Precious...

[jayem]

I'm a bit of a snob, but only to the... well, I call them 'Hot Topic Retro' chicks. They don't really have a love for the time period at all, just a love for Bettie Page because she did risque photos, or Marilyn Monroe because she died so tragically. In my mind, that's sufficient reason to be a snob... but that's just me.

I always mix my wardrobe up... you'll never see me in head-to-toe vintage. My hair is rarely 'vintage' as well, and more natural. Luckily, my hair has a natural wave to it, so it's not too far off. Therefore, I am disqualified from calling somebody out for pairing a 30s blouse with a 50s skirt or whatever.

 

[olive bleu]

I truly couldn't care less what other people wear or if it is 'correct".where i live there really aren't that many people dressing vintage anyway and they have no idea whether i am really being true to one era or not.I really enjoy seeing people who feel free to express themselves with what they wear, and i don't care whether that means with pincurls and maryjanes or with a mohawk and a leather jacket. I will often mix eras because I frankly don't have the means to always have enough items to make a "perfectly correct" outfit" and besides, for me, it's all about FUN!!

also, i would rather see great vintage pieces being loved and cared for even if it means someone carrying a great vintage purse while wearing jeans and a t-shirt, it's better than being used a s part of a hallowe'en costume and then thrown in the back of a closet and eventually tossed out!

Bottom line.. to me fashion is about fun, i just can't get take it that seriously.

 

[alexandra]

I prefer to judge people harshly on their personalities because mine is so shining and wonderful.

 

[Miss 1929]

I prefer to judge people harshly on their personalities because mine is so shining and wonderful.

You rock.

 

[Mary]

I hate snobbery. I simply don't want to be that person! I hate when I try to look correct to get approval. So for me it's a choice. But I do get upset sometimes.

I mostly get upset if someone don't treat old things with respect. People painting old furniture or making dresses into fabric. :rage:

I'm never period-correct. I don't feel comfortable with updos but maybe I will in the future. I'd like to learn as much as I can about old times. I really like the fabrics, the style, the history but I guess my love is between my things and me and not between me, my mirrow and me. If that makes sense?

As for others. I'm not vexed when seeing people in ugly clothes or mixing eras. They are they.

And I love people who like themselves and their looks. Especially if you have to much of a belly or hairy legs! It takes courage and that something I admire. So cherrylips good for you!

M

 

[Real Swell Gal]

Just how precious/snobby are you about your or others vintage look?

Admit it, do you look down on those who wear a lot of repro, are novelty prints just a novelty?

Only if they're dressed better than I am.

 

[Lulu-in-Ny]

I'm a bit of a snob, but only to the... well, I call them 'Hot Topic Retro' chicks. They don't really have a love for the time period at all, just a love for Bettie Page because she did risque photos, or Marilyn Monroe because she died so tragically. In my mind, that's sufficient reason to be a snob... but that's just me.

Aha! Hot Topic is the root of all Evil!!! They contributed greatly to the downfall of genuine Goth by making it so easy- giving us "Mall Goths". Now they're doing the same to Vintage? I haven't been in one in years, so I hadn't noticed this particular trend there... Grr.:rage:

 

[NicolettaRose]

Personally I don't care what other people wear, everyone has a right to express themselves through fashion. Personally I am not big into repos that are specifically copies of vintage clothing because they lack the history that a vintage piece has, I do although like modern pieces that emulate historical looks, but are clearly modern, like a nice bias cut dress. I hate hate hate when I go into a shop asking for 1920's, and I am directed to a rack of big shouldered 1980's polyester atrocities or fringed 1960's dresses that are supposed to be "flapper", if I am going to wear 1960's, I am going to wear 1960's and not say I am wearing 1920's.

 

[Miss 1929]

Those fringed dresses

are the bane of my existence...

 

[Laura Chase]

But really, what's 40's hair? We have to remember that these decade demarcations are constructions rather than well-defined entities that you can point at.

Some people can't stand 40's hair with a 50's dress, for example, but it's not like women in the 50's thought that they should wear their hair in a 50's fashion. I would like to think that women wore their hair in a manner that suited them (and that might be a coiffure that was fashionable in the 40's), because no matter what the fashion dictates, if a coiffure doesn't suit you, you won't look your best. The same with dresses.

Sure, I can be pretty judgmental about people who don't make the best of their appearance, but honestly it is a trait I have that I really don't like. I try not to be like that because, as some of you ladies have said, there are much more important things in life. As an art historian, I appreciate beauty and would love it if everyone around me looked amazing and if everyone was creative about their look, but whether they wear 40's hair with 50's dresses really can't make my piss boil. A lot of the rockabilly girls look great, so kudos to them.

 

[NicolettaRose]

are the bane of my existence...

I have YET to see a flapper from the 1920's actually wearing one...I think they were an invention of the 1960's.[huh]

 

[Mojito]

I have YET to see a flapper from the 1920's actually wearing one...I think they were an invention of the 1960's.[huh]

Fringe was actually a reasonably popular dress embellishment of the 1920s (although not so utterly ubiquitious as costume stores today would have us believe). I have a black crepe dress of French make that has a heavy fringe on the back, two scarves draped from the shoulders that also finish in heavy fringe - I found an illustration of a nearly identical example from the Atelier Bachwitz dating to 1922, a date that which would be in keeping with the length.

Tiers of fringe, as we see in many repros, were even less common, but did exist. Susan Langley has a photograph of a beautiful one by Chanel on page 26 of the second volume of her book on 1920s fashions - it's made of a straight shift style gold lame dress, embellished with tiers of fringe (not overlapping, though).

The cover of the September 1, 1925 issue of Vogue features a gorgeous illustration of a woman in tiers of overlapping assymetical fringe - it is completely covered in these layers. The look is very close to the 60s concept (athough not, of course, one of those mid-thigh miniskirt versions that are so shudderable!).

One reason it's hard to find fringed dresses is that they are so absolutely cliched they're extremely collectable.

Let me know if you'd like any scans.

 

[Mojito]

Looking for a better version, but here's a quick one...

 

[ShooShooBaby]

Aha! Hot Topic is the root of all Evil!!! They contributed greatly to the downfall of genuine Goth by making it so easy- giving us "Mall Goths". Now they're doing the same to Vintage? I haven't been in one in years, so I hadn't noticed this particular trend there... Grr.:rage:

it's been going on since at least 1998! i can remember buying a retro cherry-trimmed dress by It's Martini Time when i worked at the mall, which was in spring of 1998. (why do i remember details like this when i can't remember where i put my keys???)

 

[Amy Jeanne]

it's been going on since at least 1998! i can remember buying a retro cherry-trimmed dress by It's Martini Time when i worked at the mall, which was in spring of 1998. (why do i remember details like this when i can't remember where i put my keys???)

Heh -- I kinda like Hot Topic. I buy tops from there. I'm not too "precious" to admit it But yea, I've bought rockabilly-inspired tops, handbags, hair accessories, and sunglasses from there as early as 1997. Nothing new

 

[Lola Valentine]

As for "walking around like they think they're hot sh*t", I think more women should do so! Just listen to the song in your heart.

:eusa_clap

 

[Juliet]

What I don't like is when colours are clashing. But that's my problem I guess))) But if it's someone I know, I usually comment something like:"That skirt is lovely! You could also pair it with something green!".
What I really notice is when shoes+purse+accesoires don't match. That ALL my mother's fault!!! lol

 

[MariantheLibrarian]

I own several pairs of judgey-pants. I just try not to wear them out in public.

 

[Gracie Lee]

I try really hard not to judge people, partly I think because I used to be quite judgemental and then someone who I think quite highly of, and whose opinion I value greatly, commented on it. I felt horribly ashamed, and have tried to become a more tolerant person. BUT the one thing that makes me shake my head in [sadness, occasional disgust] is this current tendency for ladies (teens and twenty-somethings especially) to think they have to fit into a size X to be attractive. Muffin tops, anything that you're poured into with bits squishing out the sides, top, or bottom, stuff like that. I can't help but think how much more attractive miss so-and-so would be if she purchased clothes that flattered her better. Really, this goes for modern and vintage clothing, so I guess my snobbery isn't limited by era; I am an equal opportunity b*tch.

 

[Drappa]

Hm, this thread is a bit depressing isn't it?
I do judge people, but not for period accuracy or mixing eras, but mainly because they wear clothing that isn't appropriate to the occasion, their age or doesn't look good on them. And in those cases I only tend to judge if they haven't made an effort at all with their appearance or think they are being a rebel by showing up to a wedding in a hoodie.
I mix eras because I frankly don't like the entire look of a specific era enough to want to emulate it, just as I don't like all modern looks and pick and chose from these. That is the luxury of living now and having access to books, movies, sewing patterns, the internet, photos etc. I love the 50's but dislike bobby socks, high waisted jeans/pants, saddle shoes and 50's hair. I love 40's hair and dresses but not necessarily evening wear or big shoulders. I love the 70's, especially coats, leather jackets and flared pants. The thing is, I don't just like history I also like fashion, a lot. Every few years fashion designers take elements from vintage fashion and create something new, and I think that's lovely and sometimes creative and just as historically important as the fashions of 60 or 70 years ago. Living now gives me the chance to build my own silhouette as I see fit, and that is what I think makes fashion move forward.

It is great to find a vintage item and think about the history and craftmanship, but it is just as nice to buy a modern cashmere sweater or leather gloves that don't smell, have no repairs, and will likely last a few years.
In my current circumstances it is just not feasible to wear a full girdle and stockings when walking the dog through the woods for 3 hours, and vintage shoes are often not good with mud and puddles, so I'm not going to worry about it and wear repro dresses with hiking boots if I have to. My grandparents would have made do with what they had and what they had access to, so I think it is actually "vintage" to mix things to suit my lifestyle.

I am terrible at doing my hair, and frankly don't have the time or patience to regularly set it and fuss with it, so if it's straight and just pinned back and doesn't match my dress, I could care less what others thought about it. I'm also not going to wear something for the sake of accuracy if I don't like it or it isn't practical or really uncomfortable.
I think that lots of Rockabilly girls who aren't period accurate look better than some people who are completely accurate, simply because it suits them better and just looks nice on them. I tend to think that people who are too judgemental have issues, and that is their problem, not mine. When I was in highschool I wore flared jeans before they were in style, and even customised them to make them longer. I had a terrible experience with a bunch of girls who were younger than me but felt the need to laugh at me and my bell bottoms. A year later they all wore the exact same silhouette. I never forgot that it was their peer pressure and insecurities that made them act this way towards me and made me feel bad about something I enjoyed, so I never want to be that person.