SINGAPORE, Singapore — Some people adore old fashion styles, patterns, shapes, fabrics and trends while others simply want to distinguish themselves from the army of trendy clones taking over the streets. I often have deja vus walking down the streets wondering if the same girl is continually walking past me.
I have never been really interested in “must have” brands and I can proudly say that I have never had the experience of saying: “Oh my God, we’re wearing the same thing”. Making vintage style a part of my wardrobe has allowed me to build a modest but diverse collection of unique pieces.
I was lucky enough to inherit some unique vintage garments from my fashionable grandmother who kept some beautiful dresses, foulards and accessories mainly from the 1950s – my favourite decade as I admire the lines, the cuts and the elegance that each piece gave to a woman. What is so unique of vintage style is that even though we have a whole variety of ready-to-wear options on the high street, a whole history of fashion is available out there if you are prepared to look for it and know how to wear it.
The “new” austerity chic
“You must skimp to be chic” declared Vogue in 1941 referring to the “couture austerity” of the 1940s and 1950s mirroring the economic conditions of the time. Now we find ourselves again in difficult financial times and interestingly enough the fashions of the post-war era are dominating the catwalks and high street fashion. Whether this is a pure coincidence or a reflection of our society, these classic styles should be a fashion basic in any women’s wardrobe.
The real beauty of vintage fashion is that you can acquire a piece and simply wait for the right moment to wear it. Putting a Fifty’s look with this season’s styles, I decided to dig into my wardrobe and create an authentic look that would give me real savings with austerity chic.
I have kept a beautiful light peach floral dress from the 1950s that my grandmother gave me ten years ago. It never seemed to be the right time to wear it until this year where a graduation ceremony in Cambridge provided the perfect opportunity to bring it out from my closet. It felt almost as a second skin and even emotionally transported me back to my grandmother’s youth. I matched it with a pair of 1940s brown shoes that I bought many years ago at a small vintage boutique at the Navigli Canal in Milan and finished my outfit with a “Cloris” clutch from Mimsy that I bought in Kuala Lumpur, a necklace with a jade pendant from the 1930s that I spotted at an antique store in Vienna and a pair of matching earrings that I created with Bakelite beads from a 1930s’ necklace.
While this outfit might not have been the ‘dernier cri’, many curious eyes scanned me from tip to toe approving my exclusive and elegant ensemble paying testament to my vintage style thinking.
Elizabeth Deheza
Brown “Cloris” clutch
Mimsy Collection
www.mimsycollections.com
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BY Elizabeth Deheza
Elizabeth is an Italian-Bolivian jewellery Designer , Writer and Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security in London. She has a great passion for vintage clothes and accessories. She has collected unique pieces from all over the world. Currently, Elizabeth runs a jewellery business which fuses vintage looks with distinctive contemporary trends.
