Fashion, book, movie and music addicts!

When we speak of vintage clothing, what exactly do we mean? It is generally agreed by dealers that clothing made prior to 1920 is considered antique and therefore have their proper place within the hallowed halls of a museum. From 1920 to 1970 on the other hand can be considered vintage. The 80s are a little bit more problematic and for most, don’t fall within the age to be considered vintage. These days it’s all about vintage. Never has old things been so new than in our days of high technology and high definition. I myself am hard put to say what it is that is so appealing about things that are, if you think about it used and have often seen their best days go by. I would say though that a large part of its appeal would be its “uniqueness” factor. It is undoubtedly much more cool to show up in an outfit that wasn’t put together thanks to Zara, Mango, or even Chanel. The fact that most vintage pieces were not mass produced contributes to its distinctiveness. For other people, vintage is simply another way of recycling; finding new owners for old things that are still beautiful. For whatever reason, vintage is now all the rage, mainstream even as the true purists lament. Nowhere was this more evident than at the recently concluded Salon du Vintage at the Espace Pierre Cardin.
This is the second Salon du Vintage of the year with over 60 stands participating. While a number of the stands carried clothing and accessories, there were a number of stands carrying furniture to satisfy design fans. The theme for this Salon was the Orange Years with a special focus on the 60s. For aficionados it was sheer heaven. Like I said there were a number of stands carrying vintage clothing including Didier Ludot and Isabel Klein who carry wonderful pieces. I love their stuff, though to call them that seems almost to demote their value. These two are simply in a class all their own. Between them their pieces range from early turn of the century (notably Klein) to full on 70s glory. It was so much fun perusing their racks and seeing not just the familiar names (Hermes, Chanel and company but other less known names) what they had preserved. Isabel Klein likewise carried a wonderful selection of accessories, notably beautifully preserved croco skin bags whose patina reflects the loving care their previous owners had given them. When you’ve got time to spare, check out Ludot’s store at the Palais Royal which has these great store windows that look more like a museum window rather than a store. Other notables at the Salon included a stand carrying nothing but retro sunglasses in all shapes and forms and in a range of prices too. I suppose I’ve also got to mention the participation of Killiwatch, though vintage purists might well protest their inclusion, since Killiwatch is probably the most “accessible” vintage store of Paris. Oftentimes they look more like a second hand store rather than an actual vintage store. Their racks were full to bursting with peasant dresses, fur jackets that smelled rather strongly and all manner and kind of boots.
And as if I needed further proof of how mainstream vintage has come, who should I see at the Salon, perusing the same racks as yours truly, but Marc Lavoine and Gerard Darmon. There they were trying on the aviator leather jackets, looking for all the world like regular folks out to spend a few hours in the Salon du Vintage.