What made you fall in love with retro beauty?

[Paisley]

I was a kid in the 70s: think Dorothy Hamill haircuts, hip huggers and hideous patterns. I liked the pretty hairdos and dresses women wore from the 40s back that I saw in old and historic movies.

 

[desi_de_lu_lu]

Faye Dunaway in "Mommy Dearest"

I don't know why, but it was captivating to me. I saw it when I was nine years old, and the rest is history.

 

[Miss 1929]

Fashion show...

Although I always loved old objects as a rebellion to growing up in a house full of Danish Modern, and I bought a few vintage pieces to wear here and there, it wasn't until I was cast in a huge Art Deco Society fashion show (and got my first pair of contacts), where they dressed me in 20s and 30s clothes, that I really felt like I could actually be pretty! Hook, line and sinker, I am gone. I was 25, that's a long time to go feeling like a freak.
I spent the next couple of years building a wardrobe and going to all their parties, and learning to dance, then one day I realized (whacking forehead)"Duh, I play the piano! I could play this music!" and I was off in the direction of vintage jazz, which has really changed my life.
I don't dress vintage everyday, but my modern clothes look vintage. And my hair and makeup always. I see no reason to try and conform with a modern look that makes me look ugly. Luckily I live in the Bay Area where you can wear anything you want and no one judges you, and I really wouldn't care if they did anyway!

 

[nyx]

My mother and I used to watch old black and white films, mostly musicals when I was young, on PBS. Then when I was about 17 I saw The Wild One, with Marlon Brando and I fell completely in love with the rebel on the motorcycle. I wanted to be his girl and ride off with him into the sunset, clutching that trophy.

But I didn't realize that it was ok for me to dress vintage until my mid-twenties, because I just didn't see anyone else doing it until then. I love the bold, sexy red lips, and the attention to detail in the dress. I love finding a perfect pair of vintage shoes that fit my fat feet--not that it happens very often lol

 

[Gingerella72]

Growing up with older parents (they were married in 1952, I was born in 1972, lol) gave me an appreciation and knowledge of the era, but I didn't concsiously come to love it until I was in high school.

While flipping through channels one day, I happened upon AMC and Kitty Foyle with Ginger Rogers. She was so beautiful it literally took my breath away. I had heard of her, and Fred Astaire, but had never seen any of those movies. I hadn't really ever seen what Ginger looked like before, though I knew she had blonde hair. And I had no idea she had made movies outside of the ones she made with Fred. The fact that she had dark hair in KF made me curious about her, so I began watching AMC religiously for more of her movies, thereby also seeing other old classics as well.

I watched, mezmerized, at the hairstyles, dress, and makeup of the actresses and it boggled my mind as to how they got that look. There's a perfection and polish in those looks that is lacking in modern beauty. I know there were oodles of makeup and hair stylists behind the scenes of those movies, but even in looking at photographs of us common folk from the era there is a poised quality you don't find today. I love looking at my mom's high school yearbook (1948), and old family photos of the time. The women just looked more feminine then.

 

[Antje]

I'm not a true retro girl to be really honest. I'm a re-enactor, aswell as the military side as the civilian. So I don't wear vintage clothing dailly.
I started collecting pictures of women in uniforms during the war and was captured by their amazing hairstyles. I tried to replicate those for years but never got the hang of it.
Untill I found this place I could only make the gibson roll. I have to say I wear flowers in my hair since I'm here because it looks so happy and colorfull during the winterdays so that's the only vintage thing I do.

But since I'm here it startes to itch and I would love to fill my wardrobe with a few retro things The style of the '40s look more glamerous than the fashion now a days, and the women back then really tried to look their best!

Couldn't leave it to post a picture from last summer, my boyfriend and I went to a wedding of a fellow re-enactor. The first time my hair looked great (in my eyes )

ooh nice pic
you're a cool couple,
and I love the hairdo

 

[pigeon toe]

Actually, I'm reading a biography of Clara Bow right now and it reminded me that Bettie Page was NOT my first introduction to vintage.

In about 7th grade we had to do board games on a decade, so my best friend and I chose the 1920's. We got super into the history and silent film stars and spent HOURS cutting out images of Clara Bow to decorate the cards for our game and making it look just perfectly art deco. We got an A+! And I think that where the love affair REALLY started. Bettie Page just made me realize I could look like those gals too.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

In 1998 I discovered a photo of Louise Brooks. I was sold. I've been obsessed with the 20s and 30s ever since.

 

[Helen Troy]

I've grown up with in a family with an interest in history, and I got classic cars, Raymond Chandler and Casablanca from my dad, Poirot and other classic crime fiction, (both in books and on screen,) from my mother. (Who has been told by more than one native english speaker that her english is perfect, allthough with Norwegian acsent, but that her vocabolary is straight from 30s english high class!)

So the grounwork was there, and I have allways loved the style. But it was LARP, (a spescial type of reenactment/ improvised theater ) that got me hooked.

Some years ago, I made an evening gown from a 40s pattern for a LARP, and when I tried it on and looked in the mirror, I saw that I had never worn anything more flattering! From then on, I have bought more and more vintage.

I don't dress completely vintage in daily life, it would feel artificial to me personally. I reserve that for LARPS. I wear vintage with a personal, modern touch and I love it.

 

[imoldfashioned]

Old movies--no doubt!

I grew up staying up for the late show, then I'd go to the library and read up on the studios, the stars, costume design, set design, portrait photography, etc. Each book would lead me to another book, which would lead me to another movie to track down in a near infinite loop. When I got old enough to go to revival houses I went pretty much every weekend. In early high school I started scouring vintage shops for outfits similar to those I'd seen on the screen and what I couldn't find I sewed.

Growing up in the late 70s/80s helped nudge me towards the 30s/40s fashions too--those were dark, dark days stylistically! While other girls my age idolized Farrah Fawcett I was writing fan letters to Myrna Loy. Myrna's still the gold standard of womanhood in my book both for style but more importantly for behavior.

 

[VanillaT]

I took piano lessons from an older woman at her home for many years. She had learned to play long ago and so almost all of the music that she had me play was her old music! She had travelled a lot when she was younger and her house was all decorated with her vintage mementos and lovely oriental-styled vintage furniture. I started out hating those lessons, but as the years went by (I took lessons from her for around 12 years) it became a calm refuge. We used to play vintage two-piano songs together (Nola was one of my favorites). She realized I preferred to play the ragtimes and the waltzes--

Still, I guess this was only part of it. The other part is that I have always loved watching Agatha Christie's Poirot as brought to life by David Suchet (started watching it in middle school, still do); and later on the 40's series Foyle's War.

Of course I have always been close with my grandparents and my one greatgrandparent (who has since passed). I guess that also helped foster my love for days of yore.

What can I say, it is just classic!

 

[RitaHayworth]

....................

Cant say for sure.... I just like how much more glamorous women loooked back then.

 

[PS]

Just always thought things looked they say they should when I saw old photographs. You could see the history breathing from them.
I had a friend who introduced me to the music and it started from there. I've heard I was an old soul since I was a little girl so guess it all just 'fits'.

 

[olive bleu]

My beautiful Mother.when i saw pictures of her growing up in the 40's and then later, her wedding pictures, I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.She is a classic beauty.

 

[Elaina]

Grunge.

My mother STILL wears 60's style makeup, and it works for her. She's toned it down over the years, and I liked the look, but wanted something less heavy. Went to the library, looked at the old fashion magazines they had, then went to the mall and told the guy I wanted to look like Marilyn Monroe. I left 2 hours later knowing exactly how to apply it, and what worked and what didn't. Then I went to a beauty shop he suggested and got 40's brows. (Only because I pluck the teeny tiny arch in. Then draw the heck out of them, because I don't have eyebrows on one side without it due to scars.)

I was 16. Only thing I don't do is red lippy (I don't like it all that much even when I had pretty teeth, and I have thin lips and have to draw them on anyway...red doesn't work without screaming "She drew her lips on!"), and I haven't altered it much since, except I do some contoring of my shadows she didn't do. (And yes, it's now been half my life I never changed my makeup.)

 

[ruby_cadillac]

'We're just two little girls.. from Little Rock'

half of the image that got me into vintage beauty. Marilyn and Jane Russell just fascinated me. From there I looked into the more fashion side of it (I'm a Textiles and Fashion student, what can I say) and fell in love with the designs of Schiaparelli, the work of William Travilla and Digby Morton tailoring.

After watching Gentlemen prefer Blondes I was addicted. My entire A Level coursework for this year is 1940s based. I love it.

 

[leaette]

I believe in a type of reincarnation of sorts.

I just feel that one of my past life energies lived in the Golden Era. I've known this since I was very small, even before I understood what the word "vintage" meant.

 

[sophia la shok]

for me it was a mixture of films and history. on the history side of it when i studied WWII i always noticed that all of the females involved always seemed to look so beautiful and strive so hard to keep their families going even though their men were fighting and dying. it made me feel humbled. something just struck me about it. and i seemed to soak up any kind of knowledge i could about the era.

 

[PrincessGrace]

Silly though it sounds, I fell it love with it when I played Rizzo in a production of Grease. I just loved all the beautiful costumes I got to wear, as well as the fun I had with setting my hair before each performance. The director later told me that, in the prom scene, I looked like Grace Kelly and that just cemented everything for me!

Luckily, I have a friend who's as obsessed with the vintage look as I am and, each month, we have a day of vintage shopping. It's fun!

 

[rubyredlocks]

My mother is very much into classic movies and I grew up watching everything from Shirley Temple to Audrey Hepburn.She definitely passed the torch to me.
I think the movie that really solidified my obsession was The Wizard of Oz.I wanted to grow up to be Dorothy.In fact,my daily makeup look is still inspired by Judy Garland's look in the film.

Also,I have a slight obsession with ruby red anything.Hmmmm...do you think there might be a connection?lol