Are You a "Serious" Collector? The Categorization of Fedora Loungers.

Enigma1947 said:

If you mean me: You are obviously not comfortable with categorizing yourself and are therefore reacting in a confrontational manner. It also means that you are obviously uncomfortable with the category that you do fit into. This reaction by some was inevitable and I expect it. Don't feel bad. It takes a lot to be able to be honest with oneself.

And, I would appreciate it if you could pick out specific sentences from my original post and tell me exactly why you think I am a snob. I would appreciate the opportunity to explain my meaning and intentions to those who do not understand.

If you don't mean me and are in fact referring to the few snobs that I mistakingly forgot to make a category for: I apologize for my above comment and thank you for contributing to the list.

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No, I didn't mean you.....Dr. Phil

When your passon, interest, hobby or way of life loses enjoyment and humor .....it ceases to be a pleasure and of any benefit to yourself or anyone else....
as in.....the old saying.....the bottle let me down.

My Dr. Phil......moment.

AtomicEraTom said:

Period-Specific General Living Full-Timers: Those who completely immerse themselves in all aspects (fashion, movies, music, cars, etc.) of a specific time period (1940’s, 1930’s to the early 1950’s, etc.). One does not necessarily need to be a connoisseur of any specific aspect.

I would say I fit this category best. I have been into vintage, my mom says, since I could walk and talk.

I live in a home filled with all sorts of vintage things, I have a vintage hairstyle, vintage/vintage inspired clothes, have owned my share of vintage cars, and still have somewhat vintage cars. I love old music and television programs, and just about anything else the good ol' days has to offer.

It's not just an aesthetic point, either. The old-world ways of manners, and behavior is very important to me, as well.

I would certainly never qualify myself anywhere near the point of our experts on here. I know a bit about vintage clothes, and a bit about history, and this and that.

I guess I'd be about equivalent to your basic working-class guy of the postwar era. I'm just living 60 years past when I should be.

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sounds like you're having fun and enjoying your chosen interest......

Two Types said:

Period-Specific Fashion Enthusiast:
I suppose that might be the closest to the way I might be categorised. History is a full time thing for me (since I write history books) but I am not vintage obsessed. I like the stylings of 1930 to 1955 (give or take a year or two), but I concentrate on the UK and would feel uncomfortable wearing an obviously American look.
Not all my clothes are vintage:
Ties - 80% vintage
Cravats - 60% vintage
Suits - Mostly reproduction of period style
Trousers - All copied from period styles
Shoes - all modern but made in traditional styles by a quality British manufacturers (all by the same company)
Scarves - 90% vintage
Coats - 100% vintage

I am happy with the term 'snob' since I am elitist about what I wear. I don't look down on others, but I set myself certain standards and adhere to them everyday (I never go out without a tie or cravat). But I have no desire to be an expert. I feel that expertise, whilst good (and maybe essential), is overated on a forum such as this. What I really enjoy is enthusiasm. I like to see responses by people who maybe don't know why they really like something, but just know it is right for them. Having seen some of the recent criticisms about falling levels of expertise I held the opinion that those considered experts could always learn something new from the forum. Non-experts will find things that experts have not seen before. No one has complete knowledge and i have certainly seen those identified as 'experts' making errors. I imagine that, if a number of experienced tailors began to post on the forum, we would have to reassess what we consider to be an expert.

I know what I like and wear it without specific period constraints. I am lucky in that respect becasue my favourite period is British clothing in the late 1940s and early 1950s. It is a very forgiving period since the UK was in a dire economic state. As such, all manner of clothing was worn: you see smart wool caps alongside eight pice caps or oversized workmen's caps in a style dating back to the Edwardian era. Narrow trousers and wide trousers were acceptable. Sports jackets with contrasting trousers. Plenty of people wore pre-war styles. Others wore new post-war styles. There were oldstyle double-breasted belted overcoats, sleeker raglan fifties style coats. Army surplus was worn as workwear - or battered, patched suits.
It's an easy look to achieve - just take a mish-mash of clothing from a 20 year period and you can achieve that look. It wouldn't suit the specific stylings of those who take their inspiration solely from period clothing catalogues but if you look at period photographs (which having spent 14 years as a picture editor, is something I used to do on a regular basis) you clearly see that there were no rules.

I could keep going, but I'd better no turn this into an essay.

Anyway, it's a good subject for discussion.

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Being a "Purist" ("I never go out without a tie or a cravat") is not the same thing as being a "Snob". But, being a Purist can easily lead to being a Snob if not kept in check.

It sounds to me like you are keeping your purist lifestyle in check and still realize and respect that there are others that are not as "into" your interests as much as you are.

I still leave the house in a T-shirt now and then.......but, hey.....that's just me!

I would say I currently fit into this category

General Fashion Enthusiasts: Those who simply want to look good, regardless of period specificity.

but that I aspire to this one

Period-Specific Fashion Connoisseurs: Period-specific fashion collectors who possess or strive to possess above average knowledge and understanding of vintage fashions.

Actually maybe I do fit into the second, depending how you define 'above average knowledge and understanding of vintage fashions.' If you mean above average for the population as a whole, then I probably qualify. If, on the other hand, you mean amongst the members of this forum then my knowledge is below average (but improving).

So I will place myself firmly in the first of these two categories. I like to wear nice clothes and care about what I look like when I leave the house. I have very little genuine vintage however, being a large, tall chap, so my wardrobe is made up of modern clothing in classic styles, vintage reproductions and a few vintage pieces. If I could however I would wear nothing but 1930s originals hence my aspiration to the second category.

Mystic said:

Being a "Purist" ("I never go out without a tie or a cravat") is not the same thing as being a "Snob". But, being a Purist can easily lead to being a Snob if not kept in check.

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I certainly fall into the 'Purist' category (like Two Types I always wear a tie or cravat) but try not to be a 'snob'. I have high standards for what I wear but wouldn't dream of attempting to dictate what others wear or to look down on people for not meeting my standards. I try to remind myself that they are the 'normal' ones and I am the one who is being a bit weird. Perhaps Mystic could define what his 'Snob' actually is and how they do behave?

I think I am a

Period-Specific Fashion Enthusiasts: Period-specific fashion collectors who do not necessarily strive to possess an above-average understanding of vintage fashion.

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I love the 30s the most but 40s and 20s things are cool too. I love the fashion, swing music and art deco/ wpa poster art. I am an illustrator, you know. I use to buy many books and this cost money too. I can't narrow down my clothes collection to one item (like shoes) because I am aiming at a wearable wardrobe only and not museum pieces. At the moment I have to include many modern items or reproductions. I think they are cool too.
I am not interested in cars and stuff. Funiture would be nice but I will never achieve total immersion.

Once I have some money at hand and find more vintage I would be a

Period-Specific Fashion Connoisseurs: Period-specific fashion collectors who possess or strive to possess above average knowledge and understanding of vintage fashions.

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I would suggest that one only speaks for himself and not comment (or judge) the lifestyle choices of others here in this thread. I think this was what doomed the last few threads. I find this topic fascinating.

Way too much reading here, I want extremely pretty pictures ASAP!

One further point to add to my lengthy earlier post:

I could never be one of those who totally immerses myself in the period (30s to 50s) with good reason. I favour the architecture and interior design of the Victorian/Edwardian era. For cinema, I love all eras. For music, I am a lover of sixties garage bands, seventies punk and new wave, and modern garage bands (quick plug for Vancouver's 'The Cinch' - quite simply the greatest band never to have a hit record). So I'm not really suitable for full 'period' immersion.

If I had to aspire to anything, it would be:
Bloke who owns loads of vintage ties and scarves and can afford to wearing a good quality, period-styled suit (or outfit) be it original, bespoke or made-to-measure everyday (as long as it is the style I like I don't mind who made it or when it was made).

I don't know what I am.

I like the popular culture and history more so than the fashion, but I do love the fashion as part of it all (if that makes sense).

I own several vintage items, but like Lizzie Maine, I only buy it if I can USE it. Like my buffet table, my S&P shakers, various photos I have hanging in my house, a few scarves, etc. The only unusable item I have is my 1934 Philco, but it makes a beautiful decoration so it's all good.

I don't own or wear any vintage clothing, but I do somewhat hoard vintage patterns (and make them, too!) I do my hair vintage, I wear cat's eye glasses, and do my makeup vintage, but do not dress it.

I'm a nut for the movies, music, and celebrity gossip of the 20s and 30s (my fave era). I have a rather large collection of vintage magazines from 1912 to 1962. This is one of my favourite aspects of the time. I like to learn about "regular" peoples' reactions to celebrities and films, hence why I get excited when an old magazine of mine has handwritten notes in it.

I love looking at photos of "everyday" people. I like seeing the ill-fitting dresses, the stripey socks that don't match anything else, and/or the frizzy, imperfect hairdos. I often wonder what they were doing that day -- how they were feeling -- where they went!

I love the seedy side of "the golden era." I have an obesession with mugshots. I also love and collect "naughty" pictures from the day

I don't know what this would be. Maybe Period-Specific General Living Enthusiast? Whatever, that's what I like about "the golden era" and how I apply it to my everyday life.

Someone once called me a "vintage liver," and I thought it sounded like something that had been left too long in a butcher's window. If I have to have a category, I prefer to be called an "atavist," a throwback to an earlier type.

My clothes are late-thirties/early-forties thru the war era, because of all periods, these best suit my body type. I don't see any point in wearing something that doesn't suit me just for the sake of fashion. My everyday clothes are all home made. I'm not particularly interested in collecting clothes for the sake of collecting them -- if I won't wear it, I don't need it. I also don't spend a lot of time studying or categorizing my stuff -- it's my wardrobe, it's not a dissertation.

I don't fuss and fret to make sure everything in my house is from a particular year -- an actual lived-in vintage home would have been a hash of different eras accumulated over a period of many years. In my living room I have a Victorian pump organ, a reupholstered Edwardian couch, a twenties floor lamp, a mid-thirties armchair, a 1933 telephone, a 1937 radio, a forties coffee table, and a 1954 television set. What era is it? I don't know, but every actual "vintage" living room I was ever in as a kid looked very much like it. It's not a reconstruction or a historical display or a movie set, it's my home.

I don't have a vintage car, but I do have a vintage bicycle. If I ever have 10 G's lying around extra, I'll buy a 1939 Plymouth coupe, because I think modern cars are ugly and full of unnecessary technological gimmicks.

As far as culture goes, I lose interest in most of it after the war. There's some postwar movies I like, but I prefer pre-war, and music pretty much loses me completely by the end of the forties. I grew up in a household with no exposure to then-contemporary rock or pop, so I never developed any taste for it. It's like a foreign language to me, and there's so much good prewar music that I've never felt the need to learn it. My favorite prewar period for music is the mid-thirties, although I enjoy some of the gentler swing bands, but I have no interest in postwar jazz at all. I also enjoy twenties dance bands, acoustic-era novelty and personality records, and even some of the operatic records of the period. I'd much rather listen to a 1930s radio program than anything that television has produced -- although I do enjoy some of the better vintage TV programs, I think radio is the better medium. Like Amy Jeanne, I also have a large supply of magazines, mostly from 1930-42, and I enjoy reading them for both the articles and the fiction. I especially like the better women's magazines of the prewar years, which contain some really worthwhile journalism -- the Ladies Home Journal "How America Lives" series is an outstanding unvarnished document of how actual people lived at the time, and the Journal's editorial point of view was extremely progressive compared to the perception modern people have of the era.

So I don't know as any of the listed categories fit me. I'm an atavist, a person with the overall worldview and perspective of a previous generation.

Oh, and "What is the Golden Era?" That's easy -- March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945.

Mens' Shoes from the 1920's thru the 1950's. I have neither the time, nor the funds, nor the Understanding Wife to expand my Vintage Interests beyond this. Luckily it is a subject with such a wide range of styles that it should keep me busy for the next 50 years or so... then I'll try something else.

I don't know what I am either.

I don't collect anything really, but I've slowly started buying art deco furniture and old kitchen utensils. I also dress in a jumble of 30s - 50s styles but I have very little vintage stuff in my wardrobe. Most is new or newly made by me. I'm looking for things I can use and clothes I can wear. It's about the way I want to live for me. I'm not a collector or coinnesseur (but a snob about many things), I'm a person who happens to appreciate a late 30s lifestyle. I wouldn't have been a collector of fashion then, and so neither am I now.

However, I'm extremely fascinated by cooking, cleaning and house-holding in the past and I try very hard not to collect old cookbooks and books on householding but I'm not doing all that well. Somewhere I dream about one day writing a modern book full of eco-friendly cleaning methods and old-fashioned food. I want to show that there's an alternative to super-sized fast-food in the car.

I also tend to hoard non-fiction and period fiction. I'm a writer of historical fiction and though I'm currently on a writing hiatus, it seems I can't stop reaearching. If I have to be pegged in some hole, I'd be fine with 'history buff.'


As for popular culture - I love 30s and 40s films. Ever since I was a little girl, I've been mad for them. Same with books. I grew up on Nesbit and Christie and Wodehouse and Walter Scott. I suppose my mother raised me in a very old-fashioned way too; I always wore skirts and curtsied and never talked in class. That is not to say she raised me for a 'traditional woman's life'. She raised me fully expecting me to be outstanding in whatever field I chose (sorry I failed there, Muv) and to be true to my own beliefs and conscience rather than adapting (my traditional values includes work hard and the idea that you shoul share and play nice but I also think girls make great mechanics and that gender should have nothing to with who you can marry).

I think I had a bit of a shock when I grew up and realised that the world wasn't that way. For years I think I felt out ofsync with the world, but then I just stopped caring. I'll do what I want and wear what I want and it's nobody else's business. I don't buy things or watch films because they're authentic or period correct. I do it because I like those things. Same thing with music. I'm mad for Bach and Nine Inch Nails and Renaissance ditties and I love Cole Porter songs, and so that's what I play (while wearing rollers and cold cream and reading biographies on Britisg Fascism). I was never a 'Goth' or 'punk' as a kid and I'm not a 'period-specific recreator' now. I'm just living my life the way I want to.

Enigma1947 said:

The lounge is filled with collectors of every variety and “rank”. I think we need to define what that means.

I'm a Major. You?

Some say that they don’t appreciate being categorized. The psychology of the fact is that we want to be categorized! This is exactly why we join fraternities, clubs, organizations, and forums!

No, that may be why YOU joined, but it's not why I joined the FL, nor is it why I frequent any real-world or virtual club. Please don't project your motives on me.

I think people here need to pose upon themselves some serious questions: why am I here? Which category do I fall under? And, if I am not happy with that category, what can I do to change that?

I for one don't "need" to ask myself any questions. Not interested in changing anything, thank you.

Have yourself a great analytical day!
What do you think?

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I suppose Iam a general fashion enthusiast. Being in high school I see people dressed no diffrent from hobos every day and I wished to look diffrent and more smart. I wore one of my fathers old suits to a function one day and discovered that I loved wearing suits. I like the feeling of being well dressed and others seem to like it too. Ny wardrobe changed dramatically to reflect my interest in formal clothing and every day I wear a dress shirt either with the top button undone or a tie and a sport coat with slacks. No more Jeans and T Shirts for me. I wear trench coats all the time as well as a trilby and now wear leather dress shoes as opposed to sneakers. I love dressing well and come here often to learn new things about dressing with style. This forum has certainly helped nurture my passion and develope it and that is truly the reason why I decided to become a member. I had been coming here for months but I wanted to participate and learn as much as I could about the style I enjoyed

I probably fall under a General Fashion Enthusiast as far as clothing. Most of my stuff is used, and I don't care if it was manufactured yesterday or 70 years ago, as long as it fits. I do have quite a few vintage pieces, but I do not wear exclusively vintage but go for a vintage look.

As far as the rest of my life, I only have one large piece of furniture in my home that dates post-1950 (our dining room table, which was my grandparents). But what I have is a mash of everything and anything. I am particularly fond of Eastlake pieces of furniture, but really, if it appeals to me (and I can afford it and need it) I buy it.

However, I am an Anchor Hocking Oven Glass, Royal Currier and Ives dishware, and Syracuse China Connoisseur. I must have at least 20 if not 30 complete sets of china and oven glass. I probably have an additional 30 patterns of which I do not have a complete set, just an odd piece. I am an extremely serious collector, however, all the items I have are usable and used on a semi-regular basis. I'm actively working to expand my knowledge and collection, although now I am targeting specific items.

That's what it's about to me. If vintage wasn't fun, I wouldn't do it. However, I absolutely love this life and wouldn't trade it for anything.

Mystic said:

sounds like you're having fun and enjoying your chosen interest......

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I am an archivist, my interest lie in the preservation of cultural artifacts (clothing, knick knacks, vehicles, etc) that are of interest to me. It's just so happens that the things that interest me hail from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s!

MisterCairo said:

I'm a Major. You?

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Interesting... Read on.

MisterCairo said:

No, that may be why YOU joined, but it's not why I joined the FL, nor is it why I frequent any real-world or virtual club. Please don't project your motives on me

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So, you don't like people projecting their motives onto you... but you are a Major! Military? If so, I applaud you and thank you for your service! However, the fact that you joined such a ranking organization proves that your entire life is based around people categorizing you and projecting their motives onto you. You are, in fact, the perfect example.

As a Major, if the President of the United States comes to you and says, "We need to... because...," would you look at him and say, "Please don't project you motives onto me."?

MisterCairo said:

I for one don't "need" to ask myself any questions. Not interested in changing anything, thank you. Have yourself a great analytical day!

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No, but you certainly felt the NEED to let everyone know that you are a Major, didn't you? You have, in fact, categorized and ranked yourself! Your entire life of service to your country is based on other people's needs. Thank you!

Mystic said:

No, I didn't mean you.....Dr. Phil

When your passon, interest, hobby or way of life loses enjoyment and humor .....it ceases to be a pleasure and of any benefit to yourself or anyone else....
as in.....the old saying.....the bottle let me down.

My Dr. Phil......moment.

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I actually do a great Dr.Phil impression!

I enjoy being analytical. I feel that these are the kinds of conversations that keep things interesting. Analysis, experimentation and discussion (with a little humor thrown in) is the key to advancement!

But... some people are more comfortable about it than others. So far, the majority of responses have been very positive. Thank you all.

resortes805 said:

I am an archivist, my interest lie in the preservation of cultural artifacts (clothing, knick knacks, vehicles, etc) of things that are of interest to me. It's just so happens that the things that interest me hail from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s!

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:eusa_clap I like it! Im curious, do you wear the clothing, drive your car and use your knick knacks, etc? If so, you may fall a little bit under the "Period-Specific General Living Full-Timers" category. If you don't use your items and they are just there for eye candy, then I think "Archivist" is indeed the best term for you. However, I would add...

"Period-Specific General Living Archivist."

Though I have a feeling that you actually wear your clothing, etc, at least sometimes. You may fall under both categories. Or maybe we should add something like "Period-Specific General Living Part-Timers" Now that I think about it, this category may suit me best. I think I'll add it to the list!

Flicka said:

I suppose my mother raised me in a very old-fashioned way too; I always wore skirts and curtsied and never talked in class. That is not to say she raised me for a 'traditional woman's life'. She raised me fully expecting me to be outstanding in whatever field I chose (sorry I failed there, Muv) and to be true to my own beliefs and conscience rather than adapting (my traditional values includes work hard and the idea that you shoul share and play nice but I also think girls make great mechanics and that gender should have nothing to with who you can marry).

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You'd be surprised how "vintage" the view is that what people do in their own lives is their own business and it's not for anyone else to meddle or interfere. The most vintage value I myself was raised with was "keep your nose out of other people's business," unlike the modern view that "everything everybody does is everybody else's business, and it's your obligation to have an opinion on it."