Found: Vintage Inspiration

I recently stumbled upon these photos by Julia Galdo and Cody. They are a series of a lovely housewife dressed in vintage and/or vintage inspired dresses. She is confined to the indoors for most of the photographs and finally escapes to her bicycle in the end. I have a strong appreciation for photography and think it is beautiful when vintage is incorporated within. Vintage clothing always looks nice when photographed. 


The Housewife Series

The Vintage Consumer: "Collector"

There is a recent term I coined this summer known as a “collector” which fascinated me. I learned this from my manager at a thrift store in Savannah, Georgia (The Clothing Warehouse), as she told me she actually was one. It came about when I noticed she was always bringing in the most random items into the store. Some were just her style, while others didn’t fit her and were nothing like her taste. I eventually asked why she had so much “stuff” as I (wrongly) defined it at first. She went on to explain that she was a “vintage collector” and therefore had an entire room dedicated to vintage items she found over time. This didn’t mean only fashion clothing, and accessories. This also meant furniture, utensils, glasses, letters, photography, you name it. A collector is someone who appreciates vintage SO MUCH that they enjoy collecting items, even if the item does not fit or pertain to their lifestyle. While these items are not needed in their lives, they do affect the collector’s life, as they gain a further appreciation on the past and the reasons why there was a need for certain things. Collectors obtain all sorts of items, and like my manager, can sometimes fill up an entire room over a lifestyle. This can be made into a useful task, as vintage is an ever-revolving culture. As a vintage collector collects new items, he or she can also sell their items to other vintage or thrift stores as well, sometimes making more money than spent.  

The Vintage Consumer: "Vintage Lover"

While I do appreciate, wear, and love vintage, I do not consider what I call a “vintage lover”. To me, a “vintage lover” is someone whose wardrobe consist of 70% or more vintage items. They enjoy the hunt, know when the best vintage shop and thrift store deals are, and know the do’s and don’ts of vintage shopping. They basically are vintage pros. However, they do this stylishly. They do not purchase used items just because of the trend, but because of their enormous love and appreciation for the item. They have an amazing ability to incorporate items from the past, fashion and lifestyle, and make it look brand new. An example of a “vintage lover” is a featured vintage blogger I found: Erin, of “Calivintage”. She is a California girl with a serious love for vintage. Her blog is filled with daily posts of her vintage outfits, vintage finds, and vintage inspirations. She also posts pictures of her favorite street style vintage-wearers.

http://www.calivintage.com/

The Vintage Consumer: "Easy Going"

Vintage clothing is a broad topic with many different types of consumers. There is what I’d like to call the “easy-going” type like me. I appreciate vintage and own a great deal of it. About 45% of my clothing and accessories are vintage or have been handed down from my mother or grandmother. I have also worked at a vintage clothing store and experienced the lifestyle. I do, however, appreciate other types of clothing as well. While I wont pass up a great thrift store piece, I definitely wouldn’t consider myself a “vintage lover”, “collector,” or a “thrifter”. 

Some of my favorite vintage finds:

Found at: Grandmother's closet

Found at: HoneyMoon Bungalow, thriftstore, Louisiana

Found at : HoneyMoon Bungalow, thrift store, Louisiana

Found at: Shorts- Good Will, Shirt, Civvies

Found at: Jacket- The Clothing Warehouse, Shirt- Civvies

Found at: The Clothing Warehouse

Found at: Civvies

Found at: Civvies

Found at: What Goes Around, thrift store, Louisiana
(I was excited about the pants)

"thrifting"

Thrifting refers to the act of shopping at a thrift store, flea market, garage sale, or a shop of charitable organization, usually with teh intent of finding interesting items at a cheap price." 

"A larger philosophy permeates the act of thrifting which celebrates the act of recycling of formerly-owned items, finding new use and new love for vintage material good which had been thrown out, and the thrill of imagining what the former life of the item was like."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrifting

http://lookbook.nu/look/856629

a thrift store

The most popular form of vintage shopping is done at a thrift store. A thrift store is a retail establishment where garments, accessories, furniture, records, and all sorts of products from the past are acquired and resold, at great value. Thrift stores are different from consignment stores, as all items are donated to the thrift store. All articles, besides dead-stock items have been worn or used in a previous decade.


 Most thrift stores, such as the Salvation Army and Goodwill, benefit a charitable organization. These types of thrift stores are usually part of a large organization and operate many different locations. Other types of thrift shops are private businesses where the owner benefits from the profits.

http://www.ehow.com/about_6695784_definition-thrift-store.html

Which era are you?

My favorite form of vintage is not the actual clothing from the past themselves, but the inspirations we gather from clothing of the past. The nostalgia for past trends and looks is always there, which is why vintage is an ever-occuring theme. I took a survey amongst my fellow fashion-followers in Savannah, asking which decade they are inspired by the most. Results varied, but over all the 70's was the highest, following with the 80's, and third was a tie between the 90's and the 50's. 

What is Vintage?

Vintage clothing is a term for new or second hand garments originating from a previous era. "Antique clothing", which is clothing from the 1920's to 1980's is considered vintage. Most vintage clothing has already been worn by someone in the past. However, there is a small percentage of pieces that have been stocked away in warehouses and taken out in current years. These items are considered "dead stock" and are usually more valuable because they have their original tags on them. "Retrospective" or "retro" clothing is clothing that imitates vintage styles. As top models, celebrities, and influential fashion icons such as Kate Moss, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, and Sienna Miller are increasingly embracing vintage items, the demand, awareness, and acceptance of vintage fashion is increasing dramatically.