Your Wardrobe Range.

[LadyStardust]

To those of you who collect, what is the age range of your wardrobe? What is/are your oldest item(s)? How good a condition are they in?
For the rest of your wardrobe, which decade or era do you have the most of?

My oldest item is an 1895 blouse, that is actually in fairly good condition, though I would never wear it, because I think my stress level about harming it in the tiniest way would go through the roof. The decade in which I have the most items from would be the 1940's, followed closely by 1920's. My vintage wardrobe age ranges from 1890's-mid 1950's, . I'm working on adding more 1910's in particular, hopefully whoever keeps buying every single item from that era on ebay and at exorbitant prices will cool off, and give other, less financially advantageous people a chance. lol

 

[Shearer]

Consistently 40s and 50s. Mostly because if I had anything older I would be terrified about ruining it and I like to collect stuff I could wear every day.

I do have a soft spot for gowns , but I try to limit myself to ones that are really special since there's not a whole lot of opportunity to wear a huge 50s full skirt gown.

I tend to mix my vintage stuff with new clothes, but even when I buy new clothes, it has that vintage look. It's called classic style for a reason so I tend to buy new pieces with vintage styles, fabrics, patterns and drapes.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

My wardrobe ranges from about 1935-1955, with most of my clothing dating to about 1938-1944, though thanks to Vivienne, my oldest piece is a dress from 1929. My modern clothing consists of vintage-inspired pieces that borrow heavily from the 1940s-50s and authentic reproductions.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Mine's about 1939 to 1952 or so -- mostly early to mid forties. I have different bits and pieces from different eras, but rarely any of the extremes of any era. Most of my wardrobe is of the middlebrow Sears-and-Roebuck sort of style rather than anything especially fashion-forward for its time. I try to keep everything in as good a condition as possible -- wearing it only for special occasions and sticking to homemade repro the rest of the time.

The oldest bit of vintage I actually do wear is probably a neat little yellow summer hat from c. 1933. (I also own a 1917 steel helmet that was issued to my grandfather when he was an Aircraft Observer during WW2, but I don't wear it much...)

 

[LadyStardust]

Consistently 40s and 50s. Mostly because if I had anything older I would be terrified about ruining it and I like to collect stuff I could wear every day.

I do have a soft spot for gowns , but I try to limit myself to ones that are really special since there's not a whole lot of opportunity to wear a huge 50s full skirt gown.

I tend to mix my vintage stuff with new clothes, but even when I buy new clothes, it has that vintage look. It's called classic style for a reason so I tend to buy new pieces with vintage styles, fabrics, patterns and drapes.

In truth, 1950's dresses are about to overtake my 1920's collection for that very same reason , even though the majority of the latter are in extremely nice condition, entirely wearable, and I have worn them. I've been thinking a lot more practically, now that I've really invested in what started out as just a mild intrigue. What happened was, when I first started collecting, I was fixated on 1920's, and everytime I saw a pretty dress that had my measurements, I automatically "had to have". I'm much more reasonable now, or at least I'd like to hope so.lol I also keep and buy vintage inspired and reproduction vintage modern clothes. I like to mix & match too.

 

[Voodoo Kitten]

I don't own any vintage clothes. I just started really thinking about getting more vintage fashions. I have lots of jeans and t-shirts, but I do have vintage inspired stuff. Mostly 50's.

I do have some of my grandmothers jewelry from the 40's and 50's. I'm too afraid of losing any of it to wear it. And I'm too afraid of anyone stealing it to even have it out, it's locked up and hidden. Plus they would probably look silly with my tomboy clothes

I am drawn to the 40's and 50's styles the most, but it's hard to find things that fit me, (I'm 6'1"), so I'm going to learn to sew and make my own.

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

I wouldn't consider myself a collector, but my wardrobe is largely from the early 40s thru the 50s and into the early 60s. The bulk of my dresses are late 40s/early 50s, and I do have some go go dresses and vintage suits that are "Jackie O" styled. Usually I have the boxy jackets tailored to fit me better. Hope this isn't sacrilege. I also have quite a few vintage sweaters from the early 50s that I wear regularly, and skirts from the same era.

My repro stuff tends to be geared towards the 50s, usually sundresses.

 

[Voodoo Kitten]

My repro stuff tends to be geared towards the 50s, usually sundresses.

I LOVE 50's styled sundresses. I got two really cute 50's style sundress patterns that I'm hoping to make. I just need to find some cute fabric. And learn how to sew, LOL.

You look very pretty in your avatar pic BTW. I have a sweater a lot like that, but red. I got it to wear for the holidays, unfortunately it's been too warm a winter to wear it much.

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

I LOVE 50's styled sundresses. I got two really cute 50's style sundress patterns that I'm hoping to make. I just need to find some cute fabric. And learn how to sew, LOL.

You look very pretty in your avatar pic BTW. I have a sweater a lot like that, but red. I got it to wear for the holidays, unfortunately it's been too warm a winter to wear it much.

Thanks! I find the best repro sundresses in strange places, like the Marshall's sale rack! lol Thanks for the compliment, you're sweet! It's actually a dress, but the seams are so fragile it might end up a sweater eventually!

 

[ShooShooBaby]

my stuff ranges from late 30s to 70s. i have a couple pairs of shoes which are probably pre-late-30s. the oldest is a pair of brown lace-ups i bought at remix about 7 years ago. the bulk of it is WWII era or unidentifiable-but-looks-WWII-era. due to budget constraints, my thriftwhoring, and the fact that i put this stuff through the wringer (dancing, daily wear, etc), a lot of it was purchased in not-too-great of shape. this has saved me so much guilt over ruining things though! you wouldn't believe how many times certain items of mine have been sewn back together!

i do have some really nice, pristine things, like my deadstock "rosie" coveralls and i make an effort to keep them that way.

 

[Voodoo Kitten]

I find the best repro sundresses in strange places, like the Marshall's sale rack! loThanks!l Thanks for the compliment, you're sweet! It's actually a dress, but the seams are so fragile it might end up a sweater eventually!

I love Marshalls! I don't know about yours, but mine has so much hip-hop trendy stuff that you have to dig through first. But I have found some cute stuff there. I got some espradilles there that were an ugly lime color, (but I died them black to match everything). I got nicely made shoes for cheap, just because they were an ugly color.

Maybe I'll go by there this weekend, I haven't been there since the Christmas madness.

 

[pigeon toe]

I have a pair of shoes that I'm not 100% sure on their age. I'm guessing early 30's perhaps, so those would be my earliest piece of vintage. As for accessories though, I have some vanity stuff and a cardboard box of powder from the 1920's or earlier. Clothing from those eras aren't really practical for me though!

So then, my wardrobe ranges from probably early 1930's - late 1950's. I do have some shirts from the 60's on, but those were thrift store finds and I don't really count them as part of my vintage wardrobe. The majority of my pieces are 1940's - 1950's, as I was never very interested in the 30's until recently. I have quite a few lovely 1950's dresses that I keep forgetting about or that are packed away (no room in my closet!), I need to drag them out for the summer.

 

[Pink Dahlia]

My very tiny but ever expanding collection consists of items from the 40s-50s.

My oldest item is from the 40s. Good news for all you ebay buyers I won't be snatching up anything older than that (not to worry Lady Stardust ).

My repro items are mainly 50s inspired.

I would like to add some vintage shoes to my collection and I recently (thanks to Daisy's jewelry bug) added some vintage jewelry. I am also currently adding some color to my very black wardrobe for the summer and I am still looking for the perfect vintage swim suit!

 

[ohairas]

Let's see.. I think my oldest peices would be from 1870's. I have a silk bustle gown that is extremely shattered, but I love to unbox it and look at it every now and then. I have a red silk velvet ball gown top that is in extremely good condition structurally, but there was beading that had been removed along with some silk gauze around the neckline. The velvet is the most scrumptious fabric I've ever touched tho. It came with another half of a waist, which is so odd. Was told they came from a museum that closed. It's the one I displayed for Valentine's day:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/ohairas/album/576460762343323370

My next oldest is my 1910 moire gown.
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/ohairas/album/576460762343323401
I can cinch down to 24 now, and two more inches I can fit into it for photos. I've been doing a bit of rehabbing, basically just sewing the beading back down to some tule underneath to strengthen. The rest is in great condition. I have a few other edwardian era gowns with shattered pits and such.. but gorgeous. I have a lot of shoes too and vintage corsets,
stockings, and underpinnings. Oh, hey.. found an album with the green silk bustle gown in it,
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/ohairas/album/576460762343355034
and more corsets,
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/ohairas/album/576460762343340448

Then my collection jumps to the late 30's. I love 30's, 40's, and 50's sundresses and day dresses like many of you. I would like to expand to some fancier 40's dresses, but not "formals". I do have quite a few cocktail and wiggle dresses but don't have much opportunity to wear them. A few were my Grandmother's and I just love them. I have about 5 vintage coats and a pretty garnet velvet opera cape.

I have some 60's and 70's stuff too. I just love everything! A very exspensive habbit. I too, like some of you have mentioned, am trying to be much more selective about what I buy now. Esp. with the prices going up on the bay, ect.

I have lots of vintage inspired garb as well, along with my Gone With the Wind and Titanic costume obsessions.

Yikes.. I really wouldn't want to add up what I have in my collection. Perhaps we should tho, for insurance purposes!!

Nikki

 

[Adelaidey]

All of my pieces are late 40's-late 50's, as I find the clothing of that era suits my figure better than that of other times. Mostly day dresses/seperates and slightly nicer dresses... I only buy things for everyday wear/slightly nice occaisions, as I really don't have the money to spend on gowns (*longing sigh*) or other collector's items-- I'm afraid if I start getting hooked on those, I may never be able to pay a single bill! As for modern clothes, I try to keep that vintage-style look in most of my wardrobe as much as I can. Even when my clothing is relatively modern, I try to do vintage hairstyles, accessories, etc. to keep myself up!

 

[Paul]

I cannot say I have a wardrobe ,more a collection in the loose sense ,starting in the 1920's with a few items from the 50's and 60's, how a item qualify to become part of this is simply that I have to like it , sometime for very different reasons.
Just like it or it's unusually and most often it just grabs my attention.

However my passion is in the 1920's not the most popular period here as it's not so wearable for every day as other periods from a practical ladies perspective and would limit you much more.

For me that is part of the attraction because I do not be concerned if something is practical or not to wear, also it's how there was some very extreme style running concurrently, a lady could dress conservatively in the daytime and go OTT in the evening become a "flapper".

 

[Elaina]

My wardrobe is circa 2007. I don't wear used clothing if I can help it.

To that end, I make a wardrobe every season, and retire pieces I wore too much to look awesome, and some pieces remain because they were hardly worn. (Not this year. I got fat.) My patterns, however, are a different story.

 

[Miss Retro]

I've not been collecting long but mine are mostly 40's and 50's. I have more 50's right now but would love to get some 30's as i do like that era to.

 

[Rosie]

The bulk of my vintage clothes are from about the early '30s to the 80s (but in a 80s does 50s twist), with the majority being from the late 40s to the 50s.

The oldest piece of clothing I have is a Lane Bryant dress from about 1934 (I think) it is in EXCELLENT condition. I bought it brand new with tags and no one believes it is over 70 years old.

The oldest piece I have is a grape brooch from about the '20s. It fell one day and broke but when I *really* looked at it, I realized it broke in that way before so I, like the previous owner, glued it back together and wore it proudly.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

My oldest piece is a gown that belonged to my grandmother's grandmother. It's a gorgeous black mourning gown, probably 1880s or 1890s. It's a bit wrinkled from storage, but other than that it is in perfect condition.

I have a dress from the 20s in not-so-hot condition. I'd guess 26-28. I also have various cloche hats which are in ok condition.

No 30s or 40s dresses in my collection, only my bathing suits and hats!

Then my vintage wardrobe takes a big leap and I have mostly 50s and 60s dresses. Mostly because they're easier to find, and they're usually in good, wearable condition.

Most of my clothes, though, are modern, but with a vintage look to them. It's all about having "the eye" and the patience to wade through unattractive modern clothing for that one golden piece! I tend to find lots of cute 40s-esque puffy-sleeved tops in H&M. I love them! With a black, knee-length A-line skirt, backseam stockings, and a pair of chunky heels, you got yourself a cute vintage-esque look!