Vintage Desecration - Things Altered/Repurposed, and a Vintage Treasure Lost Forever.

[Lady Day]

These make me livid.

*real* vintage patterns shellacked onto a box and made into a purse as she touts, "wear a piece of history"!
The seller has many many more. Id use an expletive here, but, family board and all.

LD

 

[Amy Jeanne]

I metioned those UGLY things earlier in this thread. *PUKE* I only put a link, though, because having them in my face is offensive and temporarily blinds me lol

"a great (and sentimental) way to preserve an original vintage pattern - envelope, directions, and pattern pieces."

Oh man. Why do I like to get myself worked up! What a DOLT.

 

[Paisley]

I have a cute handbag that's kind of like the purses above, BUT the pictures are printed on fabric. (It's better looking, too.) No vintage items were harmed.

It's so easy to make a paper copy nowadays. [huh]

 

[Forgotten Man]

A friend of mine was dating a gal who collected rare linen 40s war time propaganda table clothes... the type with maps of the axis countries, cartoon illustrations of the axis powers, and so forth... typical 40s home front war prints.

She had a few really neat ones and then at the vintage clothing expo, the three of us saw a lady wearing a jumper MADE of these tablecloths!!! SHE WAS MAAAAAAD!

She told the lady that she shouldn't cut those tablecloths, they're rare and collectable. The lady then answered: I make them into wearable pieces of history... Then my friend said: You wear tablecloths? May your business fail you history illiterate hater!lol

 

[Shangas]

Get me a bucket. I think I'm about to throw up.

I just read in a watch forum which I frequent, that some guy SOLD a solid, 18kt gold antique pocket-watch case...not the watch...the watch-case...

...to have it melted down for scrap.

...Why don't people EVER LEARN!? Once you DO this stuff, you'll NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER get it back!? That's a priceless antique, destroyed forever...He says he still has the movement and the dial of the watch, and hopes to give a 'good home'.

He's going to have a very hard time selling that movement and dial. Nobody wants half a watch!

I think I'm going to be sick...

*Lufflz his pocket watches*

Papa will never hurt you...*strokes*

 

[Foofoogal]

Papa will never hurt you...*strokes*

:eusa_clap lol lol
that is how I feel about glass. I posted a link to a forum for glass in the display section. The site is really amazing and the forum also. Imperative to educate people about history and not screwing with it so people can appreciate it. As a collector foremost I cannot believe some of this stuff has lasted this long. I want to ask, "just how much is a piece of glass that has lasted 100 years supposed to be worth. "
Teaching younger ones to collect and what they have is crucial or we will not have anything left original in this throwaway society.
I cannot even bear tearing out a page out of a vintage magazine. I do not know how others do all of this. Really.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

That's a priceless antique, ...

Nonsense. It had its price ... in gold.


.

 

[Shangas]

Oh now you're just being mean, Marc...

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

And the survey says, "WTF?!?!?!?" (photo credit to pdxvintagette for finding this gawd awful thing)
.

This guy looks like an extra from one of the Road Warrior films.

 

[Lady Day]

I only put a link, though, because having them in my face is offensive and temporarily blinds me lol

Oh no! I hope you get your sight back soon. They do make you wanna gouge your eyes out with a cocktail spoon, dont they?

LD

 

[Lillemor]

That trend started at least a decade ago over here and it irritated me right from the beginning! Why?! Why not just make retro/modern clothes for those who prefer that and leave the authentic vintage for those of us who like that? Why do so many mainstream shops and designers assume that vintage as authentic is unwearable by modern people? There's no need to make it over. If you don't like the all vintage look, then you can pair the vintage article with retro or modern articles of clothes which is what I feel for most of the time but I wouldn't show *that* kind of disrespect to something that's rare and isn't widely available like more recent "vintage"/thrift items which are many a dozen and easy to find. The same thing goes for furniture people make over and what ever else vintage/antiques people make over. They strip them down, paint them over, replace fronts with obviously unauthentic parts to "bring it up to date"

Anything that's been "restored" or updated in the 1970s!:rage: It's absolutely valueless now and that includes pre-1970s homes that were modernized in the 1970s! Rant over!

I like retro dresses that look like they were made from curtain or tablecloth fabric. I wouldn't begin to cut up old curtains and tableclothes unless they were very common, mass produced and still widely available. I know that dresses were often made from other things but it's different in the context of contemporary time vs. me taking something that now has 50+ years on it and changing it.

 

[Lillemor]

I bought a vintage 50s waistcoat a few days ago. It's emerald green with a gold paisley pattern and has the extra buttonhole for a watch chain which I liked. It's either new old stock or very rarely worn as the material is still very stiff and in pristine condition. However, it fitted a 40 chest and I'm 38. Since I rarely find vintage waistcoats which are long enough to actually cover my waist I took it anyway and took it to a dry cleaner who is currently altering the size.

Fellow loungers, am I desecrating a piece of vintage clothing by having it downsized by one size? [huh]

I don't feel you are and I would alter the hemline on vintage dresses, coats and skirts too (if I could afford them) to fit me because I wouldn't buy something I wasn't sure I'd want to keep. In the case I find something I want for myself, I'll alter it to suit my figure and not worry about desecrating or devaluing it. But if I knew someone fit it without alteration and knew the person wanted it, I'd let them have it.

This thread is just leaving me livid and shaking! I can't even find my sense of humor. Sure I have broken pieces of costume jewelry I've used for spare parts or where one earring was missing so I now use them as pendants but I don't buy something there's nothing wrong with and desecrate it and if I were to repair anything I'd want to learn as much about how it was supposed to look to restore it.

 

[Miss 1929]

It's been going on a long time.

I remember in the 70s, finding fabulous 1930s bias cut dresses that some idiot chopped off to mini length.

In the late 80s, I remember an otherwise respectable local vintage store making scads of cropped waist length men's jackets out of double breasted blazers.

It all hurts so very much.

 

[the Milliner]

Altering vintage clothes

Vintage clothes were meant to be altered.

Back then, it was commonplace to not only alter clothes to fit, but to cannibalize from garments. This was often done because many people didn't have money to buy new things and stuff often went from person to person. Garments had more value, things were not disposable like they are today.

I am a milliner, a vintage business for sure. We only stitch, and NEVER use glue because fine hats are meant to be re-trimmed if needed and you can not do that if you glue.

Now cutting up vintage clothes to make ugly stuff, well that's a bit criminal.

 

[Miss 1929]

Vintage clothes were meant to be altered.

Back then, it was commonplace to not only alter clothes to fit, but to cannibalize from garments. This was often done because many people didn't have money to buy new things and stuff often went from person to person. Garments had more value, things were not disposable like they are today.

I am a milliner, a vintage business for sure. We only stitch, and NEVER use glue because fine hats are meant to be re-trimmed if needed and you can not do that if you glue.

Now cutting up vintage clothes to make ugly stuff, well that's a bit criminal.

Exactly, we are all in favor of proper fitting! Unless the garment is so special it should be preserved, like a designer dress or something, then it should be worn properly fitted.

But rick rack on men's suits? Oy vey.

 

[Feraud]

I've seen some lovely pieces of pocket watches and chains that end up as someone's idea of "steampunk" jewelry. It's sad.

 

[dhermann1]

If you look on Craigslist here in New York, you will find some lunatic who buys HUNDREDS of pieces of old furniture, some junk, some treasures, and everything in between, especially including a lot of nice Deco waterfall stuff. He paints them ALL white, and advertises them as "Shabby Chic". If I could get a hold of the guy, I'd break every finger on every hand so he can never do this again.

 

[Feraud]

Oh Lord how I hate shabby chic...

 

[Forgotten Man]

If you look on Craigslist here in New York, you will find some lunatic who buys HUNDREDS of pieces of old furniture, some junk, some treasures, and everything in between, especially including a lot of nice Deco waterfall stuff. He paints them ALL white, and advertises them as "Shabby Chic". If I could get a hold of the guy, I'd break every finger on every hand so he can never do this again.

Don’t even get me started on Shabby S_ _ _ _Y! It’s total historic vandalism! I was once in a vintage shop and they had a lovely 30s deco lowboy dresser with a mirror in original condition, it was very clean and sat in some old lady’s bedroom since new I’m sure… not a scratch on it! Deep rich walnut veneer and an original finish that most dream about. There was this middle aged woman of a Southern Californian ethnicity who spoke broken English, she wanted to paint it white, and take a leaf shaped sponge and cover it in ivy… awww, how cute… NOT! My stomachache did summersaults and I gave a look of concern to the store owner… she gave me the “I know” look… the customer asked if she would go down on the price. She said she wouldn’t. I think the customer didn’t want to pay that much for a piece she was going to destroy. I believe I recalled saying in the dresser’s defense something like: Paint it? Why, that finish is original, it’s worth much more this way! Then the dumb customer said: Oh, but I don’t like dark wood… Then I was severely tempted to retort: Well, don’t buy dark wood! But, I didn’t.

If money was no object, I would hang out at antique malls and flea markets and when some idiot was interested in buying a piece and they udder the words shabby chic, I’ll come and offer more for the piece and steal the sale. lol And same goes for those dim bulbs who turn original television sets into aquariums or take the guts out to make a linen cabinet… I’d buy it before they could make a decision. Of course I’ll have my own antique shop that will have a screening process much like an adoption agency. lol

Yep, Pandora ’s Box was opened… and all it took was two little words… lol

 

[Paisley]

Dorothy Draper (b. 1889) used to advice her clients to paint their woodwork white.

How I wish the woodwork in my house had never been painted!