Wearing vintage pieces without looking too dated?

[maximiliani]

Hi there, okay so I realize such a thread on here could be a bit sacrilegious but I feel like I'm in a jam. I LOVE vintage clothing, the suits, the shirts and hairstyles, up until the early 60's people were just SO cool. I'm starting to think I'm having trouble wearing vintage though. I'm known for my retrophile ways among my friends, and they tease me for looking like Flash Gordon or Clark Kent due to my thick framed glasses and curls in my haircut, but even in pictures now, I sometimes am looking, the way I'm dressed, I just kind of look, I hate to admit it, old. People say I sometimes dress like a grandpa, which is in some ways awesome but being only 20 years old, I don't want to age myself too much. I love the fashions from pretty much late 30's-early 60's so I have various stuff from different time periods, but mainly 50's cardigans and stuff.

I really like the whole Mad Men sparked need for Atomic Age refinement and a bit more button up approach, but it seems I'm having a hard time balancing it out with regular clothes or I just look too, English professor, when other people on campus walking around with white shirts, ties and cardigans and sweater vests DONT look old or frumpy to me. What do you think I'm doing wrong?

 

[Guttersnipe]

Generally speaking vintage, by definition, is going to look "dated." However, some of it depends on what kind of vintage you choose to wear, there's a lot out there that doesn't look like "old people" clothes - even to the untrained eye.

I get the, "You dress like an old man" line from time-to-time, my response is usually, "yes, well I'd rather dress like an old man than a permanent adolescent man-child."

 

[BinkieBaumont]

"yes, well I'd rather dress like an old man than a permanent adolescent man-child."

former CEO of A&F (keeping the dream alive in his mid 60's)"

"You don't want to wear flip flops? and say "Like, dude? Hello"

 

[tonypaj]

Mix it, don't be predictable, forget about "the rules", stop trying too hard. And just face it, this 2010, not 1947. Be yourself, not someone's idea of how people used to dress long time ago. And relax, it's just clothes. At 20 you should concentrate on girls, anyway...

 

[JohnnieT]

Mix with thought.

I agree with the previous poster, don't over-think the whole process. Do use some judicious care, though, to ensure that the peices find some way to compliment one another. A vintage sports jacket, for example, would not go well over your favorite band t-shirt, but a vintage A-2 or a pea coat could work well.
Formal with formal, casual with casual, and trendy with....NEVER! That rule has worked out pretty well for me.
And yes, concentrate on the girls. Find one you like, then ask what she thinks. That's what you oughta be wearing

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Mix it, don't be predictable, forget about "the rules", stop trying too hard. And just face it, this 2010, not 1947. Be yourself, not someone's idea of how people used to dress long time ago. And relax, it's just clothes. At 20 you should concentrate on girls, anyway...

Excellent advice, wonderfully written! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

And yes, concentrate on the girls.

Very true!


.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Housekeeping

Moved to the OB since it is not a specific discussion of General Attire, and more importantly, so it would get more responses.

 

[Edward]

I get folks thinking I'm old all the time. For one, in most people's eyes, I 'dress old'. For two, since I started thinning on top in my mid-late twenties, from the neck up I shave it all off bar the eyebrows. You'd be surprised at the number of folks who see 'bald' and think 'seventy plus'. Alls I can suggest is get as jaded about other people's opinions as I've become, and you'll be happy enough to just wear what you want and hang what folks think...

See also:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=43698

 

[Emerson]

Wearing vintage pieces without looking too dated

Hi there, okay so I realize such a thread on here could be a bit sacrilegious but I feel like I'm in a jam. I LOVE vintage clothing, the suits, the shirts and hairstyles, up until the early 60's people were just SO cool. I'm starting to think I'm having trouble wearing vintage though. I'm known for my retrophile ways among my friends, and they tease me for looking like Flash Gordon or Clark Kent due to my thick framed glasses and curls in my haircut, but even in pictures now, I sometimes am looking, the way I'm dressed, I just kind of look, I hate to admit it, old. People say I sometimes dress like a grandpa, which is in some ways awesome but being only 20 years old, I don't want to age myself too much. I love the fashions from pretty much late 30's-early 60's so I have various stuff from different time periods, but mainly 50's cardigans and stuff.

...... What do you think I'm doing wrong?

The engineer's answer: It's not a matter of right or wrong; I think you need some different friends.

 

[tylerevansokay]

former CEO of A&F (keeping the dream alive in his mid 60's)"

"You don't want to wear flip flops? and say "Like, dude? Hello"

Wow... please tell me this is a fake-out.

 

[Burton]

Good luck with your "vintage" ways. The way I see it the real concern is are you dressing in costume or do you really embrace what you are wearing. I have worn safari wear for years and have seen it come in and out of fashion. I dont care. In the early 80s I came back from a rigorous trip to New Guinea and upon my return the rage was the new movie Indiana Jones. Took a while for it to pass and then of course appear again "The Temple of Doom", The Last Crusade". I couldnt care less ( I do enjoy those movies).

 

[Miss Dizzy Dame]

Don't worry about what people think and just dress the way you want to,and like the others say,don't over think

 

[cptjeff]

Wow... please tell me this is a fake-out.

No, I remember seeing the news story that that picture accompanied. It's quite real.

 

[maximiliani]

Good luck with your "vintage" ways. The way I see it the real concern is are you dressing in costume or do you really embrace what you are wearing. I have worn safari wear for years and have seen it come in and out of fashion. I dont care. In the early 80s I came back from a rigorous trip to New Guinea and upon my return the rage was the new movie Indiana Jones. Took a while for it to pass and then of course appear again "The Temple of Doom", The Last Crusade". I couldn't care less ( I do enjoy those movies).

I just like looking nice, but to be honest I'm a bit body conscious, so clothes can be a problem! Vintage especially! I had formerly been kinda heavy, and never thought I looked good in anything, and while I've lost weight I still am self conscious about what I can wear and what I shouldn't and how I look to other people, etc while still striving to get smaller/work out more and more.

I guess buying unique clothing either vintage or otherwise, helps me, I guess to distract myself and others from my body maybe? I'm not sure, but it's not really entirely costume for me, I just want to look good and wear nice things and I think a lot of vintage stuff look nice. I love the compliments I get when I wear good clothing.

Actually partially my desicion to start wearing better clothing/paying attention more and trying for more vintage looks came from looking at pictures of my grandfather from the mid-late forties when he was probably around my age, and when I saw an article in GQ with James Marsden in spring of 08.

http://thepopfix.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/00002f.jpg

I really like that look, it's both retro and yet, really crisp. I don't have the money to buy the designer stuff he's wearing, and have yet to find a polo that has done me justice. Pants are a whole other issue!

 

[Burton]

Max, you sound like a very intelligent, thoughtful fellow especially for 20 years old. Hope you have the confidence to wear what you feel comfortable with. Dont worry what people think it means nothing.

 

[The Good]

Max, you sound like a very intelligent, thoughtful fellow especially for 20 years old. Hope you have the confidence to wear what you feel comfortable with. Dont worry what people think it means nothing.

Max, Mr. Burton's right. Don't worry about what other people are saying about your taste (good I might add) in vintage/retro clothing. Be your unique individual self, and wear what you want. You're allowed to, it's not illegal or anything. But yeah, keep it tasteful. On campus and in the classroom (hat off of course), I tend to wear a vintage '30s style straight crown fedora (Akubra Federation, actually), a brownish-green tweed sport coat, and khaki, olive, and brown trousers, or just jeans, with a dress shirt in most cases. I think you can pull it off, you just have to be confident. That's the trick, or else it shows that you're just trying too hard, if you're not confident. I'm 20 years of age myself too, actually, if that means anything.

 

[Yeps]

being in a similar situation, (i am twenty too and also get lots of clark kent comments), i suggest you take it in steps. The first thing i did was to ditch t-shirts, and to wear exclusively collared shirts. Then add something more to that, like vests or jackets, and hats of course. Just wear one thing until you are completely comfortable with it, and people stop caring, then add another. People get used to stuff really quickly, and in general, vintage styles look really good. Just look at pictures of old movie stars for inspiration. People like seeing guys who look like errol flynn or clark gable.

 

[The Good]

being in a similar situation, (i am twenty too and also get lots of clark kent comments), i suggest you take it in steps. The first thing i did was to ditch t-shirts, and to wear exclusively collared shirts. Then add something more to that, like vests or jackets, and hats of course. Just wear one thing until you are completely comfortable with it, and people stop caring, then add another. People get used to stuff really quickly, and in general, vintage styles look really good. Just look at pictures of old movie stars for inspiration. People like seeing guys who look like errol flynn or clark gable.

Interesting that you've stated to ditch the t-shirts. I've more or less done the same thing a year ago, though technically, I always wear one underneath a dress shirt or polo, as if it is an undershirt only. One exception, however, is my last vacation in Hawaii, where it was very humid, and well... I wore t-shirts sometimes, but mostly, even still, it was a polo. That said, I think wearing t-shirts, as is, detracts somewhat from the vintage or retro looks you want to convey to others. I believe a fedora can be worn with a t-shirt, some people do it almost all the time, and it can actually look good, but it's not a look for everyone. I personally find myself awkward in a t-shirt in any situation, let alone with a fedora, but that's just me...

Anyway, I agree that in general, most vintage styles do look good. I think just about anyone can make vintage work. One poster here said a while back something along the lines of, "I've yet to see a picture of someone wearing a fedora dated from the 1920s-1950s and think, wow that looks bad." I think this fellow Fedora Lounge member has a point. However, I'm not saying necessarily that a grey pin-striped, double-breasted or three-piece suit with a pocket watch would work too well with someone sporting an 80s or 90s style mullet hairstyle, for an example here, though there are at least some exceptions to this, usually. I guess my point is ultimately, that nearly anyone (well, maybe everyone?) can carry off some sort of vintage style in the 21st century, and well, at that.

Anyway, good luck figuring out what it is that appeals to you! I hope you enjoy it all. Don't mind ignorant/negative comments, you'll probably end up with more compliments in the long run anyway. I know I have, so far. Vintage, or more properly in my case, vintage-inspired (I don't own any actually vintage clothing), is working well for me.

 

[buddy5909]

being in a similar situation, (i am twenty too and also get lots of clark kent comments), i suggest you take it in steps. The first thing i did was to ditch t-shirts, and to wear exclusively collared shirts. Then add something more to that, like vests or jackets, and hats of course. Just wear one thing until you are completely comfortable with it, and people stop caring, then add another. People get used to stuff really quickly, and in general, vintage styles look really good. Just look at pictures of old movie stars for inspiration. People like seeing guys who look like errol flynn or clark gable.

I agree - taking it one step at a time is important. I'm 25 but have been dressing with vintage accents for a while now. Starting with my glasses for me. People start to expect that vintage flair from me. They will do the same with you.

 

[Paisley]

Full-on vintage isn't for me. I wear vintage or vintage-inspired pieces, usually with basic pants.