Comments You Get When You Dress Vintage

[goldwyn girl]

QUOTE "The thing that bothers me most is that any one who tries to break away from the "norm" is always viewed in a negative light; they are troubled and depressed...grumble, grumble!!!!! "



This is so true, I even had women verbally attack me at the supermarket. I had never seen so many sour faces. Every one was dressed in the same non descript beige pants and shirts with runners. My heels and colours were just to much for them i guess ????

 

[Lady Day]

That's why I'm so glad I have found this forum!! We should all establish our own town or something.... :fedora:

Waaaay ahead of you

http://thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=11673

LD

 

[pigeon toe]

The only negative comment I can recall getting (aside from creepy comments by leering men) was actually really recently. And yes, it was from a fellow female! I'm only a student worker at my job, while she's full time staff, so I'm already somewhat intimidated by her. I was wearing a high-waisted pencil skirt, a cute vintage blouse with a peter pan collar, seamed stockings and low heels, and she just looked me up and down and said in such a condescending tone, "What sort of look is THAT supposed to be?".

How awful! But at my two other female co-workers (who are also full-time staff) always give me the sweetest compliments. So it makes up for it!

 

[Amy Jeanne]

The thing that bothers me most is that any one who tries to break away from the "norm" is always viewed in a negative light; they are troubled and depressed...grumble, grumble!!!!! :eusa_doh:

My own family feels this way about me and especially my husband. My husband is from LONDON and he can't believe how worldly-wise my small-town "hick" family thinks they are!! It is kind of humourous in a way. They keep telling him that he's "not a teenager anymore" and that he'll never be successful with his hairstyle and tattoos (he's a bit "rockabilly"). Yet, they really don't know a thing about him, fail to acknowledge that he has a Bachelor's Degree, and they have no clue what he does for a living. They just assume and pick on him from their assumptions.

It's so irritating.

 

[Elaina]

Eh, I was in a 20's sailor shirt and a straight skirt (and I had FLATS on. I wasn't dressed up, really, hat smacked on to hide the hair, an minimal makeup). SO I was a cross of 20's and 50's. Went to Wal-Mart because I needed to get a prescription filled, and while waiting, was walking aound and this 17 year old girl eventually comes up to me (after 10 minutes of complaining to her mother about my clothes) to ask me what I thought I was trying to prove. Then gave me all the reasons my outfit was not trendy (duh), was the wrong era (duh) and that the colors were all wrong for the season (duh, but I don't subscribe to fashion now anyway.)

I let her get it out, then proceeded to tear HER fashion sense down (nicely too, believe it or not) and educated her on why stretchy polyester gauchos, flip flops with nary a manicure in sight and a hoodie are not only LAST year, but a weight faux pas when you are a size 22.

I have to be someone most consider to be this little mousey doormat. I get someone saying something to me once a week or so, usually about my clothes, or my son's clothing. Only occasionally do I get it for going out for coffee with several old men, which at least would be more understandable. (As in, I'm 32 and they're at least 50 years older then I am.)

 

[CherryBombRock]

Wow - some really nasty things said to you all (and some lovely!)
I try not to get the bus now when I go out after a few too many "what the f***"s when getting on and off. Generally though, when I'm out with my friends we get ladies coming up and saying we all look gorgeous and a few gents going out of their way to compliment us ("Ladies, you look fabulous"). It's always good to feel that people appreciate what you're wearing, but sadly my town is more of the shawn off denim skirt and Ugg boots (or Urgh boots) so that stares are to be expected!

 

[lindylady]

I'm from a small-town in Ohio, so I know what some of the ladies are talking about when they refer to the mentalities of many people in these areas. That's not to say that the same attitudes don't occur in the cities. I sometimes get puzzled, curious looks here in DC. However, the opportunities to dress the way I please without being questioned (there are not many places to go in a small town, so you WILL get questioned as to why you are "so dressed up") far outweigh the occassional stare.

Today, I decided to wear my beige three quarter-length sleeve sweater, white A-line skirt and brown heels. One lady asked me if I was required to dress like this to law school. I told her that I was one of those women who loved to wear dresses. She told me in a friendly way that I was just like her grandmother. At school, a colleague asked if I was having my picture taken. A few men at the school checked me out. I just took all of these incidents as a compliment. It means that I looked nice and put together today

 

[epr25]

Along with everyone else here. I get comments all the time. Someone else mentioned that they thouht that not olnly were people commenting on the fact that they are wearing vintage but that they are wearing a dress in the first place. I totally think this is true. I was at the mall before and a group of teenagers (that looked if I had to guess were maybe theater kids) asked to have thier picture taken with me. I was quite flattered. As KimB mentioned in our area there isn't much diversity. Everyone is spitting out kids, driving mini vans and living in tan land. Not that there is anything wrong with that but I would hate to loose myself in a run of the norm life like that. Why not make it interesting! Wear the vinatge clothes and appreciate that you can leave the house with a matching outfit and not something that the Gap put together for you. Not that there is anything wrong with the Gap I shop there too. But you haev to liven it up a little.

My favorite comments come for older men. I usually do 40's or 50's. I have had on several occasions had men tell me oh you remind me of my wife when we got married. Or I just recently was dressed up to sales calls. This is when I get to wear my good vintage and I had a co worker tell me that I looked like I should be standing on a dock waving to the soldier as they left. I like that one.

 

[bigbandbaby]

Most of the places I go, the people have only seen me in vintage clothing. I think they would have a heart attack if I wore anythng modern.

Actually one night I wanted to wear a short ruffle skirt with black leggings, very 80's. All night everyone seemed disappointed asking where my a line skirt and wedgies were.


On Halloween the doorman to a club I frequent was taking money from two girls in front of me. When he saw me he said "That's not her costume she always dresses like that."


www.myspace.com/bigbandbaby

 

[Liz]

My co-workers always want to know why I am "so dressed up." I always tell them "Because I feel like dressing up!" I've had several women compliment my vintage cat-eye glasses, especially when I'm at flea markets and vintage shops. My all-time favorite compliment was probably when a little girl told me she liked my winged, Ronettes-style eyeliner.

 

[Emmababy]

my sister asked my why i was so dressed up today, which was odd because she knows what kind of clothes I wear everyday. I was wearing a charcoal pencil skirt, a rich purple silk blouse and a sweater.

 

[NicolettaRose]

I got a thumbs up from a lady who said " You are dressed to kill!" and another lady who said " wow, finally we are getting some class around here"

The only remotely bad thing I have ever gotton was someone who asked me for a cigarette, maybe he thought cause I was dressed vintage, I smoked....which I don't

 

[SaraBell]

Once when I was shopping at the antique store an older man who worked there asked me if I liked to dress period. I said yes and he said "40's?, it looks good on you"...it made me soooo happy that somebody could actually tell what I was going for lol.

 

[Lady Day]

I get told I look like/resemble/remind them of Billie Holiday

Thats gotta put a gal on cloud 9.

LD

 

[waingirl]

That's why I'm so glad I have found this forum!! We should all establish our own town or something.... :fedora:

I think about that all the time! Let's buy up some land and make our own "golden era" housing development. Forget the cookie cutter homes of today, we'll have wonderful nostalgic homes and cars on our streets. Some developments have strict rules, we'll have them too, everything in your yard and driveway has to be from the golden era. lol But, we would probably end up as a tourist attraction!:eusa_doh:

 

[waingirl]

Eh, I was in a 20's sailor shirt and a straight skirt (and I had FLATS on. I wasn't dressed up, really, hat smacked on to hide the hair, an minimal makeup). SO I was a cross of 20's and 50's. Went to Wal-Mart because I needed to get a prescription filled, and while waiting, was walking aound and this 17 year old girl eventually comes up to me (after 10 minutes of complaining to her mother about my clothes) to ask me what I thought I was trying to prove. Then gave me all the reasons my outfit was not trendy (duh), was the wrong era (duh) and that the colors were all wrong for the season (duh, but I don't subscribe to fashion now anyway.)

I let her get it out, then proceeded to tear HER fashion sense down (nicely too, believe it or not) and educated her on why stretchy polyester gauchos, flip flops with nary a manicure in sight and a hoodie are not only LAST year, but a weight faux pas when you are a size 22.

That is so funny!! Good for you Elaina!!!:eusa_clap

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Let's buy up some land and make our own "golden era" housing development. Forget the cookie cutter homes of today, we'll have wonderful nostalgic homes and cars on our streets. Some developments have strict rules, we'll have them too, everything in your yard and driveway has to be from the golden era.

The makers of The Truman Show beat you to it.

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[Annalai]

Something rather funny happened to me about a year ago at an airport. I was in Belgium and was going to fly home to Sweden I am Swedish. In the line in front of me at the airport while waiting to check in it was two women about my age dressed much differently very modern and both in pants. I had a skirt, blouse and a small jacket on in a 50's style. I also had a hat on and gloves. This two ladies started to discuss my clothes and look in Swedish. I could fully hear everything they said I guess they assumed I did not understand Swedish. They especially was talking about my hat and seemed to be very confused why a women today would wear a hat. They also discussed wich nationality I had and they thought I was french becuased how I dressed I am also petite and thin this they also discussed. Well this went on for a long time. Finally after some hours we landed in Sweden and I again saw this two women standing and waiting for the laguagge so I went up beside them picked up my mobilphone and switched it on and rang my daughter at home speaking Swedish. This two women who was standing close and still watching me said to each other with some kind of horror mixed with guilt or similar she is Swedish in a whispering tone and I guess they both understood I had heard and understood all the things they had said about me. They both turned pretty red in their faces and I could hardly hold my laugh while I kept on talking to my daughter in Swedish telling her I had landed and soon would be home.

For me I get both negative and positive comments about how I dress and look but many do stare at me mainly because of my small waist. I have seen women fall down because they have been staring at me and not how they walk. I am petite with a very small waist and I dress in a mixed style and I like the 50's very much I prefer skirts and dresses and loves gloves. I have noticed elderly women and man seems to be postitive and smile at me or say something nice. Almost all the negative comments I have got is from other women mostly younger women.

 

[NicolettaRose]

I think about that all the time! Let's buy up some land and make our own "golden era" housing development. Forget the cookie cutter homes of today, we'll have wonderful nostalgic homes and cars on our streets. Some developments have strict rules, we'll have them too, everything in your yard and driveway has to be from the golden era. lol But, we would probably end up as a tourist attraction!:eusa_doh:

I'd totally move there!

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I'd totally move there!

You'd live in The Truman Show?


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