QUESTION: Popularity in FRANCE of 1930s-1940s vintage styles

Chasseur said:

also the few vintage scene people I met had a more US-rockabilly style than the sort of Brassai photo/Rene Clair film you might assume.

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That's a shame because for me it is the most inspirational style ever. I like some snappy hollywood college suits too but...french underworld in the 30s is still the number 1.

For french workwear.. somebody should write a book about it. There are not enough pictures and I can't comprehend the way some seller date their workwear items. Sure...buttons...sometimes labels. But 60s "bleus" look not much different than 30s bleus, do they? Heck even today workers in europe wear blue cotton overalls and jackets.[huh]

Flat Foot Floey said:

That's a shame because for me it is the most inspirational style ever. I like some snappy hollywood college suits too but...french underworld in the 30s is still the number 1.

For french workwear.. somebody should write a book about it. There are not enough pictures and I can't comprehend the way some seller date their workwear items. Sure...buttons...sometimes labels. But 60s "bleus" look not much different than 30s bleus, do they? Heck even today workers in europe wear blue cotton overalls and jackets.[huh]

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I agree. While I do like British suits from the 1950s and some of the "hollywood styles" for me my everyday vintage inspired style would be someone out of a Rene Clair film or some Brassai photos from about 1931 or so.

Chasseur said:

It also could be my VERY limited exposure to a couple of shops and people in Paris so I could be completely wrong or have had too small a sample size. Did you see any nice Tractions at the show? I love those Traction Avants!

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I don't remember any Traction's but they had a display of the earliest surviving 2cv and it's progression to the 1960s, a couple of Chapron converted DS's for Charles de Gaulle.
other clothing from the period I have seen tends to be very expensive, probably above the prices we pay in the UK and USA, an example I was interested was a B3 sheepskin, in a small size and average condition, at the time €750 for what would be around a €450 item in the UK.
A lot of vintage clothing has also been from earlier periods especially the art nouveau times, probably as Paris is very art nouveau itself, so if residing in the city, clothing from say America, does not lend itself to the surrounding decor(some of course may say I am talking out of my ar.e)

As to what may still be available, I took a friend down to the south, Toulouse to be exact, where my friend purchased some new 'old' stock of 1940s shoes which filled an estate car till we could get no more in. The seller was so desperate to get rid of them it was a take them all or nothing deal. I believe she put the remainder out for the dustman(garbage) that we could not take. These were just not selling in France as they were ordinary street wear, the seller telling us that only the high end rich peoples clothing was what enthusiasts wanted. I was shown some leather jackets but the guy wanted BIG money for average looking items, no bike jackets or military stuff just working leathers that were obviously continental.
I think Germany has a larger following of old stuff probably due to American influence, it just doesnt seem to be happening in France though.
J

Oh my...the shoes. Great story. I wish this would happen to me (on a day I am able to get enough money to buy the stuff)


On the scene in germany: We have this forum which was founded by a private person. It's still run by the same...no other mods, no sponsors. I found most of the likeminded folks there or here in the FL.
Because france doesn't seem to have a forum like this ...we just can't find the people. But I guess they are out there too.

Flat Foot Floey said:

On the scene in germany: We have this forum which was founded by a private person. It's still run by the same...no other mods, no sponsors.

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I've just ordered a course on beginning learning German, and am interested in learning more about the vintage scene there after learning the language. What's the forum?