From blah to "oh my gosh... look at him/her!"

[Diamondback]

Not everyone can be 'look at me' all the time.

And some can't be 'look at me' ever. *raises hand* lol

 

[Jack Scorpion]

I'm pretty blah all the time irregardless. Hence, most of my so-called fashion crazing is merely pining. Make-overs only work on Anne Hathaway in Princess Diaries and Rachel Leigh Cook in She's All That.

 

[Diamondback]

I don't know, Jack, a psychological "make-over" seems to have helped a lot in my case. Drove my college's entire psych department around the bend, but... lol

 

[KL15]

So what do you think it is? I know several people on the swing dance scene who were part of the hole messed up lookin' dirty clothes and messed up hair and just plain bummed out I can't stand the world scene who made a 360 all around the same time...

It was an extreme change from Homeless to Lucy. I think it's a style that they took on to break the boring "I'm looking like everyone else monotony"... though now some are reverting back just a bit to find their own style. I myself went from... hmmm well I've always liked wearing the hat and tie, I just like being a rebel.

How about you? what were you like before the style bug hit?

A rocker. I was a drummer in a rock 'n' roll band in college and looked the part. I had great deal of fun, but as I was studing music in school I became immersed in jazz. I joined a jazz combo and if you were going to play with these guys you had to look the part as well. Soon afterward I moved to Louisiana for a while and joined another jazz combo and a big band. Doing that music in New Orleans I don't have to tell you what the dress code was. I suppose I never quit from that.

 

[resortes805]

Honestly, vintage fashions created a greater appreciation for the clothes that I was already wearing. . ., I started out wearing khakis and pendletons as a teenager because that's how my older uncles dressed.

 

[MrNewportCustom]

Remember Sears in the 70s'?

I do! Let's just say that some of the girls in high school called me, "Sweet Baby Toughskins", and I hated it. But, with no job and some rather anti-style parents, what could I do?

Growing up poor and Sears did a number on my fashion sense. I've neevr tried to fit in, because I never wanted to. But, at the same time, neither did I want to completely fade away. I've never been one to attract attention to myself.

Once I was able to buy my own clothes, it was jeans and t-shirts. I've been like that since. The hats I bought from Mr. Lucky a couple weeks ago (that I show in the Hats thread) are the first vintage items I've ever owned or even worn. I was never a hat person - not even baseball caps. The only hat I've worn before those was a cheap straw ($15.00, with the club name on the band) that I bought at a car show to protect my face from the sun.

I like the hats, and I am going to wear them, but I don't know how much further I'll go with vintage clothing and the lifestyle. I like the look of Robert Benchley in my avatar - to me it's very classy and classic while showing wealth (something I've never had). Who knows if I'll ever look anything like him in that picture. So, I'm just going to play it by ear and see where I end up.


Lee
__________________________

"The problem of what to wear while lolling about the house on a hot Sunday afternoon is becoming more and more acute as the fashions in lolling garments change. The American home is in danger of taking on the appearance of an Oriental bordello." - Robert Benchley

 

[swinggal]

I like this thread. Thought I'd bring it back.

I've always been different. Even knew that as a kid. Loved watching old 30s, 40s and 50s movies from a very early age. The way men and women looked captivated me, even as a 4 year old. Spent a zillion hours looking at old family pics and slides from the era and was always facinated by the hats, dresses, shoes, cars. Why? I just don't know. Nothing has changed...still evokes an 'at home' feeling within me. I don't feel comfortable living in houses without floorboards and high ceilings...if that makes me a freak, so be it.

Anyway. Was always a very deep thinker as a child and found that it set me apart from a lot of others....still does. I had a heap of friends in both primary and highschool but was able to flit between groups easily as I never identified myself with any of them or felt a need to fit in...was always my own person with my own style. Sometimes got picked on for not conforming - told those people to go jump. Was respected for this.

Back in 82 my highschool was full of different sub-cultures. We had Mods, Skinheads, Punks, Alternatives (now Goths), Surfies and the average everyday kids etc. A big English population lived in my area - thus spurning the various UK clans. Most of these groups were gone from the school by 1985 though but before that there were some pretty bad fights and altercations between them. Skinheads and Punks mainly. Made for interesting lunchbreaks and an insight into the world and people. The Mods were cool and pretty clean cut and I think I identified with them most, but I never wanted to be part of any group. I would wear elements of Mod garb sometimes because I liked the style...but never wanted to be one.

I loved alternative 80s music but also some mainstream too as well as jazz and 70s stuff so I didn't need to fit in with one group. People seemed to like me because I was knowledgable across all areas and could talk about pop culture. Always had my head buried in music art and design books and was known as the kid who 'drew amazing stuff' - was the top arts student right through to year 12. Even used to draw portraits of peoples fav pop-stars for money

Funny when I look back. My mum was always well-dressed and stylish and kept very fit. She looked immaculate in photos from the 60s and I admired that but her 80s style was not for me...even though she looked way better than anyone else's mum I knew. I did however like that Duran Duran brought Fedoras and suits back into vogue for men...even if they were shitty pastel colours worn with white shoes I too was inspired by John Taylor and used to wear my pops Fedora to school.

Sean Young's outfit and hair in Blade Runner blew me away when I was 14 and I wanted to dress like that but had no means too I thought she was so beautiful. That movie really affected me at the time and I loved it whereas everyone else my age either didnt see it or didn't 'get' it. I was lucky as my parents took us to see great movies ever since I was little.

I remember trying to find a dress similar to what Rita Hayworth wore in 'Gilda' for my school ball back in 86 and there was nothing remotely like it. A simple floor length black satin gown. No chance. Long gloves - nowhere to be found and nowhere to get your hair done in 30s style. I tried and bought what I could but no one understood what I was trying to achieve because the 80s were full of taffeta and frou-frou and that was not me. I did wear a black dress though which was kind of unheard of at the time. Everyone else was so loud and bright and pink! Yuk!!! My dress had a very 50s feel, which was as close as I could get back then.

When I got to art college it was great. Could be who I wanted. Started buying vintage clothes in thrift stores - mainly 50s stuff. Bleached my hair, curled it in old styles, cut it short, grew it long. Wore lots of classic black and pinstripe pants with berets and hats. Stood out way more than I do these days because no one wore that stuff then. Used to hang out at the alternative clubs only which were where all types of sub-cultures went. Felt and home there and was dressing in classic styles. Studying art history led me to my passion for everything art deco - especially 20s and 30s poster and graphic design.

Started working in my first professional job as a designer out of uni at 20. Suddenly had the means to buy whatever I wanted and dress more like I had always wanted to...which later became more refined 10 years later when I started swing dancing in 1999....and even moreso to now.

I like classic style, things that never go out of fashion, femininity and glamour, well-dressed men, nice hats and suits, balance, sleek lines. I don't have to wear original vintage every day to be stylish in the way i want...I look for that 30s edge in modern clothes and shoes but yeah, I still love buying and wearing vintage

If I believed in or worshipped a diety - 1930s style would be it

 

[reetpleat]

sadly, in Seattle and many other places, the dominant look for swing dancers is indy hipster. Not much to do with swing era at all.

 

[CherryWry]

Hmmm. My mom made a lot of my clothes when I was a kid. It was the '70s. I tease her that it's a miracle no one called Child Services on her for making me wear such monstrosities.

High school = disaster. It was big hair time. My hair wants to be stick straight, so my mom and grandmother permed it. It didn't take, so my hair just always looked frizzy and half-done. I also wore way too much black eyeliner. As far as clothes go, I wore all kinds of different stuff, ranging from hippie skirts with long baggy sweaters to jeans with a tank top, men's button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a fedora. I had a long black silk tiered vintage skirt that I wore to death. I wore piles of necklaces and rings on every finger.

In college, I didn't really care. Uniform = jeans, tank top, men's flannel shirt or pull-over sweater.

Sometime after college, during my first real job, I discovered cardigan sweaters and fell in love. Then I started watching a lot of B movies with my husband at the time and wearing lipstick. I started going to the gym in the morning before work and realized that dresses were faster than separates. I started moving away from some of my androgynous clothes and getting more consciously girly.

Over the last 7-8 years, I've gotten ever more appreciative of vintage styles.

 

[Chas]

deleted post....sorry; it just didn't work out.

 

[skyvue]

I've worn some vintage since college (late 1970s), but mostly casual wear -- 1950s sports shirts, both long- and short-sleeved, with the occasional vintage sportscoat worn over them. When I did dress up, I did so with vintage suits and ties, but I rarely had occasion to.

No one really ever noticed. I'm not anyone's idea of a looker (except my wife's, bless her heart), and my vintage look wasn't that eye-catching (except when I wore my suits and ties).

The last few years, I've started wearing vintage suits and sportscoats virtually all the time, topped with fedoras. And now, rarely a day goes by that someone doesn't compliment me on my look.

That wasn't the reason I started dressing up more, but those comments are day-brighteners when they do happen.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

"I never go outside unless I look like Joan Crawford the movie star. If you want to see the girl next door, go next door"

Joan Crawford

 

[bunnyb.gal]

Now that's what I call a Star! No trundling out in Uggs and skinny jeans a la Lohan, et al. for Joan!

 

[Jennifer Lynn]

My style as a youngster (say, pre-teen) was influenced a lot by my mom and lady relatives who were accessible at the time. Despite being a bit of a tomboy, I rarely wore pants or shorts, and the dresses and skirt/blouse ensembles were often vintage influenced or very feminine. I do appreciate that my parents taught me the importance of dressing well at an early age. Surprisingly they didn't quell my interest in dabbling in various styles in my teens (smatterings of 80's, Victorian, goth, bohemian, 20s to 40s, etc). It gave me the chance to find my own way in terms of fashion; sort of pick and choose what I liked or what worked for me instead of giving in to the trends of the day. I did not fit in with any particular group in school clothes-wise or even clique-wise, but hung out with everyone regardless of differences. It was nice to get an understanding of others at that age on a deeper level and aside from our clothing syle.

As far as movies, television and magazine influences go, I think I was inspired by many a woman who wore her suits and dresses well, carried herself with confidence and had fun with her style. I also loved evening gowns - found a few here and there in magazines and movies in my teens that inspired me to doodle during school or work and 'make em better'.

Since high school (or perhaps a year or two earlier when I started working), I gravitated towards more classic, timeless style, and that seems to be what I wear most with pieces from other eras and places peppered in to make it my own.

 

[Jack Scorpion]

Before fedoras, I guess I was a mishmash of California hippie and California jock. Think birkenstock sandals, tee-shirts and a baseball cap. I think anyone would have described me as frumpy or sloppy, and at the time, I don't think I would have minded. I was so much of a geek, and I didn't have a particular music scene to identify with, so there weren't many people I needed to impress.

Wearing fedoras didn't change that at first. They just replaced baseball caps, and in many ways, those $15 wool fedoras probably made me look sloppier than ever. But they did make me that guy-with-the-fedora, and it was a persona that I cherished, so I began to explore icons in film history, which quickly led to detective fiction above all else.

That added collared-shirts and vests to my wardrobe, and somewhere along the lines, I started wearing Converse shoes, which I've yet to grow out of. I was accused of being "Ska" or "Rockabilly" often, but in reality, I never had other ties to those scenes beyond an accidental dressing style.

Since then, other changes have entered my life. Full-time office work has taken the edge off my fashion. Plain collared-shirts and no hats have become a norm during the weekdays. A long-term girlfriend has made me less adventurous out in public, to no fault of her own, so in general, I'm tamer these days, which may not be a bad thing. (And I'm also a lot more clean shaven.)

On the other side, I've most definitely reverted a bit. Because I've recently refound my love of sports fandom, you'll find me in baseball caps occasionally. And because I tend to live near beaches, I've taken to sandals on occasion (though not Birkenstocks). The difference is that nowadays, I think about my outfit as a whole before leaving the house, even if it's a ball cap instead of a fedora or some sandals instead of my spectators.

In other words, I did make a pretty big transition from being a very sloppy dresser in college to someone who takes pride in dressing well. Maybe at first my passion for detective fiction led to costume-like outfits, but nowadays, I don't dress head-to-toe vintage. However, I still look to vintage for my style choices, and I still accessorize with fedoras, spectators and fifties-style shirts and jackets.

Who knows what would have happened to me if I didn't impulse buy that first $15 fedora. That seemingly random and brash decision on a lazy afternoon is what eventually led me to noir films, The Fedora Lounge and a general interest in fashion and film history.

 

[Mr Vim]

I wore collared shirts and slacks to school every day. The shirts because I loathed the idea of being a billboard for some company (they ought to pay me, not the other way around) and I wore slacks because I was ashamed of my knobbly knees.

I started to wear fedoras when I moved to New York, because, well its New York. My first fedora was purchased at JJ Hat center ah thank you and I've been wearing them ever since.

But the real accomplishment came when I moved to Juneau, its such mild weather here you can wear layers of clothing and not sweat plus at the Hangar bar which was once the Hangar for the Alaskan bush pilots in the golden era, there are all these photos of dashing fellas who were probably flying to a cold frozen death but they were wearing suits and fedoras and I thought there is no excuse why I cannot always look that good. Thanks Shell Simmons (one of the bush pilots)

 

[jamespowers]

I did however like that Duran Duran brought Fedoras and suits back into vogue for men...even if they were shitty pastel colours worn with white shoes I too was inspired by John Taylor and used to wear my pops Fedora to school.

Ah yes and they are still around. They are also still being dressed by designers like Armani. I remember those days.
A few years ago I even went to a concert they did out this way---twenty years after the first concert of theirs that I attended. Funny how the fans have gotten older just as they have.
High school was jeans---in colors other than blue thanks---with collared dress shirts. I can still hear my mother complaining about having to iron all those shirts. "You aren't going to the office you know."

 

[davestlouis]

My self-imposed "uniform" grew out of my Catholic gradeschool clothing...khaki or dark blue cotton pants(no jeans) white or light blue button-down oxford shirts and hard-soled shoes except on gym day. In high school and college, I graduated to khakis with weejuns and oxford shirts, and even now, in my mid-40s, I have grown up into khakis or wool trousers, lace up wingtips or oxfords, and long sleeve dress shirts, point collars for work, button downs for non-tie-wearing, and numerous sport coats to throw on if it gets cool.

I have always had jobs, even in high school, that called for me to be clean cut and cleanshaven, so I have never had any weird facial hair or wild haircuts. About the wildest I get is "fun" boxer shorts in wild colors.

I don't pretend to aspire to any particular style, but I am supremely comfortable and content and could give a hoot what other people think.

 

[Feraud]

Now that's what I call a Star! No trundling out in Uggs and skinny jeans a la Lohan, et al. for Joan!

But this is exactly what Joan would have worn today while stepping out to Starbucks for a venti frozen frappa-something or other.