Older is Better

Older Is Better
By Andy K Paulson
The idea of vintage, of reexamining and reprising eras of the past, carries an aesthetic and spiritual elegance to it that simply following the modern and mainstream cannot. It's wrong to think that newer means advanced, especially when so much of our modern cultural taste seems like it longs for times before it. There's gravity and mystique in vintage, a contradictory yet beautiful combination of exotic and familiar that makes vintage so appealing. This especially is true for vintage fashion.
Dealers are getting increased demand for vintage clothing, or unique clothes from 20s to the 80s. Collectors and enthusiasts are looking for everything from flapper dresses, to poodle skirts, to 70s evening gowns. These garments can be for private collections, special events, or even to add to a personal wardrobe! There are a few reasons why vintage clothes have found such an established market, and those reasons are reliability and style.
Many vintage clothing pieces were made to last, which is a quality that modern clothing simply does not possess. Mass produced, near disposable clothing is a modern concept; there is strength in the fibers and hand stitching of a more vintage piece. Now, I'm not saying that older pieces shouldn't be handled with care. I'm saying that there is a reason that these pieces have lasted so long when maintained and care for, and that is superior craftsmanship.
Concerning style, vintage speaks for itself. The looks are elegant, and the style has an immortal flair to it. Modern designers and artists try to build off, or even emulate, the vintage fashions of the past every year. After all; if it isn't broke, then don't fix it. Why not be ahead of the fashion curve and dress in the authentic style before Versace or Prada try to rehash it for their next spring line? Fifty years from now, Elizabeth Taylor will still be a fashion icon because while fads may change, taste does not.
Now that you have your wardrobe of vintage clothes, you may think it is going to be hard to accessorize it. For starters, mixing and matching your contemporary jewelry could prove cheap and fashionable. Fashions of vintage clothing are so widespread that it would be hard to find a style that your jewelry COULDN'T match! Vintage jewelry is also becoming a strong market, and many of the dealers and collectors of vintage clothing will have a strong jewelry stock as well. Also, it is just fine to include costume jewelry as part of the outfit! Costume jewelry is cheaper and more accessible than expensive accessory options, and can be easily purchased at costume rental or costume sales stores.
There is a reason that shows like Mad Men and Boardwalk Empires are sweeping the awards shows and defining modern style. Call me old fashioned, but Sinatra is better than Bieber, I like a grainy record player over an auto-tuner, and vintage clothing is proof that hearkening to the past will never go out of style.
Sophia's Costumes is an independently owned clothing and costume store in Greenwich, Connecticut. Known throughout Fairfield County for their Halloween costume rentals & sales, they also offer vintage clothing, costume jewelry and a unique gift shop. Visit them at http://www.sophiascostumes.com/
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