What defines a "vintage girl" (or guy)? I have been reading numerous vintage blogs for some time now and getting to know a many women who define themselves as a "vintage girl". So what makes someone a vintage person???
Let's take a closer look at this....does one call themselves a vintage person if they have a massive collection of vintage clothing? Does it take owning two hundred dresses and a trunk full of gloves, hats, and snoods? Many of the most known vintage gals out there do any amazing collections of vintage clothing. Some of the gals collections have made many green with envy. But many of these gals really devote themselves to collecting and some even have had others hand down clothing to them through the years.
Does wearing the perfect victory rolls or knowing how to knit or sew make someone a vintage gal? Or how about knowing how to swing dance or make an homemade apple pie? Does that make someone a vintage dame?
I think these are all very good and important questions one can ask themselves.
I do believe it does help to have a few outfits from the era you love because it helps you get into character so to speak. It may also help you to feel prettier, perhaps more lady-like, and truly in tune to the decades past. Do I think you need to have closets full of these clothes-the answer is NO. And I don't feel especially with this tough economy that one should feel the pressure to have all of that. Is it nice to have? Um, heck yeah. Come on ladies-who doesn't want to have a complete wardrobe of the era they adore?
I know my vintage gal friends all have their wardrobes as a work in progress. Continuing to grow, learn, and know their tastes in what looks best on them. Having all that stuff is great but you don't have to have a lot to grasp the look of a decade-especially the 1940's as I am learning. During wartime women didn't have a closet full of clothes-they had many separates and a few dresses and made things work. How they did it and still managed to look fabulous-I am still figuring out for myself.
Knowing how to sew, cook, craft, knit, crochet, garden, and canning are all amazing things to learn how to do. I commend the people I know who do them. Most of them learned from their mothers and grandmothers. Sometimes I feel very lost because I don't have either with me so I am not normally surrounded by women in my day to day life. But reading about all these amazing vintage women from today has inspired me to want to try to do more of these things or learn how to do them. Its great to know but it doesn't necessarily make you a vintage gal-just a very savvy, creative, and talented gal.
Did you know that there are more classic film fans out in the world than they are people who dress in a specific decade or take swing dance lessons or know how to do a victory roll? They aren't considered vintage guys/gals. And why not? I think people are very visual creatures and if they see someone dressed the part they assume they are that part. I also think most women find it important to look good, dress well, etc because it all a part of feeling good. For women, if we feel good on the outside, it helps us feel good on the inside.
So what I am saying at the end of this long ramble? A "vintage girl" is someone who embraces many aspects of an era(s) and who attempts to express that passion or love either through clothes, makeup, hair, music, writing, photos, etc. And at the end of the day, you really need to sit down with yourself and ask yourself-what makes me a "vintage girl"? And if you don't feel like one yet ask yourself, "what do I need to do for myself to feel more authentically vintage?" For some people its wearing vintage 24/7, for some its knitting 1940's patterns or making 1950's dresses, and for some its modeling and trying to emulate the starlets of years gone by.
I am on this journey for many reasons and one is to become and feel like a true vintage girl. Of course I have my own requirements for myself and I am a work in progress. What no one can deny is that I am full of passion for times gone by. That I have in spades!
xox
Very nice expose:) Yes, if I could say one thing about you it would certainly be your passion for vintage and also the historical perspective, which I admire:) I think too that vintage isn't something that happens over night it's a progress. Ever since I can remember, I've had an affinity for the time period of the 40's. I think the embrace of fashion as a historical perspective is new avenue but not the love of vintage. I think if it would have paid the bills I would have majored in art history at university so this is also something that I gravitate towards, the creation of art. I feel when I look through a lot of vintage magazines that they intertwined the emerging art at the time into fashion. I don't see this much nowadays. How many fashion magazines are going to do an expose on up and coming artists today? But, you look back in vintage magazines and you see spreads on artists.
ReplyDeletehttp://dividingmoments.blogspot.com/
Your right about woman in the 1940 not have a huge amount of clothes, just look at the closet sizes in house built pre-1950 they are really small and men and woman would share that closet! I love vintage and keep collecting both vintage and reproduction because I just love the look and the glamour of it all. I also really cherish the sense of community families had back in the 1950's when extended families all lived in the same neighborhood and the parent's would have cocktail parties and play cards while the kids all played together.
ReplyDeleteWell written, Bunny!! I don't own a lot of vintage pieces, most a vint insp since we just lost our only vintage shop in town, and very little me-made items. Living vintage is so expensive. So in this economy, it's hard to justify buying a $150 dress over paying a bill! But I think being thifty {like ladies had to be in the 30s and 40s} instead of owning 100+ dresses, can make you a vintage dame at heart!
ReplyDeleteWell put! There's so much that goes into what makes an individual consider themselves to be vintage and, as you've pointed out, it's a bit different for everyone. Looking back, a lot of my love for vintage has a basis in my childhood ranging from interest in old family photos to Christmas decorations even though at the time I really had no concept of what vintage was. From these things, though, I think it can be said that my love of certain decades and all the various aspects associated with them developed!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Bunny! I think that YOU are the only person that can say that you are a vintage girl. Its not a 'title' that someone else can bestow on you. You need to feel it yourself :) I think it comes down to knowing who you are as a person and not taking on the opinions of others.
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly what I needed to hear today. I am very new to all of this and get very confused on all the different terms women use to describe their "look/lifestyle", but I need to realise that we are all different and I should not be aiming to achieve what someone else classes as "vintage" and focus on what I personally want to be.
ReplyDeleteThank you ladies for all of your insight and sharing!!! xox
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your thoughts. It really spoke to me since I'm working hard on defining for myself what I need to do in order to express how I feel on the inside - with regards to being a vintage girl. Especially since I have short hair and vintage hair does seem to matter a great deal. Other than that I don't have the opportunity to wear vintage clothing on a daily basis. Your post gave me food for thought.
ReplyDeleteOh thank you so much! It is a lot to think about and I think for some it takes more time than others to develop your style and sense of who you are as a vintage girl. Email me anytime if you need any help with anything! xox
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!! I really appreciate it :-)
DeleteLove it! I am hoping to get my first vintage (or vintage inspired) dress for Christmas this year. Keeping my fingers crossed....
ReplyDeleteOh Crystal! How exciting!!!! Whoot!! xox
ReplyDeleteReally excellent post and topic, dear Bunny. I personally feel that anyone can be a vintage girl (or chap) - it really boils down, I think, to having a very deeply rooted for the past. One doesn't have to wear vintage or even surround themselves with it in their homes, they just need to want to learn more about, preserve, and celebrate the eras that they adore in various ways throughout their lives. Perhaps, ultimately, being a vintage lover is a mindset and however you choice to celebrate and live that mindset out loud is up to you.
ReplyDelete♥ Jessica
You are so right Jess-I love how you said-just perfectly! xox
DeleteI have not been able to stop thinking about what you have said and has inspired my post today http://missdollybowpeep.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/a-revelation.html
ReplyDeleteThank you so much doll! That means so much to me you have no idea! xox
DeleteThis is such a fantastic post. You are the epitome of the "vintage girl" in my opinion. Honestly, I know a few girls (in real life) who claim to be vintage girls. They spend massive amounts of money doing the (way too) sexy pin up photos and have Marilyn posters everywhere. But they couldn't name a film made before 1980 if their life depended on it.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a vintage girl, but I'm a vintage fan, if that makes any sense. I love everything about other eras and I appreciate the pop culture and history and lifestyle. :)
Oh I totally get that you are a vintage fan and a passionate one at that! I'm so glad you liked the post! Means a lot to me!!! xox
DeleteI think it's really what you make of it yourself! I think of myself as a vintage gal but can't tell you exactly why. I dress primarily in vintage or vintage-inspired styles, usually have my hair styled in a casual 40s style, etc, but my interest in old things goes much beyond style. I love old housewares, music, cookbooks, movies, crafts... many of things things I loved long before I ever dressed in vintage clothing regularly. But I also appreciate that other gals who love vintage may have different interests than me, too! That's what makes us all fabulous and unique in our own ways.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, I would never want to live like I was in another era. I want to pull the best out of it, and leave the worst behind (discrimination, war, oppression, you name it). I'm a vintage gal with modern sensibilities. And I'm a work in progress! Heck, isn't life a constant work in progress? :)
Thanks for such an interesting discussion!
Love this! Thank you!
ReplyDeletexoxo
-Janey