Fashion is a cyclical phenomenon, so more and more often on the streets of the city you can see girls and guys wearing clothes of styles that were in trend decades ago. The words “retro”, “vintage” and their derivatives are firmly established in the fashion lexicon. I wonder if they are identical or not? Today we will understand these concepts in the context of style and fashion.
What came first?
When asked what came first - vintage or retro, It’s quite difficult to give a definite answer. There is an opinion that vintage items include those that were created in the 20-80s of the last century. Everything that appeared earlier or later is retro. However the difference between these categories by age is more than arbitrary: They differ according to other criteria, which we will discuss below.
What is "vintage"?
The word “vintage” was born in France and takes its origins from the wine industry. Vintage here means nothing more than a good harvest of grapes and wine from them. Winemakers called particularly successful harvest years vintage.In the fashion industry, the basic meaning of this concept has been preserved: a vintage item is high-quality clothing characteristic of a particular historical era. It must be unique, reflect the spirit and worldview of the people of that time.
Interesting! Vintage is not only clothing: this term is also common in other industries, for example, in furniture and interior design. The concept of “vintage” includes jewelry, costume jewelry, and various accessories.
How to distinguish vintage from old?
Not every antique item can be called vintage from a fashion point of view. In order for her to bear such a proud title, several important requirements must be met:
- history is needed, and not just history as a period of time, but the specific origin of the thing, neat, high-quality handmade work, a brand with a rich past, famous people, and the like;
- The uniqueness of a product is a defining requirement in the characteristics of vintage. It should be a kind of calling card of the era in which it was created and used, reflect its style, mentality, etc.
The famous jacket or handbag from Chanel, even if they are slightly “worn” by time, are representative of vintage, and a simple “grandmother’s” dress is a once-favorite, but just old garment. Just because an antique item is important to one person does not make it vintage.
Vintage should not be confused with antiques. Antique valuables have a slightly different meaning: they are an item of trade and collectibles. In Russian practice, they must be “older” than 50 years, and abroad this age reaches 100 (in England) and almost 200 years (in America, antiques must be produced no later than 1830).Clothes with a vintage touch can in certain cases become antique, but these are not identical concepts.
Considering the concept of “retro”
This term covers all a collection of antiques or modern clothing, stylized according to the fashion of yesteryear. Definitely, this concept is broader than vintage, if only because an antique piece of clothing may never have been fashionable and iconic.
Retro is more about style than uniqueness of a particular product.. The 60s style look is called retro because it shows how people dressed at one time or another. A retro item is not always truly old: it can be created recently, but look like you took it out of a chest. Designers are often inspired by the fashion of past years, and add elements of previously popular accessories, shapes, and silhouettes to modern outfits.
What is their difference?
We come to the clear conclusion that the term “retro” also includes vintage items, that is, they can be considered as general and specific. Retro clothing always reflects the general style of certain years, inherent in an indefinite circle of people. In its turn, vintage product - unique in its kind. It is one of a kind: unique, once belonging to a specific person or brand.
How to distinguish retro from vintage
Imagine that you are in a second-hand store, where you can find many original wardrobe items. How can you tell, for example, whether this is a completely unique hat or a simple retro-style item? Please pay attention to the following parameters:
- label: its color is important, where it is sewn in and whether it exists at all. At a minimum, the modern one will be white, and the ancient one will be yellowed over the years;
- font in which the brand name is written;
- what kind of brand it is, how it is positioned, what makes it unique;
- the presence of zippers and other accessories (plastic buttons, for example - a modern trend);
- Is the composition of the fabric indicated on the label, what is it?
Attention! Remember one simple formula and you will never confuse vintage and retro items again: The first category includes, for example, a Dior dress from old, old collections, and an unknown sundress without a label can easily be classified into the second. Any blouse or skirt of a style from previous years, but released in the latest collections of designers, can be safely included in the “retro” category.
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