Our own vintage town

[cowboy76]

Can we also do something about those who think a feathered headband and a long cigarette holder represent the twenties and a zoot suit the standard everyday wear of the forties?

Yes, we'll also mark those people with Red "A"s on their chest for,....well, you get the idea!!lol
We'll just tell them, "Hey there, nice job, your duds are right on, and for that you get a big, bright red "A" to wear today!!"
That's like guy dawning goat-tee's and beards while wearing a suite from the 40s,...."yep, that's the way it was allright,...if you were in Borneo,...maybe!"

Nothing like sporting the rarest of all trends from your chosen time period and then acting like it was the norm,....He, he

 

[Ada Veen]

Will there be a 'dairy' shop? can we buy butter cut off a big block and wrapped in greaseproof paper? And spices shaken out of huge jars? if so I'm in!

 

[cowboy76]

Hey! Cool! This is turning into a real discussion of what we comsider "vintage", or "retro", or "Nostalgist", or whatever. We need this!
For me there are specific icons or images, and certain cut off dates. For example 1954 is a major cut off year for me. I define early TV as pre 1954. That was the year ABC came along. ABC's great contribution was to realize that TV did NOT have to always be live for people to tune in. From then on TV was out of diapers. TV pre 1954 was Dave Garroway, and Kukla, Fran amnd Ollie, and Howdy Doody, and live drama, sitcoms and soap operas. It was TV hosts who almost all wore bow ties. Fedoras and ties were worn by every man at Ebbetts Field, watching the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1947 thru 1954 were the "Post War" years. Again, men with fedoras and ties, most movies still in black and white. Radio was still king.
1947 was also the year of "The New Look" from Paris. That particular change in women's fashion was huge, and foreshadowed the 50's. In my mind, New Look fashion, with its simple sleek styles, is a quantum leap LESS vintage than the styles that immediately preceded it.
Anything pre 1947, of course, becomes prime vintage territory. You can take that back to just about 1920.
When the "Vintage" era starts for me is right at that post World War I period.
This was the Flapper era, women's hair was cut short, as well as their skirts.
Cars, movies and radio totally revolutionized American (and European) life. The Edwardian and WW I period foreshadowed a lot of it, but it exploded right after the war.
So, to sum up, for me the "Vintage" era starts in 1919, and extends through about 1954. Now, there is a whole other segment of Loungers who love the stuff from a later era. Senator Jack loves his Bobby Daren era look, from the early 1960's. I recognize that the tie, the stingy brim fedora held their own through that period, but for me, the nostalgia has already worn off. A lot of people LOVE the era of boomerang coffee tables and Jetson furniture, i.e., prime 50's. I can appreciate that a lot, but again, it's out of my nostalgia range. And of course the kids in the Lounge think of the 80's as being a long time ago, which (gulp!) it is!
OK, this is the end of a very over lengthy essay, but it sums up where I'm coming from. I think my previous notion of neighborhoods for the different eras is a good one, and this explanation could sort of define where the boundaries could be.

The best answer to what what and what wasn't,....you may start with what I call the, "three M's"...

Magazines, Movies and grand-Ma! (or great-grandma if she's still around!)

To expound upon this statement,....Magazines from the era that you are interested in. Movies that were produced in the era you're interested in, (not made "about" the era, made IN that era,..BIG DIFFERENCE!!!). and last but not least, your relatives or even friend's relatives.

History is the best teacher and those who were there, within their mouths hold the best witness to the truth. yes it can be bias now and then, but you cannot refute the witness of those who were there. Whether it be straight from a talk with them, or via books that include interviews, etc. I've had people tell me that they read in a magazine this and that,...then somehow it becomes Gospel,...they actually base 90% of their knowledge on what they read in a magazine?? WOW!!:eusa_doh: You'll have that though.

I have learned a lot but ONLY when I took the time to educate myself and come out of my cocoon of ignorance. I stopped wearing things that looked "close enough" when I was heavily involved in living history/reenacting and took the time to get it right!,..PERIOD! (yikes!,...no pun intended there) I used to hear guys tell me they just couldnt find a any wide 40's neckties or they couldn't afford them. Funny thing is I trip over them when I go out,...never paid over $40 for one,...adn taht was ONE time I had to have this awesome tie. Average price was always $1 - $5 a tie,...still can be had for that price,..just got two today in fact. One for $7.50 the other for $4 clams.

Fact is, and its a sad one, many times people are too often times LAZY when it comes to living history or wearing vintage. They think wearing a pair of Doc Martins with a pair of high waisted pants is the cat's pajamas,....yet another,..WOW!!?? Now, yes there are "some" modern pieces of clothing I find that look VERY vintage, and I wear them because they look accurate to my style,..late 30s and the 1940s.

I guess I just personally think that you can easily screw up and molest history if you run around hap-hazardly wearing things you call one thing when they are another. Then the virus of ignorance spreads and in a short amount of time, no one knows which end is up! If you're gonna do it, do it right or not at all. If something's too expensive, cool, wait and be patient,...it will come to you at the right time, then you'll get it and appreciate it more. That's what I do!!

 

[Ada Veen]

Fun to see this topic revived. I'll now revive the most popular bone of contention in it: Can we maybe move this charming town to a more temperate climate? I believe I saw a comment in another post that mentioned the "regular oven they call Texas". If we could haul it just a few miles further north, to where average temperatures get below 100, I'd be there in a heartbeat. Or maybe this can be our warm weather "own vintage town", and we can keep looking for a cold weather one.

I don't know if it's just because I'm English, but I'd like my vintage town to have snowy Decembers... allotments... cottages with thatched roofs... a cosy little pub with locally brewed ale....a village green with a maypole... wildflower hedgerows... piebald gypsy horses tethered on the grass verges... cornfields...a stream with ducks and geese... maybe even a little church and nunnery... all very William Blake.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Will there be a 'dairy' shop? can we buy butter cut off a big block and wrapped in greaseproof paper? And spices shaken out of huge jars? if so I'm in!

Sure, but don't forget you ration book!

 

[Viola]

Hey! Cool! This is turning into a real discussion of what we comsider "vintage", or "retro", or "Nostalgist", or whatever. We need this!
For me there are specific icons or images, and certain cut off dates. For example 1954 is a major cut off year for me. I define early TV as pre 1954. That was the year ABC came along. ABC's great contribution was to realize that TV did NOT have to always be live for people to tune in. From then on TV was out of diapers. TV pre 1954 was Dave Garroway, and Kukla, Fran amnd Ollie, and Howdy Doody, and live drama, sitcoms and soap operas. It was TV hosts who almost all wore bow ties. Fedoras and ties were worn by every man at Ebbetts Field, watching the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1947 thru 1954 were the "Post War" years. Again, men with fedoras and ties, most movies still in black and white. Radio was still king.
1947 was also the year of "The New Look" from Paris. That particular change in women's fashion was huge, and foreshadowed the 50's. In my mind, New Look fashion, with its simple sleek styles, is a quantum leap LESS vintage than the styles that immediately preceded it.
Anything pre 1947, of course, becomes prime vintage territory. You can take that back to just about 1920.
When the "Vintage" era starts for me is right at that post World War I period.
This was the Flapper era, women's hair was cut short, as well as their skirts.
Cars, movies and radio totally revolutionized American (and European) life. The Edwardian and WW I period foreshadowed a lot of it, but it exploded right after the war.
So, to sum up, for me the "Vintage" era starts in 1919, and extends through about 1954. Now, there is a whole other segment of Loungers who love the stuff from a later era. Senator Jack loves his Bobby Daren era look, from the early 1960's. I recognize that the tie, the stingy brim fedora held their own through that period, but for me, the nostalgia has already worn off. A lot of people LOVE the era of boomerang coffee tables and Jetson furniture, i.e., prime 50's. I can appreciate that a lot, but again, it's out of my nostalgia range. And of course the kids in the Lounge think of the 80's as being a long time ago, which (gulp!) it is!
OK, this is the end of a very over lengthy essay, but it sums up where I'm coming from. I think my previous notion of neighborhoods for the different eras is a good one, and this explanation could sort of define where the boundaries could be.

For me, I don't have clear-cut boundaries like this, though I can totally see and respect what you are saying. For one thing, I love '20s-'30s stuff in decor and architecture, (and its decor and accessories that brought me to the Lounge originally, not clothes) but I can't wear the women's fashions or feel the same love for them as for '40s-'50s fashions. And the cars, oh, huge gaudy chromed-out '50s cars are just cool!

But I was born in '84.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I think so much of the question of "what's vintage?" depends on your personal experience, not just your age. I was born in '63, but lived much of my childhood in an environment that was shaped in many ways more by a '30s-'40s aesthetic than a '60s-'70s one, so for me, the look and feel of the earlier period seems more natural and familiar than the later one. I don't think of it so much as "vintage" as I think of it as sort of a natural default. But a 1910-era aesthetic, for example, seems like something genuinely antique, remote, and out of the past, like my great-grandmother's album of old yellowed photos. And space-age '50s stuff tends to remind me more of the rich kids on the other side of town than it does anything truly old or vintage...

 

[Godfrey]

Somthing to help design the buildings for the town:

http://www.artdeconapier.com/

Amazing Art Deco buildings in New Zealand and feel due to a massive earthquake in 31' - take a look at the photo's section.

 

[Ada Veen]

I think so much of the question of "what's vintage?" depends on your personal experience, not just your age. I was born in '63, but lived much of my childhood in an environment that was shaped in many ways more by a '30s-'40s aesthetic than a '60s-'70s one, so for me, the look and feel of the earlier period seems more natural and familiar than the later one. I don't think of it so much as "vintage" as I think of it as sort of a natural default. But a 1910-era aesthetic, for example, seems like something genuinely antique, remote, and out of the past, like my great-grandmother's album of old yellowed photos. And space-age '50s stuff tends to remind me more of the rich kids on the other side of town than it does anything truly old or vintage...

I agree with this. Although I'm pretty young (born in 1980) I grew up in a tiny village (about 6 houses) in the middle of nowhere, with a close extended family, that were very traditional. The thing that first attracted me to the idea of a 'vintage' lifestyle was just that - it felt more natural to me. We ate very traditional foods - potatoes from the field, rather than takeaway pizza, milk in a jug from the dairy rather than a plastic bottle. I think I just have this idea that lifestyles were more natural at the beginning of the century, and that's what is so appealing to me. I think this is probably why I'm more attracted to 40s than 30s and 20s - the whole 'dig for victory' thing strikes a chord with me, and it was my grandmother's era and I was always very close to her.

 

[dhermann1]

One of the points I was trying to make before (not very clearly, I think) is that by reading what other people think and feel about various things and eras, I'm trying to expand my own horizons. I can just about perceive the 60's and 70's as eras with things to be nostalgic about. I definitely see the 50's as an ancient time, and that was a tough one to get beyond. Seems like only yesterday to me in so may ways.
What I ment by cutoff points was that eras have different shadings to me, based on which side of a certain milestone they fall. But my horizins have definitely been broadened by the comments of other fellow Loungers. That's one reason I love it. The other reason is that I really dig A LOT of the people here.

 

[A.R. McVintage]

One thing I think is important is that a lot of people, I believe, have confused ideas about decade crossovers and cutoffs. Like a lot of people look at the '50s as 1950-1959, when the true era of the '50s as it really stood, was 1955-1965. Prior to that, people were coming off of Korea which is like WWII: The Appendix, using virtually all of the same technology, etc. And the cut off for the end of the true '50s/'60s drive-in/flared taillights/swing singers/cocktail parties/Ratpack/Eames era was '65. After that, hippies took over till about '75, then disco crossed '75 to '85, etc. Decades really should be looked at more as midway through one to midway through another. My grandpa was a WWII vet, but I know had his most enjoyable life experiences after '46, when he built his house in California, settled down, got a job, had friends, etc. In 1960 he looked just like Mad Men's Jon Hamm, no joke. He enjoyed the prosperity life after the Depression and war brought and so I've always gravitated towards that era myself, postwar to '65, with '65 as my cutoff for anything classic. I think a lot of people also have a delusional nostalgia for WWII, often thinking of the Andrews Sisters singing "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" long before they think of the Band of Brothers freezing to death in foxholes in Germany. That it was such an awful time for one of my few best friends (my grandfather) and all his compatriots Pacific and European also turns me off to too much '40-'45 fetishizing. It was literally hell for these people. At the other end 1925 is my earliest date for classic. Any earlier, and you're entering into a time when there were still many parts of western America that were very "Cowboys and Injuns"-like. Hell, in Texas, where my grandpa was born, he saw a gunfight in the middle of a town in 1925!

 

[carter]

I don't know if it's just because I'm English, but I'd like my vintage town to have snowy Decembers... allotments... cottages with thatched roofs... a cosy little pub with locally brewed ale....a village green with a maypole... wildflower hedgerows... piebald gypsy horses tethered on the grass verges... cornfields...a stream with ducks and geese... maybe even a little church and nunnery... all very William Blake.

Ada Veen, All I can say is, "I want to live in your village".
I have no idea of the vintage but the pastoral feeling is lovely. Will there be fly fishing?

 

[dhermann1]

Fly fishing

I've never gone fly fishing, but it somehow seems like one of those quintessential vintage activities. I read a nice book called "And England Have My Bones", by T.H. White (of "Once and Future King" fame). It's all about his obsession with fly fishing in Scotland in the 20's. We must contrive to have good fishing, both lake and stream, near our vintage town.

 

[jamespowers]

I found a new sign for the vintage town:

 

[jamespowers]

And one for the Watering Hole:

 

[Diamondback]

We must contrive to have good fishing, both lake and stream, near our vintage town.

What, no coastal? Could get problematic moving my yacht in and tying it up... Ever try to imagine moving something 670' x 60' overland?

 

[cowboy76]

I found a new sign for the vintage town:

I LIKE THIS ONE BETTER!!!

 

[Story]

Hell, in Texas, where my grandpa was born, he saw a gunfight in the middle of a town in 1925!

Saw one round my ways in May of 2001. [huh]

 

[Story]

Buy me a own and I'll marry you! (or not, whatever sounds best lol) Psssst dont tell anyone abou my Hausfrau fetish lol

Hmmmm... could probably be had for 125 Euros, but it'd be way more fun to make like Lapkas and just take over the place. How do you look in chainmail?

 

[Matt Deckard]

I LIKE THIS ONE BETTER!!!

Hey... i'm a hippie!