No, I don't mean this in the same way that most women do. I think we all covet labels like Chanel or Dior or Gucci, but I am not necessarily fixated by them. That said, should I happen to enter a shop like Decades in Los Angeles--which specializes in extraordinary high-end designer vintage--I'm sure I would get very excited. And faint.
But the labels I'm talking about are those unknown designers and stores of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. These labels are in the clothes I wear and before I even do any research, my imagination fills with romantic backstories on each of them. I own dresses from places like Greece and Sweden, and love to think how they may have found their way to Los Angeles. Hmmmmm...perhaps a glamorous globe-trotting woman was vacationing in Greece, and she popped into a chic local shop to buy a shift dress after finding the climate a trifle hot. Hey, believe me...when you wear vintage, it's amazing to feel that you're wearing history. Real or imagined.
As I see the designer names presented on these beautiful labels, I am reminded of two of the reasons that I love vintage. Quality and design. These are clothes whose quality stands the test of time and their design continues to inspire the best of the design houses today. My Inspiration Board is covered with images of modern designers doing their best homage to the original.
So why not wear the original? Then you can be a glamorous globe-trotting woman, too.
