Mixing Eras

[SassyLindaB]

I have just about finished my beloved 1953 style dress and then I froze...the hairstlye I really love is the 1940s victory roll...now do I change the dress or the hair?

Any advice would be super neat

 

[Lady Day]

Neither.

Wear a 40s dress with a 50s hair style and 30s shoes. Im sure they did back then. To wear only in the eras clothing in a few years window is something Im sure only the rich and super fashion conscious did. You wore what you had, and you may have wanted a different item, it wasnt in the budget.

So do it. No one will think you dont know what youre doing. Youll be just as super cute.

LD

 

[SassyLindaB]

thanks LD, I feel better now...hmmm 30s shoes...I do like those heels!

 

[Smuterella]

Neither.

Wear a 40s dress with a 50s hair style and 30s shoes. Im sure they did back then. To wear only in the eras clothing in a few years window is something Im sure only the rich and super fashion conscious did. You wore what you had, and you may have wanted a different item, it wasnt in the budget.

So do it. No one will think you dont know what youre doing. Youll be just as super cute.

LD

exactly. I think can get far too stuck in a time frame, forgetting that a lot of things were worn for years, fashions not being as disposable as they are now. Have fun with it and don't worry.

 

[Lulu-in-Ny]

I agree. I think that when someone gets locked into one era exclusively, they run the risk of looking "costumey". Mix it up.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

I think the answer to this honestly depends.

If you are going to a particularly 'decaded' event, then why yes, 40's rolls combined with a 50's dress might stick out. Part of the fun of events like that -is- to recreate the other time period to the best of our abilities. It's not all that fun to go to a 20's event to find that half the crowd is wearing poodle skirts....etc. It ruins the 'time travel' fun we have by going to events.

If this is to wear to work for a daily look, then who cares what your hair decade is...etc. It's not like people at work will know the difference or care. Even if you were all one decade, chances are, bystanders would guess the -wrong- decade anyhow....

As for sticking to one decade looking costumey, I say to each their own. Some people have a decade that calls to them, and that they personally feel -right- wearing. People in general look precisely how they -want- to look, and if for one person that is 1937, and for another person that is 1980 Adam Ant....

If the person is doing their 'whole decade' outfit because thats how they feel and thus look their best, it's not costumey, its just -them-.

 

[Smuterella]

its not just whole decades though, some people get locked into a specific year or two. I find that a little OCD

*shrugs*

 

[sweatyspaghetti]

yeh its good to mix it up a little. im constantly mixing era's all the time.

for my bestfriends wedding in Las Vegas im planning to wear 50's shoes(adorable leopard stiletto's that barely fit me) a 30's dress and a hairstyle from the 40's.

and the other day i had a 60's hair do with 40's pants and a top. i think wearing too much of the same era gets you stuck in a cliche. AND THAT REEAALLYY SUCKS!

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Ladies,

Please kindly refrain from suggesting that the folks that dress in a particular year or decade etc....'suck' or are OCD....etc.

The world is -all- about free choice and just because you want to mix it up...does not mean those that don't are somehow problematic.

There is room for -all- at the inn....and all -will- remain polite to the other guests.

 

[retrogirl1941]

Honestly ladies, If I didnt dress all one era at a time I would go crazy and feel out of sorts! But this my way of dressing and would never force that opion on other people. The only time I will say something is when I am at WWII reenactment and you are supposed to be 100 percent correct tp the era. But on a daily basis go ahead it up, I just cant.[huh]

Samantha

 

[sweatyspaghetti]

very true,but i guess its depending on the person. i don't think being stuck in one era is that bad when you have to,but sometimes you have to be a little more free and express yourself if your willing too.....god,i don't make sense tonight!

 

[Antje]

I think it is ok to mix, but it is a bit strange when you show up at an event totally 40's to dress 50's and otherwise.

I would never apear in a full skirt with pony tail and a crinoline at a 40's event but in my spare time I don't mind mixing all eras togheter

 

[Lillemor]

I don't know if I would be more conscious of sticking to one era if I were younger but I think that just like today and perhaps even more so in the past, mature women my age (over 30) would've definitely had a mix of things in their wardrobe and those who were confident would've held onto things they liked including hairstyles, even when they were outdated. That to me is what true style is about. It shows confidence.

 

[SassyLindaB]

well thanks to all for that...guess I won't be wearing my newly made dress though...I look so fat in it and that's without the petticoats...gawd I hate being so paranoid about my appearance...feeling old I guess lol


I'm off to make a hat...a mini top hat fascinator

 

[Naama]

I don't mind weather people want to only do one era or to mix it, but I hate it if those who only go for one look down on people who mix because it's not accurate. That what bothers me with most of those people. I think that's also why so many people worry that much about wheather to wear something or not to wear soemthing.


Naama

 

[Odalisque]

I can't afford to not mix eras!

I find I have so many more options if I mix decades. Clothing from the 50's and 60's is far cheaper then that of the 20's/30's/40's. So, I wear a 60's top with a 40's skirt and hair and still look essentially WW2. That's the nice thing about vintage is the staple basics are similar and interchangeable.
Granted, period events require accurate fashion. But day to day dressing is, for me, just for fun.

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

I don't mind weather people want to only do one era or to mix it, but I hate it if those who only go for one look down on people who mix because it's not accurate. That what bothers me with most of those people. I think that's also why so many people worry that much about wheather to wear something or not to wear soemthing.

Ditto that. For events, I think one should try to look as accurate to the era as possible; however, not everyone's going to be able to look precisely "May 15, 1942", especially if they're relative beginners. For everyday? Really, it's your call. There's no law that says, "Thou Shalt Not Mix Vintage Decades."

Either way, fashionable snobbishness isn't attractive.

 

[TheDutchess]

well thanks to all for that...guess I won't be wearing my newly made dress though...I look so fat in it and that's without the petticoats...gawd I hate being so paranoid about my appearance...feeling old I guess lol


I'm off to make a hat...a mini top hat fascinator

As someone who has been a size 20 and a size 8, Its all about how to work your outfit. Ive seen women who are "ideal size" make their beautiful garments look like a lumpy sack of potatos because they weren't confident and ive seen curvy women that could make a potato sack look like the latest style from a fashion house. Hold your head up and work that outfit!

 

[Rachael]

considering that I'm sitting here wearing a pair of loafers from the mid-90's, a sweater I've had since '05, jeans I bought yesterday, and my hair in a back knot, I'm gonna say that mixing eras is no problem at all!

If the average person can't afford to be wearing exclusively today's styles, with all of our low-cost disposable garment lines, you bet they couldn't do so in eras past. I find myself dressing backwards as I get older, since the older you are the less likely you would be to look like a fashion plate.

 

[SassyLindaB]

the problem with the dress I made....it's just a little problem and the reason it looks like a bag...I ummm thought I was fatter than I am and made it 2 whole sizes too big!...I'm not very confidant in my sewing skills (first time sewing with a machine), so when my mum comes to visit next month she will help readjust it for me.

here's a link to the dress

http://pincurlprincess.blogspot.com/