Comments You Get When You Dress Vintage

[Juliet]

MikeBravo,
It changed very much in the last decade even. We're living in Hungary for about 16 years now, and while the upside is that Hungary is a very quiet, peaceful country compared to others, there are several downsides (which is why, as soon as we can afford it, we'll move). People of the last two generations simply do not know that manners are required - if anyone has good manners and upbringing, they must be showing off, of course! Now, I don't mean this as a slur, really, that is the way it is - manners are just not needed or known, for that matter. Also, people very often dishonest, surprisingly about the most mundane things, not only with others, but worst of all - with themselves. Health codes are also a thing of the past - imagine your tap water smelling like decomp! Hungarians talk a LOT about how great Hungary is, but in the same time they're not proud of the country at all, neither do they even like it or would accept a position to do something for the country.
Now, several older (and I mean, older) people I know are very well-mannered and an exception to everything I wrote above. But 99.5% of the people I know are completely like that, and I haven't understood why as of yet.
As regards the communism, Hungary had it extremely well under communists, much better than now. Many remember the Kadar regime very fondly. Maybe that's why people's behaviour went downhill - they live in worse conditions. Actually, now that I think about it, same thing goes for Russia - there were much better conditions for the people during communism, than now, manners were also better than now.

P.S. Once again, this isn't a slam against Hungarians - these are my honest observations.

 

[MikeBravo]

That's a shame, I have some happy memories of my time there. I believe Bulgaria is much the same from what I have heard from friends from there

Good old Capitalism!

 

[Tatum]

I had a good one yesterday. At our neighborhood Easter egg hunt, a girl who was probably 11 ran up to me and told me, "you look so cool! You're retro," with a big smile, and took off to find more eggs.

The president of the neighborhood board told me to go home and get ugly (in the nicest way) as somehow she never sees me in scrubby clothes! She is a history buff, so she loves to try to guess the decade of whatever I'm wearing

ETA: I had another comment yesterday from a friend's niece, who is four. She said I looked like her, pointing to a Vargas magnet on my fridge. My friend heard and just grinned, and I must have melted!

 

[LinaSofia]

Juliet and Mike Bravo, I have heard many similar opinions from friends who are from eastern europe or have lived there. My experience in Hungary was that people were sometimes quite rude. I got openly laughed and pointed at in the street (was wearing a 50s full-skirted dress with strawberries on it!) and some shop assistants were unfriendly. But some people are also absolutely lovely! Some of the most genuine and lovely and generous people I know are from eastern europe (and live there).

Anyway - back on topic!

I got a lot of comments the other day when I was out in Stockholm. I was wearing a simple 50s blue cotton day dress and was carrying a 50s straw box bag. I got a lot of comments about my bag from both boys and girls - that it was cool and unusual and where was it from etc. I was also complimented by at least 4 different people on my "50s look" and my hair. One guy said that I had a "Twin Peaks look" which I've never heard before!

 

[Miss sofia]

Juliet - bless you!

Mike Bravo - I spent quite a while in Russia the same time as you were in Hungary and i have to say i agree with you, i found the people to be utterly charming and very helpful. I assumed that with the dissolution of communism people would have become a bit more chipper generally in Hungary, but alas on the whole they seemed to be rather morose, (no service with a smile either in any of the shops or restaurants), although that could be me mistaking it for them being a little reserved. The language is impenetrable as well, which doesn't help and of course all cultures have their own idiosyncracies as far as behaviour and manners go. Having said that i did meet some lovely people and Budapest is a marvel.

On a plus point, and changing the subject somewhat, i went to a bar with some friends for a birthday party on Saturday and got lots of compliments. I was wearing a fifties dress with a pattern of the Coliseum on and some strappy sandals and a wicker box bag. One acquaintance (male, single, watch this space...), told me he always looked forward to me passing his antique shop on the way to my work, as i always dressed so prettily and with such style. Lots of blushing on both parts ensued!!!

 

[ThePowderKeg]

I started a new job a little under a month ago and have been getting the lay of the land. People can wear jeans every day...some do. I've been dressing sort of neutral most days, but last week I got a gorgeous red high-waisted pencil skirt from Heartbreaker Fashion that I've been lusting after for ages. I wore it to work with a cream-colored cap-sleeve blouse and red and cream spectator shoes. One of my coworkers told me I looked like a model, and my boss said, "Those are great shoes! And the blouse...actually, the whole outfit is working. Nice!"

All day long, people stopped to compliment me, which helped me get to know a lot of people from other departments.

 

[W-D Forties]

This weekend I have been with a group of re-enactors at 'Liverpool Blitz 70', which as the name implies is a commemoration of the 70th annaversary of the Blitz on Liverpool that killed thousands.

Having spent a wonderful day talking non-stop to veterans and people who were directly affected by the Blitz (and hearing some very moving stories), I was getting ready to leave when a woman came up to me and said 'Hello there Paula!'. Well, I couldn't think who this person was until I realised it was my cousin Evelyn. Now, we are not a close family, she's at least 15 years older than me and I haven't seen her in years, so I said asked her how the hell she recogised me, given what I looked like, and she said, 'because you are the spitting image of my aunty Lil (my mum) when she was a girl!' I nearly fell over! My mum was in her 40's when she had me and I don't have any pics of her younger than about 50, Evelyn does, so she's going to get some to me, so that should be interesting.

During the whole day I had so many people saying how much I embodied the look of the era, and coming from people who were there, I was over the moon. When I am at these events I always try really hard to get the details right, and it looks like I managed it this time!

 

[ZombieGirl]

I don't have any pics of her younger than about 50, Evelyn does, so she's going to get some to me, so that should be interesting.

Please post them if you do!!! Love to see a side-by-side of mom and daughter!

 

[W-D Forties]

I will, if I can ever find the time to scan and upload!

We had a very rocky relationship, me and my mum and she died about 15 years ago, so to see her as a young woman will be strange, especially if I really do resemble her. Because there was such a large age gap I felt I just never related to her at all as a teenager, I was very 1982 and she was very 1942. Oh, the irony!

 

[rue]

Twice this week I had elderly women with beautiful sets come up and tell me they loved my hair. I think I've finally mastered a vintage hairstyle

 

[KittyAnneMalloo]

I went to a clearing sale last week and intentionally dressed down. I wore a pale pink blouse and some indigo capri pants and some espadrilles, minimum makeup and a small hair flower (April bloom of the month) One lady said I was to 'done-up' for a clearing sale...I was a bit sad because I had wanted to wear a beautiful 50's day dress with to die for court shoes so I had made an effort to not 'go over the top'. A very elderly man man came up and said I looked lovely and reminded him of his wife when they were first married and going on summer camping trips <3 That made my day!

 

[W-D Forties]

I went into work today in victory rolls for the first time. I felt a bit strange as I work in a secondary school. The girls all loved my hair, but the Year 11 boys (aged 15-16) all did a double-take, then one said, 'Miss, you look like something from Grease!' and another, 'You look like Princess Leia!'

I should have been offended, but it did make me laugh!

 

[Isis]

I went into work today in victory rolls for the first time. I felt a bit strange as I work in a secondary school. The girls all loved my hair, but the Year 11 boys (aged 15-16) all did a double-take, then one said, 'Miss, you look like something from Grease!' and another, 'You look like Princess Leia!'

I should have been offended, but it did make me laugh!

LOL!

My workplace is very casual, but they are quite used to me. When I came to work in victoryrolls a work mate said "You look like you come from the twenties!" Then she thought a little and changed her mind, "No, forties!".

KittyAnneMalloo, what a rude comment from that woman!

 

[Land-O-LakesGal]

I went into work today in victory rolls for the first time. I felt a bit strange as I work in a secondary school. The girls all loved my hair, but the Year 11 boys (aged 15-16) all did a double-take, then one said, 'Miss, you look like something from Grease!' and another, 'You look like Princess Leia!'

I should have been offended, but it did make me laugh!

I never set my hair during the week but I got a wild hair and set it last night I also work with the same age range as you. One of the boys said my hair looked nice and another went so far as to say I was pretty (high praise from this young man I think).

Today I stopped at a sephora and asked about some eyebrow gel. when I told the girl I wanted to go a bit darker even though I was blond because I was going for a vintage look, she got so excited and found me a bunch of samples and asked if I knew about the Betty Page clothing store opening at Mall of America soon and asked about the Vintage clothing stores in town, so I told her about my favorite one.

 

[Penny Dreadful]

My mom has been telling everybody that her daughter works in the office now. When they ask who I am she tells them "The one who looks like she just walked off a 40s movie set," and they immediately know who I am. So I guess that's my identifier now lol. And funny thing, a couple weeks ago someone asked her jokingly if I was wearing a corset. I often do, but that day I wasn't. It must have been a combination of my posture and the swing dress I had chosen because I knew we would be going out for a big lunch, so I would be free to eat as much as I wanted and bust out underneath! I guess there's proof positive how figure flattering they really are!

 

[Penny Dreadful]

Suddenly I'm reminded of the time a coworker said "I hope you don't take offense, but I've always wanted to call you Betty Boop!" lol

 

[Rocketblast]

That's a lovely story W D Forties, I'm fascinated by family resemblances so it would be great to see some pix. Your hat (in your profile pic) is splendid, by the way, keep up the good work! :eusa_clap

 

[Rocketblast]

You know, just catching up with the last couple of weeks responses, I just want to say how much I enjoy this thread.
One thing I had recently was from a friends daughter aged... small-ish (I'm really good at kids' ages!)... maybe 8 I suppose, she rushed up to me just wanting to let me know that she has a dress that makes her look like Audrey Hepburn. I really liked the fact that she needed to tell me that

...and of course it's a thrill to find an 8 year old who knows who Audrey Hepburn is... and of course I hope she wanted to tell me because she thought I was as stylish as Audrey!

 

[Lillie Librarie]

I passed by a girl today with the most amazing victory rolls and I complmented her on them. I then realized I was walking past the WWII museum and she must be in their stage show. I really must go see that show and dress for it.

 

[Lindabelle]

I was eating lunch with my mum when a young woman came up to me and told me she was a hairdresser and that my hair looked so lovely she had to tell me and how great to see someone wearing the old styles. I had my hair done in victory roles with my hair swept up in a snood at the back with a red rose at the side. It really made my day! I'd had a really rough week healthwise. My mum tried to talk me out of wearing the snood, saying I should just be normal for a change. And that people would stare at me. Mmm. I told her I dont care if they stare, that is my normal
and I'm wearing it! The best thing was a day or so later a friend of my mums asked who was that you were with the other day, she looked really nice. My mum said maybe they stare because you look nice.