The furniture that we inherited from our great-grandmother, my mother’s lace dress, vintage embroideries on the walls ... When we want to understand what vintage is, we always remember things “with history”. In fashion, in household goods and design, this direction has been gaining popularity since the late 1990s. Eras and
preferences replace each other: if in the sixties and eighties the main aspirations were for novelty, modernism, then later “well forgotten old” began to be recalled with nostalgia. There is still no absolute clarity in determining what vintage is and how it differs from retro. Most believe that these are things 30-60 years old, but many refer to replicas (imitations) and antique things to the same direction. Retro, on the other hand, are articles of clothing, household goods, and design over 15 years old.
We will not go into detailed discussions on what vintage is. The word itself, originating from the French language, has the meaning "seasoned (about wine or brandy), time-tested." For many people, the age of things is of great importance. It is believed that long-standing traditions have retained their charm, that this is a kind of return to a better, more spiritualized one. And if the average person answers the question of what vintage is, he answers that these are things from a grandmother’s chest, then designers from all over the world are willing to exploit nostalgia “for an old, good world.” That is why both imitations and artificial aging of clothes and
furniture, and a combination of old and modern elements.
Vintage furniture is far from always restored Viennese chairs and couches a la Louis XV. You can have a different attitude to stylization and imitation, but there is something unnatural in the models reproduced according to old samples from modern materials with artificial scuffs and scratches. In almost any furniture showroom you can find the attributes of Victorian style, modernity and even the "eighteenth century." Of course, all this is just a reproduction of old forms and design.
The same goes for clothes. It is often simply impossible to find truly antique things : sewn from natural fabrics, they simply would not stand the test of time. That is why designers reproduce a long-standing cut, patterns, elements reminiscent of the past (tight buttons, embroidery, lace). Perhaps the easiest way to find vintage jewelry. It does not have to be rings of royal persons or a necklace of precious stones.
But right now, one can observe an increased interest in tiaras, that is, such jewelry that was in fashion in the late nineteenth - early twentieth centuries.
If we like this style, other accessories deserve attention. For example, embroidered or tapestry handbags, beaded collars, lace cuffs and gloves. The charm of vintage design in modern design is that it allows eclecticism. For example, a cameo can be worn not only with a lace blouse or dress on the floor, but also with leather trousers or a denim shirt. Connoisseurs and connoisseurs, of course, pay attention to the materials. But it’s very difficult for a modern fashionista to find natural velvet, handmade lace or jewelry made of ivory, mother of pearl. Much more often we deal with artificial materials, and no matter how we want to return to the past, we are forced to obey the requirements of the times.