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Do or don't: Full on vintage.

NicolettaRose

Practically Family
Messages
556
Location
Toluca Lake, CA
What do you think?

What if your whole outfit is vintage, the shoes, the dress, the hat, the bag...is this a must for you, or is it a don't for you?

If you do like full on vintage, do you stay within one or two eras in an outfit, or branch out into several?
 

jazzzbaby

One of the Regulars
Messages
262
Location
California
I simply can not do the full vintage for many reasons...cost for one...however, if I could do it...I would indeed. Maybe not ALL the time, but I love everything from they bygone eras and I would be guilty of mixing eras as long as it looked good and each piece complimented one another.

There is a freedom we have of being able to mix our eras together in this day and age. I am happy we do! ;)
 

Lady Day

I'll Lock Up
Bartender
Messages
9,087
Location
Crummy town, USA
I consider my look full on vintage. The clothing as being made in that time and all that I wear, no. But all the clothes that I have and have made are from vintage cuts, patterns, or fabric.


LD
 

Elaina

One Too Many
I never dress full on vintage. I don't really like wearing used clothing. I won't wear used shoes and if the bag is used it cannot look like it. And to be honst, I don't like hats. So, doesn't leave a lot for me.

I do dress vintage inspired. I make my clothes and they can be anywhere from the last 200 years or so. I seldom wear anything purely 1950's or purely 1920's. Take today for example, I was wearing pants from the 50's, a jacket from the 20's (I was cold) and my shirt was from the 70's, but I've yet to find peasant blouses I like from any other era. Tomorrow, I probably won't even get dressed, outside of a shower and new corset, and I'll probably spend the day in another 1700's dressing gown while I work. Or the one Scarlett wore in GWTW (but that depends on what I grab when I wake up before I put my glasses on). I have to go to my husband's church on Sunday, and I'll most likely wear an Edwardian dress, of which the pattern was used in 1907. Monday I have to actually go out and do some stuff, and I'll wear a 50's skirt and a blouse that's modified from the 1880's and if it's cold, I'll wear the 1790's coat with it.

I don't even stick to one century much less one era.
 

LizzieMaine

Bartender
Messages
33,735
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
I save my actual vintage for special occasions, but like LD, I wear home-made vintage repro for everyday, and my hair, makeup, and all the rest are all period as well. It's something I've been doing for so long, it's become second nature -- and I suspect if I were to go out otherwise, nobody would recognize me!

I'm not fanatical about doing a specific impression of a specific year though -- these are my everyday clothes, not a costume. While I don't do extreme blends of period, I do sometimes mix things up the way an actual person living in the Era would have done, especially one of limited resources: not everyone could afford to keep up with the latest fashion trends, and there was nothing unusual about seeing a mid-thirties dress on the street well into the early '40s, especially in the small towns.

Most of my stuff, though, dates to the immediate pre-war and early war era -- maybe 1938 thru 1942. This is the period that looks best on me, so that's what I usually wear.
 

ohairas

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,000
Location
Missouri
I mix and match, just depends on what I have and what "goes" with what. I collect things from the 1800's on up, and vintage inspired garb as well. And since I do hair I don't want to wear a vintage peice to work and get color on it, etc.

Elaina.. you MUST show me your GWTW robe! Are you talking about the green and gold one?? I've been wanting to make that, and the paisley.

Nikki
 

Emmababy

One of the Regulars
Messages
297
Location
B'ham, England
i dont do full on vintage at all really - i'm letting you all down.

i'm still practicing vintage hair styles and like i said in a previous thread, i find it extremely hard to find vintage styles i like that fit me, i have a big bust and back but a teeny waist, and i'm only 5'2".

si its only vintage style stuff for me i'm afraid. the only thing i can do right is vintage accesories and make up.
 

jitterbugdoll

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,042
Location
Soon to be not-so-sunny Boston
I do full-on vintage often--dress, slip, shoes, purse, jewelry, and hairstyle. Stockings are usually new made, as I don't like to ruin vintage pairs (I'm very hard on stockings.) If I am not dressed completely in vintage, I'll be in an accurate reproduction (say, a dress or trousers) with other vintage pieces to round out the look. Like Lizzie, I prefer clothing from about 1938-1942, but I also will mix in later or earlier pieces, as this isn't dressing in costume for me either. It's just my everyday look :)
 

Paisley

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,439
Location
Indianapolis
I don't do full-on vintage; I don't have the stuff or the desire.

One of my favorite outfits is a 30s sweater/jacket with pants sweater and silk rose pinned on. I get many compliments on it.
 

NicolettaRose

Practically Family
Messages
556
Location
Toluca Lake, CA
Emmababy said:
i dont do full on vintage at all really - i'm letting you all down.

i'm still practicing vintage hair styles and like i said in a previous thread, i find it extremely hard to find vintage styles i like that fit me, i have a big bust and back but a teeny waist, and i'm only 5'2".

si its only vintage style stuff for me i'm afraid. the only thing i can do right is vintage accesories and make up.

I find this problem too, I am not so big in the bust ( More like a C, but it's 32) but I am 5'3 and have a small waist, hips and ribcage, so most vintage clothing unless it's Victorian is often too big on me. It's a pain in the behind to have to alter everything :( too bad they didn't make petite sizes back then.
 

Grace

Vendor
Messages
255
Location
Among the Tragically Hip
I'll do full on vintage for special occasions.

I went to an old friends wedding, hadn't seen her or talked to her or the rest of my friends in a couple years. I wore a black 40s dress with gold sequins and net neckline, vintage black babydoll heels, and a black 40s hat (new stockings,though). I think I looked fantastic, they thought I looked nuts. ;)

For day, it's atleast a bit of vintage. Or vintage inspired.
 

LadyStardust

Practically Family
Messages
782
Location
Carolina
It's never a "must" for me, I try to dress it as often as possible, but I don't ever feel like I -have- to. It's just what I like and appreciate and feel comfortable in. Cost prevents me from owning enough to dress in it all the time, but I'm working towards a diverse closet with many, many vintage pieces. Otherwise, when I'm not dressed in vintage it is always reproduction and/or vintage inspired.
 

NicolettaRose

Practically Family
Messages
556
Location
Toluca Lake, CA
Grace said:
I'll do full on vintage for special occasions.

I went to an old friends wedding, hadn't seen her or talked to her or the rest of my friends in a couple years. I wore a black 40s dress with gold sequins and net neckline, vintage black babydoll heels, and a black 40s hat (new stockings,though). I think I looked fantastic, they thought I looked nuts. ;)

For day, it's atleast a bit of vintage. Or vintage inspired.

Grace you would have been right at home at my sisters wedding. My sister had a vintage wedding, where people dressed 1940's/1950's
 

pigeon toe

One Too Many
Messages
1,328
Location
los angeles, ca
Someday I believe I will dress in full-on vintage everyday. But for now, it's kind of an impossibility. I tend to wear jeans very often, as it's kind of a pain for me to be walking around campus all day in a skirt, heels and stockings. I still do it sometimes though!

I often wear vintage blouses, or vintage-inspired blouses with my jeans though, and often do my hair in vintage styles (even if its just curls pinned back), with vintagey makeup. I get a lot of compliments on my "vintage" look, even if everything I'm wearing is modern.

Like most of you ladies, I have measurement issues too. I'm 5'2" (petite girls unite!), and have a teeny waist, but HUGE hips and a small-ish bust. The waist and hips I don't mind, but it's my bust that bothers me. So many dresses and blouses seem to have been made for ladies much larger up top than me! I joke all the time saying I need a boob job in order to be the perfect vintage lady!
 

NicolettaRose

Practically Family
Messages
556
Location
Toluca Lake, CA
pigeon toe said:
Someday I believe I will dress in full-on vintage everyday. But for now, it's kind of an impossibility. I tend to wear jeans very often, as it's kind of a pain for me to be walking around campus all day in a skirt, heels and stockings. I still do it sometimes though!

I often wear vintage blouses, or vintage-inspired blouses with my jeans though, and often do my hair in vintage styles (even if its just curls pinned back), with vintagey makeup. I get a lot of compliments on my "vintage" look, even if everything I'm wearing is modern.

Like most of you ladies, I have measurement issues too. I'm 5'2" (petite girls unite!), and have a teeny waist, but HUGE hips and a small-ish bust. The waist and hips I don't mind, but it's my bust that bothers me. So many dresses and blouses seem to have been made for ladies much larger up top than me! I joke all the time saying I need a boob job in order to be the perfect vintage lady![/QUOTE

I like being petite ( I'm 5'3) and wouldn't want to be any taller, but I am just kind of petite everywhere ( 32C/D ( depending on my weight)-24-34) So, it's really hard to find vintage clothing anywhere. I eat a ton, but it is pretty hard for me to maintain my weight, it always seems to be going down. I recently had one of those bad stomach flus, and I lost too much weight, which I am now trying to gain back.

People always complain vintage is too small, I beg to differ. I spend more money on taking the hem up, and the waist in then sometimes on the garments themselves. 1940's os the hardest decade for me, and 1930's is best. Its not just vintage clothing, it's modern clothing too, if I want to buy a bra, I have to go to Neiman Marcus and pay a billion dollars for a 32 c or d, because Victoria secret just does not carry that size. I have to spend hundreds of dollars on shoes if I want them to fit correctly, cause no one makes a width AA anymore :(, they must thing small people are made out of money or something.
 

pigeon toe

One Too Many
Messages
1,328
Location
los angeles, ca
NicolettaRose said:
pigeon toe said:
Someday I believe I will dress in full-on vintage everyday. But for now, it's kind of an impossibility. I tend to wear jeans very often, as it's kind of a pain for me to be walking around campus all day in a skirt, heels and stockings. I still do it sometimes though!

I often wear vintage blouses, or vintage-inspired blouses with my jeans though, and often do my hair in vintage styles (even if its just curls pinned back), with vintagey makeup. I get a lot of compliments on my "vintage" look, even if everything I'm wearing is modern.

Like most of you ladies, I have measurement issues too. I'm 5'2" (petite girls unite!), and have a teeny waist, but HUGE hips and a small-ish bust. The waist and hips I don't mind, but it's my bust that bothers me. So many dresses and blouses seem to have been made for ladies much larger up top than me! I joke all the time saying I need a boob job in order to be the perfect vintage lady![/QUOTE

I like being petite ( I'm 5'3) and wouldn't want to be any taller, but I am just kind of petite everywhere ( 32C/D ( depending on my weight)-24-34) So, it's really hard to find vintage clothing anywhere. I eat a ton, but it is pretty hard for me to maintain my weight, it always seems to be going down. I recently had one of those bad stomach flus, and I lost too much weight, which I am now trying to gain back.

People always complain vintage is too small, I beg to differ. I spend more money on taking the hem up, and the waist in then sometimes on the garments themselves. 1940's os the hardest decade for me, and 1930's is best. Its not just vintage clothing, it's modern clothing too, if I want to buy a bra, I have to go to Neiman Marcus and pay a billion dollars for a 32 c or d, because Victoria secret just does not carry that size. I have to spend hundreds of dollars on shoes if I want them to fit correctly, cause no one makes a width AA anymore :(, they must thing small people are made out of money or something.

I'm always saying vintage is too big too! We're basically the same, I'm 34B - 26.5 - 36.5, and I've got the narrow feet thing too. I get down on my knees and praise God every time I find a vintage dress that fits me in the waist and hips AND the bust. Nearly everything I find looks like its for a D cup!

And I feel your pain on the weight managing thing, though I'm the opposite!. I recently got off medication that made me have no appetite, and I've gained 13 lbs rather quickly, and gained an inch and a half on my measurements. Luckily I didn't buy too much vintage when I was on my medication cos it's certainly a squeeze now!
 

jitterbugdoll

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,042
Location
Soon to be not-so-sunny Boston
Like most of you ladies, I have measurement issues too. I'm 5'2" (petite girls unite!), and have a teeny waist, but HUGE hips and a small-ish bust.

You know, I'm fairly small-busted, with a narrow waist and round hips, and I find vintage fits like a dream. About the only thing that I will trouble with is the waist being a bit too large, but usually a belt nips it in just right. In fact, there has only been one dress that I've purchased and had altered in the past six years. I am taller though (5'6), which would have been fairly tall in the 1940s, so I generally don't have any trouble with length, and my height allows me to carry off a wide range of styles without the clothing overwhelming me.

I do have a very petite friend who has very narrow shoulders and hips, and she has trouble finding blouses that fit her shoulders well. She still has amassed a stellar collection though, which plenty of pieces that just make me swoon!
 

NicolettaRose

Practically Family
Messages
556
Location
Toluca Lake, CA
I have the same problem with modern clothing too. I am throughly convinced the sizes are just getting bigger in the stores. I eat a ton, more then some of my male friends who are two times my sizes and weight, but lately I have been going into a store like Banana Republic and thier size 0 dresses are too big on me? Isn't there something wrong here? 0 isn't even a real number...
 

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