Vintage Stereotypes and How to Spot Them
Dear Diary: January 2016
February 2, 2016
Funky Fit Kit: My Ginger Orange
February 4, 2016Ever since I started blogging I’ve been a “Vintage” blogger.
It doesn’t seem to matter how my style or the content of my blog has changed over the 8 years I’ve been blogging, I’ve always managed to fall enough under that banner to be considered “Vintage”.
The term “vintage” used to refer to vintage clothing, or people that dressed in period style. Over the years I’ve started to let go of my irritation about it being applied to everything from paint to jeans (mostly, I still feel the occasional flash) and begun to accept that vintage has become a fashion term used to refer to items that are slightly quirky, unusual, or sometimes with a touch of old school glamour and to people with a more unique take on fashion that sits outside the mainstream.
That quirkiness can mean vintage is hard to pin down as a look. Everyone has their own unique take on it, and that’s part of the appeal. There are definitely some broad vintage stereotypes out there that I’ve spotted, though. In fact, I think I’ve been most of them myself at some time or another! So today this is a light hearted round up of some of the different vintage tribes that I’ve spotted.
A quick note: The Instagram photos I have embedded to represent these stereotypes were all found by random instagram hashtag searches. I think they are all beautiful pictures and beautiful people, in fact some of them are my favourite people to follow on Instagram, or turned out to be from blogs I read regularly. I have no idea if the person behind them fits into these stereotypes or not! This is designed to entertain, not offend, but I had to illustrate it somehow! I did consider dressing up as each of the stereotypes, but frankly I can’t pull some of them off.
Pin-Up Patty
Pin-Up Patty (or more likely Miss Pin-Up Patty) is unbearably perfect at all times. Her hair is probably black, red, or white blonde and you’ll never see her without glossy waves, red lips and cats eye flicks.
Pin-Up Patty seems to live in a permanent 1950s technicolour dream world, eating in 50s roadside diners that you didn’t know existed and posing in front of atomic patterned wallpaper.
Wears: Vintage repro pencil skirts and swing skirts that show off her tiny waist. Cats Eye glasses. Tight sweaters. Anything that hugs her amazing curves.
Eats and Drinks: Milkshakes garnished with a cherry, burgers and fries.
Least likely to: Post a photo in her running kit.
Brands: Pin Up Girl Clothing, Stop Staring Clothing
Period Perfect Priscilla
Period Perfect Priscillla can be found loving any decade from the 20s-60s, but is most commonly a fan of the 30s to early 50s. Her wardrobe is entirely made of authentic vintage clothing from a 5 year period and with her encyclopedic knowledge she can accurately date any piece of vintage clothing with single glance.
Period Perfect Priscilla knows that in the past Women didn’t dress like pin-ups every day. She wears warm wool stockings and sensible shoes and spends her Sundays rummaging at car boot sales for authentic bargains. She has a knack for tracking down the most perfect vintage at a reasonable price, and probably knits and sews as well so her wardrobe is perfectly fitted and to die for.
Wears: Authentic vintage or really good vintage repro, every day.
Eats & Drinks: Tea, made in a tea pot and served in a cup and saucer with an unpretentious digestive biscuit.
Least Likely to: Have ASOS on her bookmarks.
Brands: Heyday! Vintage Style, House of Foxy
Cute & Quirky Cate
Cute & quirky Cate mixes high street and vintage for a look that’s all her own. She loves prints, coloured tights, quirky handbags and brightly coloured hair. She probably has a beautiful and carefully colour co-ordinated Instagram feed in which everything matches whatever hair colour she’s sporting this week.
Cute & Quirky Cate is optimistic and excitable. Everything she does is her most favourite thing ever and she has an amazing knack for tracking down the perfect accessories for her outfit and her home. She is a design guru with a fondness for mid-century furniture.
Wears: Vintage dresses that have been taken up to above the knee, coloured tights and flat buckle up shoes.
Eats & Drinks: Brightly coloured iced doughnuts, with sprinkles.
Least Likely To: Wet set her hair with setting lotion
Brands: Tara Starlet, Collectif
Ethereal Emily
Ethereal Emily is like Cute & Quirky Cates more thoughtful sister. Her wardrobe of shortened vintage dresses and coloured tights comes in more muted tones of brown and cream and her hair is probably in a top knot or braids wrapped around her head.
Ethereal Emily appears to live in a cabin in the woods and everything in her life has a rustic, thrift shopped, charm. She probably does crochet and doesn’t have a TV.
Wears: Brown lace up ankle boots, lace collars and braids
Eats & Drinks: Lattes (photographed from above in a white cup) and home made dinners featuring kale.
Least Likely to: Dye her hair pink
Brands: Freddies of Pinewood, Modcloth
High Street Hannah
High Street Hannah is super chuffed that vintage is so popular these days as it means that if she keeps her beady eyes peeled she can create vintage inspired looks without worrying about the fact that nothing in the vintage shops ever fits her. Her style can be eclectic, ranging from almost period perfect to more pin up styles, depending on what she’s spotted online.
She spends her evenings trawling ASOS and adding prom dresses to her wishlist and knows the value of good accessories in making a look a bit different.
Wears: Midi Skirts and bardot tops, fitted cardigans and t-bar shoes.
Eats & Drinks: Starbucks lattes and fancy burgers in brioche buns.
Least Likely to: Knit her own sweater
Brands: ASOS, Chi Chi London, Boden
Are there any vintage tribes I’ve missed?
19 Comments
I love it! I think you are spot on with the way the outside world sees us vintage lovers. What’s funny is that I’m a different stereotype each day. And as always I love your style, it’s a modern vintage mix that is very doable.
High-street Hannah all the way! Cute *and* affordable. What’s not to love?! By the way I’ve just tried to email you and I’m not sure if I got through your spam-guard!!
Ah! I will check. I do double check every few days so I don’t miss stuff!
Yes! The pastel vintage maffia! Other than that: spot on. Loved it!
You missed me! I wear whatever I am loving when the mood takes me. Vintage eclectic perhaps?
Loved this, plus you introduced me to some new bloggers.
bisous
Suzanne
//www.suzannecarillo.com
???????laughing so hard here! What a fun post!
This was great! I found I fall between these three sterotypes myself depending on the day; Pin-Up Patty, Period Perfect Priscilla and High Street Hannah. What a fun article!
This is FABULOUS, going to share it on my FB page <3 Each style is a perfectly valid expression of Vintage Love <3
Oh dear! As ever, there is no club for me.
(Actually, I’m not that sad about that…)
Ha ha! Make up your own club! I had more, but there was only so long I wanted to witter on 😀
However much I’d love to be from one of the other “tribes”, I’m definitely a high street Hannah! I buy bits and pieces of vintage inspired clothing from anywhere I can find it, and like you, I’m thrilled that you can find them in a lot of places now! I’ve got a few favourite “true” vintage pieces, but they don’t all slot into the same era, and you’ll definitely find me in fitted bardot tops, jumpers and cardis with midi skirts – although I am learning to knit (after getting obsessed with sewing over the past couple of years), so you may yet find me making my own sweater…once I figure out how to stop dropping every stitch :/
Hehehe, well I certainly don’t live up to my name. Cute & Quirky, no not really, although I probably leaning more towards Period Perfect Priscilla, I’m just not quite so precious as perhaps she is. Fabulous post!
Most amusing!!! I was thinking of doing a similar post but you’ve worded this more wittily than I could! X
I’m only just finding my feet as a retro/vintage devotee, but I’d say I’m somewhere between an Ethereal Emily and a High Street Hannah, leaning more towards the former (ModCloth is almost entirely responsible for that huge hole in my bank account). I love the idea of being period-perfect, but I don’t have the time, energy or lifestyle to carry it off, so I mix retro and some true vintage with modern high-street for a look that works for me.
I should probably add that I can’t crochet though, and don’t like kale… 😉
This was such a funny read! I’ve known (or have personally embodied) each of these people at one point or another, and the descriptions are bang on.
Had ty smile because I found myself in the last type (and somewhat the quirky Kate) – and then I saw your pic. Fact is I am far less excited about carnival in germany these days because of the way I dress :O
You so nailed it! So well observe,. I’m still laughing!