Canadian
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 189
- Location
- Alberta, Canada
Hi guys,
I love reading posts of everybody wearing tasteful vintage or repro attire. As somebody who probably has over a dozen suits in his closet, maybe 1/2 of them being vintage styled, but somebody who wears things like modern shirts and ties on a regular basis (my favorite ties are my school tie and some Masonic stuff) as well as extremely classic items, I find myself wondering, at what time does vintage become costume?
I just bought a kilt. It cost about 100USD and is clearly cheap material. I might get to wear it fifteen times in my lifetime, maybe fifty at the most. Just for very specific occasions. But I can't just wear my kilt everywhere, no matter how sharp I feel. Likewise, vintage clothing is like that. Looks great, might be inexpensive compared to say, a high end designer suit, but it's not a stand alone item. You don't get to wear full vintage every day unless you're rich or have no other item you spend money on. For some girls, especially locally in the swing dance scene, they might have one really nice dress, but they wear a rotation of maybe five dresses, as there are approximately five dances in a month. But they wouldn't wear some of those dresses to school, they simply don't make people say, "Darn, she (he) looks good", they will look at you as if you suddenly started wearing an unusual costume. Especially if their dresses are longer and designed for dancing, not hanging around in the quad and smoking hand rolled cigarettes.
I had a book from the late 40s which was simple. If the boys are wearing jeans and a windbreaker, don't force your son to wear a suit. Vice versa. I think this is something people forget. I remember looking at grad pictures from a school I went to, and there were close to fifty people in suits and one guy in a golf shirt. He looked absolutely nuts. There were professional photographers and he felt he had to be cool by wearing a golf shirt. Vintage is the same way, if you have fifty people in golf attire, and one in a properly done, well put together rig, you look like you're not caring what people think. And while you don't have a need to be similar to each other, there is a degree to where you are actually putting on something you aren't part of, or are reliving days of past glory.
I remember my university days where I was, especially after freshman year, wearing a suit most days. I had somebody tell me I "took myself too seriously" and I had lots of people ask if I was a JW. I was wearing clothing that was actually wearing me. Essentially, people look at you funny because you've got a few items which while they might be good and give you high self-efficacy when it comes to making decisions, they start to discount your intelligence and definitely make people think you are weird.
I was forbidden by my parents to wear seersucker until I could afford to ruin it. I have linen suits and seersucker suits in my closet which are off limits except for very few occasions. I used to get great comments from ladies, young and old, but I still have my parents say to me, "C. That looks stupid/too wild/nerdy". My Dad doesn't understand why a guy needs white tie, black tie, diplomatic dress, morning dress, creative black tie and a frock coat. In my mind, I look exceptional, but my parents still think I look out of place and that a frock coat is less of a formal garment and more of a costume. It arrived in the mail, and the first thing that my Mom said was, "You can't wear that to your brothers wedding, y'know". My Dad's first statement was "You can't wear that to Lodge, the older guys will think you're wearing a costume or offending them with parody".
Now, look at the typiclal garments to survive through the years to end up in people's closets. They are, grey or blue suits. Mondo was talking about the Bold Look on another thread. Guys talk about zoots or chalkstripes. They don't consider that these things are not practical.
I love vintage. I love looking at a necktie which belonged to my Dad or grandfather. I absolutely love the history and the stories behind each item. And some time you strike out. My parents absolutely hate me wearing military repro. No battledress jackets, I can barely sneak in an olive coloured bush coat, or a wooly pully but it is realistic that some people think you're playing, with expensive play clothing, and they do it because you are not the norm.
I say to you, if you are not the norm, chin up. I live my life knowing that I dress as I please. I think people would say, "Oh, that guy with the fifteen studs scattered across his face is a tough guy", while a person who wears a full vintage suit looks feminine.
Where does vintage clothing separate from being something you wear that looks popularly good, to something where it's something you wear to be silly or put on airs. At what point does it progress from "good" to "mockery or insult"?
I love reading posts of everybody wearing tasteful vintage or repro attire. As somebody who probably has over a dozen suits in his closet, maybe 1/2 of them being vintage styled, but somebody who wears things like modern shirts and ties on a regular basis (my favorite ties are my school tie and some Masonic stuff) as well as extremely classic items, I find myself wondering, at what time does vintage become costume?
I just bought a kilt. It cost about 100USD and is clearly cheap material. I might get to wear it fifteen times in my lifetime, maybe fifty at the most. Just for very specific occasions. But I can't just wear my kilt everywhere, no matter how sharp I feel. Likewise, vintage clothing is like that. Looks great, might be inexpensive compared to say, a high end designer suit, but it's not a stand alone item. You don't get to wear full vintage every day unless you're rich or have no other item you spend money on. For some girls, especially locally in the swing dance scene, they might have one really nice dress, but they wear a rotation of maybe five dresses, as there are approximately five dances in a month. But they wouldn't wear some of those dresses to school, they simply don't make people say, "Darn, she (he) looks good", they will look at you as if you suddenly started wearing an unusual costume. Especially if their dresses are longer and designed for dancing, not hanging around in the quad and smoking hand rolled cigarettes.
I had a book from the late 40s which was simple. If the boys are wearing jeans and a windbreaker, don't force your son to wear a suit. Vice versa. I think this is something people forget. I remember looking at grad pictures from a school I went to, and there were close to fifty people in suits and one guy in a golf shirt. He looked absolutely nuts. There were professional photographers and he felt he had to be cool by wearing a golf shirt. Vintage is the same way, if you have fifty people in golf attire, and one in a properly done, well put together rig, you look like you're not caring what people think. And while you don't have a need to be similar to each other, there is a degree to where you are actually putting on something you aren't part of, or are reliving days of past glory.
I remember my university days where I was, especially after freshman year, wearing a suit most days. I had somebody tell me I "took myself too seriously" and I had lots of people ask if I was a JW. I was wearing clothing that was actually wearing me. Essentially, people look at you funny because you've got a few items which while they might be good and give you high self-efficacy when it comes to making decisions, they start to discount your intelligence and definitely make people think you are weird.
I was forbidden by my parents to wear seersucker until I could afford to ruin it. I have linen suits and seersucker suits in my closet which are off limits except for very few occasions. I used to get great comments from ladies, young and old, but I still have my parents say to me, "C. That looks stupid/too wild/nerdy". My Dad doesn't understand why a guy needs white tie, black tie, diplomatic dress, morning dress, creative black tie and a frock coat. In my mind, I look exceptional, but my parents still think I look out of place and that a frock coat is less of a formal garment and more of a costume. It arrived in the mail, and the first thing that my Mom said was, "You can't wear that to your brothers wedding, y'know". My Dad's first statement was "You can't wear that to Lodge, the older guys will think you're wearing a costume or offending them with parody".
Now, look at the typiclal garments to survive through the years to end up in people's closets. They are, grey or blue suits. Mondo was talking about the Bold Look on another thread. Guys talk about zoots or chalkstripes. They don't consider that these things are not practical.
I love vintage. I love looking at a necktie which belonged to my Dad or grandfather. I absolutely love the history and the stories behind each item. And some time you strike out. My parents absolutely hate me wearing military repro. No battledress jackets, I can barely sneak in an olive coloured bush coat, or a wooly pully but it is realistic that some people think you're playing, with expensive play clothing, and they do it because you are not the norm.
I say to you, if you are not the norm, chin up. I live my life knowing that I dress as I please. I think people would say, "Oh, that guy with the fifteen studs scattered across his face is a tough guy", while a person who wears a full vintage suit looks feminine.
Where does vintage clothing separate from being something you wear that looks popularly good, to something where it's something you wear to be silly or put on airs. At what point does it progress from "good" to "mockery or insult"?
