Does wearing vintage Get you noticed by the opposite sex?

[$ally]

Vintage gets me big time play, all up and down the field.
(you know I'm kidding, right?)

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

I would say that I was much more successful with guys once I started dressing this way, however, I was never particularly unsuccessful anyway. lol

I've never had a problem with people reacting negatively to the way I dress. When I was in Boston, I was very active in (for lack of a better term) "the scene," and my non-vintage friends are waaaay used to me dressing differently from everyone else. In New York, heck, I'm subtle. I love walking down the street in a full vintage ensemble without anyone batting an eyelash, male or female. What a great city. And my law school friends? I had them trained after the first month.

 

[Ada Veen]

I actually gotta admit I'm not into that whole rockabilly look a lot of guys do who are into the 50s thing like me. I don't know - perhaps too greasy for me? I like guys who just dress smart, and who are confident with themselves. I'm kinda a sucker for the poindexter look. A big pair of thick framed glasses always steals my heart.

I second that, I love that smart geeky look! But then, I enjoy dressing more like a 'square' in vintage than rockabilly or the sort of glamourous burlesque thing that seems to be the more popular edge of it, so it's horses for courses I suppose.

On the subject of myself, I don't think I've ever been hit on when I'm wearing vintage

 

[LizzieMaine]

The few single guys my age around here would only notice me if I went around in a Star Trek uniform. So it's a good thing, I guess, that I'm not looking for "play."

 

[Edward]

Firstly, I agree about the traditionla punk aesthetic...But with the younger set, it is different.

Well, yeah that's the thing. Those are the kids who've bought into a uniform rather than a style.

And yes, I shouldn't care. But if I want to feel not out of place, or meet a woman who might frequent a place like that, I don't want to put them off. of course, if you have the comfort and confidance, you probably won't.

Ah, now, that's a thing, yes. If taking a lady somewhere, it needs to be somewhere you can put her at her ease... depends on the lady, I imagine, whether she feels comfortable being the "different" one, or if she wants to go somewhere she can blend in.

I think, and I could be wrong, that by "high maintenence", she means that it takes too much effort to keep up the vintage look, since vintage-minded women actually do more than throw on a hoodie and flip-flops to go out in public.

Could be.... the amount of time I've seen some ladies take to throw on a hoodie and flip flops, though...!

YOu apparently have nev er seen vintage swing dance girls get ready for a bigdance. The clothes not so much. But those hair rolls. Oh my. Not that other women are any different. Some are high maintenance and some aren't.

Fair point! I think the main difference I've noticed is that with vintage styles you can usually tell when a lady has made a big effort - unlike many contemporary styles (some of which I like, some of which I don't) where they can spend hours making the "I've not bothered donig anything" look sit just right. And the men are even worse! lol

 

[ShortClara]

I think the men who think the vintage women are too high maintenance are picking up on the clue that a woman who's unafraid to be herself is not likely to agree to be under the thumb of a man. Let him domineer a timid lady. If I'm too intimidating to a man, good. He's not good enough for me. Said the happily married woman who doesn't intimidate her respectful husband.

 

[ShortClara]

More thoughts...

The above I'm sure holds true if you reverse sexes. If vintage gets you play, great. If it doesn't most of the time, be happy, as your individualistic tendencies are weeding out losers.

 

[panamag8or]

The few single guys my age around here would only notice me if I went around in a Star Trek uniform. So it's a good thing, I guess, that I'm not looking for "play."

Don't try to kid us... I bet you rock the Janeway look.

 

[ShortClara]

Don't try to kid us... I bet you rock the Janeway look.

fftopic: But please, not in her poofy round up-do phase!!

 

[patrick1987]

I would certainly like a vintage partner but no luck so far. As far as high-maintenance goes, a lot of guys I know take forever to get ready, whereas one vintage girl I know is like Holly in the book Breakfast at Tiffany's, grabbing stuff from the floor and emerging beautiful and elegant in a flash.

 

[Ecuador Jim]

...and I'm old and beat up!

Remember Harrison Ford's line in Indiana Jones, "It ain't the age, it's the mileage."

The vintage "look" is more than just picking out the clothes. It's the confidence in the look that goes with it. Some people adopt a "costume", not a look. I think it's a "talk the talk" and "walk the walk" kinda thing. Some people only get half the equation.

 

[Ada Veen]

fftopic: But please, not in her poofy round up-do phase!!

fftopic: I like the new avatar, shortclara.

 

[M Tatterscratch]

Yes.

Curiosity is a strong draw, and good manners go a long way thereafter.

ShortClara is quite right - Vintage weeds out the unimaginative, the unadventurous, the incurious, and all non-hackers who don't pack the evening gear to serve in our beloved corps.

Most ordinary people take such great pains to hide their eccentricities from new partners that it takes a good year before you know who you're dealing with. Vintage, however, is a flag of nonconformity that escapes easy classification by Joe and Jane Average, who subscribe to pop culture's predigested "rebellion = dressing/behaving badly" theory. Having to try and figure something out for themselves quickly leaves them confused and uncomfortable, and ultimately shoos them away. Hurrah!

The only other danger I've experienced is the attraction of the occasional gold-digger, who thinks, "He must have money to dress that way!" A little conversation takes care of this, since repartee is too much like real work, and she quits without notice.

That leaves only the broad-minded, the curious, the artistic, and the Vintage-Lovers, all desirable companions of one sort or another. Particularly if they have a profile and a pallor like Sargent's "Madame X". Yes, particularly then.

Unfortunately, though, it's all for naught, since I'm too much of a gentleman to take immediate advantage of any sudden amorous possibilities. The ethics must have come with the suit.

T.

 

[ShortClara]

fftopic: I like the new avatar, shortclara.

Well, it's no early-90s Janeway hair, but it'll do thanks!

 

[CharlieH.]

I get no play. Period.

 

[Undertow]

My love for vintage has done nothing more than ostracize me further from society, unfortunately. My community is so entirely wrapped up with being homogenized, they don't really appreciate someone on the fringes. I occasionally receive compliments, but nothing more. Women find me too old and fussy, men think I'm gay (not happy or stupid, but homosexual), and even friends think I'm overly eccentric. [huh]

 

[Grant Fan]

I cant see how it would hurt him at all. I happen to think it is attractive for people to be un-apologetically themselves. But that is just me, he needs to find the right lady. My boyfriend isn't into vintage but he likes that I am, so I would say that in a way vintage gives me some game.

 

[Miss Moonlight]

fftopic: But please, not in her poofy round up-do phase!!

But that's where she parks her shuttle! (Don't get me wrong, I happen to love Janeway.)

Honestly if the vintage looks are getting guys any more attention from women maybe it's because they actually look like they care how they're presenting themselves. 30s-50s and many 60s looks are so much neater and involve being well put together, combing hair, ironing...

As long as a man doesn't have the 'I'm so hot and vintage' vibe coming off him. That ruins it.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Living in rural Wisconsin, I think it does me more harm than good, granted I have a wonderful lady in my life right now, but it took a lot of work to find an antique collecting, country music listening, small-town loving gal to match up with this relic.

I've always tried to dress in a put-together fashion, well groomed, and clean shaven. Most girls like the 'fresh out of bed' look. The biggest complaint I get, is I remind women of their fathers or more often, their grandfathers. I listen to old music, dress old-fashioned, work in a factory, drive a Crown Victoria. I'm 19, and the average 19 year old's grandfather, not a big turn on for most of the ladies.

When I 'country' up my look, I get a lot more attention from women around here. Throw on a plaid shirt and a ball cap and watch them go crazy. Someday they'll grow up and like fedoras, suits, and brylcreem.

 

[The Lonely Navigator]

ShortClara: The above I'm sure holds true if you reverse sexes. If vintage gets you play, great. If it doesn't most of the time, be happy, as your individualistic tendencies are weeding out losers.

I am guessing that this is geared towards the men? If so - that comment really cheered me up...as it is rather apparent that I've been doing quite a bit of weeding where I'm at...

Undertow: Women find me too old and fussy, men think I'm gay (not happy or stupid, but homosexual)...

I get that too...

I think my situation is much like AtomicEraTom's - around here women want the more 'country' type look...but that isn't who I am. That's not what I am. They want jeans, t-shirt, and baseball cap...sorry but that isn't 'me'...and I'm not the type to change who and what I am just to make someone else happy.