Dressing Vintage

[FinalVestige79]

Ive realized something...being vintage is like reenacting. Its takes a lot of research, and scholarly determination. To know the difference between US Army Camouflage Uniforms and the Marine ones, and the difference between a wide lapel and a peaked lapel. I mean before I got on FL I didn't know what a shawl collar was, I didn't know there were so many shades of gray for a fedora. Not only does it change you physically but also mentally, you learn so much, you begin to dissect movies, and pictures, and clothes in person. Just like reenactors have the GI Collectors Guide...Vintage People (or atleast the men) have Esquires Encylopedia of 20th Century Men's Fashions. BUT - Reenacting is a hobby, with all its little nuances like first person narratives and such. But it is never to be confused with vintage...which to me is a lifestyle change for the better. Just thought I'd put this out there and see what you guys thought.

 

[avedwards]

I've learned enough about vintage clothes, but I still knowingly break the rules sometimes. I wear a '60s suit (although it is more timeless than some '60s suits) with a hat which would long have gone out of fashion by then. I don't always go by what's correct but by what looks right to me, and to me a slim three piece black pinstripe suit with medium width notched lapels goes nicely with a grey fedora (not stingy), even if they both belong to different decades.

 

[ScionPI2005]

I agree with Avedwards. I'll mix classic style, mainly in the way of fedoras and watches, with what looks good in regards to modern clothes. Still, I've learned a lot, and realize now that there are many other people that have these same interests, and that collectively, we know quite a bit about vintage.

 

[avedwards]

Then again, if we think about it we're not really committing a faux pas by mixing different eras. I'm sure there were people in the 1960s who wore a 40s-50s style fedora with a contempory suit, which is exactly what I do.

 

[Brooksie]

Then again, if we think about it we're not really committing a faux pas by mixing different eras. I'm sure there were people in the 1960s who wore a 40s-50s style fedora with a contempory suit, which is exactly what I do.

Yes people did mix eras through out history because not everybody was able to afford the latest cutting edge in fashions. For example in the 1950's a gentleman would get a new suit and not get a new hat or visa versa same with the ladies and dresses, shoes, hats etc...people would also mix furniture also depending on what they could afford. I have a 1920's couch and a 1936 farmhouse radio and they go together very nicely. (just an example)

Brooksie

 

[Ethan Bentley]

Ive realized something...being vintage is like reenacting. Its takes a lot of research, and scholarly determination. To know the difference between US Army Camouflage Uniforms and the Marine ones, and the difference between a wide lapel and a peaked lapel. I mean before I got on FL I didn't know what a shawl collar was, I didn't know there were so many shades of gray for a fedora. Not only does it change you physically but also mentally, you learn so much, you begin to dissect movies, and pictures, and clothes in person. Just like reenactors have the GI Collectors Guide...Vintage People (or atleast the men) have Esquires Encylopedia of 20th Century Men's Fashions. BUT - Reenacting is a hobby, with all its little nuances like first person narratives and such. But it is never to be confused with vintage...which to me is a lifestyle change for the better. Just thought I'd put this out there and see what you guys thought.

A good point, there's a plethora of knowledge just for a black-tie event, not least which way round does the cummerbund go?

For me that's all part of the fun 95% of people may not notice, but it feels good to dress with a little effort.

 

[Lily Powers]

I'll also venture that people can mix eras because fashion constantly borrows from or is inspired by the past.

 

[MisterCairo]

I haven't as yet "gone vintage" (still looking around and researching), but I imagine that in terms of mixing eras, I'd paraphrase something my guitar instructor once said about jazz: If it doesn't look wrong, it's right.

 

[Brooksie]

I think clothing is meant to be fun - sometimes I will wear one exclusive era and other times I will mix eras as long as it looks like it will fit/go together. When I do mix eras I do try to go for eras that are close such as 20's and 30's or 30's and 40's for example I will wear a 20's reproduction shoe with an authentic 30's dress. Sorry I am probably getting redundant and just saying the same thing a different way, so I will quit while a am ahead.

Brooksie

 

[Amy Jeanne]

I totally agree with the OP. I've only been into it since 1998, but I still look at different types of cuts and seams in dresses/patterns and know almost exactly what year it's from -- if not the exact year than the exact "era" (ie, late 1930s, mid 1940s, etc). I didn't really actively study any of this, though. It just came to me from an intense love of the era and from watching way too many 1920s and 1930s movies when I was unemployed

 

[parachutage]

Ive realized something...being vintage is like reenacting. Its takes a lot of research, and scholarly determination

Great post....

I have been a reenactor for nearly 28 years and am now just getting involved in vintage clothing, dancing and the Golden era ... and I have to agree with the poster above ... wow, this is going to take some research!

I have spent more time on The Fedora Lounge in the past week than practically all personal business combined in a month online! But its great.

I am researching the fedora, proper, period white shirts, collars, cuffs, pants, vests and the suit jacket. Shows. WHERE do I begin...?

Unfortunately, I am so close to bald ... hey, I could try the comeover! So no period hair for me...

 

[Canadian]

I look at it a little bit differently. When I was a teen, the rage was to dress "preppy". That meant you had to conform to certain rules about how your clothes fit and what colours you could wear. I could wear a blue blazer with GAP khakis and a work-wear outlet turtleneck or work shirt. But if I wore a green blazer, matching khakis and a white shirt, I wasn't necessarily preppy.

Dressing vintage (and I've subtly been doing this since high school) is all about finding combinations which represent a wide range of time, but display a classical appearance and lifestyle. I don't drive a 1956 Jaguar (or whatever car was in vogue in the 50s) but my car is conservative in appearance (late model Buick). I may not wear a shirt from the 40s every day, but most of my casual wear could fit into a period piece. I rarely wear t-shirts, preferring to wear a dress shirt and slacks with tie and jacket, sometimes a hat. So the overall appearance is that I look (as one friend put it), "old school" or "traditional".

Really, is it important that the shirt you are wearing was repro or vintage, or does it matter that you are wearing a standard expected of a man in the 40s. Until he died, my grandfather was proud I wore a tie every day to class at university. I always valued his (a trained furrier and entrepreneur) opinion on clothes, and in the way my 30 year old professors didn't impact me.

Thomas

 

[Miss 1929]

A good point, there's a plethora of knowledge just for a black-tie event, not least which way round does the cummerbund go?...

I was taught the folds go up, so that crumbs can fall in.

 

[John in Covina]

Dressing vintage is a working goal for some and an obsessions for others that have got bitten by the bug. However, the thing is that for some to be truly vintage is diffucult. First recognizing the correct period style when searching, and then whether you can find anything in your size if you lean towards outside the norm are all challenges to the program. So, some times it is enough to try to dress "vintage inspired" a term our own venerable Matt Deckard has used to describe modern stuff with styles that harken back to an earlier time.

Sometimes you can stumble onto a store that has come out with just such a piece and it's in your size, SCORE!