Fashion

About Vintage Fashion

Vintage fashion is a diverse and broad area spanning antique and vintage clothing and personal accessories. From Victorian and Edwardian clothing to fashions of the 1920s (flapper) through the 1960s (mod, hippie), there's plenty to try on for size!

Before the 1860s, clothing was mostly utilitarian. Working class folks wore simple, handmade shirts, trousers, dresses, and hats. Upper class clothing was elegant but simple. Coats, ruffled shirts, high socks, buckled shoes, and hats were the norm for men, and long wool or cotton dresses, scarves, and stoles in cold weather for women. ...

By the 1860s, Victorian fashions reigned supreme. Men wore tailored suits with waistcoats, ties, hats, and boots or shoes. Women's dress was far more ornate. Skirts reached their maximum width in the 1860s, and collars were high-necked and often frilled. Because of the numerous matching underskirts and petticoats, a dress could easily exceed 10 pounds in weight. Bonnets were replaced by small, hand-embroidered hats. Appearances were kept up for all occasions.

In the 1870s, thin cravats, bow ties, narrower-tailored sack suits and flat, oiled hair became popular among men. Small women's jackets became popular – a stark contrast to the large sleeves and skirts. This tighter-fitting look was shortly followed by the bodice, a long, boned jacket. The bodice material matched the underskirt fabric, while the sleeves of the dress often matched the outer skirt.

Women became more involved in sports in the 1890s, and bicycle bloomers and swimsuits became common. The "Gibson Girl" look, named after magazine illustrator Charles Gibson, became a hot style, including tailored shirtwaists and boater straw hats. Men wore batswing ties and were usually clean-shaven, except for the occasional waxed and turned-up mustache.

By the 1910s, women's fashion was a far cry from the heavy and restrictive Victorian era garb. Gabrielle Chanel, a young designer in the midst of WWI, made loose-fitting dresses with belts and pleated plaid wool skirts. France and America was taken by storm with by her designs. These styles, along with a revival of embroidery patterns in a "peasant style," paved the way for the wilder fashions of the 1920s.

Dress styles became less conservative and more fun in the 1920s. High society gatherings made the image of the "flapper girl" trendy for young women. Short hair, short skirts, and makeup – all traditionally considered improper for women – became popular.

In the 1940s, war rationing restricted the amount of fabric that could be used to make clothing. The Zoot Suit, originally the most popular attire among young men, became harder to find. Women wore convertible suits, and, as silk stockings were not available, often used eyeliner to draw a seam on the backs of their legs. Slacks became more acceptable for women who had taken over men's jobs. After the war, the "New Look," designed by Christian Dior, became the desired fashion statement – dresses with long skirts and tight waists, high-heeled shoes, and make-up.

Teenagers defined fashion in the 1950s, and styles became more glamorous. Pencil skirts and full skirts became fashionable among young women, and the greaser style was popular among men: tight pants, leather jackets, and T-shirts, with long hair styled into pompadours.

At the beginning of the 1960s, men wore their hair short and dressed in casual button-down shirts, and it was still considered inappropriate in some places for women to wear skirts shorter than knee-length. By the mid-60s, however, the mod look from Britain had taken over, and mini skirts, hot pants, chunky shoes, and leather go-go boots became fashionable for women.

Men's styles included Paisley shirts, double-breasted sport jackets, polyester pant suits, turtlenecks, and velvet pants. Both men and women wore their hair long and dressed in bright, psychedelic colors. Bell bottom jeans, love beads, and embellished t-shirts became a unisex fashion statement.

Fashions of the 1970s were a hodgepodge of the new, the old, the designer, and the found. Flared bellbottom pants were popular in a variety of colors and materials. Big sunglasses were all the rage, as were wide sleeves and colorful patterns. Women wore wide flowing pants, floor-length skirts and dresses in earthy tones, and disco-style polyester miniskirts. Men wore vests, t-shirts, big-collared button-downs, leisure suits, jeans, and sneakers.

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Interviews & Articles

An Interview With Vintage Dress Collector Cherie Federau

I’ve pretty much always been a little bit fashion-nutty, ever since I was about 16 years old and I discovered Vogue… [more]

An Interview on Vintage Fashion, Sewing, and Aprons with Author Amy Karol

I think I started collecting vintage aprons seriously probably in 1991, my first year of college. I was an absolute… [more]

An Interview with 1950s Vintage Rockabilly Clothing Collector Kim Casamassima New!

Jayne Mansfield is buried in my hometown. You could drive past the cemetery and see her heart-shaped headstone from… [more]

Guest Column: The Ins and Outs of Buying Vintage Clothing

The benefits of wearing vintage clothing are numerous and rewarding. It's truly a delight to realize that no one el… [more]

Guest Column: Collecting Vintage Sewing Patterns

Paper sewing patterns were first manufactured in the middle of the 1800s. These first paper patterns were designed … [more]

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Vintage East West Musical Instruments Leather Jacket!!$1,075 Ends in 7 hours 7 bids 35 watchers
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Recent News: Fashion

Source: Google News

As Mentioned on FOX 2 News Weekend: Saturday, March 20
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