Vintage fashion explained

Where I come from, vintage fashion is not very well known. Some people have absolutely no clue what it is and when you mention vintage, the only connection they make is with vintage cars.

Isn't it just second-hand clothes? When they ask me to explain, I therefore like to use the vintage car comparison.

You will all agree that vintage cars are usually second-hand cars. But not all second-hand cars are vintage cars. An old car is not necessarily a vintage car and a vintage car may not look very old in appearance, except for the fact that its' style gives it away and automatically associates it with a time gone by.

So when I talk about vintage clothes, I explain that although these are, generally speaking, second-hand clothes, they are as fine and exclusive as vintage cars. Everybody stops and looks admiringly at a vintage car as it rolls down the road. You may not be seen dead driving a vintage car, but hey, it is a crowd-puller. It is an attention grabber isn't it?

Vintage clothes are just like a vintage car - you look on admiringly because they have class, a style all their own, remind you the the most beautiful parts of yesteryear. You won't find many of them around and the few good ones are literally few and far between

Vintage fashion like vintage cars, is incomparable, stylish, elegant and a one-off affair that most people will never be able to own.

By the time I'm through with this explanation - most people are convinced.

Then again, I like to point out that a vintage 70s dress which was made in Italy, is all-Italian. It was designed in Italy, made with Italian fabric, by Italian seamstresses and in an Italian factory. It was even sold from an Italian boutique and probably worn on the shoulders of an Italian lady. Today an 'Italian' dress may very well be made with Hungarian fabric, by a Chinese seamstressi n a Taiwanese factory...... who can tell!?!

Believe you me..... the quality of vintage is something worth harping on about, whether people are converted or otherwise!

My Wildest Treasury on Etsy

Starling Beauty by Nigel Wedge on Flickr



Hop over to this link to check out my wildest Etsy Treasury ever. Leave your comment and pay a visit to these great Etsy sellers when you have the time.

Have a gorgeous weekend.

Japanese silk

Japan Raw Silk Pack Sticker - circa 1880.

Reproduction in "Soie et Lumieres", Christian Polak.

Ever since an excited Japanese bride-to-be allowe me a sneak peek into the large cardboard box that kept her traditional Japanese wedding kimono safely ensconced in sheets and sheets of soft paper, I have been fascinated by the beauty of silk and the manner in which Japanese women use it in their exquisite garments.

I chanced upon this picture and couldn't let it pass. I thought I'd share it with you.

Boston Calling

  John Singer Sargent (American, 1856–1925)

Oil on canvas

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Mary Louisa Boit, Julia Overing Boit, Jane Hubbard Boit, and Florence D. Boit in memory of their father, Edward Darley Boit

Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA is engaged in one of the most expansive initiatives focused on American art and culture happening in the world today.

White Rose with Larkspur No. 2, 1927  

Georgia O'Keeffe (American, 1887–1986)

Oil on canvas

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Henry H. and Zoe Oliver Sherman Fund

Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

 

On November 20, the MFA will open a new wing for the Art of the Americas, designed by Foster + Partners (London), which integrates a contemporary structure within the Museum’s 1909 Beaux Arts building.

The Art of the Americas Wing enables the MFA to more than double the number of American works on view and features more than 5,000 objects ranging from pre-Columbian gold and Native American textiles to portraits of Revolutionaries and Abstract Expressionist paintings. These will be displayed on four floors in 53 galleries, including nine period rooms and four Behind the Scenes educational galleries.

The new wing is the central component of the Museum’s transformational expansion and renovation project, which also incorporates a soaring glass-enclosed courtyard, a new space for special exhibitions, an auditorium, classrooms, a visitor center, conservation labs, and other enhancements to the Museum’s historic building.

For those of you in the area in the coming days, here is what will be on:

Saturday, November 13: Gala

Sunday, November 14: MFA Members Days

Friday, November 19: America Remix Party

Saturday, November 20: Free Community Day & Night

Wednesday, November 24: Free Community Day

The Grandmother's Wardrobe

I came across this extraordinary painting entitled

'The Grandmother's Wardrobe' (1912) by George Phoenix (1863–1935) who lived through the Victorian and Edwardian periods and painted landscapes, figurative art and portraiture  apart from also being  a sculptor.

This image is truly suggestive and emblematic of so many things which entice me - vintage, antique fashion, memories of times gone by, beautiful old clothing and exquisite painting technique.

This painting should be found at the Wolverhampton Art Gallery - has anybody viewed it recently?

Morning Dress and Giveaway Winner

I figured out that had I been born in the early 19th Century I would probably have been spending this blustery November morning at home, wearing something like this. Before blogging became all the rage, before even print magazines started being circulated as freely and widely as they are today, there was Ackermann's Repository. This was an illustrated British periodical which Rudolph Ackermann published in the period between 1809 and 1829.

During these 20 years, the Repository of Arts, Literature, Commerce,

Manufactures, Fashions, and Politics, as it's full name ran, served to inform and influence the elite English public.  Ackermann's dictated that the clothes shown in this historic image were suitable for staying indoors during the morning and early afternoon, during which time of day, ladies would receive female callers, attend to light household tasks, or to lounge around.

My light duties of the morning today included choosing the lucky winner of FairyFiligree's latest giveaway. Baroness Von Vintage is the winner of the fantastic handmade Sterling Silver Maltese filigree pendant. Baroness Von Vintage, would you kindly contact me with your address, so I can mail this little gift away to you pronto?