Vintage. A storehouse of Inspiration
"I love older things that people have used and cherished.
They have personality, character, and soul."
- Anna Hillegass.
Our past has always been a storehouse of inspiration.
It is no secret that fashion always repeats itself. An increasing interest in vintage fashion indicates that fashion trends always come back.
People are constantly querying what exactly is vintage. This term was first used in the early 15th century to describe wine that was made from grapes harvested in a single specified year. Later on, people started to use this term to describe older cars that were at least 50 years old. In late 80’s and early 90’s, sellers of second hand clothing took this term to describe older clothes.
There is currently no standard that defines an exact meaning of vintage. For people who love vintage it definitely involves more than just wearing clothing from previous era. It is a spirit of the past, far gone era and a lifestyle.
Some use such terms as antique, vintage and retro alike. However, admirers of vintage disagree about this interchangeability. Though opinions on time identification vary, usually clothing which was produced 100 or more years ago is considered antique. Vintage refers to the period from 1930 to 1965. Retro, short for retrospective, belongs to later 1970’s and 80’s.
Places where you can buy original vintage clothing include second hand clothing shops, garage sales, flea markets, antique markets, and vintage clothing shops. Authentic vintage clothing has been previously worn. But still there are some untouched pieces that are more expensive and really hard-to-get.
Modern commercially produced vintage clothing is available in a range of shops. This is a great option for those who admire an old style but prefer a modern interpretation. In addition, designers create almost exact copies of vintage clothing paying attention to every detail to convey a mood of the vintage era.
An interest in vintage clothing has noticeably increased since recent times. This happened mainly due to celebrities who contributed to vintage's popularity, e.g. Barbara Streisand, Winona Ryder, Sharon Stone, Lilly Allen, Kate Moss, and Julia Roberts. One of the most prominent wearers of vintage - Dita Von Teese, the queen of vintage style, is totally obsessed with it.
Even First Lady Michelle Obama wore a gorgeous vintage Norman Norell black lace cocktail dress for Christmas.
Fashion constantly changes. Vintage inspired evening gowns, cocktail dresses, cute casual day dresses will definitely suit every woman as some looks come and go, but vintage always stays “in style”.