To parents of little girls who love wearing poodle skirts

Please always ensure that you encourage and support them in doing so, because...

Little girls (and boys) who show an interest in old school clothing as a child sometimes grow up to be vintage fashionistas (or fashionistos) with an unending love of, and appreciation for, the history of the decades they adore sporting the clothing of, and who...

{You may remember this poodle skirt filled photo from last December, when it first appeared here in this post.}

Find, as I do everyday of my life, that they feel more comfortable, confident, beautiful, and happy in clothing styles from decades long gone.

They are not odd for wanting to eschew some or all modern fashions, or for embracing elements of the past. Children, as with adults, often have very distinct sartorial voices of their own, and these should never be silenced.

While some kids may just want to emulate the cast of Grease, West Side Story, Dancing in the Rain, or any number of other classic Hollywood films that we show to children once they're old enough, and thus may lose interest in vintage fashions as quickly as they do the hit pop song of the week, there is a handful out there who will not – particularly if you help make their decision to wear yesteryear styles a completely positive one.

Like many skills and traits, I believe that a passion for vintage fashion often begins very early on in life, and should be nurtured if spotted. As a little girl, I asked her if she could and my mother very sweetly sewed me the adorable pink and white gingham poodle skirt pictured above for Halloween, which  I wore around the house after school most days for at least three years straight after that night back in 1991.

My mom never said anything against me doing so, and I cannot begin to thank her enough for this (one harsh word from anybody in my life back then, as I was an incredibly sensitive child, could potentially have discouraged me to the point where, unthinkably now, I abandoned this important love).

As the years passed and I read every historical fashion centred book having to do with early and mid-twentieth century in both my school and town's public library, my passion for vintage fashion only intensified. By the time I hit high school, though I did sometimes wear modern fashions, my heart lay on the side of my closet which was slowly amassing a collection of 1940s and 50s pieces culled (back in those days usually just for a few dollars at most) from local second hand shops and yard sales.

Then, as now, my mother says that she thinks it's awesome that I wear vintage and don't look, from a wardrobe standpoint, like most people you see everyday. As with many of us, I don't dress the way I do to intentionally stand out, it's simply a by-product of appearing so different from the vast majority of folks in today's society. In dressing as I do, I bring an immeasurable amount of happiness into my life (a point I talked in much greater detail about in this post).

The clothing that I don has a soul. It tells a story, not only of my own wardrobe choices, but of a very different, yet not actually all that distant, time in our shared human past. I cannot fathom at this point my life, a world in which I didn't wear vintage (or repro or vintage appropriate clothing) nearly all the time.

It is so much a part of who I am, and how I see myself. It bolsters my self-confidence (which I see as being very important for someone like me who is incredibly shy, introverted, and has some self-esteem issues), makes getting dressed a phenomenal joy, and doesn't harm a fly. There is nothing wrong with anybody of any age wanting to, and actually, wearing vintage styles or adding elements of the past to their modern day world.

I've always considered myself very lucky actually. The universe does not tap everyone to be a vintage lover, yet it did so with me, and I don't take that honour lightly. I cherish the fact that I wear, try to preserve (a point that Hannah from Just Peachy, Darling is very actively engaged in as well, and which this post was written in part to help celebrate), and get to share my passion for the past with other, be they cut from the same (vintage) cloth or otherwise.

So mothers and fathers of the world, if you child - whether they're a girl or a boy - seems interested in wearing and/or studying the fashions of the past, pat them on back, tell them you love what they're wearing, and sew them some repro or take them to your newest vintage store on the double.

I promise you, they'll grow up to thank you for it - especially if they're part of the next generation of full-time vintage clothing wearers for whom collecting, preserving and sporting yesteryear fashions is as natural as drawing breath.

Do we, as vintage fans, have a collective name?

✯ Day 212 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

Titles can be subjective, and names, as permanent or temporary as you please (how many of us today go by the nicknames our classmates bestowed on us in grade school?). Yet there's no denying that monikers are important, integral parts of life.

The name I'm thinking about this morning though, is not the one on your birth certificate, the cutesy word your sweetheart placed upon you, or even your job title, no what I've been pondering for quite a while now, is what do we as lovers of all things vintage call ourselves?

Within the sphere of vintage lovers one finds a large scoop of people. Some of us prefer old school home decor to fashion, and deck our houses not our wardrobes out in the gems of yesteryears. Others are all about the clothing, and rarely (if ever) are seen in dudes that weren't culled from the closets of those who came before us.

Some seek out old school books, art, collectibles (Pyrex or Bakelite, anyone?), ephemera, cars, even houses. Many gravitate towards certain decades (say, the 1940s) or even years (1945), others have their eyes light up at the mere mention of anything vintage and flock to surround themselves with all of it.

We are indeed an order of vintage lovers, within which you will find many a family, further broken down into genii and species. No two vintage fans are exactly alike (though we often share many similarities and interests), yet our differences are frequently much smaller than the substantial number of things we have in common.

Society loves labels and has come up with many for a vast array of people. From hispster to hippies, preppies to posers, teenyboppers to Trekkies, it seems that our culture likes to be able to quickly place members into neat little categories. Yet humans are not specimens in a lab and often times we end up belonging to multiple groups or feeling that none of them at all is suited to describing who we are.

Generally speaking, when people have enquired (as to what, as a fan of the mid-twentieth century, I call myself), I've used the term "vintage lover". Indeed, this is a fitting, if somewhat vague title that quickly lets others know I have a passion for the past. However, I'm sometimes left wondering if it's really the best possible term out there.

But, what then, if not "vintage lover" is one in our circle to call themselves? I don't fall into the rockabilly or psychobilly camp, and while I love jazz and swing music, I'm not an actual musician, so define myself by the music I listen to or play, just doesn't feel right.

A term I coined (though others may too have come up with it) here on CV a couple years ago for those who love classic clothing is "vintageista", an amalgamation of vintage and fashionista. This is a darling name, and one I rather like, but some may see it as only covering the style side of being a vintage fan.

{For those who enjoy wearing - or simply admiring - clothes (like the stunning winter ensemble on the September 1948 cover of Vogue magazine, which comes by way of Fashion Covers Magazines on Flickr) from the 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s, the title "vintageista" can be fitting, but does it work for those who primarily area of interest in the past lies elsewhere?)

 

I like to think of myself as a collector, preserver and connoisseur of history, one who jams their dresser drawers and closet shelves with clothing that very well could have come from my grandmother's wardrobe sixty years ago. I go weak in the knees for mid-century architecture and interior design; I would walk to the ends of the earth to preserve old photographs. I've rarely met a vintage book, magazine or movie I didn't affectionately like.

Days gone by enthral me, make me want to know them intimately, to ensure they're not lost like a fading shadow into the abyss of history. I feel a kinship and oneness with the years of the first half of the last century that is as natural as any relationship I've ever formed with a human being. I live the decades I wasn’t there to see in person vicariously through filling my world with vintage elements, as I know many of you do as well.

And so the question resurfaces, just what exactly do we call ourselves? This group of diverse individuals who are smitten with all things yesteryear; what title - if, indeed, we need one at all - do we place upon ourselves?

Vintage lover, vintageista, vintage aficionado, or something entirely different. What term do feel best describes you, and what sort of name do you think members of our wonderful community should place upon themselves?

For the time being, I think I'll stick with vintage lover, because - let's face it - that is after all precisely what I am, but I remain entirely open to new monikers and would love to know what you've dubbed yourself, my fellow vintage ……?

Vintage 365: Spring is for vintage lovers

✯ Day 60 of Vintage 365 ✯

{Image via ggaabboo on Flickr, whose parents are the couple in this timelessly superb vintage photo.}

Elegant as Hollywood stars, bursting with the spirit of youth, and wrapped in a sense of passion, this attractive young pair embody the spirit of all I hope this brand new month will be. Energetic, gorgeous, and full of intriguing possibility!

My sweet friends, let us wish upon a star that March (finally) caps off the plethora of snowstorm filled weeks we've all grown accustomed to as of late and that the third month of 2011 (which brings with it the glorious return of spring ) proves to be a marvelous one for all of us.

Here’s to hoping that it brings us all joy paired with our favourite things, and that it sparkles with as much chic beauty as these two wonderful young lovers had in their eyes.