Feels like fancy dress.......

[Miss C]

Here's a strange question for you ladies, when you first started wearing vintage make-up/hair-styles/clothes did you feel that you were "dressing up"??? I wore a vintage style dress at Christmas and felt that I was in fancy dress!!

Today, just playing around I managed to achieve a couple of vintage rolls and a third roll with my fringe, for approximately 30 seconds I considered going to the supermarket, but felt I looked bizarre so out the bobby pins came!

Also I feel like a clown if I wear red lipstick!!

Is this because it's all to different to "normal" hair and make-up??? And because of being conscious to looking different??

And how did you Loungers get over this??
Cx

 

[Retro_GI_Jane]

Yes, I did feel out of place, not only in the "dressy" aspect but also that feeling where you stick out because you're not dressed the same as everyone else and that people are staring you like you just sprouted a second head. It has been a great learning curve in boosting my confidence that I'm dressing the way I do because I feel comfortable in it, not to impress others and to ignore the odd looks. And while I'm not trying to be purposefully snobbish about it, I sometimes need to remember that I made a more conscious effort to dress better where I could have taken 30 seconds to toss on some flannel pjs and flip flops and call it a day. Now there are days when I'm rushed and run out of the house with no make up on and regretted it later on, whereas just a year ago I was content to be that way and think I looked fine.

As for the red lipstick, I had to get over the reasoning that my mother always had when she discouraged us from wearing red lipstick: "no one looks good in red lipstick" and that it was just too bright for daytime wear. I normally don't like too much attention drawn to myself, so red lips that scream "look at me!" was another factor that sometimes still makes me shy away from it.

I say just keep pressing on and doing what you love because you love it! Now I feel completely naked if my hair isn't properly set and brushed out!

 

[fortworthgal]

I go through that feeling as well. For reference, I only wear vintage clothing & hair maybe 30% of the time. I do wear "regular" modern clothes and wear my hair straightened fairly often. My makeup pretty much stays the same for vintage or modern. Yesterday I wore a vintage dress & heels to work. Today I'm in modern slacks & shirt, but my hair is curled.

When I wear vintage, I do feel a touch out of place. However, I have noticed that I always get more compliments on my appearance when I'm dressed vintage. I think the major difference is in how you carry yourself and how you feel - if you wear it as though it is natural, or as though you're wearing a costume. The vintage that I wear to work is typically something like a 1950s cotton shirtwaist dress with a cardigan and heels. I feel very comfortable in that. Now, if I were wearing a mink stole, red lips, fingerwaves and a fitted suit, I would probably not feel as comfortable in an everyday environment and would feel more "costumey" if that makes sense.

I think you need to start off slow & ease into it. Maybe just try victory rolls one day with your regular clothes, and see what happens. If you go from modern clothing to showing up one day in full-on vintage attire with red lips & rolls, then yes, you're going to feel awkward and people are going to ask you about it. I also think you need to find a choice that's comfortable for you. You'll still get looks, no matter what you wear, because you aren't wearing PJ pants & flip flops like everyone else.

Honestly, I only wear red lipstick if I'm going to a dance or an evening out. I almost never wear it during the day. Even if I wear vintage, I'll do a sheer red or a coral lipstick instead. I can't stand to be touching up all day long at work, so I just skip the reds. Sorry if that makes me a poser. :laugh:

 

[countrybumpkin]

No, I don't think that you should feel in fancy dress I belive if your truly happy with how you look you shouldnt feel strange you should feel comfortable and in your own skin, I dont feel dressing 30s,40s,50s should be a dressing up, It should be part of who you are, your personality and how you feel. If you truly dont feel right then don't go all out with the style, It may just be a blip to finding your true style identity, I dont do anything stylewise that makes me feel odd or uncomforable and I thinks that the way I should be, an expression and ubove all just have fun! Anyway, thats just my opinion you ladies may think differently and thats the beauty of being human I guess (cheesey though it sounds).

 

[Miss C]

Having reread what I posted, a better way of putting it would have been that I wasn't exactly comfortable, but then being different to the norm isn't always going to be comfortable. I probably just need to find my own style identity!

Thanks for your replies ladies!

 

[W-D Forties]

I think perhaps you might try a little at a time rather than aiming for the whole shebang at once. My hair and make up is vintage-ish pretty much all the time even when my clothes arn't. I don't do that much with my hair other than a huge pomp at the front and some fancy clips or a flower at the side but it looks like it takes a while whilst actually taking 5 minutes.
At first I did feel quite self concious wearing red or bright lipstick after years of wearing neutrals or gloss (I'm not blessed with Angelina's lips either), but now I really feel undressed without it. So try a little at a time until you feel comfortable with it and know what suits you.

 

[Romy Overdorp]

I started to wear red lipstick when I was 15 or 16, can't remember the exact age. I think it looks sexy and feminine when applied correctly. Also I have no shame/problem with dressing vintage and wearing my hair 40's or 50's style. Just be proud and show off your beauty! (and beautiful clothes!) People always will have an opinion about you, F them who cares what they think? There are plenty of people who will appreciate the way you look/dress.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

For me personally, there is a time and a place for full-on vintage. I don't like wearing it to work because I'm not taken seriously. I don't like wearing it around my friends, either, because I just want to be relaxed around them. My husband is not attracted to full-on vintage so I do not wear it when I am with him. I will, however, wear it to certain events and occasionally to the bar. I do my hair and makeup vintage everyday, though, so that has become a "part" of me.

 

[katiesparkles]

For me personally, there is a time and a place for full-on vintage. I don't like wearing it to work because I'm not taken seriously. I don't like wearing it around my friends, either, because I just want to be relaxed around them. My husband is not attracted to full-on vintage so I do not wear it when I am with him. I will, however, wear it to certain events and occasionally to the bar. I do my hair and makeup vintage everyday, though, so that has become a "part" of me.

My husband's the same way... maybe we could start up some sort of "rehabilitation center for confused husbands" together. Hahaha.

 

[W-D Forties]

My husband is the opposite - surely your husbands appreciate the underwear, the stockings at least!

 

[katiesparkles]

Stockings for sure, but not the red lippes and "long" skirts. He jokes about those being my librarian clothes. Hahaha

 

[SheBear74]

It took me a little while to get used to it. At first I felt a bit over dressed wearing dresses and flowers in my hair to help volunteer with the other "band moms" but now I don't even think twice. I think they almost expect it of me. lol I also don't think twice about getting "dressed up" to go to the grocery store. I am a housewife and mom so somedays that is the only time I go out.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

Stockings for sure, but not the red lippes and "long" skirts. He jokes about those being my librarian clothes. Hahaha

lol I don't wear stockings -- I was a socks-and-flats kind of gal. My husband didn't mind that, but he also dislikes the long skirts. He's British and was dead-set against me dressing like his "gran." He told me she dressed EXACTLY like the way I used to and it was a serious turn-off for him. Vintage clothing wasn't as important to me as my marriage, so i toned it down. I also had a few issues at work with the vintage garb -- again, vintage dressing isn't as important as my job so it was another reason to tone it down. As I said, I still do my hair and makeup vintage and I still dress with vintage flair. All my tattoos are vintage-y, too, so it is still very important to me.

 

[Miss C]

I have spent all afternoon and evening with victory rolls in, just been pottering around, cooking, doing the washing and the dishes! They are the first decent ones I have done and am really happy with them. No comments from the other half when he got in, so they can't be too way out Will try them for work soon....

 

[katiesparkles]

lol I don't wear stockings -- I was a socks-and-flats kind of gal. My husband didn't mind that, but he also dislikes the long skirts. He's British and was dead-set against me dressing like his "gran." He told me she dressed EXACTLY like the way I used to and it was a serious turn-off for him. Vintage clothing wasn't as important to me as my marriage, so i toned it down. I also had a few issues at work with the vintage garb -- again, vintage dressing isn't as important as my job so it was another reason to tone it down. As I said, I still do my hair and makeup vintage and I still dress with vintage flair. All my tattoos are vintage-y, too, so it is still very important to me.

Yeah, I do have quite a few Americana-style tattoos.. well, all but one actually (that one looks like a prison tattoo - I'm hard cookie. Hahahaha! Kidding!).
Stockings I actually only wear on special occasions as well, not to work. In the winter I have a really hard time dressing vintage anyway due to a long commute + the New England weather. Lame excuse, I know... one more reason on my list to move somewhere warm

It'll be my first summer at my current job this year, so hopefully people won't be too weirded out by me wearing dresses and capris... we shall see. Haha. May I ask where you work?

 

[SheBear74]

I guess when I think vintage I don't think long skirts. I am not completely true to each decade and do mix it up a bit. I never wear long skirts only because they make me look short. My husband did laugh the first time he saw me sporting rolls but only because it was so different. lol I don't wear stockings, or panty hose as I call them, often because I live in Florida.

 

[katiesparkles]

I guess when I think vintage I don't think long skirts. I am not completely true to each decade and do mix it up a bit. I never wear long skirts only because they make me look short. My husband did laugh the first time he saw me sporting rolls but only because it was so different. lol I don't wear stockings, or panty hose as I call them, often because I live in Florida.

I often feel "naked" without a panty hose... maybe it's just because I'm self-conscious about my weight/body (don't mean to start a pity party here, no worries ), but I feel like everything jiggles when I don't wear a panty hose. *shudder* I don't like that feeling. I hear you though, I bet in the Floridian heat a panty hose is close to torture.

As for the skirts - again, due to mentioned above, I actually prefer long skirts. Not down to my ankles (or "maxi skirts"), that makes me look like a munchkin being only 5'2, but never more than 2 inches below my knee if I can avoid it. My favorite length is about 1-3 inches below the knee actually.

 

[LinaSofia]

I wear vintage almost every day and always vintage style even if the clothes are modern or repro, and it feels very natural to me now and I don't really reflect on my outfits being outside of the norm, I only get reminded of it when people comment on my style. But then I built up to it slowly so it wasn't an overnight transition! I started out wearing 50s style dresses and using eyeliner and red lipstick a few years ago and slowly over the last 3 years I've got into vintage and started dressing more vintage rather than retro or rockabilly. I think the slow progression made it feel less "costumey" and made it less of a shock to people around me!

But like fortworthgal I wear slightly toned down vintage or repro to work, like a 40s or 50s dress with a cardigan, or a top and a skirt, often with vintage or vintage-inspired shoes and a vintage bag, but I try to make the whole look fairly casual since I work at a University where most people wear jeans and casual clothes to work. I've had a bit of a blip with my hair and have worn it straight for a while, but I've recently started setting it and wearing it curled again, but I tend not to wear victory rolls or very elaborate hairdos for work, I keep that for weekends or nights out! I also only wear sheer red lipstick or a muted pink at work and save the bright red for weekends (but I wear it in the daytime then!). But that's just my personal comfort level and it probably depends a lot on where you work

 

[LinaSofia]

oops, I just read the previous page and missed this one!

As for husbands.... mine has slowly got used to it and he now really likes the vintage! At first he thought it was a bit "prim and proper", maybe because he's a bit of an "alternative" guy with a lot of tattoos etc (he still laughs at me whenever he's dragged me along to a punk gig and I sit there with my bag in my lap looking extremely prim!), but it's been the cat eye glasses that have been the hardest to get by him! He hated them with a passion for a long time... now he doesn't mention it anymore, so I think he may have got used to them, or maybe just given up on trying to get them off my face

 

[lareine]

I don't wear stockings, or panty hose as I call them, often because I live in Florida.

Getting slightly off topic here but are you referring to the things with individual legs, held up by suspenders? If so, how do you differentiate between those and what I would call tights but I understand are also called panty hose, the things with both legs and a panty part at the top?

I don't much like tights/panty hose/stockings (except woolly tights to keep me warm in winter) but am definitely a hold-ups kind of gal. No suspender lines on the outside, no awkward belt around the hips or waist, and the sort of look that husbands appreciate