I wear vintage clothing to keep the stories of those from the past alive.
It is fulfilling knowing you are wearing a piece of history. Vintage clothing is a wearable time capsule, memories are stitched into the seams. Synapses of consciousness are woven and connected throughout the fabric.
Wearing vintage clothing allows my imagination to run wild fantasizing about the life the pieces had before I discovered them.
Keeping Stories From The Past Alive Wearing Vintage Clothing
Take this amazing lurex leaf dress…
I am sure it was the belle of the ball more than once.
Maybe a singer wore this on stage to rapturous applause, her hair piled high on her head, her chandelier earrings exploding star bursts when caught in the spotlight.
Perhaps this vintage dress attended a celebrity gala and had a glass of Moët accidentally spilled on it while showing off some new dance moves. Good thing champagne doesn’t stain.
Maybe the sparkly maxi dress hosted a 70’s free love party which turned clothing optional after midnight. It’d be a shame to only wear the dress half the night though.
I adore this fragile piece of vintage with so much imagined history.
I have lovingly tried to repair quite a few holes in the lurex. Luckily they aren’t too visible due to the bold print.
The interior slip hem needs some attention and will need to be taken up. The body shrunk up inches above the interior slip when I washed it. I hate it when that happens! Live and learn. I haven’t had shrinkage with lurex before but there is always a first and this dress happened to be it. Annoying!
When the piece was still wet I tried to gently stretch it back but those little holes didn’t care one bit being disturbed while damp. I could hear the tears lengthening. It was a vintage reseller’s nightmare.
Normally I wouldn’t sell a piece that is so fragile. I haven’t decided if this will be heading to Vintage By Suzanne or not.
I cannot deny I feel like a diva in this dress.
Where is my limo driver? PA Person!!! NO, I don’t know your name! I need some room temperature Voss water STAT! I’m so dehydrated even my eyes refuse to blink! I feel faint. I think my blood sugar levels are dangerously low and I feel a coma coming on. Run quick and get me my mini donuts and the buff boy that eats them for me. Of course I can’t eat the donuts myself! Ha ha! Simpleton! You’re obviously new here. A body like this requires a village.
Lady Rah-Rah
There will be no snacking while wearing it though as it fits like a second skin, albeit one that is much less stretchy than the skin I’m in. Oh that my skin could shrink back like this dress did! Wouldn’t that be a magic trick? Lady Rah-Rah would love that.
For those of you that shop secondhand and vintage, do you find yourself imaging the previous life of your clothing?
Linking up with Visible Monday, Turning Heads Tuesday, Fancy Friday, and Spy Girl
A grand motto for life: “Good thing champagne doesn’t stain.” : >
This dress is marvelous on you with your fab figure and brilliant hair. I love to contemplate the “lives” of my vintage pieces before they come to live here. It makes dressing even more imaginative!
Stay fabulous, xox
-patti
😀 @patti: we say “champagne makes no red wine stains”….
I think you’d like to say that for white wine too if I remember your preferences correctly ; P
You look amazing in that—maybe just keep it and wear it!!!! I love the hair and make-up sitch, too!
I think this one will be a keeper due to all the issues. Plus I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. Just have to figure out which two other dresses I’m willing to let go to make space for this one.
Absolutely! Stories seem particularly important when you can’t believe you’ve found such a wonderful piece of clothing! What was the previous owner thinking??? Then, you simply must spin a tale that explains how and why they came to own it and what purpose(s) it served.
The colors in this dress are so lovely! They’re perfectly muted and soft with that subtle lurex shimmer.
You’re gorgeous in it Suzanne!
I agree Jude. The pieces I really love seem to have extra pleasant memories associated with them, even if they come from my imagination.
There was one vintage seller I used to visit often and she would sometimes include a history sheet with the pieces she sold. It was fantastic! One of the items was a smoking jacket with a brief history of the former owner and what he did in his life. I wish I knew more about the items I sell, I’d do the same.
this is a marvelous dress and it suits you perfect!!
very glam!
i too love all the stories of life woven in vintage garments. or in pieces made by tailors or actual designers (not the nameless soldiers working behind computers for the fast fashion industry)……
and i want this stories attached to my house, my furniture, my car – even for my food if ts possible! no anonym *buy&dump* stuff for me.
@shrinking: maybe the lurex is knitted (it looks like) with WOOL – and that wool decided to felt in the wash…. (and the holes are moth holes – had this once with a french, stunning, mustard yellow, milano knit skirt suit – the longer i looked the more holes appeared! was very sad.)
xxxxx
I agree we develop a better understanding and more appreciation of everything in our lives if we ask and know where it came from. I’m starting to ask these questions more. Environmental responsibility is important in every aspect of our lives.
BTW…you are right, they are moth holes and they do seem to keep multiplying every time I look at the dress : (
OMG this dress looks made for you–it fits like a glove, flatters and goes perfectly with your hair–not just the colors, but the leaf motif. You should keep it!
When my mom died (just three weeks after my dad), I took her wedding dress to a friend who had a vintage shop. She had been tiny when she married and all the women in the family are a good foot taller and three bra sizes bigger–no way could any of them get into her dress. I told my friend to tell whoever bought it that it was a good luck dress because my parents were married for nearly 60 years. I would have wanted a dress like that.
I would have loved a dress like that. What a wonderful story! Clothing with a valued history means so much more.
That’s the fun part of older clothing. Imagining how they were worn and by whom. We come up with stories about our rescued kitties like that. Who owned them and what happened. I guess there’s a bit of storyteller in all of us.
It really is amazing on you Suzanne. The gold shoes/boots with it are so perfect!!
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
I love that you rescue your cats. I’ve often tried to rescue up here and they made it so difficult and expensive that I gave up. Next time we want another pug I think we might travel to the States.
The gold shoes are also vintage…a fab estate sale find.
Oh gorgeous! Reminds me of my grandma in the 70s!
How would you know, if you buy something pre loved, if it is vintage or just second hand?
I’d love to see photos of your Grandma Nancy!
You can tell the age of clothing most of the time by the label inside. Modern labels are very different from old labels. Also the way they finished the clothing (seams, lining, buttons, etc) look very different from what they do today. In the 1990s that is when most of the clothing started being manufactured overseas. Another thing is the fabric and design. Certain fabrics and designs were used at different times. It can be very tricky to accurately evaluate the age of an item if there are no tags on it and it is a homemade piece. Then you have to look at the design of the garment, fabric, buttons etc like I mentioned before. Zippers are another giveaway. Most zippers from the late 60s on became nylon. Prior to that the zippers were metal.
That dress fits you like a glove, Suzanne, and what a stunning print. It does make you look very tall as well. Definitely a keeper. Do Not Sell 😉 I often fantasize about the history of my vintage clothes. I’ve even toyed with the idea of writing a series of short stories based on favourite vintage pieces (and I’m not just talking clothes). I’d love it if I knew the real story of some of them … xxx
That is why I love a good empire waist maxi dress, they are very elongating : )
I think the idea of writing a series of short stories about your vintage pieces would be fabulous! You have such a way with words Ann.
What a totally fabulous dress! It looks fantastic on you and I bet it could tell a few stories….I’d keep it if I were you.
I have to say I do occasionally wonder about the history of some of my older pieces of clothing. I don’t have any really old pieces. I think my oldest clothes go back to the 1980s but that’s still 30 years or more of history.
xxx
Whoa! What an amazing dress! If you’re not a diva before you put it on, you’re certainly one once you do. Amazing.
I also think about thrifted clothes having new “life” when they come into my hands. I also speculate on items’ past lives. Last Summer I bought a skirt from a middle-aged woman at a yard sale and when I paid for it, she told me it was hers. Knowing that, wearing the skirt later made me feel like a real woman — I had something in common with an actual person I’d met.
Very true that as soon as I put on the dress I walked a little taller : )
I remember that story. There is so much more value to items when we know their history.
I want to hear more of Lady Rah-Rah 🙂 This is a very cool dress- that’s too bad that it’s so fragile.
Ha ha! I only let her out every once in a while. Otherwise she gets on everyone’s nerves very quickly.
I am glad you included a close-up so I could see the material as I was thinking “sparkly? what does she mean?” I get it now.
The dress is a dream and it is so figure flattering. Perhaps you can add a piece in between in the lining?
Greetje
The holes are all in the outer layer so the lining does protect me from flashing anything.
The dress is just made for you, it looks simply stunning . Such a pity about the holes .
I feel the same about the vintage pieces I own and often wonder about the previous owners and the places and events they have seen.
Never disparage your singing! Like with drawing our voice is ours alone. Give it a place! And don’t you look joyous in that photo.
Hops off soapbox.
I just love “A body like this requires a village”! 😀
Your artist’s imagination shines in this post.
I have a pair of vintage handmade bloomers bought on Etsy to give me an experience of owning something really old. I often wonder about the person in France who handsewed with meticulous stitches these slightly wonky saggy bottomed knickers made out of the finest of linens. What would she feel about me wearing them as outerwear?!
Much love,
Jazzy Jack
Ha! Tis very true that my voice is VERY unique! ; P
That is a fantastic story about the bloomers. I think it is the bloomers that are enjoying a fabulous new life with you as outerwear. They probably wanted to be seen from the get-go.
You are so telling a story & singing too. . . I am enjoying it all. Happy 2019!!
Happy 2019 Neti!
That vintage clothing looks super amazing and refreshing. It’s bringing so much memories. Thanks!
The Glossychic
Wonder Cottage
Thanks for popping by Wendee : )
Keeping stories from the past alive, I love that!! You look absolutely amazing, I love this dress on you!
xx, Elise
http://www.sparkleandslippers.blogspot.com
Thanks Elise!
You have the most amazing dresses Suzanne, especially maxi ones. Love the print on this, the colors and that it has long sleeves. Also, that gorgeous flower wall – always the perfect wall for photos! =)
Happy New Year 2019! Welcome by and join my new Thursday Moda style linkup this week and every week! Thanks, Ada. =)
http://eleganceandmommyhood.blogspot.com/2019/01/thursday-moda-149-starting-2019-in-pink.html
Thanks Ada : )
Love that too about vintage clothing. I have some pieces in my wardrobe and you do wonder who wore this, what was their life like? There has to be an interesting story behind this piece…
Love this long gown on you, the print and colors look so good on you with your hair and skin tone.
Happy 2019 Suzanne!
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
I think everything with a history is much more interesting. The provenance of a vintage piece is valuable.
Fabulous lurex shot leaf print dress. Perfection on you !
A diva is born.. lol..she is your evil twin..
Do share her a bit more, she is such a sketch ! Lday RAh rah, indeed !
❤️❤️❤️
Elle
https://theellediaries.com/
Ha ha! She IS my evil twin : )
Got so excited about your diva I forget to address the point of this post.
I do sometimes wonder about a previous owned dress or handbag… sometimes they come with combs which I wash and keep. I love to find that , although I can imagine that would not be welcome by most.
Cheers to no stain champagne!
❤️❤️❤️
Elle
I’ve often found bags with combs and mirrors, still in little paper bags snuggled inside the tiny zip pocket. Like you I don’t get rid of them. They are a memento of times past.
Lurex totally rock! and You Rock in it! this dress is Fabulous, the print, the shape, the attitude, the stories, the glamour!!. I think that finding and wearing this kind of pieces is what make vintage so exciting and addictive!
Sorry for the shrink and holes but, well, nobody is perfect. And this fab dress makes us keep the faith in finding another one even more fabulous!
besos
That is a stunning dress, shrinkage, tears and all!! I’m sure whomever wore that was the center of attention when they entered a room. I wonder about the origin stories of the of the fancier pieces I’ve found, who bought them and what occasion were they worn to, etc.
That’s one great dress! Looks fab on you!
Champagne doesn’t stain; another excuse to drinking it as often as possible. (As if we need excuses or reasons for that, right?!) Too bad I can only have one glass per week (diabetes). But that one glass is enjoyed thoroughly, I can tell you! Cheers!