Is retro clothing the same as vintage clothing? Is it age-related? Do secondhand clothes qualify as vintage? If not, then what precisely qualifies as vintage clothing?
What are antique garments, exactly?
If you enjoy dressing up in attire from various bygone eras, you may wonder what vintage actually means. You will undoubtedly be familiar with 1950s or 1960s fashion. Additionally, as a period-fashionista, you probably know if an item of clothing dates from the 1970s or the 1980s.
There are so many differing viewpoints on what constitutes vintage clothing that there are a wide range of possible responses. We’ll discuss whether goods may legitimately be referred to be vintage in the post that follows!
Do you actually understand what constitutes vintage clothes, yet you may be able to assign an item to a particular time period? Then then, it’s okay if the response is “No!” Because there are as many perspectives on politics and climate change as there are ways to understand what vintage means.
For instance, some people define vintage clothing as having a character that dates back 20 years or more. Others often disagree with you. They don’t think that twenty years is long enough to qualify as vintage. They will categorically state that antique clothing was created during or before World War II if you ask them!
Then there are those who believe that anything needs to be older than 20 or 30 years to qualify as vintage. If you ask these “believers” what constitutes vintage clothes, they will adamantly assert that anything 50 or 100 years old or older merits classification as vintage apparel.
Vintage is a relative term!
It’s quite doubtful that you’ll receive a persuasive response if you gather all of these people in one room and attempt to have a respectful conversation about what constitutes vintage apparel and why. We must thus rely on common belief to determine which garments are considered vintage and which are not in the lack of a clear response.
Let’s start by talking about what is NOT antique clothing, then! It could be simpler to describe vintage after we exclude some traits that don’t make it vintage.
“2010” might be a vintage year in the wine industry. This is due to the fact that the term “vintage” is used in relation to the year that the grapes used to manufacture the wine were picked. But that’s NOT how antique clothing would be chosen. If a piece of clothing from 2010 was referred to as vintage, fashionistas and fashion experts would scoff!
While “vintage” in the wine business refers to the date of grape harvesting and “old” refers to anything that is 10 years or older than vintage, it is NOT how vintage clothing is evaluated!
What is considered vintage clothing? It sort of does!
Many people are drawn to the vintage era, but not everyone is comfortable wearing pre-owned garments. To cater to this market, contemporary fashion designers have developed vintage-inspired clothing lines that incorporate patterns, designs, and styles from 20 years or more in the past, but are produced using modern techniques and technologies.
This type of clothing, which has a vintage look but is manufactured today, is commonly referred to as vintage retro. So, when someone asks for the definition of vintage clothing, you can confidently state that it refers to anything made 20 or more years ago. However, it’s important to note that vintage-inspired clothing doesn’t necessarily have to be that old. These garments are based on vintage items but are created by modern designers to satisfy the desire of people who want to wear vintage clothing that has not been previously owned or used by someone else.
