I wish this closet were mine. But it isn´t. Too bad. Let´s get on to what this post really is about.
For the past few months really, I have been trying to improve myself. Especially the way I feel about myself because I have been in a downwards spiral since March. In my life I have only had two significant styles. Some sort of ´Gothic´ style when I was about 9 until the age of 15. I developed a major interest for history and the interest in antique and vintage clothing quickly escalated from there. I am almost 20 now and have been feeling a bit down about the way I dress lately.
I still love 30s and 40s fashions. I will never dislike history, old books or old kitchens (the last one is a thing I love deeply). I will never dislike vintage fabrics or fashion. Those things have become such a big part of who I am.
Somehow I do not feel as comfortable in cute dresses or long skirts like I used to do. I think I am facing the same problem I did when I went into my ´gothic´-phase. I am not very tall. Only 5"2. This means that very often I look younger than I actually am. I love cute dresses and skirts but they don´t make me feel as mature as I would like to. The thing I did when I was about 9, is the thing I´m probably going to have to do again: toughen up my wardrobe.
For the first time in years I´m curious about how it is to wear pants with boots again. Sweaters. Shirts. Things you can easily find in normal stores and thrift stores. I will not (will never) wear what everyone else wears, I´m sure I can create a style of my own. Combining vintage pieces with thrifted and modern ones, just not as strict 30s or 40s as you probably know me.
I guess that being so strict about what I could and could not wear took away the fun. I have had this style for over 4 years and I think that is where the problem comes from. I mean: who still dresses the same way when they were 15? I still love all things old and will incorporate those. I even think I will want to wear skirt suits, hats and heels on some days. But for now I do not want to limit myself to a certain era and discover what I like.
Soon I would like to post images of styles I like so you can see what style I'd like to achieve.
I really hope you readers will understand me, because I feel like I'm betraying someone.. Maybe you have been in a similiar situation yourself once? How did you cope with being "disenchanted" (read that word in a blog somewhere) with a style you've had for years?
With love,
Jip.
11 comments:
Jip, it's difficult holding on to a certain dressing style, because every person goes trough changes in their life. I certainly don't dress the same as 5 or 10 or 15 years ago. Style evolves as your taste changes. That doesn't mean you have to give up on wearing vintage or betraying anybody. No, you still remain old-fashioned at heart, but in the end with you unique personal style whether it'll be 100% vintage or a mix of 50% vintage + 50% modern.
I'd say just to go where your heart takes you with clothing, many of us have had times of trouble with our wardrobes and gone into modern clothing, then come back again. As for your height, I'm 5', don't worry about looking younger than you are. Good luck on your clothing journey :)
@Welmoed It is really good to hear that from someone who knows me wearing only vintage clothing. I think it was time for something different, I was just afraid and didn't know where to start. I'm slowly allowing myself to look at things other than strict 40s and I discover so much I actually like and can combine!
@Jennie That is the thing I wanted to do for months now. I liked the clothing I had in my wardrobe but I did not feel "special" anymore wearing the clothing, a feeling I definitely had before. I will never wear 100% brand new modern clothing, I'm going to still incorporate old pieces with newer, probably thrifted ones. People usually think I'm about 15 or 16 years old instead of 20. When my parents run into old friends and aquaintances I am always mistaken for the younger sister. A few years from now that will not bother me but now it does. Thank you for wishing me luck :)
You know how I think about this as we've already talked about this. I've gone through a similar phase and now I find inspiration ( a lot of inspiration ) in the style of Dita von Teese (who used to wear strictly and completely vintage outfits aswell) which is still retro but with modern pieces of clothing, too.
I used to feel very restricted when solely wearing vintage outfits and I had a hard time putting aside the feeling I was betraying someone. You feel that way, only because you are searching for other people's approval in what you do. Please set that aside, because it's what YOU want to do in life.
Eversince I managed to put the feeling of betrayal aside, I felt so liberated. I now wear clothing with a feeling of freedom because I don't have to be afraid I'll tear it up.
You are young, so am I, and it's only normal that your way of life and dressing evolves into something else from time to time. We go through different phases in life and you're in the middle of one right now. So am I by the way.
Keep in mind: the vintage style does not run away. You can always go back to it and in the meantime experience and find out what you like. Life is short, awefully short, so any form of restriction is a waste of time.
Go out there and find what you like and expand the horizon. It will make you feel much more liberated and you will crawl out of that downward spiral, I promise you.
The only person you would betray if you kept on restricting and limiting yourself from doing what you feel you need to do, is yourself.
Follow your heart, love, and follow your own path. Never say forever, and never say never.
As I used to tell you and your sister since you were little : "Always takes about five minutes, never about ten".
The people who love you, love you any way you look, but we love you most when you look happy.
There is a more mature side to 1930s and 1940s fashion you could also explore.
Think of the famous femme fatale moviestars, the bombshells, the gangster moll.
For a long time I wore a grey 2 piece suit, very serious, scary hat on top, like a strict school teacher.
Now I feel more comfortable like a common housewife.
There is so much you can try.
Experiment with all sorts of styles, maybe you want to go for the wild American woman, I hear they wear trousers!!
Or maybe Marlene Dietrich, also very mature.
Or maybe if you want a completely different era, or style or something modern, just go for it.
Whatever makes you happy :)
You know, I have said it many times, but I think it warrants repeating here again. Vintage is not a uniform. As much as you love it, you do not always have to wear it and/or stick with the decades you started out with. Fashion is one of most amazing, inspiring, individual things on the planet and one must always follow their heart when it tells them to venture down a new (or once familiar, as the case may be) style path.
♥ Jessica
I feel the same way right now. I dress in 30's and 40's clothes, and Iove it. But lately I've felt that it limits me. You describe everything that I feel very well. I have an instagram account with c. 1300 followers, where I post photos of me dressed up in vintage. And I have the same feeling, that I would be betraying someone if I stopped. I'm only sixteen and I've loved vintage for a year.
Thank you for your blog and this post especially. <3333
Funny I came here to read more about you and see more of your style after reading the article in the latest issue of Flow magazine and then to see you are 'changing your mind' about it, partly that is. I do fully get what you're feeling. It's not a bad thing to want to improve yourself continuously. People change, from the inside and out. It's not a bad thing to not want to stick to one and the same thing. I'm sure you can make whatever style you're going to 'pursue' your own, and even if you want to dress in a simple white t-shirt with a pair of jeans and combat boots, like a lot of people do, if you feel comfortable and happy with what you're wearing, don't let anything or anyone stop you.
@ Anna-Clara
I really just have one advice- just wear what you want to wear. Whether it is more historically accurate, a film star look or even modern things. Just wear what feels right. I never let myself wear anything that was not 30s or 40s. But for the past few weeks, I did. I feel liberated from my own rules and it feels great. Don't feel bad for wanting to change every so often. You're young, you have many years left of wearing the things you want. Wear what you want. Not what everybody else wants you to wear. It is your life. Good luck :)
@artamisia
The interview you mentioned is actually rather old, I did it last December I believe. Nice to see that it does bring readers to my blog. Some things have changed since then. The way I dress, ofcourse and also I am going to visit a new school af of tomorrow, where I'll learn to work with elderly and/or disabled people. I want to become aseamstress when I am a bit older. Still love sewing, though! However, the things I said in that interview are still true and I still support them. Thank you for your positive comment!
This blog really is very nice in its honesty. I've only started wearing vintage since about a year, but have already felt the need often enough to apologize for wearing 70s pieces. Which is ridiculous, as is feeling bad for wearing jeans and sneakers once in a while. Still, I know what you feel like, and it's like you're betraying your own conviction. What I do know, is that I will treasure my 40s dresses, but may also let them go to a deserving new home if I think that's what they deserve. Our love for those clothes (and indeed other items from that era) stems also from the love for the well thought out design and it's classical beauty and style. True taste and style are in one's head and heart, and not just in the outfit one chooses on a particular day.
Thanks again for your blog!
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