When I was preparing for our first private vintage collection viewing on Thursday night, I was a little worried how well would my vintage finds be appreciated. Afterall, they are old, and they have signs of being worn. So old, that at least a few of the dresses are of "grandma's age" (over 60 years old).
In where I was brought up, houses are small and that means we do not have much storage space. Therefore, anything unfit would automatically be sent away or discarded. I remember my beloved grandma would come up and collect our beautiful clothes for some distant relatives (or their distant relatives) in China, when they were still relatively poor in the 1980s.
It is also not a very en vogue thing in here to wear vintage clothing. Or I should say, fashionistas and fashion bloggers take pride in wearing vintage as the mixing and matching of new + old items is something really stylish, unique and one of a kind. But this has not appealed much to the public yet. We still have a long way to go before the general public even grows to like the idea of wearing vintage. Vintage clothing shops do exist, but not that many. Besides, it is just too easy to pop into ZARA and H&M to buy something affordable and stylish. These shops are like convenience stores now. They are everywhere!
There will always be people who are willing to salvage whereas many of us would choose to readily discard and give up. I am always glad some people decide to keep something beautiful. This is how I found all these wonderful items for my next business adventure.
Vintage and antique dresses are never easy to find their second or even third home...It somehow takes courage to wear them. Why? Because many of us mind too much about what others have to say. Why is she wearing OLD clothes? Why on her wedding day? Hasn't she got enough budget for her big day? If only you can see every piece of them in person, to touch and to feel, to see the craftsmanship, and to even try them on. You will know why they survive decade after decade. Beauty does lie within each and every piece of my vintage finds. This is the reason it has taken me years to collect them from around the world, and to wait patiently until it finally grows to be a sizeable collection. I only choose the best and share the best with all of you.
(Thank you Petite Petals as always for the use of their beautiful studio.)
Something old, something new. A 1950s prom dress on the left and
some bridal headpieces and a ring pillow I create.
From left to right: soft pink chiffon prom dress with velvet flower embellishment from the 1950s;
bluish grey polka dot mesh ruffled cupcake tier prom dress with
peach pink satin sash and underslip from the 1950s;
bubble gum pink polka dot cotton pleat maxi dress from the 1970s
I was astonished to find out I had NO "good looking hangers" for my vintage dresses!
I therefore rushed to the supermarket to get some plain wire hangers, padded them, and
wrapped each of them with satin ribbon and finished off with
silk flowers, more ribbon, laces, tassel and rosettes.
The rosettes on each end serve as stoppers to stop spaghetti strap dresses from falling off.
A relatively rather easy DIY project that anyone can attempt doing at home.
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