Vintage and Second Hand - Coursework Example

VINTAGE AND SECOND HAND 2008 INTRODUCTION Fashion is a language of signs and symbols which communicates meanings about individuals and groups of people. The speech of fashion helps people to convey meanings of beauty or ugliness of bodies. From ancient times people have used clothes, accessories, jewellery and hairstyles as a means of non-verbal expression of social status or class, as reflection of one’s affiliation to certain group or rank, as a way to signal gender, locality or even sexual availability. Apart from the utilitarian function of clothes as a protection from weather factors, keeping us warm or cool or safe, clothes plays an important role in identification of self esteem and serves as a sign of respectability. Fashion at the modern stage serves as a means of differentiation or in other words as a way of “putting on” a certain role which may change several times during a day. The modern fashion trend, which is swiftly gaining popularity worldwide, is vintage clothing. The beauty of vintage pieces is that they are neither old nor new; they are classic and that’s what makes them special. Through these items from another epoch, we find our better selves. VINTAGE Second hand clothing has been traded in all epochs. Before the Industrial Revolution clothing was not so cheap and the need rather than desire determined the demand for second hand clothing. Quality clothing was used for decades undergoing transformations, being remade or refurbished. The term vintage has been used to describe second hand clothing with over 25 years of age. When vintage trade entered Internet era and its popularity burst into hundreds of online vintage stores, previously owned clothing from 1980s got “vintage” label as well. There are a number of terms which refer to old, used clothes which is given a new life in skillful hands. Antique refers to clothes which is over 100 years old but today it can be anything from 1920 or earlier. These are often rare museum garments and accessories or museum created Art Deco or Baroque collections, exhibiting clothing of this or that art movement. 1840’s/1850’s girl’s dress (Sources: http://www.victorianelegance.com/1800.html) Vintage proper is any piece of clothing from 1920 onward to 1960.  60s Black Maxi Dress with Silver Brocade & Rhinestones (Source http://www.marthascloset.co.uk/ ) Some specialists believe that the word vintage should refer to clothes or accessories older than the sixties decade.  In conversation “vintage” may be used in relation to old garment of certain artistic value. (Thomas, 2005) Vintage and retro styles are differentiated on the basis of an item belonging to certain historical era - pre-war and post-sixties fashion- with retro being commonly associated with kitsch of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. (Grainge, 2002) Clothing from 1960s and 1970s is usually referred to as Retro or Funky stuff rather than vintage.  (Thomas, 2005) 70s Black & White Leaf Print Dress (Source http://www.marthascloset.co.uk) 80s Sparkle Dress (Source http://www.marthascloset.co.uk) There are also Retro Repros (Retrospective Reproductions) which are created for re-enactments such as Centenaries, Civil War, Medieval Banquets, Christmas and Autumnal Craft Fayres. These garments are reproduced as authentically as possible, when not only the design is copied but the same fabrics are used. (Thomas, 2005) Crinoline Petticoat (Source http://www.fashion-era.com) Brand Vintage or Designer Vintage are introduced by brands which can be a few years old like, for example, Versace Vintage or Norma Kamali vintage. (Thomas, 2005) (Source http://www.fashion-vintage.com) So, the term vintage is very broad notion which comprises not only second hand clothes of certain value but brand names or custom made clothes which are typical for certain period of time and may introduce this or that era, conveying some specific information through its design, style and uniqueness. That’s what makes vintage valuable even after many years in circulation. (Thomas, 2005) VINTAGE FASCINATION As the second hand objects are out of the commodity sphere and their value is ambiguous, people doing second hand shopping do not buy a commodity but “a particular attribute of it which will only be realized when they return home and either renovate, reminisce, clean, repair or transform it.” (Gregson and Crewe, 2003 p.143) Despite the age of a garment, quality vintage items are desirable for their uniqueness. It is not only the age which makes old clothes desirable item but a consumer or seller’s perception of vintage as a valuable and worth owning item. Actually it is ‘the consumer who makes this or that piece desirable and valuable. It is “the consumer who decides on purchase and its links to recovery, divestment and disposal.” (Gregson and Crewe, 2003 p.173) Another important issue is context, which plays as much of a role as aesthetics and function. For example, in Style and Fashion magazine Joe Casely-Hayford (2004) describes a “treasured pair of German army trainers” designed in the mid-Seventies. The trainers are neither branded, nor commercial. Still they appealed the author; having gained the cult status from some of the worlds most revered fashion designers. The explanation is context. As the author puts it: “Where most big trainer brands have taken on a predominantly American sporting association, these shoes have always belonged outside of that arena. More than anything, they evoke a spirit of introverted central Europe.” (Casely-Hayford, 2004) Designer interest in sportswear contributed to the revival of Eighties fashion, the time when the giant sports brands made their mark, giving fuel to the gym and fitness lifestyle. That’s why vintage sportswear from the late Seventies and Eighties like shiny tracksuit uniform of breakdancers is highly collectible as it is a part of an Old School style. Music styles like hip hop and breakdance culture gave power to such brand as Adidas. (Rushton, 2001) Vintage clothing is really a journey into the past which fascinates people. Every item of dress “occupies space in fashion archives and the history of aesthetics”. (Leitch 1996, p.111) Barbara Cole Peters, the owner of the vintage shop believes that clothes reflect the time or era in which it was created. “Fussy and constraining dresses” from 1900 exhibit the morals of those times; “shapeless with extensive beading pieces” from the 1920s show “impractical and crazy spirit” of roaring twenties. Items of the 1980s are “bold and exaggerated” as the period when they were produced. (Dressing up history) Another aspect which makes people thrilled about dressing up is that it can be viewed as the means to “literally redesign our own bodies.” (Hoggard, 2005) Children adore putting the clothes of their parents and pretending they are grown up. The reason is that clothes transform a person to what one wants to be. Shopping is not merely the acquisition of things: it is the buying of identity. This is true of all cultures, where shopping takes place, and the consumption even of necessities in situations where there is some choice, reflects decisions about self, taste, images of the body and social distinctions. (Shields, 1992, p.195) As the idea of identity through the clothing is expressed in the book “Costly compensations: postmodern fashion, politics, identity” by Vincent Leitch : “Self decoration is part of self constitution, body image, and identity formation. …. we may be too thin, too fat, too short, too tall; out of proportion here or there; in need of this or that enhancement (amplification, reduction, alteration). To stare at the body is to envisage the self through the internalized gaze of others inhabiting subjectivity. Fashion mixes socially conditioned fantasy with self fashioning.” (1996, p.111) Some people buy vintage clothing and accessories "just to wear. It seems like you find more unique outfits, mixing and matching things" from different eras. Quoting the words of one of the vintage shop owner, customers include "everyone from a grandma who wants to reminisce to a high school or college student who wants something fun and unique." (Cahalan, 2003) The owner of Miss Claudias Vintage Clothing and Costumes, the vintage shop in New Orleans, expressed the same idea: “The thing about vintage clothes is that theyre different. People want to express their uniqueness, not by being odd but by “showing off their individual style and taste.” (Price, 2005) Gregson and Crewe (2003) in Second-Hand Cultures states, "Clothing is not just about fashion and adornment, body shape, disguise and aesthetics, or even functionality, but is an extension of our own corporeality. it becomes us; we personalize it and possess it through our own leakiness." (p.140) So, another important aspect about vintage clothes is the attitude which is attributed by the buyer. Vintage clothes became a kind of “trademark” for feminists, conveying symbolic meaning and the codified information about a woman’s personality. (Leitch, 1996) Alexandra Palmer & Hazel Clark (2005) believe that the popularity of vintage clothing is explained by the desire to be original and exhibit individual taste which is authentic and different from others. If fashion items are not available for the broader public through mainstream channels, their value and desirability grows. So, one of the reasons to wear vintage clothing is expression of oneself as a personality, showing one’s taste, which is different from conventional consumption trends. On the other hand, there’s one more aspect, which is considered by consumers. Clothes define status of its owner as the one who has a rare, one of a kind item. (Kaye, 2001) The quality of materials of vintage item even if it is a designer vintage is far superior to modern mainstream garments. The cost of luxurious and expensive materials might reach the price of about £100 or more a metre.  (Why Do Collectors) It’s no wonder why a couture garment is sold for £40,000 and often more. Fine quality, superlative mastery and uniqueness of a Chanel couture suit was sold for £20,000in 2003. (Thomas, 2005) This idea of clothes as a means of identifying personality is used in marketing the commodities. For example, the R.H. Vintage line of jeans position itself with such a slogan reflecting the values of the time: "Im healthy, Im happy, Im peaceful, Im safe, and I have a damn good body" instead of previously used "Im rich, I have status, I have culture, I have taste, and I have a damn good body." (Kaye, 2001) One more interesting aspect about popularity of vintage clothes is a “thrill of hunt” as Elles senior fashion editor, Lucie Kearney worded it. She believes that “finding something special that you know no one else has, or can get their hands on. When you wear it, you feel so pleased with yourself that no one else has found it.” (Callender, 2004) Melanie Rickey recalls in her Evening Standard article how she used to be a vintage clothing sorter. Her job was to find the most fashionable stuff to sell at the employers store. She loved her job because it was a fun to discover a gem, something very special even when the fingers were blue with cold. (Rickey, 2003) The same “treasure hunt” aspect is highlighted by Palmer & Hazel (2005) when they compare consumers with archeologists who start for their expedition to rummage sales, thrift shops and flea markets where they expect to find treasures. This hunt for treasures is so thrilling that it becomes a kind of entertainment for them. On the other hand, nowadays vintage clothing, being highly individual several decades earlier “worked its way into the mainstream”. Retail stores and fashion magazines packed with “the tweed suits, pencil skirts, circle skirts, fur collars and cardigans from the 1950s” witness the growing trend. (Flass 2004) The popularity of stylistic nostalgia and selling of vintage clothing and retro chic in the 1980s began as a response to the consolidation of designer fashions like Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. The success of these stores influenced mainstream fashion. (Flass 2004) The trend is growing so fast that vintage becomes available to an average consumer. Vintage and retro clothing stores provided an alternative to the international offerings of the designer labels. (Flass 2004) In the recent years the very perception of vintage clothing and their role in global production cycle changed. Nowadays a person preferring vintage clothing is generally characterized as (1) ecologically-friendly; (2) inventive; (3) conscious. Vintage trademarks present a new philosophy of ecological correctness and personal responsibility and involvement in global processes. Nowadays ecologically friendly people are willing to contribute to the Earth protection by spinning the production lifecycle, wearing vintage or recycled goods and purchasing ecologically-correct ones. (Better Living). CONCLUSION Nowadays vintage clothing became so popular that it worked its way into the mainstream. On old second hand clothing of several decades of age becomes a lucrative business for retailers and online stores. Clothes as a way of body transformation and a means of identifying personality attracts people by its uniqueness and opportunities which it gives for expressing individual style and taste. Besides expressing originality and showing taste, which is different from the mainstream fashion, an owner of vintage garments displays his status as an owner of a rare item. Designer vintage is really an expensive luxury of expensive silks and wools, which makes the cost of a vintage piece sky high. On the other hand, it is not only celebrities that can wear stylish garments from a certain era but everyone who wants to look unique as well as eco-friendly. So, vintage clothes fashion has versatile aspects of popularity. It’s a means of expressing ones individuality, a means of expressing eco-friendliness, a way to display status, and at last a way to transform oneself to the ideal self. Bibliography Better Living - Fashion”. Life-force Eco Website. 2005.. Available: http://www.lifeforcefoundation.org/about.htm (Accessed: 2008, November, 27) Cahalan, S. (2003) “Vintage Vogue: Downtown store offers clothing from the past”, La Crosse Tribune. Feb. 24 Callender, C. (2004) “Fashion & Style: Vintage is so last season”, Independent, The London, May 13 Casely-Hayford, J. (2004) “Fashion & Style; Its just a sole thing”, Independant, The London, Dec. 16, Cleary M. Insider Knowledge. JC Report. 2005. Available: http://www.jcreport.com/mailer/issue57/ (Accessed: 2008, 26 November) Grainge, P. (2002) “Retro Fashion” St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture Gregson, N and Crewe, L. (2003) Second-Hand Cultures. Berg. New York. Flass, R. (2004) “Everything old may be new again, but vintage clothing supply is finite”, Los Angeles Business Journal. Aug. 23, Kaye, E. (2001) “Jeansian Economics - success of R.H. Vintage jeans and clothing line”, Los Angeles Magazine, Aug. Muller, L. (2005) “The vintage advantage”, Stiches Magazine. Sept.1 Leitch, V. (1996) "Costly Compensations: Postmodern Fashion, Politics, Identity". Modern Fiction Studies, Vol. 42, pp.111-28. Palmer, A. & Hazel, C. (2005) Old clothes, new looks: second hand fashion. Berg. New York. Rickey, M. (2003) “Its a vintage year for fashion”, Evening Standard (London) Aug 6 Rushton, S. (2001) “Fashion: Get sporty (no treadmill required)”, Independent, The (London), May 2, Shields R. (1992) Lifestyle Shopping: The Subject of Consumption. Routledge, New York Thomas P. What is Vintage Fashion? 2005. Available: http://www.fashion-era.com/Vintage_fashion/a15_lace_vintage_1.htm (Accessed: 2008, November 26) Why Do Collectors, Buyers and Sellers Prefer Couture Vintage? Oct. 2005 Available: http://www.fashion-era.com/Vintage_fashion/a15_lace_vintage_1.htm (Accessed: 2008, November 25) Read More