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Can 80’s clothes really be considered vintage?

This is just so bizarre... it is happening.. life moving at an accelerated speed.  I still sometimes write 1999 on checks... (okay it happened once, but it really freaked me out, it was like my brain fritzed out and ran backwards.)

And then I start hearing myself saying things like THAT (above) and it reminds me of when I was a child and listening to adults say time passes so quickly, and I was like "blah blah blah... pa-LEASE... it can't pass fast enough... I want to be old enough to wear makeup, to drive a car, to date."  I am not sure if I remember when time switched from going really slow to fast. Was there one day where it was neutral?  Like an age-equinox?  For me, I guess it was in my mid twenties.

You?

Oh, right, vintage clothing.. so, can 80's clothes be vintage?  I think of vintage as something valuable, and the only value my "Franky Says Relax" tee shirt has to me is all the fond times I remember in it.. skating around the roller rink with leg warmers with my feathered hair wings that touched each other in the back.

Off to listen to some Depeche Mode.

- Jen

Posted by: jboulden on 01/23/2006
related tip
Just go vintage. With high-quality vintage or second-hand fashions, you can get new (to you) clothes at bargain prices (sometimes), while avoiding the waste and inhumane working conditions of most of the garment industry.
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LotionBarBunny  on January 24, 2006 at 09:00 AM 1
To me vintage means old. Gosh I just told my readers on "I need to vent" that I have a pair of jeans with a hole in the knee---and they are my favorite pair. I'll be buying a pair of jelly shoes this spring...remember them? But they don't make them like they used to. I am only 31--too young to be considered vintage. ;)
kelly  on January 24, 2006 at 09:09 AM 2
Yeah, I have a Police Sychronicity tee-shirrt, and a whole slew of REM concert shirts that is really hard to think of as "Vintage" or as valuable, though I wouldn't give them up. I love this blog. I'm allergic to a lot of chemicals, especially formaldehyde which is used in the finish on a lot of new clothes. So I can't shop at malls. Fortunantly, I was so into that whole thrift store/B-52's look in the good old 80's and never really kicked that habit, plus I worked in theatrical costume shops for years and learned lots of nifty thrifty tricks. Goodwill is so cool. You can find great stuff there! I found a great cashmere tee, the other day-I kid you not...Sometimes you find stuff with tags still on. You have to go A LOT!!!! scope out your favorite thrifts and just drop in once a week or so. Sometimes, if you get really chummy and really nice with the staff, they'll alert you when good stuff comes in. I love shopping there, knowing that its helping people and not contributing to the whole ecological mess.
Jen  on January 24, 2006 at 09:28 AM 3
Kelly, yeah, thrifts are cool. I once didn't feel like returning home to the East Coast when I was making my move to Bozeman, and so I bought clothing for the year at Buffalo Exchange for about $200 total, and I got some great stuff. FunnyLOtionBar - I am 32... we are definitely not vintage! :-)
LotionBarBunny  on January 24, 2006 at 10:06 AM 4
My vintage behind has been looking around this site. I'm glad I stumbled upon it. I was looking for beauty experts to make a guest appearance on my blog next week, which lead me to this site. By any chance would there be anyone on the Ideal Bite staff interested?
Mabel  on January 24, 2006 at 11:37 AM 5
Thrift stores are great. They are best for recycling clothing. I have a stack of clean clothes to take there now. I can sew and the garments that are stained I will cut the usable fabric and sew together for a quilt. Recycling the fabric for another use! I have old wool mens suit jackets and some wool sweaters to wash and sew together. It should be a warm blanket since I keep my heat lower this winter.
Kassia  on January 24, 2006 at 11:58 AM 6
Other reasons why thrifting is cool: 1) Trends cycle in & out of style. It's fun to wear a vintage piece of clothing & have everyone think you just bought it brand-new from a trendy store. 2) You can make your own unique clothes and accessories out of thrifty finds. I've seen people turn t-shirts into tanks tops, pillow cases, and even quilts! Also, a friend of mine once made a cute denim skirt out of a pair of jeans. The sky's the limit!
sophie  on January 24, 2006 at 12:20 PM 7
I am all about shopping for used clothes. My favorite places are Crossroads Trading, and Buffalo Exchange. Not only can you find great deals, unique clothes, and even new clothes, but you can also sell your old clothes there. I have to admit that most of my wardrobe is full of second hand clothes.
~Dawn  on January 24, 2006 at 09:25 PM 8
Vintage= memories mixed with nostalgia I loved my plasticy-vinyl parachute pants. They were were not warm enough in the winter and too hot in the summer, but who cared. I looked cool!
Jen  on January 25, 2006 at 09:54 AM 9
LotionBarBunny - loved your blog. Heather (heather@idealbite.com) is the beauty products expert... http://gottaspa.blogspot.com/ - give her an e-jingle... jb
Kassia  on January 25, 2006 at 01:47 PM 10
LotionBarBunny - STIR-UP PANTS! :-) I think that's what they were called...
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