need answers to questions!

[RedShoesGirl]

our feature story on vintage dressing is coming along nicely but we would like to put some questions out there for anyone who would like to, to answer.

why do you dress vintage?

do you dress vintage all the time or just for special events?

do you go whole hog or just bits and pieces?

how did you get into it?

where do you find most of your outfits?

hair and/or makeup vintage looking?

I need name, town and age if you would be so kind.

thanks in advance!

lara

 

[jitterbugdoll]

My answers:

I dress vintage because I love the overall style of clothing from the 1930s-50s. I enjoy looking very ladylike and put together, and quite frankly I haven't been the least bit impressed with any of the more recent fashion trends. I also find that vintage clothing fits my rather ‘old-fashioned’ hourglass figure very well. Modern clothes tend to be cut overly generous through the waist and do not flatter my build at all.

I dress in vintage clothing all the time, for every occasion. Doing so has become second nature to me and I don't feel right dressed in any other way.

My outfits run the whole gamut, including stockings, shoes, jewelry, and period correct hairstyles (though I do blend eras to some extent; for example, I might wear my hair in 1940s rolls with a 1950s dress.)

I have always had a deep appreciation for the past, though I started wearing vintage clothing when I took up swing dancing about five years ago. My collection has since expanded into two closets bursting at the seams.

Most of my outfits are found online (eBay and the occasional online store) or at my favorite local shop. My first outfits came from this shop, and I am now good friends with the owners (I even model in their fashion shows as the "1940s Girl".)

Yes, my hair and makeup is always done and period correct. I am never seen without red lipstick and curled hair.

Amanda Newsum, Phoenix, Arizona, age 27

 

[Lauren]

why do you dress vintage?
I enjoy dressing vintage because to me it is taking on a bit of history- we can learn all day long about events, but when you slip into something that people of the time would have worn it makes you act differently, feel different. When surrounded by people in dress it transports you back to the time- even if momentarily, to feel what it must have been like to walk and sit and move in a given time period. Perhaps it's like putting your body in a time machine.

do you dress vintage all the time or just for special events?
I mostly dress vintage for special events, but sometimes mix in vintage elements to my daily wardrobe, like a vintage sweater with jeans and a blouse, a vintage handbag or pin- just enough to make it artistic and fun.

do you go whole hog or just bits and pieces?
When I dress vintage I go as true as I can to the period- hair, stockings, purse, shoes, the whole she-bang. As long as I'm going for a look, might as well do it as well I can. Plus it gives me a reason to draw on all the research of dress that I love to do so much.

how did you get into it?
I got into vintage clothing through costuming. As long as I can remember my cousin was making us costumes to wear to different historical events, primarily Renaissance Faires. My interest started leaning toward the Victorian and Edwardian era by the L.M. Montgomery novels and other classic literature when i was in my young teens, so I started searching out the clothing at the antique shopping trips my mom and I frequently made. I got into the 30's and 40's by watching classic film and swing dancing.

where do you find most of your outfits?
Most of my outfits now come from estate sales, eBay, and flea markets, and occasionaly vintage clothing stores. I am the ultimate bargain hunter, though, so I'm more likely to dig through piles of clothing for that little peice for $5 than look through a rack of neatly cleaned and pressed clothing ready to go. Half the fun for me of this hobby is the hunt! I also have a passion for sewing, so I make many of my vintage garments from vintage patterns.

hair and/or makeup vintage looking?
Like I said, when I dress I'll dress all the way, but I don't do my hair and makeup vintage everyday. It took me the longest time to get the hair down- it took months of practice, but now I can thankfully say that I have the art of pincurls down! Now I just have to learn how to do that marcel wave without clips...

I need name, town and age if you would be so kind.
Lauren Henline, Vista, CA, Age 25 (26 on Oct 1st )

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

why do you dress vintage?

I love the style. It's classy and elegant and very pretty. The fits also look nicer on my figure verses the skin showing modern outfits

do you dress vintage all the time or just for special events?

I don't dress vintage to work, although I would like to. I have to wear scrubs. Outside of work I try to dress vintage as much as possible. My modern outfits that I wear all have a vintage flare to them. If I'm not dressed vintage I'm wearing styles that are taken from vintage styles. My every day wear is usually a-line skirts and blouses or sweater sets with a cute pair of wedges or sandals.

do you go whole hog or just bits and pieces?

It really depends on where I'm going. If it's just out to eat at a local restaurant, I go low key. To a bigger event like dinner and the theater or a movie, it's the whole hog for me.

how did you get into it?

I went to the Queen Mary last year with Hemingway Jones, my roommate, and met a lot of great people and fell in love with the clothes.
where do you find most of your outfits?

Either on ebay or at a few vintage shoppes here in Boston

hair and/or makeup vintage looking?
Make-up always vintage, everyday. Hair, not always. It's just a lot of work for me. But, I add vintage touches like a pretty flower barrette, just about every day.

I need name, town and age if you would be so kind.

Cheryl R. Glick
Boston, MA
Age 31
thanks in advance!

 

[Rosie]

Why do you dress vintage?

I dress this way because I LOVE the clothing from the 40's and 50's. I enjoy the femininity, which fits my personality perfectly and I feel the clothes, portray the way I feel.

Do you go whole hog or just bits and pieces?

For the most part, I'm halfway. I wear the clothing, accessories, hair, foundation garments but, I cheat a lot and wear pantyhose (though I do wear stockings from time to time) and I mix elements. Hair and makeup, I'm more of a '40s girl, clothing, more of a '50s. Even when I do wear "modern" clothes, they have a very vintage flair.

How did you get into it?

Truthfully, my path into vintage was from the show I Love Lucy. I watched the show almost everyday after school and fell in love with Lucille Ball's clothes. She always looked so classic and pulled together, even when dressed casually or even when wearing what were supposed to be house clothes. I wanted to copy her style and set out to do so.

Where do you find most of your outfits?

I sew a lot of my clothes. What I don't sew, I buy, through e bay and other internet sites. I go to thrift stores and I buy modern clothes that have very vintage elements. When I can't get the exact look I want, I can pull together a very convincing outfit.

Hair and/or makeup vintage looking?

I LOVE rolls. My hair is usually done in a very 1940s kind of look. For evening I usually do a very '50s type hair style. Though I am known on the rare ocassion to throw my hair into a ponytail. My makeup I guess is vintage-y but not totally vintage. I find the '40s face to be a bit harsh for me so, I do what I feel looks best on me.

S. Ida Stephens
Brooklyn, NY
28

 

[LizzieMaine]

1. why do you dress vintage?

Sometimes I think it's a rebellion against growing up in the 70s, the cultural nadir of the 20th century -- but actually, I just think it's because I'm more comfortable that way. It's more expressive of my personality than anything I could find at the mall.

2. do you dress vintage all the time or just for special events?

All the time, have for years.

3. do you go whole hog or just bits and pieces?

Whole hog, inside out.

4. how did you get into it?

My grandmother was a big influence on me, I think. She was sort of stuck in the 40s herself, fashionwise, and I just kind of followed along. It was very upsetting for me when I finally grew too tall to fit into her clothes!

5. where do you find most of your outfits?

I used to find a lot of things in local thrift/resale shops, but those are pretty much either out of business now or don't carry anything much older than the '80s. So my current wardrobe is almost entirely things I've sewn myself from vintage patterns.

6. hair and/or makeup vintage looking?

Oh yes. Hair is usually in a top reverse roll, hanging loose in waves in the back, and makeup is pretty much standard issue for 1939-40.

I need name, town and age if you would be so kind.

Lizzie McLeod, Rockland Maine, age 43

 

[RedShoesGirl]

thanks so much ladies!

so how about some of you guys out there!

lara

 

[Senator Jack]

Why do you dress vintage?

Though I do refer to my wardrobe as vintage, I don't consider myself to be a vintage dresser - I'm just dressing in the clothes that I like and they happen to be vintage or of a style of a bygone era. 'Dressing vintage' has always sounded as though one is wearing a costume, and it annoys me when people think I'm wearing a costume.

Do you dress vintage all the time?

I never wear clothes or appear in the style that would be considered 'normal' for the modern era.

Do you go whole hog or just bits and pieces?

When it comes to style, it's whole hog or nothing.

How did you get into it?

In the late 70s/early 80s I started out with 60s suits which were just considered 'old clothes' back then. I was enamored with the tight fitting suits of the mods and rudeboys: narrow ties, white shirts, tapered legs, etc. As I got older, my wardrobe expanded to 50s, 40s, 30s.

Where do you find most of your outfits?

I used to get everything from estate sales, thrift stores, etc., but Ebay put a stop to that. Now when I'm in the mood for a new suit, I have to go to the vintage stores here in NYC. I miss those days of buying a suit for a buck.

Hair and makeup?

I finally found a stylist that gets the Dean Martin look right.

Jack Castronovo, Astoria, NY
Age 41 (ouch!)

 

[McPeppers]

Why do you dress vintage?
Well that is a tough one to answer but I'll give it a shot. I dress vintage because I am tired of clothing looking like we've just lost pride in our appearance. I like looking like I care and don't particularly mind standing out "like a sore thumb" if that sore thumb is wearing a nice suit and tie.

Do you dress vintage all the time or just for special events?
Completely vintage tends to go for special events, however I will pair my Fedora with any look under the sun as long as it involves good materials and nothing is torn.

Do you go whole hog or just bits and pieces?
Both. Bits and Pieces suits my college lifestyle a bit more so when I'm at school you may see a Fedora paired with a decorative overshirt by Dragonflys. Then when night falls out comes the suit and we go out on the town.

How did you get into it?
Well I wish I could say the Fedora Loungers did it but that would be placing the blame on a totally innocent crowd *cough cough* I keep saying that Dick Tracy movies were the root cause of it because he looked darn good. That and the fact that my favorite group of shows to watch when lower school let out was when Nickelodeon switched after 7:00 to Nick-at-Nite.

Where do you find most of your outfits?
Well most of my outfits arent exactly vintage so I shop alot at Dillards and Rubensteins. For true vintage Ebay is the location of choice.

Hair and/or makeup vintage looking?
*laughs* Well if you truly will consider a fade vintage...

Blake Muxo
Weston, Florida and New Orleans, Louisiana
21

 

[Honey Doll]

why do you dress vintage? I love the feminity of the fashions. It allows me to indulge my creative/artistic/emotional side and give attention to myself that other modern styles of dress does not allow.

do you dress vintage all the time or just for special events? I incorporate elements of vintage dress on a daily basis-- accessories, a classically cut suit, hair and makeup. For date nights I go to the 9s!

do you go whole hog or just bits and pieces? For day to day-- bits and pieces-- for social activites, whole hog.

how did you get into it? I was a history major in college and I also did alot of theater in college and after law school-- roles in Street Car and Diary of Anne Frank sparked my interest-- wardrobe was pulled from racks and racks of vintage... after Diary, I looked into swing dancing-- got hooked, hmm that was in 99. Met my husband, had babies and let the vintage fall a bit to the wayside-- now that the kids are a bit more capable (and the figure is back)-- I'm really enjoying spending some time on myself, my looks, my interests when I can and have picked up on my vintage interests and sewing again.

where do you find most of your outfits? I will pick things up on ebay, but mostly I buy patterns and sew my own things. I'm wearing one in my avatar. That has really been wonderfully satisfying for me-- putting my hands on these fabulous patterns-- thinking about who else has used them-- what they made...

hair and/or makeup vintage looking? makeup is vintage looking, hair I do in a Lauren Bacall wave for work (which I can get by in my conservative field)-- for dates, I like to do rolls.

Aimee
Honeoye Falls, NY
age 33