accepted and labeled as leather. As long as it’s more than 51% leather swept up from floor sweepings, mixed with cactus, banana-skins, vegan-trash, then as mentioned mixed in a paste, heated, pressed & processed.
Labeled as leather. Its quality of leather another story.

I’d suspect anything thats questionable has been counterfeited. It’s a 500Billion market. Look it up.

As a poster here showed it on a cellar level. Real leather today is very costly.
JustMyUnderstanding.

 

[GHT]

It was only about a hundred years ago that the term came to mean how most of us use it today — an interest in things and places from the past. There are still echoes of its origins, though. Nostalgia is often bittersweet. It’s a reminder that those days are gone forever, that you truly can’t go home again. But we still treasure the reminders.

There are many reasons to embrace vintage. For some, it’s a chance to step back in time and experience a different era. Others enjoy the opportunity to dress up in period-specific clothing and explore different styles. And of course, vintage festivals and events are also a great way to meet like-minded people and make new friends.
No matter what your reason for 'going' vintage, it will sure to be a unique and memorable experience. So just enjoy it and, if you have a mind to, put up a few photos of yourself all "suited & booted" period style.