the adventures of starla, vintage newbie

[starla]

Hi ladies!

I'm new to the forum and new to vintage style...I've admired it for a long time (especially looking at pictures of my grandmother when she was my age...gorgeous!!) but only now have started to take an active interest in it. I'm as green as they come.

Anyway, my question is, how did you guys get interested in vintage? And what was your first thing to purchase or change? My first vintage-inspired purchase was actually a great red halter-top empire waist dress and a lace garter belt and stockings to go with it...now I want more!

And another question is, what do you recommend as a good 'starting area'? Clothes? Accessories? Makeup? Hair? I'm thinking of slowly incorporating more in each area as I can and as my budget allows (I'm a poor college student who has to save every penny she can...but I still like to pamper myself so it's quite tricky!)

Any advice you can give me would be amazing! I've been lurking and checking out a lot of posts and I'm so glad I found this board to help me!

 

[ohairas]

Hello Starla and welcome to the vintage world!

I really don't recall how I got into vintage, I have always admired it since a child. My grandma would give me this vintage bag filled with her old makeup and I would play for hours. And like you, I always admired her old photos.. here is her wedding pic:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/ohairas/album/576460762343325260/photo/294928803642589448/2

Deciding what to add to your collection will of course depend on your taste. But I would say perhaps start with little things that you can add to other outfits to make them vintagey. A few great pairs of comfy shoes, a few hats, belts, gloves. Go to a vintage shop and try things on to really find the styles you like.. you don't have to buy! Some of my FAVORITE dresses I would've never bought hanging on the rack, but once I saw them on me I was sold!!

Play around with your hair and get some combs and such. Gather some photos you like and try going to a beauty school and let them play around for fun.

And obviously, keep hanging with us kid! LOL!
Nikki

 

[Lady Day]

Howdy starla.

Ive been interested old things since I was in elementary school. As far as dressing the part, I always wore old things and didnt go into it full time, or choose an era until about a year+ ago.

As far as starting, Id think of collecting pictures of the era that you are interested in, then maybe moving into something small and inexpensive like brooches or earrings. Then to seperates and dresses?

That is how I started.

Good luck and have fun! This place as Im sure you will find is a wealth of information.

LD

 

[Amy Jeanne]

Welcome!

I've always liked "old" stuff. When I was a kid I adored it because I had this fear/fascination with it. I loved watching old movies when I was young!

When I was a teen I got into punk, though, and forgot all about vintage until 1998. I was getting older (the big 2-3!!) and beginning to tire of the bands I liked (Screeching Weasel, MTX, The Queers, etc., but I still love 'em!.) I needed something new and different. The swing revival was in full swing that summer and I decided it was interesting. Mainstream bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy lead me to an investigation of the REAL 40s and 50s and current rockabilly bands like Amazing Royal Crowns, Josie Kruezer, and Big Sandy. My dad was a teen in the 50s, too, so I've always had the era around me!

I had decided that "retro" was cool. From there on, I just had to dig deeper. I honestly don't know what made me love old movies again. I seem to remember reading about Louise Brooks and Lois Weber on the web and my love of 10s, 20s, and 30s had officially begun! I decided that I preferred those older days to the 50s and rockabilly (but don't get me wrong, I love both!) Now I'm full-fledged OBSESSED with movies from the 20s and 30s and the whole era in general. It's a big part of my life.

I bought my first vintage dress in 1999 off ebay. It was a 40s/50s dress. Around that time I began experimenting with fingerwaves and makeup. Kevyn Aucoin helped me in the makeup department (I recommend his books!) I practiced on my hair as much as I could and I can do perfect fingerwaves these days! I even have real vintage tools to help me along!

I just jumped right in when it came to starting out! It's more fun that way

 

[Shearer]

Pretty new here too.....

...although I've been into vintage ever since I was a little thing.

I think what started me out what hearing stories about my family when I was little. My dad grew up close to dirt poor, but when I looked at the photos of his parents and their friends, the style was amazing. I even liked looking at the stuff in the backgrounds of the photos... the cars and furniture. There's a picture of my Granny pinning a veil on a bride seated at an old vanity. What I wouldn't give to have that in my bedroom now! My dad moved to LA in the early fifties and I love, love, love to hear about the city back then and the old theaters he used to go to.

My mom grew up in LA, too. One of her grandmothers lived in San Pedro and used to make moonshine out of her house during the prohibition, and had a butterfly tattoo on the inside of her thigh. She must have been something! Mom's other grandmother was a much loved wardrobe mistress for Paramount from silent films on into the golden era. There's a picture of her strolling down the street with Bob and Bing in a box somewhere that I should dig up. Man, what I wouldn't give to have had that job during that time!

If I had to give advice for starting out vintage, I'd say buy a piece of jewelry or a scarf... something small... in a style you love and start wearing it. I try to wear something vintage or carry a vintage purse everyday. If you don't have money to buy something now, start doing your hair in a classic style, or do your make up old school... a red lip can go a long way!

 

[NicolettaRose]

Welcome!!

Not sure how I exactly got into vintage, but I started in kind of an unlikely and expensive place, aquiring dresses from the 1920's, after I had collection of about 15 of them, and was wearing them on a daily basis, I recognized that other eras might be a little more durable and a little less expensive. Today, I wear my 1920's stuff with less frequency, and tend to dress more in 1930's, and a little 1940's.

I most recently starting going full on vintage in my outfits ( Everything from the shoes, to the dress, to the jewlery from the 1930's).

My recommendation is find a era that works for you and looks good on you. I chose the 1930's because of the narrow, slim bias cut and cast off a lot of stuff from the 1940's because a lot of things really overwhelm me and look better on a girl who's got curves. 1920's is great if you have a gamine figure.

The best recommendation is invest in a couple of nice day dresses, as these are generally the durable and most wearable( I can even put my 1940's and 1930's day dresses in the washing machine and dry on low cycle). I would save buying evening wear til you have a little more money. Ebay is a good place to buy cheap once you know your era (s), I would recommend buying your first garments in a vintage store, where you can try them on.

Also keep in mind the vintage sizing when I am on Ebay and I see a size 12/14, I know instantly its going to fit me.

I know the measurements are posted, but here is some breakdown into modern ( vanity) sizing:

Size 12: 0/Small 2

Size 14: 2

Size 16: 4

Size 18: 6

Etc Etc

 

[Bonny]

I have always loved old stuff. I was the only kid wearing saddle shoes and white and red cowgirl boots. my mom always took me to thrift stores so i dont really recall my first vintage purchase. but i really turned to vintage when my boyfriend bought my first vintage seamed stockings. I didnt know anything like that existed. i thought they were cute but imagined that they would feel like pantyhose (yuck) but without the panty part. oh not so....they were like a dream. but pretty much i have always been into vintage in general, not just clothes. Vintage anything and everything!