If you know me, or are a reader of Style Island, then you know that I have a huge passion and obsession for all things vintage, and thrifted. Besides all the amazing vintage finds that I’ve acquired in my 32 years, I have access to something much more valuable then that. Greater then the greatest ebay shop, and second ave second hand shop. I have my mother’s closet, literally.
I’ve worn them more then a few times and I’ve written about them countless others. In last year’s IFB project in mid May, I actually wrote a story in which I was featured, about just how much those vintage pieces shaped my life.
So, I thought it was only fitting when this July’s IFB project asked us to recount our favorite vintage piece, that I look to that arsenal of material. It’s hard to pinpoint one item, as so many of them have helped to shape my style. I wore my mother’s vintage finds to 2 IFB conferences in a row, and another one of my favorites, an Anne Klein eye tank dress with matching short sleeve jacket to Fashion Week Spring ’13.
The only thing that tops having all these amazing finds at my fingertips, is actually having a real life fashion magazine in the form of old photos. It’s like seeing your favorite designer items in a magazine, but the magazine is your family legacy, and much like some families pass down money, power, and genes, this one passed down style.
The most amazing thing is being able to see certain items cross over from then to now, also much like in an old Vogue, or Bazaar issue. A lot of it I never did, nor will I ever have the pleasure of wearing. And yet, when I slip on my vintage Fiorucci leopard wrap skirt, a certain rush goes through me, knowing that thirty years ago, this exact skirt hung a bit higher off a much smaller waist, in a much different time. And though everything else was different one thing remained the same; that which the piece exudes. And that is cool, chic, and comfortable. Not only is it amazing that this piece, bought in the late seventies can hang in my own closet so relevantly now still, but that the same style still resonates through it.
Hers was high-waisted with a black tank and a Louis Vuitton messenger bag with a perfect tan, and gold jewelry. Mine, arguably a little less cool, and chic with a messy bun, Gucci bag, and matching leopard sandals. She stood, confident, careful on a balcony somewhere in Greece. I stand quietly by a graffiti tattered mailbox and red wall on the Lower East Side holding a Starbucks. Stylish finds can always resonate, decade after decade, but individual style, well, that can be harder to come by, no matter what the genes say. Whether it’s a luxurious rooftop in greece thirty years ago, or a city scene in present day, we share something special that continues to stand the test of time. And lucky for me, the clothes do to.
Then
Now
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