Vintage Fashion

Because James wanted to see it :P

“Vintage includes many eras and is difficult to define, but the rule of thumb I go by is: vintage is old enough not to be manufactured in the context of day's fashion, but not old enough to be considered an antique or historical artifact.”
From the roaring 20s to the swinging 60s and beyond, fashion has been a woman’s prerogative. More commonly known as vintage fashion, clothes from this era became the ‘new’ style of the noughties, paying homage to their hay-day and embracing a more romantic way of life. Dancing to rockabilly in our micro-minis, it’s easy to see that we’re re-living the past – but what’s wrong with right now? Caoimhe Lavelle, a 22-year-old fashion student from Dublin, suspects she has the answer;
I think the main reason is that time puts a glaze on the lifestyle of the past, and a lot of it is to do with nostalgia. But people interested in fashion also just have a desire to find interesting and original pieces, and searching through vintage shops is a great way to find some. It opens up many doors, fashion-wise, and can also serve as inspiration for the present.
Fashion became a possibility for women in the 20s, as clothes became tailored to fit the modern lifestyle. Women cut their apron strings (and the hems of their skirts) to put on their dancing shoes, as the Charleston was introduced and flapper girls dominated. Through the war, women’s fashion was dictated by the rations on material – the skirts became shorter, the blouses became tighter, a nation revealing more and more, leading us beautifully into the short-skirted 60s, which took Revivalist influence directly from the 20s. The days of love, peace, and terribly cold legs, the 60s were split into the mods and the rockers and fashion was to be all that lasted. Richard Branson once commented of this time:
“there was a great sense of optimism. You could do anything if you set your mind to it.”
This is the ultimate explanation, I think, as to why people are reluctant to let go. People have no optimism these days. We are currently hounded by stories of death and destruction, of recession and scandal – maybe it’s time we all took a step back, just to “dig” our lives right now.
Do you think people have a romanticised view of what life was like back then?
To an extent. Fashion is very easy to idealise because you don't have to take into account historical events or context so much. You can say that fashion in the forties was fabulous without endorsing the Second World War. If you like how it looks, that's it. But there is also a certain amount of idealism of the past. One reason may be that our main connection to it is through our nostalgic parents or grandparents, or also through films. It's a little delusional to actually think that in the 1940's all people spoke with transatlantic accents, perfect posture and were incredibly beautiful, but we can't help but romanticise when we can't experience the time ourselves.
How does vintage fashion adapt to our current lifestyle and culture?
Well vintage fashion is brought back into current vogue and recreated every so often through revivals. Particularly these days, many people interested in fashion are looking for items with a history to them, or which brings to mind a time not of their own, and that’s why I think that in recent years there have been so many revivals in fashion, and that many people are looking for this 'vintage look'.
I think this may say that our current culture is jealous of that of other, past eras. Personal nostalgia has always been around, but we can see it's also being reflected in the clothes we wear.

Does vintage have a place in everyone’s lives?
Vintage to me seems to be particularly popular with those who experience dissatisfaction with their generation, who go out of their way to have their clothes give the message of being other; perhaps not from this time. But I think that vintage clothes can be worn and loved by anyone.

Do you think a vintage wardrobe is an achievable prospect for anyone? It can often be very expensive.
I'm a firm believer that it's possible on any budget. It all depends greatly on where you look. Certainly, many vintage boutiques are over-priced, but they don't have a monopoly on old clothes. It takes patience, but I recommend searching through flea markets and charity shops. Vintage is concerning the age of the clothes, all that separates a find in a flea market to one in a boutique is snobbery.

Do you believe there is a certain ‘vintage lifestyle’ – wearing the clothes, listening to the music? How does it fit into modern life?
A certain amount, yes.. You can have general vintage interests. eg; have a vintage wardrobe, listen to swing jazz and watch only films noir starring the likes of Humphrey Bogart, but I think that this can be easily adapted into our modern lifestyle.
You don't need to deny yourself the technological advances made or new music and culture. Embracing vintage shouldn't mean an intentional and stubborn disregard for what is around you, and you should embrace the things that you love about your own generation if there is anything, because this time now used to be the future, and later on it will be the rose-tinted past.
How would you describe today’s fashion?
I'm not terribly up-to-date, but I suppose I can speculate from a spectator's perspective. It seems to be rather practical and comfortable-looking in general. There also a stress on the clothing of a person to reflect one's personality. And of course; it is quite often expressed in unusual-looking garments sold by mass in chain-stores such as Top Shop.
This desire to express individuality is now very mainstream. It's great because it celebrates individuality, but unfortunate that it's being exploited by certain companies which I believe fool the consumer into believing that their clothes better them as a person. It is also unfortunate because it results in the popularity of such apologetically ridiculous items such as 'jeggings' (leggings with jean seams printed on, worn as jeans), a phenomenon which I personally cannot get my head around.

Do you think, one day, people will look back on this past decade and declare it a decade that made a difference to fashion? Will people in 20 years go for a “noughties look”, as we might go for a seventies or eighties one?
It's hard to tell, but I don't think that many eras go un-noted in fashion. For example the nineties look is currently being embraced, which was, until recently, still a bit embarrassing to us. Nostalgia has a big part to play, and though I wasn't particularly impressed by the fashion of the noughties, I believe that after a certain amount of time it will become idealised, therefore coveted.
Romanticised or not, vintage is happening and is bigger than ever. As I prepared to say goodbye to Caoimhe, I asked her one final question – what she believes is the future for vintage.
It's quite simple if you think about it. The clothes that are vintage to us today will gradually become lost and increasingly rare. And the clothes we wear today will one day become vintage. It's a cycle.




Happy now?! :D xxxxxx

TUMBLR.

http://feedelosmuertos.tumblr.com/