Vintage Origins

This week Nylon Magazine asked the question of whether people bought vintage clothing specifically because they loved the shared experience of the history of a piece or if they bought pieces because they were cool.


I've loved vintage clothing since I was a child.
The youngest of seven children, including four older sisters, I didn't get new clothes and instead wore their hand-me-downs while mum sewed or knitted items to fill in the gaps. 
The result?  Dire muddy colours, scratchy fabrics, grey knee-high socks and Bata Bullets (sneakers).
I rest my case here ...

I saw my grown-up sisters' closets as one giant dressing up box and frequently raided their gear to inject some glamour into my life while they were at work.
Flitting through the sheep paddock in a pair of 70s brown lace-up knee boots and cape a la' Wonder Woman was unforgettable!!
Especially if I'd forgotten to remove any traces of chook or sheep poo before surreptitiously returning offending items to their place:).  Oops!!

I started to learn sewing at age seven but it was at about 14 when I thought "Stuff it, I'll not wear this hideous gear mum's making for me, I'll make my own clothes!"
I'm sure mum's efforts were kindly meant but 14-year-old girls are impossible to please and I think she was relieved to hand the reins over to me.
Being the tail-ender of the family I spent much of my time in the company of older female relatives who indulged my ravenous appetite for soft, sensuous fabrics.

Many of these grandmothers, aunts, sisters and cousins and their sundry acquaintances didn't mind me gently touching and smelling the delicate and precious silks, velvets and wools and even the odd fur hanging in their closets.
I learnt at an early age how to handle aged fabrics and accessories which when combined with the glamour of Saturday afternoon 1940s movies on TV,  I ended up developing a deep and abiding devotion to fashion history. 

As a collector of clothing from various 20th century eras I've settled on wearing only natural fibres which has meant the 60s and 70s have taken a back seat in recent times.
The Brisbane climate is temperate and it's impossible to comfortably wear vintage man-made fibres.
As for style, I did go through a stage of head-to-toe vintage (any era!).
However something didn't feel quite right until it dawned on me that in head-to-toe vintage,  I was telling someone else’s story and literally walking around in someone else’s shoes/life. 
Now I prefer a look that I consider less "costumey", by mixing up vintage eras and modern pieces together. 
It seems to be a style that has also caught on for many and I think it has something to do with individuals wanting to tell their own life story, not somebody else's.
For now, I'm happy with that.
I'm back in the paddock, fancy-free, running around in a mix-up of bits and pieces, with some that once belonged to someone else.
Now I'm creating a story that's just my own.


So do share please!
What are the origins of your vintage fashion desires?
Why do you wear vintage?


Hail the next generation of vintage fashion lovers! (my seven-year-old)