Vintage rave
Am very excited today. On the weekend, my grandmother gave my sister Jo her 60 year-old real snakeskin box handbag. In an extreme act of generosity (and because Jo knew I’d actually use it and she won’t) Jo gave it to me. I love that people (my workmates as well) are starting to see my interest in vintage as a major facet of my personality, and ask me about china and old clothes because they can see that I know my stuff. It came home to me at Christmas just how serious about vintage I am now, both as an aesthetic and for its environmentally friendly aspects. I bought my own presents from Mum and Dad and Steve. M&D gave me a 1950s Poole grey-and-pink coffee set, and Steve gave me a 1950s white and blue Crown Lynn jug that I’ve wanted for ages. I started to get quite itchy though, when people gave me new things. I suddenly have a real problem with creating waste and driving yet more consumerism. The problem though is that because my interests are so specific, it’s hard for people to buy for me. (However, I’ll make it easy. Go into any second-hand shop and buy me a delicate flowered teacup and saucer. It’s cheap, and I’ll be over the moon.)
I just can’t understand people who don’t find vintage stuff appealing. There are so many facets to it - the thrill of the hunt, the uncertainty of finding something great - I often think of it as searching a field of mud that you just KNOW is salted with diamonds. It's also so much cheaper than buying new, and often things are far better quality too. And if you just look hard enough and know what you’re looking for, you’ll eventually find a gem.
I was in an op shop in Taupo on the weekend and found two amazing things. The first was a white brocade jacket that had no doubt been someone’s mother-of-the-bride top, with three-quarter sleeves, sweetheart neckline, covered buttons and eighties lapels. Sounds gross, huh? It’s AWESOME, and looks great with jeans and heels. Oh, and it was $3. And then I tried on what might well have been someone’s wedding dress - a champagne jacquard full-length dress with high neckline and plunging back, self-covered buttons and a little train. It’s absolutely beautiful, it shimmers in the light and is obviously hand-made and home-made, probably about 30-40 years old. I was dithering, and put it back on the rack. Another shopper, an older woman, looked at me sharply and said “Does that fit you?”
“Yes,” I said.
“If something like that fits you, you don’t walk out without it!” she said. “You’ll never find anything like it again, you buy it if you can. You won’t regret it.”
“You’re absolutely right,” I said, and bought it for the princely sum of $35. I’ll probably never wear it, but it’s almost like art.
One of the coolest things is looking in my wardrobe and seeing the history that I’m starting to amass - pieces of clothing that no-one else will have, that I’m rescuing from op-shop oblivion and giving another lease of life. And I don’t just find things in shops, either. I was in my parents’ attic recently and saw a sleeve poking out of a box. I pulled, and out came the most beautiful dress - cream, just below knee-length on me, with three-quarter sleeves and attached belt. My mum bought it in Sydney in 1975 and wore it to her brother’s wedding. It fits me nearly perfectly, and will be a lovely dress for winter. I also have a white polka-dot dress of my grandmother’s that fits me well (even though she’s 5’ and I’m 6’! It must have come down to her feet). It’s so cool to wear something that was important to my mum or grandmother before me.
Until recently Mum was supremely unimpressed with my vintage habit, along the lines of “Don’t buy other peoples’ dirty clothes, that’s disgusting!” One of the coolest things now is coming into the kitchen and Mum saying “You look lovely! Where did you get that?” and being able to say “Ha! I got it at the Salvation Army for $5!” If I ever have a daughter, she’s going to be in vintage heaven when she’s about 15.
Required reading
If you feel like getting into vintage clothing, here are my three must-have books on the subject.
Alligator, Old Mink and New Money Allison and Melissa Houtte (A book that makes you want to run out and start shopping immediately - the story of a woman opening a vintage store in NYC.)
It’s Vintage, Darling: How to Be a Clothes Connoisseur by Christa Weil (The best guide I’ve ever seen, covering handbags, clothing, accessories, famous brands, how to spot fakes, everything for care and ensuring longevity of the pieces, as well as detailed decade guides.)
Green is the New Black by Tamsin Blanchard (more of a guide for young teenagers - not many of us older ladies will make dresses with rugby-sock sleeves.)
I just can’t understand people who don’t find vintage stuff appealing. There are so many facets to it - the thrill of the hunt, the uncertainty of finding something great - I often think of it as searching a field of mud that you just KNOW is salted with diamonds. It's also so much cheaper than buying new, and often things are far better quality too. And if you just look hard enough and know what you’re looking for, you’ll eventually find a gem.
I was in an op shop in Taupo on the weekend and found two amazing things. The first was a white brocade jacket that had no doubt been someone’s mother-of-the-bride top, with three-quarter sleeves, sweetheart neckline, covered buttons and eighties lapels. Sounds gross, huh? It’s AWESOME, and looks great with jeans and heels. Oh, and it was $3. And then I tried on what might well have been someone’s wedding dress - a champagne jacquard full-length dress with high neckline and plunging back, self-covered buttons and a little train. It’s absolutely beautiful, it shimmers in the light and is obviously hand-made and home-made, probably about 30-40 years old. I was dithering, and put it back on the rack. Another shopper, an older woman, looked at me sharply and said “Does that fit you?”
“Yes,” I said.
“If something like that fits you, you don’t walk out without it!” she said. “You’ll never find anything like it again, you buy it if you can. You won’t regret it.”
“You’re absolutely right,” I said, and bought it for the princely sum of $35. I’ll probably never wear it, but it’s almost like art.
One of the coolest things is looking in my wardrobe and seeing the history that I’m starting to amass - pieces of clothing that no-one else will have, that I’m rescuing from op-shop oblivion and giving another lease of life. And I don’t just find things in shops, either. I was in my parents’ attic recently and saw a sleeve poking out of a box. I pulled, and out came the most beautiful dress - cream, just below knee-length on me, with three-quarter sleeves and attached belt. My mum bought it in Sydney in 1975 and wore it to her brother’s wedding. It fits me nearly perfectly, and will be a lovely dress for winter. I also have a white polka-dot dress of my grandmother’s that fits me well (even though she’s 5’ and I’m 6’! It must have come down to her feet). It’s so cool to wear something that was important to my mum or grandmother before me.
Until recently Mum was supremely unimpressed with my vintage habit, along the lines of “Don’t buy other peoples’ dirty clothes, that’s disgusting!” One of the coolest things now is coming into the kitchen and Mum saying “You look lovely! Where did you get that?” and being able to say “Ha! I got it at the Salvation Army for $5!” If I ever have a daughter, she’s going to be in vintage heaven when she’s about 15.
Required reading
If you feel like getting into vintage clothing, here are my three must-have books on the subject.
Alligator, Old Mink and New Money Allison and Melissa Houtte (A book that makes you want to run out and start shopping immediately - the story of a woman opening a vintage store in NYC.)
It’s Vintage, Darling: How to Be a Clothes Connoisseur by Christa Weil (The best guide I’ve ever seen, covering handbags, clothing, accessories, famous brands, how to spot fakes, everything for care and ensuring longevity of the pieces, as well as detailed decade guides.)
Green is the New Black by Tamsin Blanchard (more of a guide for young teenagers - not many of us older ladies will make dresses with rugby-sock sleeves.)