Comments You Get When You Dress Vintage

[Bubble Cheeks]

Bubblecheeks...that is the best story! I think it would be more fun to be in "crybaby" then say "grease".....

I got all dressed up and went and saw the Puppini Sisters a couple of weeks ago and was the topic of conversation of many people in the place. It was mostly an older audience and the ladies had lots of fun telling me how they use to dress the same way when they were younger. lol I've been thinking about doing the nursing home rounds....I could probably make a career out of it! lol lol

lol! That is hilarious! You just reminded me of a funny story that happened about a year ago. I go to The Hukilau every year in Fort Lauderdale FL, ( www.hukilau.com ) because I am really into tiki. My husband and I were there dressed in vintage 40s hawaiiana, and I happened to have a snood in my hair. An older woman came up to me at the hotel bar, and exclaimed, "My darling girl! Are you aware you are wearing a SNOOD???" and I smiled and said yes, I was aware. She said, "You look like me at your age! My goodness. How in the WORLD do YOU know what a SNOOD is?" I said I love vintage fashion. Then her husband turned to her and said, "See, Ethel! I toldja! Your old fart ass is VINTAGE!!!"

They were laughing and good sports about it, thank goodness. I'm so relieved. I really should have answered differently, and take care to, now. lol Now I just say, "I prefer fashion of previous eras to the current one. I find the fashion of your generation much more elegant, don't you?" And then they get all excited, and go on and on and on about it with me. Once an older woman I met at a restaurant this way asked me for my address, and she shipped me 4 vintage dresses of hers from when she was in her twenties. They are GORGEOUS!!! I hope I can fit into them someday! lol! (I'm a size 14, and these dresses... welllll... let's just say they are NOT.) But I'm holding on to them just in case! And also because it was so sweet of her to do. She sent them with a note that said it was lovely meeting me, and that her daughters and granddaughter don't appreciate fashion of her era, and call it "old fashioned", but that she felt like if it belonged to me, I would honor it. I actually cried.

Isn't it wonderful when people who were our age then, come up and compliment us? My husband cracks up because elderly men hit on me ALL. THE. TIME. No one else ever hits on me, besides my husband. Just little old men. They say things like, "You remind me of an old girlfriend..." etc. So excellent! lol

~Lenore

 

[jonniangel]

Fat Tuesday

In honor of my new short bobbed haircut and as an homage to Chanel, I accessorized my boatneck sweater today with a couple of long necklaces - pearls and faceted "jet" interspersed with lengths of chain. I was feeling so very chic.

I guess the lady at the grocery store didn't get the look I was going for because she commented on my "mardi gras" beads. :eusa_doh:

 

[MaryDeluxe]

Bubble Cheeks you have the best stories! lol I have always gotten the best compliments from older people too! Oh and also for some reason from gay middle age men???

I'm sure I will get prosecuted for this statement but... I find that sometimes being around other people who are say....into rockabilly/swing/vintage type lifestyles can make me feel kinda like I'm in a competition or something...

 

[cherry lips]

Bubble Cheeks, thanks for sharing your amusing stories!

 

[MissAmelina]

Bubble Cheeks you have the best stories! lol I have always gotten the best compliments from older people too! Oh and also for some reason from gay middle age men???

I'm sure I will get prosecuted for this statement but... I find that sometimes being around other people who are say....into rockabilly/swing/vintage type lifestyles can make me feel kinda like I'm in a competition or something...

I know what you mean...some people get a little fiesty and shallow....but that does not mean you have to buy into it. Anytime I feel insecure or like someone is trying to make me feel inferior or not as cool, I just take a deep breath, smile, and remember we are *all* just well-dressed worm food.

Just follow your bliss and express yourself truthfully....the big meanies have their own insecurity issues and your warmth can be a salve. And if the big meanies are just too catty, cast them out like an ill-fitting pair of old pants. Make room in your closet for more comfortable clothing...you've outgrown them.

 

[KittyVonKirsche]

lol! That is hilarious! You just reminded me of a funny story that happened about a year ago. I go to The Hukilau every year in Fort Lauderdale FL, ( www.hukilau.com ) because I am really into tiki. My husband and I were there dressed in vintage 40s hawaiiana, and I happened to have a snood in my hair. An older woman came up to me at the hotel bar, and exclaimed, "My darling girl! Are you aware you are wearing a SNOOD???" and I smiled and said yes, I was aware. She said, "You look like me at your age! My goodness. How in the WORLD do YOU know what a SNOOD is?" I said I love vintage fashion. Then her husband turned to her and said, "See, Ethel! I toldja! Your old fart ass is VINTAGE!!!"

They were laughing and good sports about it, thank goodness. I'm so relieved. I really should have answered differently, and take care to, now. lol Now I just say, "I prefer fashion of previous eras to the current one. I find the fashion of your generation much more elegant, don't you?" And then they get all excited, and go on and on and on about it with me. Once an older woman I met at a restaurant this way asked me for my address, and she shipped me 4 vintage dresses of hers from when she was in her twenties. They are GORGEOUS!!! I hope I can fit into them someday! lol! (I'm a size 14, and these dresses... welllll... let's just say they are NOT.) But I'm holding on to them just in case! And also because it was so sweet of her to do. She sent them with a note that said it was lovely meeting me, and that her daughters and granddaughter don't appreciate fashion of her era, and call it "old fashioned", but that she felt like if it belonged to me, I would honor it. I actually cried.

Isn't it wonderful when people who were our age then, come up and compliment us? My husband cracks up because elderly men hit on me ALL. THE. TIME. No one else ever hits on me, besides my husband. Just little old men. They say things like, "You remind me of an old girlfriend..." etc. So excellent! lol

~Lenore

Oh my goodness Bubble cheeks you just made me cry! What a sweet lady to send that stuff to you! It obviously really meant a lot to her that you would appreciate it. I bet you made her day

Went out for valentines with hubby n tried very hard to go for a 40s look. Must have done something right as my grandmother , who is quite cutting usually and loath to pay me anything vaguely resembling a compliment, told me I looked like Betty Grable. She said it several times then apparantly after I left she told my mum that I looked stunning. So, yay! lol

 

[Kadri]

Last week I was wearing this outfit for a date in a cafe.

Now,as I entered the cafe and took off my overcoat,a guy who was quite obviously drunk and slouched on his table,eyed me and then shouted across the room 'Hey,where do you think you are in Paris or something?'

That was quite embarassing.

Other than that,I do not get much comments.Most people just stare at me.
Little girls and old ladies tell me I look pretty,though.

 

[michou1930]

O yes, you do look so pretty! Like icecream with whipped cream on top on a sunny day

And no reason for you to feel embarrassed, really. The drunken one is the one who should be ashamed. For next time you know what to answer: "Darling, I wish I were when I see you."


I am all in all astonished about the amount of negative experience I found in this thread. I must admit that I don't dress vintage from head to toe but I always (except for my pregnancies and the very first years with the babies) dresses quite - well, rather well and in a classic way with a vintagey feel to it: a bit Audrey Hepburn, a bit Charlie's Angels, a bit Hedy Lamarr. Slacks, Capris, tailored tops, cardigans and a lot of suits. The response to it has always been and is still the same: You look always so elegant or you are always so perfectly dressed - I love to see this and would you please come along and give me advice when I need to shop.

Now, that I am sadly getting older and only recently started to wear dresses and skirts and some real vintage pieces, I got some comments which made me blush: young men inviting me to drink coffee, older men telling me I look like a lady, women saying how nice it is to see someone who is not wearing black and such. Ok, most of the time nobody says a word

Coming back to the more classy way to dress and discovering that I actually can wear dresses and skirts without feeling too ugly changed my life a little bit: I can cope with getting older a bit better and feel feminine in the best way possible. Knowing that people around me consider me as a good dresser helps also ;-)

Generally: do you think there might be a difference between the US and Western Europe when it comes to "tolerance" concerning the way people dress? (Don't know how to express what I wanna say - English is quite difficult for me sometimes, sorry for this!)


(Btw. need to say how much I enjoy reading in here - thanks for letting me join!)

 

[Grant Fan]

Other than that,I do not get much comments.Most people just stare at me.
Little girls and old ladies tell me I look pretty,though.

I have found this to be very true I think little kids and old ladies knw to speak the truth I like it.

 

[vintage_bel]

I'm a teacher and it is so true that children can be cruel.

The latest one I had from a child, in a "meet the teachers" assembly, was "she look's freaky".

And then afterwards I dream up all the things I would love to say back to this 8-year-old!

 

[kerry]

I was walking to work one morning and had a basket with me as I was going to pick up some vegetables after work. As a little girl and her mum walked towards me the little girl said, " Mummy, is that lady Goldilocks?". As I'm 41 I'm not sure I should be looking like Goldilocks. lol
I've also had a little girl say I look like a princess....there seems to be a theme here.

 

[cherry lips]

I was walking to work one morning and had a basket with me as I was going to pick up some vegetables after work. As a little girl and her mum walked towards me the little girl said, " Mummy, is that lady Goldilocks?". As I'm 41 I'm not sure I should be looking like Goldilocks. lol
I've also had a little girl say I look like a princess....there seems to be a theme here.

I'd love to be mistaken for a princess! I've only seen your avatar pic, but I understand those little girls, since you're the spitting image of Billie Burke as Glenda:

 

[Miss Golightly]

I'd love to be mistaken for a princess! I've only seen your avatar pic, but I understand those little girls, since you're the spitting image of Billie Burke as Glenda:

You're spot on - they are the image of each other!

 

[kerry]

Must be my avatar, I look nothing like her. She always reminds me of Anthony Worrall Thompson for some strange reason. lol

 

[Spiffy]

When the butcher at the grocery correctly identified my cloche hat as "Like, the 20's?" I told him I was dressing for the recession. Now that I think about it, that was a bit rude on my part.

Most importantly, he got the decade right!

 

[cherry lips]

Must be my avatar, I look nothing like her. She always reminds me of Anthony Worrall Thompson for some strange reason. lol

Not knowing who he was, I googled Anthony
Personally I find Billie Burke bewitchingly beautiful and a true inspiration. I also have a faiblesse for her voice. When I said you looked like her it was a compliment. This goes to show you should post more pics of yourself!

 

[Luke 42]

O yes, you do look so pretty! Like icecream with whipped cream on top on a sunny day



Generally: do you think there might be a difference between the US and Western Europe when it comes to "tolerance" concerning the way people dress? (Don't know how to express what I wanna say - English is quite difficult for me sometimes, sorry for this!)


(Btw. need to say how much I enjoy reading in here - thanks for letting me join!)

sorry for fftopic: : Noch jemand aus Bonn! Willkommen in der FedoraLounge! Back to english : I am from Bonn as well, although I am in the UK right now until summer.
To your question: I feel that from the comments posted by US loungers and my personal experience in Europe, that people are a bit more tolerant here. I rarely get any negative comment here.

 

[Lillemor]

Michou, welcome and I'm moving over to you since you get so much positive feedback.

I had an odd experience at the mailbox today. It was actually slightly embarrasing because I noticed this elderly lady walking up to the box at the same time as me, I noticed she kept looking me over and I wondered if something was wrong with the way I looked. At the mailbox she smiled and moved aside for me. I don't know if I handled it right but after a short hestitation I accepted and went and posted my letter first rather than make a big issue out of it, then turned and smiled to her and said thanks and have a nice day.

I was in conservative and somewhat casual 50s retro and only my heather colored skirt from my knit ensemble was showing below my black dune jacket. My hair was hidden completely by my knit hat because I'm into an early day bun/later day ponytail with cute curl style these days. My lips were fuschia like my purplish fuschia knit hat. Gloves, jacket and flat ankle boots were black but other than that, I don't think I was very well coordinated. I'm forced to make some use of the metallic faux leather handbag my brother gave me for Christmas.

The lady herself was in modern conservative style with plain leather sneakers, slacks and a straight up and down dune jacket. Short and curly hair that just peaked out under her knit hat. Nothing coordinated but tidy. Pretty typical for someone in her 70s-80s except ladies in their 70s increasingly embrace short, straight, modern hairstyles.

 

[michou1930]

sorry for fftopic: : Noch jemand aus Bonn! Willkommen in der FedoraLounge! Back to english : I am from Bonn as well, although I am in the UK right now until summer.
To your question: I feel that from the comments posted by US loungers and my personal experience in Europe, that people are a bit more tolerant here. I rarely get any negative comment here.

fftopic: Auch mal schnell: oche nö, ene bönnsch Jung! Womit sich mein Bönsch auch ziemlich erschöpft hat ;-) Im Sommer wieder in Bonn?

Let me get this right: here is the UK/Europe or the US?


@Lillemor: Come on over then. I love to see well dressed people and compliment them whenever I find someone. Although I was extremely shy in my early twenties I somehow found the courage to tell strangers on the street when I loved their look and never stopped doing so. The reaction is nearly always the same:

First when the person notices that I look at her (mostly women, telling men that they look fab is a bit - well, it normally ended with an invitation for coffee or something else and that is not what I wanted) she gets a bit nervous, turns away a bit or stares back. As soon as I smile she seems to feel unsure (what is wrong, why is this strange woman smiling?) and when I finally tell her how much I love her appearance and that she is gorgeous she normally needs a second to recover before answering with a thanks or a smile. I just walk away and feel happy. Perhaps I made her day!

 

[kerry]

Not knowing who he was, I googled Anthony
Personally I find Billie Burke bewitchingly beautiful and a true inspiration. I also have a faiblesse for her voice. When I said you looked like her it was a compliment. This goes to show you should post more pics of yourself!

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend in anyway and It was really nice of you to take the time to post a compliment. xxx