Please be advised that many times along the way in my blog, I will write a bit tongue-and-cheek. This is not always appropriate content for all my readers. Sometimes, in my quest for self happiness, I will write or share information that might offend a few people, many people, or maybe just bus drivers! So, I would just like to take a moment to apologize to ALL the bus drivers, hey-wake dealers, non-materialistic people, non-fur wearers, vintage elitists, non vintage elitists, my Mom, my Dad, various family members, ex-boyfriends (you know who you are), all the little people, and anybody else that might have experienced a "bad feeling" about anything I may have written in this here blog. This is my warning, if I've offended you in the past, I will continue to do my best to offend you in the future!
Thank you for your time!
The owner of this here joint,
Miss MaryDeluxe
Now on with the show! A few questions followed by my 2 cents!
Question:
Am I the only gal out there who has gotten to the point where they think vintage has become grossly over priced?
My 2 Cents:
My frugality must be catching up with me...but I think some gals are paying way to much on vintage things. Vintage has so jumped the shark and I'm getting tired of the insane prices for things just because it happens to be from the mid-century era. I'm sorry, but that 1950's dress has a hole in it and it ain't worth $85. You can get pissed at what I'm saying all you want, but I'm probably older then you and in the 80's & 90's, I use to be able to walk into a Goodwill or Salvation Army, head to the "Vintage Clothing" area and buy a vintage 1950's prom gown for $5! I'm sure if you're in your late 30's or 40's you're shaking your head agreeing with me right now....Hallelujah, Amen, Sister Deluxe! Lets face it, vintage is cool, everyone has to have it and it drives the prices up. Eventually people will move onto another trend and prices will fall.
Question:
What the hell is up with the whole competition thing to "look more vintage" then everybody else? WTF is that about??
My 2 Cents:
Really, WTF is that about? I've seen this happening now for years and I 'm glad to know I'm not the only one who just doesn't get it? My guess is vintage has become trendy and cool! So of course now it's going to attract what I like to call..."wanna be vintage snobs". WBVS are the people who have gotten involved in "vintage lifestyle" fairly recently when it's became trendy and now think they can make up rules about who is cool and who is not. WBVS are also the people who buy their vintage in large quantities within a short time frame because they need to have as much as those of us who have been collecting for a long time. They will then say they know so much about "being vintage" because they now have 500 Bakelite bangles, 50 Lucite purses, and the required Shaheen Hawaiian dress/playsuit ....they are now instantly cooler than you. Oh and God forbid you wear something reproduction around them!! WBVS would laugh at you and stab you in the back for sure, they would NEVER be caught in "fake vintage"! I personally am sooooo tired of these fake ass bitches who think they can make rules about what someone needs to wear in order to be considered "vintage". Yes, you are so much cooler than me because you wipe your ass with dead stock toilet paper (because someone told you it's cool) and I don't....now get away from me! I say, wear your vintage proudly even without an armload of Bakelite or the right accessories! While you're at it, wear an outfit more then once and your fake vintage too! Tell the WBVSs to kiss your "underwear bought from Target" ass!
Question:
Since when did you start needing to have tattoos to be considered "vintage"?
My2Cents:
I have wondered about this myself?? I am very happy that I don't have any tattoos other then the tiny one I oh so unfortunately got many years ago on my ankle. I think many times of getting it removed. I have gotten emails from people saying that I would look better and "cooler" with tattoos and to them I say, kiss my "underwear bought from Target" ass.... I'll stay uncool, thanks! I like looking different than everyone else, it makes me standout in the crowd...I'm usually the only girl at the rockabilly show without tattoos and I love it! And before you send the hate emails, I have nothing against people with tattoos, they're just not my personal thing....maybe that will change, but I doubt it. So, if you want to judge me "unvintage" because I don't have the required amount of tattage, please just get away from me.....I bet you're also one of those "WBVSs" who wipe your ass with 1950's dead stock tp. Can I also just add that not dating someone because they don't have "tattoos" or dress "vintage" enough, is really silly. How vain you must be to date an image and not a person. I'm sure your relationships go far!
So Dear DeluxeVille Readers, what I'm saying is, you don't need a certain "vintage image" or "a certain amount of vintage" to impress me. I could really care less about how much vintage crap ya got and how ya wear it. I'm more about the person on the inside then the person on the outside. Isn't that really how it should be?
~MaryDeluxe
ps.....please forward all hate email to the Sgt!
You're awesome. Thank you for saying what my bitchy ass has been thinking.
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks for addressing these topics. I have been out of the "Scene" for a few years and it surprises me that this stuff still happens. Vintage is something you either appreciate or don't. I believe certain people just have to find a way to elevate themselves and feel better by judging others, no matter what interests they have.
ReplyDeleteAlso the idea of having tattoos to fit into the "vintage" mold is absurd. It is frankly really ironic to be considered into vintage if you have tattoos because, being tattooed has been considered taboo for many decades, until recently. They have flourished in the subcultures and now in the mainstream. Of course the internet has made it easier to show old photographs of tattooed people, making it seem like it was commonplace in the past. Honestly, a lot of people view those old photographs and just copy those old tattoo styles. Is that an homage to the past? Or just lame, pretentious, and uninspired? Personally I have been guilty of both. In any regard, you have beautiful taste and beautiful skin, it is jaw dropping to think that others push their opinions so brazenly on you. Lastly, this is YOUR blog, people come here specifically to read your thoughts and get to know you, you should never apologize for YOUR opinions/ topics you post.
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ReplyDeleteThese are funny questions! I'll give my 2 cents I guess...
ReplyDelete1-I hate overpriced vintage and I (gasp) kinda hate Etsy. Just cuz its Hawaiian doesn't mean its worth $500. I got into vintage for the cheap factor and now it just ain't cheap! I too remember finding great pieces at thrift stores but now even they are overpricing their shite! Luckily I've been collecting for over 10 years so I have a pretty good collection going, but hopefully these outrageous prices calm down soon!
2-I'm sure there are people out there that think I am a vintage snob. Truthfully, though, I am not. I'm not!!! I shop at Forever 21, Target, and own repro. Most of my friends here don't wear a lick of vintage. I don't care what people wear, as long as they dress with style. I get annoyed at people who 'give up' and wear dirty sweats everywhere they go. I just think people should have a little more pride in themselves. I dress the way I do because I love it. Also, I get snobby remarks and looks sometimes from non-vintage people who are judging me, so it goes both ways. Snobs come in all outfits, not just vintage!!
When it comes to my blog I try to give my opinion on things without telling people what to do or wear. Its a fine line, because I want to say what I want to say, but I don't want to offend anyone or make anyone feel bad because they wear Stop Staring or cherry print. I used to wear that stuff too and just because I don't anymore doesn't mean that I'm all of a sudden better then they are.
3-Tattoos aren't vintage. No way, no how. Yes, some people in the 50s had them, but not many. They are definitely a rockabilly thing, but I know tons of RAB people without them too. For me, I like dressing ultra feminine and then having the tattoos. Its throws people off a bit. Honestly though, I think people notice my clothes and hair more than they do my tattoos. They are so common now. Its cool that you don't want them. Doing things because 'its cool' or someone told you to, is terribly 'uncool' IMO.
Well, theres my long winded 2 cents. Oh, and you never offend me but I enjoy when you unwittingly offend others. Some people are just so sensitive!!
Love you and your blog! I have a ton of tattoos and love my vintage (and fake vintage!) but my hubby isn't inked up like I am. I love him and though he'd definitely look hot with tattoos, he also looks hot without them and I love him just the same!!! People think it's strange that someone with so many tattoos is married to someone with one small one (people ask me about it all the time), but since when do we have to fit into a mold of some magical appropriate number of tattoos? I also think it's lame that it's become a competition of who has the most tattoos...yet at the same time it's supposed to make you so "different" if you have tattoos. Whatever.
ReplyDeleteMy house has a traditional style but it's also modernized. And I love it. I'm an individual and I don't care to be competing to be like anyone else because that's when you lose yourself. I am totally cool with being myself.
You're beautiful and such an inspiration for a vintage lovin' gal like myself!
Way to go! I have always thought it absolutely hilarious that my 40 plus vintage friends quite happily don bobby sox to pull of a vintage look. Ah, ahem, they were worn by kids and teenagers! And tattoos? Women in the 40's and 50's didn't them under their tailored suits. I have 3 (only 1 of which might be considered vintage retro cool!), but I am a 21st century girl. And they didn't wear evening dresses during the day either. Don't get me started, I could be here for days... Say what you like and keep it coming :)
ReplyDeleteI have a funny feeling that in 5 years, or when Mad Men gets canceled (whichever comes first), there will be an exodus from vintage and MCM. People caught in trends will then move on to the next one and vintage will become super cheap. Then, people will once again refer to the stuff we love as "that old crap". vintage forever!
ReplyDeleteI've been following your blog for a long time -- I love it that you're so down to earth and understand the down-deep love of things that are old (my example would be your sharing of your grandparent's letters...loved reading them!!) that have history. I love all things old and vintage but not because it's trendy. It certainly wasn't trendy when I realized my love of these old items.
ReplyDeleteIf you offend people, perhaps they will stop following your blog and you'll be left with the people that share your thoughts about vintage items. All the better!
Keep up the good work.
Following from Denver,
Katie @ Just Sayin'...
Preachin' to the choir sister! I could never buy vintage at the prices I see, I would be afraid to wear it!
ReplyDeleteThe "more vintage than thou" attitude of some people is just their sad little way to build themselves up. It's 2011 ladies, no amount of vintage is going to change that.
I also get bothered that it is possible to learn all there is to know about vintage via internet when those of us had to pay our dues the hard way. I can talk to a new comer to vintage with much more knowledge than me because I wear it not study it.
The tattoos thing goes both ways, as you might remember I posted on it once because I go tired of girls looking down their noses at vintage wearin' gals with tattoos-but that was part 1 and I need to get on part 2-the other side of that coin.
I often worry about offending readers but that's so funny because why should I care if they don't read my blog?
Hallelujah, Amen, Sister Deluxe! i have a shit load of tattoo's but would never consider that Vintage most Vintage tattoo's of lady's were hooker's biker's or freakshow ladies lol i love my ink but lets not confuse Vintage with the rockabilly tattoo scene!!
ReplyDeleteoh and YAY to Can I also just add that not dating someone because they don't have "tattoos" or dress "vintage" enough, is really silly. How vain you must be to date an image and not a person. I'm sure your relationships go far!
my man is not vintage and has no ink i have enough for both of us lol!
Amen!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Very well put. It's lovely that you are staying true to yourself and not following the trends.
ReplyDeleteThank you for saying this!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to drop in my 2 cents:
There is a shop in brisbane selling 1950s dresses for minimum $350! crazy! Then they had the hide to sell 80s does 1950s for $150+
As for the rest I think it's kind of funny that you're talking about vintage snobs and then people are talking about how tattoos aren't "vintage".
Danielle was saying about how 'they wouldn't have worn evening wear during the day', hmm that's starting to sound a bit like vintage snobbery to me. I guess cause i'm early 20s i should only be wearing pastel colours to fit in with 1950s?
I'm just trying to give examples here. I say: if you like it wear it!
Hehehe, so true for much of it. And I agree that vintage can be really overpriced, but as a seller I have to say too that dresses which were cheap in thrift stores in the early 90s (yep, I was there too!) are now really hard to find. 20 (gasp) years on, and things from the 50s and even 60s are now older and rarer and harder to find. As a seller, I find it much harder to source lovely things from that era than when I was a student 20 years ago. That is the problem with vintage, the goalposts are continually moving and the older you get the more it annoys you! Of course kids nowadays aren't even buying things from the 50s, they go for the 80s and do it for the same reasons we did - it is cheap and easy to find everywhere. In 20 years time they too will be irked by the fact 80s vintage has become expensive ;) x
ReplyDeletedeadstock tp ahahahaha
ReplyDeletewhen the vintage police get off the internet and give away their computers, cell phones and other newfangled conveniences, then I MIGHT listen to what they have to say ;)
ReplyDeleteI bought my first 40's noir cocktail dress in 1976. I was 16. I paid $1 for it. Wore it literally to shreds (hey, it was punk time a few years later). Sometimes I pay more than i want for vintage but sometimes I don't. I don't have the time or opportunity to find deals often in my lackluster area.
I'd never heard you had to be tattooed to be "vintage." Must be a rockabilly scene thing maybe? As a heavily tattooed person I usually get the reverse - "oh, your vintage look would be improved if you didn't have the tattoos." I usually reply something along the lines of, "I can cover them, you can't cover up your ignorant attitude!"
oh and if you can't find deadstock toilet paper, feel free to use your deadstock sears and montgomery wards catalogs to wipe your ass ;)
love you as always, Miss Mary!
I totally agree with you!!
ReplyDeleteI really lament the price going up these days. Since I sew my own vintage repros, I focus on patterns. When I first started collecting them, the average price for any pattern from 1930s-1950s was about $5. Now, I'm seeing patterns with starting bids of $30 or higher. The vintage fad has become so ubiquitous that when I walk into an estate sale, the ladies will run to me with the Coro jewelry and lucite handbags before I get a chance to look around. Even the estate sales are overpriced compared to pre-Mad Men prices.
ReplyDeleteWhat a excellent post! I agree and you go girl!!
ReplyDeleteThis post made me smile this morning, it's so true!!
ReplyDeleteMiss P xx
Nice post - good to remind people. I've been an author for many years and when someone gives a bad review my motto is - If everybody loves my work, not enough people are reading it. If you have enough readers to offend people, you're doing GREAT! Keep it up.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog! Please keep speaking your mind!! I love it! Keeps me comin back.
ReplyDeleteYou are AWESOME is all I can say!
ReplyDelete1) If people want to pay a fortune, let them. It really depends where you are located, and how much patience you have for 'the hunt.' In my city, I can take $60 and buy a ripped/stained dress that requires a lot of repair...or take $60 and buy a NWT off Etsy. True, I could also buy a $400 dress with a hole off Etsy, but just because I wouldn't...doesn't mean someone else won't. I've found 5 dresses in person in this city over many years. There is literally nothing here...what IS here ends up in a hole of a vintage shop where everything smells and is stained/ripped/broken.
ReplyDelete2) There are 5 people in this city that I know of who wear vintage. 1 wears it exclusively but is never present at any sort of anything. 1 wears it mostly exclusively. 1 wears dresses but not anything else. The other two would be myself and my friend who wear it at least once a week. That is extent of the "vintage scene" here. The funny thing about the 'rivalry' is that is it entirely -over the internet- which makes it THAT much more hilarious.
3) I have a tattoo. And I wore a 50s dress to the theatre last night. OH NO!! Which label should I stick on my back so everyone knows what I am?! ;) Silliness. Like what you like people. I just enjoy the fact that I now know, after years of liking vintage everyone on my own, that there are OTHER PEOPLE in the world with the same tastes!
I totally agree with the masses on this one. I find it really refreshing when (even in vintage) you have your own style, what ever that maybe. If you feel confident in what your wearing then you look 10 times better then someone that is wearing "all the right things".
ReplyDeleteI peed a little at your Deadstock tp comment. :-)
Adore your blog and adore you--your sassy posts are some of my favorites. Though I from time to time still find gems, it is getting increasingly harder. It's a shame that those that love vintage can't seem to agree. If I see a gorgeous guy or gal wearing vintage or vintage inspired anything it always makes me happy. And, I don't care if they don't/do have tattoos. Or, if they are period accurate or mix their fashions. You keep being your wonderful self!
ReplyDeletegreat post!! I definitely agree that the cost of vintage has changed and a lot of this has to do with the trendy popularity of vintage. However, I think it may also have to do with the fact that *perhaps* more people are seeing the historical/aesthetic and design VALUE of vintage clothing. Arguably, the reason why the thrift stores used to be so overloaded with vintage is because many many North Americans just saw their grandparents or parents' stuff as "old clothes"; so, the small number of people looking to carve out a unique look on a budget had the pick of the litter because this way of looking at vintage hadn't become mainstream yet. To be truthful, though, not all people buying vintage "back in the day" really saw the vintage pieces they were buying up as precious collectables, either. As the curator of a fashion history museum I am friends with once told me, in the 70s and 80s, a lot of people who bought, for example, 20s dresses for a buck at the thrift store, cut them up, remade them into something else, and literally wore them to death--so, great deals were had at the time, but now really valuable fashion history is trashed forever.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if a person pays more money for a vintage item because it is being sold and bought with a greater consciousness of the historical and social value of the item, as well as its wearability, there will be more reverence for that garment and it may change hands less often and may avoid going into the "chop shop"??). When you get a situation where demand for vintage has increased but supply is dwindling or decreasing, prices are bound to rise. As well, just as we're getting older, items from the 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s are getting scarcer, more fragile, and more valuable. That being said, for some reason I see 50s items WAAAAAY more overpriced than items from almost every other era. Must be due to popularity.
Final note: from an ecological standpoint, I think the increased popularity of vintage is promising. Sure, shops like Forever 21 are great for bargains, but our culture has been addicted to "throw away" clothing that is cheap in all senses of the word for too long. Instead of buying huge quantities of cheap clothes that end up as rags clogging landfills after only a few years, maybe if a person pays more hard-earned money to buy a really special, well made vintage item, they will do as our grandparents did, and take better care of it, cherish it, and enjoy quality over quantity? Probably a pipe dream that is not financial/socially realistic, but just some things I think about. Vintage Snobbery does suck, though, so not saying I think a person has to be top to toe vintage 24-7 to be somebody!
It's like...you read...MY MIND. What a fabulous post. AMEN AMEN AMEN! Keep telling it like it is, Miss Mary. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great post and I think the "holier than thou" attitude can certainly be seen in other subcultures of the blogging world and not just vintage. I've observed or dealt with it in the gluten-free, 'offbeat wedding', and gardening circles. I suspect this could be because people feel that they are "experts" just because they have a pretty blog. While I am a novice at vintage fashion and have been a collector of antique glass and furniture for years, I know and fully admit my blog is not going to be chock full of expert advice, it's really just for fun. Mainly it's just stories of my adventures antiquing and photos of my feedsack patterns or cool outfits that make me happy. On the other side of the coin, I happen to be a real life expert in food science on gluten-free product development, yet I do not blog about it or promote it too heavily online because that's my "every day job" and I have no desire to be some famous pseudo cookbook superstar. When I come home on the weekends I want to get away from it and it really frustrates me when I see cookbook authors or gluten-free bloggers promoting inaccurate info or acting if their method of baking a silly cookie is the ONLY way in the entire world and everyone else is wrong...
ReplyDeleteAnyways long story short, keep up the great work and I really enjoyed this post!
I love your blog and I love this post. Please continue to speak your mind! X
ReplyDeleteI was having the same conversation with a friend today and we basically said the same thing, for me it's not about be in fashion it's just what I like.
ReplyDeleteI also love your refreshing honesty in your blog which is why I read it, to all those that get offended well no one is forcing them to read your blog so if they don't want to be offended maybe they should just stop reading.
Keep being yourself it's the reason the rest of keep stopping by. :O)
One needs to have tattoos to be vintage? Since when? Because there were soooo many gals in the 30's, 40's and 50's who had them? lol
ReplyDeleteGreat post calling out the wannabes. I consider myself a die-hard vintage enthusiast and I don't even own or wear one piece of vintage clothing. So there.
Great post! I'm 'non-scene' really - my main area of interest is the 1950s, but having been to a couple of vintage weekenders, yes they were fun but vintage snobbery is rife, I don't own any lurex capris or bakelite bangles, and Shaheen didn't go up to my size!
ReplyDeleteI have tattoos because I found my way to vintage via the punk scene (where the 'punker than thou' attitude is also unfortunately prevalent) and had always loved them - people in the 1940s and 50s had tattoos, but those people were soldiers and sailors not young ladies, generally. Also - they were still frowned upon. My Nanna was an ATS girl, and had an album full of pictures from boyfriends in the services during WWII. One of them is a sailor, arms full of tattoos and a face like James Dean, the inscription reads 'To Margie, please excuse the tattoos!'
I also have stretched earlobes, facial piercings and green eyebrows - I'm not ever going to look 'authentic', I don't care and I love the combination of styles I have.
I agree with you on overpriced vintage - I can't wait for the Mad Men craze to be over and for prices to go back down. The most I ever paid was £60 (about $100) for a 1940s turquoise and red polka dot dress, which turned out to have indelible blood spot stains on it :( it's still wearable, and I mainly bought it because plus sized vintage is near impossible to find in the UK, but I did feel ripped off. Other than that, all my vintage items are housewares, lucite purses and jewellery I've picked up for cheap, I make all my clothes myself from vintage or self-drafted patterns.
Great post! It does make me sick seeing the price of a lot of vintage clothes. Yes, I own a Shaheen dress. How? Because my mom thrifted it in the early 80s when no one thought it was "worth" anything and it was just cheap and different. It'll probably be the only one I ever own. I alternately both love and feel entirely uncool telling others "this was my mom's". Ha!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it's sad to me that even something as simple as beaded wool sweaters which I'd thrift in high school for $1 or $2 are sometimes now $$$. Just a sweater. Sigh.
Sometimes I actually feel a bit silly dressed vintage with so many tattoos. But I've never encountered the tattoo mentality you mentioned. That's probably because we don't really know other people in the scene where we live, so there's no one to make comments one way or the other. (Although in general most people here don't seem to have them. Maybe that's why they don't talk to us. So maybe it's reverse snobbery. LOL)
I don't care what you wear, I don't care how you furnish your house, I don't care what bands you think are cool or uncool. Be a good person, be a good friend, enjoy yourself and do your own thing without looking down on other people in the process because they are or aren't vintage enough. :)
I LOVE YOU.
ReplyDeleteAMEN! THANK GOD someone else out there speaks their mind and doesn't care what other's think! It's refreshing to hear/see :)
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I'm sick of the vintage Nazi's. Yes I like vintage, no I can't always find vintage that fits properly. I'm all for reproduction (if done right). I mean honestly, isn't it better to find something that fits right and looks good vs. trying to fit into something BECAUSE it's vintage? Sometimes you end up looking like a stuffed sausage because you just HAVE to wear that amazing piece and honestly it's not flattering!
On tattoos, well I have some, I wish I would have planned them out better or thought fully when I was young. I like them but pinups in the 50s didn't have tattoos so how vintage is it REALLY? To each their own.
BTW-how's the house situation coming along?
Do you have ESP?? Because I swear you're reading my mind!
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, I can honestly say that I would not own a tenth of as much vintage as I do if I didn't work at a thrift store. And I now probably own much more than I really need! I really don't go out often, and when I do it's rarely-if-ever a vintage/rockabilly thing. If anything it's Steampunk! Ha! And because of my work that largely entails digging through peoples' trash I certainly don't want to wear my really nice things to work. I wear what I wear because I have a fondness for old things, they're pretty, and I feel those vintage styles suit my body and bring out the best. (More than anything, it's annoying when people [girls] wear styles just because they think their cool, although they look totally ridiculous and, frankly, uncomfortable - whatever style that may be!) I couldn't be concerned less about who thinks I'm "cool" - I look good and there's nothing you can do about it! Haha! I'm not trying to impress the scene, and the person I do want to impress is my non-vintage, nerdy, alt-rock boyfriend.
Oh, and having said all that, I want to point out that my two favorite dresses and the ones I get the most compliments on, are totally 80s repro! You'd never know unless I told you!
Also, I have one tattoo that I got because it means something to me and is on my ribcage where only two people regularly see it. It's ridiculous to me that people think I should explain something so personal, as if it's any of their business. I didn't ask about yours for a reason - it's my fault you're so obvious!
Oh, I could just go on and on, but thankfully, you hit the nail right on the head! Amazing!!
I just love you to bits.
ReplyDeleteI think the moral of the story is this: as long as there are women, there will be insecurity. No matter what you are involved in, there will always be women tearing apart other women using arbitrary guidelines. If you want to watch something REALLY fun, when one of these women says something vintage-snobby to your face, point out that maybe they are insecure. That's some Tasmanian Devil-level freakout you get to witness.
***Standing ovation*** :D I applaud you!
ReplyDeleteThere is just not more to add that you already said in this post or what anyone else said in comments.I agree heartily!
ReplyDeleteI will say this though...I don't have much in the way of vintage clothes but, I adore the era. Not just the clothes but, the simplicity of life,the movies and the music. I dress in regular clothes more often than anything vintage/retro but, that doesn't take away from the fact that I am a huge fan of it all and consider myself "vintagy" than modern.
Love you, love your blog. Deadstock tp made me laugh so hard.
ReplyDeleteWhaaa haaaa haaaa. Too funny! I love how you get so many nice comments on this, where I would get a ton of nasty comments. Go figure! I also couldn't get away with posting underwear pics either. ha ha ha
ReplyDeleteI love the deadstock TP joke, thats a fav among my girlfriends.
IMO- I don't care what people wear, as long as they put some clothes on! I am tired of seeing girls at car shows in undies and bras!
I'm 45 so I hear ya! When I first moved to London - and we were just talking about this with other similarly aged people this weekend - I used to go to Camden Market and buy a fab dress for that night for next to nothing. Now I understand when things become rarer, they become more expensive but it's the cotton plain boring 50s dresses at $150 that stick in my craw!
ReplyDeleteAlso I'm not tattoed, and I care not to be ever. I don't care either way if people are, or aren't, it's definately more a US scene thing than a UK scene thing, although it's more common here now.
Great post!
Also that whole I'm more vintage than you, oh dear, that's just sad, be who you are, not who your peers think you should be...
I know what you mean, especially having a boyfriend in a rockabilly/psychobilly band, he has no tattoos and is perfectly content with that, even though he appreciates them, he doesn't have any himself, and every one and their brother tells him he needs them but he has not given in. So much pressure because those folks THINK its PSYCHOBILLY to be covered in zombie tattoos and bats.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
ReplyDeleteHonestly one of the reasons I like your blog over many "vintage" blogs is that I never felt you were fake. The way you write about things comes across as genuine and you like what you like regardless of what others think or do.
As far as judging people...weird...I could care less whether someone's vintage look is genuine vintage or a reproduction of a past style as long as it makes the person happy. People need to be who they are and wear what makes them happy, vintage or not. It seems really strange that people are so judgemental of others who like similar things. Does that make any sense???
Keep on being you Mary Deluxe.
M
Much like you prefaced this blog post by calling it “tongue and cheek,” I will say that I think you have a very nice blog where I largely enjoy the content. I am not a regular reader but I do drop by from time to time to see what’s happening in Deluxeville. However, while part of me agrees with your underlying points, I feel that your argument over vintage prices is horribly flawed and reeks of ageism.
ReplyDeleteI’ve lost count of the times I’ve heard the “30-40 somethings” complain that they bought something in the ‘80s or ‘90s for just a few bucks. This statement holds no water at all! I’m not even sure what to say except ‘good for you.’ Just because one thing was true then has no bearing at all on making it true now. We are over 50 years removed from those fabulous fifties, everything is becoming rarer and rarer. Goodwill and Salvation army stores have items brought to them. They don’t have to factor in their time when pricing these items. Some of my vintage dealer friends literally get up everyday at sunrise to go hunt estate sales, storage units, etc. They then have to factor their personal time into making said prices. I doubt $5-10 is going to cut it for them. Those prices in the ‘80s will never come back. People of your age bracket were very fortunate to start your collections in that time period. ‘I’m probably older than you…,’ Your point is? Is it my fault that I’m in my late twenties and I have to pay more for my vintage? I shop as smart as I can but unfortunately it’s a sad fact that if I want certain pieces then I’m going to have to shell out some cash.
Sure there is a trend of sorts going on right now and yes it has driven prices up. Will they dip if and when the trend dies? Sure, but not by much. The market has dictated that this is what these pieces are worth. Now, you can establish what it’s worth to you, we all do, but like it or not vintage prices are up and they are not coming down anytime soon.
There are also regional affects on pricing. I live in California, $80 for a slick gab shirt is a sweet deal to me. Unfortunately, they’re usually $100. Heywood Wakefield for my living room? ..ouch my wallet hurts just thinking about it. But some lucky folks back East tease me all the time with how cheap their Hey-Wake is.
Also, your term “Wanna-be Vintage snob” I find quite comical. I know I know, tongue in cheek, but it basically implies that you’re the “Real Deal Vintage Snob, or RDVS.” And again, this reeks of ageism as it seems that all the WBVS whom you refer to are young people. Soooo, someone younger couldn’t possible be more knowledgeable on vintage clothing than an older person? Personally, I don’t subscribe to the whole ‘with age comes wisdom’ theory, I’ve known plenty of stupid folks young and old.
Ok, end rant. Sorry if this reads overly combative. My qualm is not with you or your blog, but rather with the pricing argument. I just wish those ‘good ol day vintage pricing’ sentiments would end as they just are not a valid point when discussing the modern day pricing of items.
Zack,
ReplyDeleteI think you left a very interesting comment. I don't agree with it but it was interesting.
I have always been very kind and supportive of your Girlfriend Miss Dollie DeVille's blog. I know how upset she gets when people leave negative comments on her blog (as she states above in her comment). Why does she get picked on so and I don't, I don't know? Perhaps it's because I'm not involved in the "rockabilly scene" I could care less about being into any scenes and perhaps because I don't get involved no one really gives a shit about what I think? Who really knows??
I do find it interesting that you felt the need to leave a combative rant on my blog. Perhaps you were trying to even the score a bit? I don't really know? Anyway, I hope you feel better now.
All the best,
~MaryDeluxe
Good Lord. 95% of the comments are from women. and the one bitch is from a guy? Dude, put your string back into your panties. relax. we're probably mostly sorry your best shopping skills don't net the awesome finds of the older (and wiser) gals and guys. no need to broadcast it on the web.
ReplyDeletetimes like this i'm almost proud to be a man.
sgt
Miss Mary,
ReplyDeleteCan he be the only Zack in LA on Blogland? Impossible! :)
Just ignore him. He is an asshole and knows it. We both speak our mind more than we should and that often gets us in trouble. I like that you can speak your mind too, and I don't think that people should leave nasty comments if they don't agree. But, I can't control him! ha ha ha
Public Warning: The thoughts of Zack do not necessarily represent the views of The Rockabilly Socialite.
See now I am a terrible GF for not standing up for my man.
He is the bus driver-I'm just the passenger!
XOXO
Dollie
I don't need to comment...it's all been said!
ReplyDeleteErm. Guys, I'm 25. And Micky from the Casablanca is what...19? And I'm 99% sure neither one of us ever pay a fortune for vintage either. And neither of us are lacking. Trick is that we're less picky ;) The only benefit of a longer vintage track record is the ability to be pickier with what you bring home...because all you end up doing at a certain point is upgrading. And I'm already at that point!
ReplyDeleteFrankly if you're paying $100 for a shirt...or a dress...it's more because you're picky than because cheap deals no longer exist. Pretty much everytime I walk into a thrift store or a vintage shop I leave with a deal. Today it was a rhinestone studded sleeveless Orlon top, last week it was a Sunbeam Chrome model 12 Mixmaster and a few weeks before that it was a 1940s coral pink rayon slip. And by deal I mean all were under $20, the slip being $2. And I live in a vintage desert...
I must say, not only is your blog refreshing, but you bring up some great points that have become apparent to myself over the past while.
ReplyDeleteIt's blogs like yours that have inspired me to start my own (soon! And I'll be sure to officially 'follow' you!), so please keep blogging with your sense of humour and honesty.
There are a bunch of us out there that adore it!
Much love from Canadaland!
Lucky