Vintage Fashion. What does the future hold? How do high street copies affect the individuality of vintage?

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Permalink Reply by Maryanne on October 30, 2009 at 9:25am

for me, vintage fashion is a very high end couture piece from the 20's -60's, in pristine condition.

i had worked with vintage couture for many years and sold those pieces as silohouette to the top designers.
many times a designer will use an older piece as inspiration, or will take the original apart and re-work a new pattern.

for vintage beadwork, i once sold a piece to a very well known designer.
it was the most exquisite embroided/sequin/bead pattern from the early 1920's.
very small square of beadwork., it shimmered in the light.

a designer will never translate an item exactly ..simply becasue the techniques for sequins/beads etc.. today are different from what they had been years ago.

so, they wil use that piece for inspiration.

perfection vintage to me?
a balenciaga from the 50's.
a pucci from the 60's.
silk fortuny.

many people consider alaia collectable and i have one of his beautiful pieces from the 80's.
the 80's are not vintage couture.

there has to be an inherent timelessness to the garment.
vintage clothing, unless exquisite can begin to look like halloween if one is not careful.

i would step in vintage cautiously.

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Permalink Reply by San Jose Fashion Week on October 30, 2009 at 9:33am

Very well spoken, my compliments, I wish to see this more often in the discussions. I am actually going to save this, I wish i had articles like this.

Stevn & Natalia

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Permalink Reply by Lizzie Wood on October 30, 2009 at 2:48pm

Well i have to agree with you both personally. There are so many people that class themselves as vintage lovers but who only but items that are in 'vintage' stores rather authentic bespoke pieces. I mean there is so much hype about the rise in popularity of vintage but all that really means is that people are taking more interest in second hand clothing in general rather than seeking out rare designer items from classic eras like the 20's and 60's. There is a huge difference between second hand and vintage but it is something that people confuse.
So, what are your ideas in relation to the high street at the moment, do you think that people are taking it upon themselves to be more individual by customising and adjusting their items? Or do you think we have entered a clone phase where people are lacking creativity due to the recession and loss of originality on the high street?

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Permalink Reply by Maryanne on October 31, 2009 at 11:12am

to answer your questions:

there is a fantastic store in manhattan called M & J Trimming.
they have the most wonderful selection of every type of trim, ribbon, etc...that one could want.
they have an entire wall, floor to ceiling of ribbons from france, switzerland..etc.
i walk through that store as though i were in an art gallery.
i see beauty in the colour of a ribbon, or a style of a button.

i will customize and personalize my clothing.
on my page i have a photograph of me wearing impossibly high heels that are a greige colour, to tie them in wearing a black dress, i just went to my ribbon store and purchased black silk ribbon from france and tied a bow through the peep toe.


when any designer creates, they have certain images in their minds, which will influence them.
everyone has a particular decade which "spoke" to them. so you will see clothing which reflects that.


the clone phase :
there are two very distinct levels of design.
those who start a new trend..
and those who see whatever is selling and knock it off.

the loss of originality on high street can be blamed on the " knock-off" designers.
those companies only want to see profit.
how many pieces did the store move that day.
and the clothing looks "cookie cutter"
because they are using the same manufacturing plant, ideas etc..as the next person.
7th avenue in manhattan is rife with this problem.
and it makes shopping, "boring" and that is one of the problems in retail today.
that you've already seen 20 copies of the exact same look.

the main problem is that the quality of the goods is in sharp contrast to the price point of the goods.

the consumer today is very savvy and will not pay a high price point for a lesser quality garment.

that is design/ manufacturing responsibility. to make a good garment at a "saleable" price point.
and that is not being done.
i have seen too many pieces made with the cheapest possible fabric blends at "unreal" prices points, considering the workmanship and quality.
so the industry through "greed" caused it's own implosion.

the other problem today are the "stylists" from los angeles.
i specifically am speaking about the hollywood crowd.
majority of them are unimaginative and that is reflected in what the celebrties are wearing.

there is also another point to be made which is the most important:
in fashion, there is nothing new under the sun.
somewhere, someone in some other decade has already designed it.

if people were to mix decades subtly, that might be a more interesting twist to an overall "look"
i did that in the photo on my page:
my suede handbag is from the 50's.
my black silk dress, referenced the 60's.
and my shoes with my added bows are 2009.
but all put together, it works. and looks "current".

( yes, i guess you can tell ~ from my lengthy answer, that i truly love this industry.)

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Permalink Reply by Apparel1 on October 30, 2009 at 9:13pm

You mention, "There is only so much vintage in the world so what happens when we run out?" In my opinion, we can NEVER run out of vintage fashion. When I think of vintage, I think of length of time in regard to decades. Some people may view product from the 1980's as vintage (I personally think that is too recent..). Others may think vintage would be the 70's, 60's, 50's, 40's and so on.. My thought is that you can never run out of vintage clothing because as soon as a decade passes, the earlier decade becomes "vintage". It is a never ending cycle. In ten or twenty years from now, product from this year becomes vintage... As long as clothing exists, there will be vintage clothing.

The "antique" clothing however will become more scarce. Clothing from the 1920's etc., gets old and falls apart.

The term "retro" is often interchangeable with "vintage". Not sure the specific difference.

Not sure if you are aware, but we have a vintage fashion group here on the Fashion Industry Network. Maybe you can ask some questions in that group. Also, I have a list of vintage clothing stores at my Apparel Search site. Maybe you can contact vintage store owners with quesions.

By the way, to answer your question. I personally do not wear vintage.

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Permalink Reply by Kate James on November 5, 2009 at 7:31am

If you want to see the future trend , Please visit http://www.greenoro.com

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Permalink Reply by Lizzie Wood on February 24, 2010 at 9:44am

Would you guys mind filling this out and passing it on to others who might be interested???

THE FUTURE OF VINTAGE FASHION QUESTIONNAIRE:

PLEASE HIGHLIGHT YOUR ANSWER IN A COLOUR

1 GENDER

Male

Female

2 AGE GROUP

18-25
26-30
31-35
36-40
41-45
45+

3 DO YOU BUY VINTAGE CLOTHING?
 Yes
 No

4 IF YOU TICKED YES THEN HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BUYING IT FOR?
 I don’t buy it
 For about 2 years or less
 For about 3/4 years
 For longer than 5 years

5 WHAT IS YOUR SHOPPING STYLE? TICK THE STATEMENT THAT MOST DESCRIBES YOU. You many tick more than 1 box.
 I love vintage clothing it is all I wear
 I often search for vintage fabrics or prints that I like and rework/customize them
 I buy a lot of vintage clothing but I like to mix and match with highstreet pieces
 I only buy the odd vintage item but mostly shop on the highstreet
 I appreciate vintage clothing but it just isn’t me so I don’t wear it
 I don’t like vintage clothing because it is second hand
 I only shop on the highstreet
 I shop on the highstreet and buy designer labels where possible
 Other. Please state ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………


6 WHY DO YOU BUY VINTAGE CLOTHING? Tick the statement that applies to you. You may tick more than 1 box.
 I love the atmosphere of visiting jumble sales and being able to have a good rummage
 I love finding that special something that will make any outfit unique
 There is a lack of creativity amongst the highstreet and everyone wears the same things whereas vintage fashion allows me to be individual
 Celebrities like Kate Moss and Sienna Miller wear it and I like their style
 It is very popular at the moment and everybody is wearing it, even highstreet retailers are doing their own vintage lines
 I don’t buy it
 Other. Please state ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

7 WHAT DO YOU CLASS AS VINTAGE?

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

8 HAVE YOU NOTICED THE PRICE OF VINTAGE CHANGE OVER THE YEARS?
 Yes
 No

If you answered yes then please could you explain what you have noticed?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

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Permalink Reply by Bobby G. Keith on February 26, 2010 at 3:48am

There's one vintage fashion that I love the most -- the corsets. It's an old age garment that is being enjoyed up to this modern time by full figured women of the world. It gives you an alluring curvy look because they flatten the chest and push up the breast, and cinch in the waist. Plus size corsets gives a sexy appearance to a full figured woman that most men admire because they hide the imperfections in your curvy look.

Gen V
plus size corsets

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Permalink Reply by Bobby G. Keith on March 8, 2010 at 3:23am

Schoolgirl costume may not be a vintage fashion, but i consider it classic way way back then. But there are fashionable sexy schoolgirl costumes that come in various designs and colors that bring back the innocent look that a lady used to have as a school girl. Sexy school girl costumes find a way to a lady's more youthful glow.

Gen V

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Permalink Reply by Ramil Morla on March 11, 2010 at 7:29pm

Vintage clothing continues to expand on a daily basis. I don't necessarily think it's difficult to be original even if the trend has become so popular. The world in which we live in is loaded with an abundance of resources, so therefore it's unlikely that we'll ever run out of supply. Replica designs aren't too shabby considering that most are inspired by the original design which dates back many years. Five years from now, vintage clothing may or may not be as popular as it is today. In the meantime, fashion conscious individuals should ride the wave and enjoy what's currently available. As with everything else in the world, things are constantly fleeting, so no matter how hard we try and hold onto something, eventually it will go back to its original source. Things come and go; including vintage fashion.

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