Holding on vs. letting go and Era challenge - YouLookFab Forum

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Holding on vs. letting go and Era challenge

catgirl

Veteran

I am just BLOWN AWAY by the amazing outfits I've seen in response to the Era challenge. Also impressed with how many of you have authentic items in your closet from the 60s - today. So when do you hold on, and when do you let go? After joining YLF, I purged my closet slowly and painfully of loved but "dated" items that would have perfect for the challenge. And I want to be able to play dress-up!

For those of you will these vintage Armani/Chanel/Pucci items in your closet, are you using these items regularly? Do you just love them too much to part with them? Do I need to go back to my hoarding ways? Was I wrong to purge all those 90s ditzy florals and 80s blazers? How do you tell the items that are or will be dated from the future retro-vintage fabness? What ARE today's vintage items of the future?

I feel like my wardrobe has become weirdly characterless and "era-free", although of course 10 years from now it may look dated. But so much of my closet is from the last 5 years of purchasing.

Did anyone else find themselves pondering this dilemma during the Era challenge?

General

32 replies

Latest reply was from rachylou

Joy

Veteran

I once had items that would have been great for the challenge but don't really feel sorry that I no longer have them. My weight has fluctuated enough that fit may have been a problem. Even if I'd kept my culottes, I doubt I'd wear them now. If I had designer pieces, I'd probably be very tempted to hold on to them.

dashielle (Ann)

(website)

Veteran

Ha, funny, I just cross-posted a similar topic, though with less depth. I don't have any old clothes at all, they wouldn't fit anyway. I DO have pins from the 80's and my original puka shell surfer necklace from the 70's though! And yes, while I don't feel my wardrobe is characterless, it doesn't lend itself to period dress, the one jacket aside.

Peri

Veteran

Hey, I always wonder what is too dated to wear! That's why I did that post asking why the Era outfits looked pretty normal. But I think the thing is, were participants really wearing actual items from whatever era? It seemed more like they were recreating a look but with current pieces. I mean, I got rid of some 80's jackets and there would be no way to wear those things currently without feeling ridiculous.

I'm not sure there is a way to predict what will be a vintage treasure and what will be junk clogging up my closet. I think I don't buy items that are outstanding enough to ever qualify as treasures.

Joyce B

Veteran

I saved items that are extremely special to me, such as the vest that my grandmother crochetted for me. That will stay with me forever.
I think your beautiful wardrobe is more modern and practical from what I have seen.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

For things that cannot be replaced I ask myself "Would I still wear it & does it still fit with my style goals?" If the answer to either is no then I sell or give them away.

I don't think there is any one answer to this question Una.

For me only: I had so much fun with the challenge & it made me think about all the wonderful clothes I have had in my life. 1930s bias cut dresses, 1940s tailored suits & velvet YSL Le Smoking. They all would have been fabulous for the challenge but, even if if they still fitted they would have been "costumes" ON ME so I'm happy to have let them go. I do have a few designer pieces left but as soon as I feel sure I won't wear them again they will go too. I would have given you a very different answer when I was in my 40s but for me now I'm happy with now.

Sal

Veteran

I tend to keep evening wear no matter if it is old and dated. I loved wearing old family bridesmaid dresses and ballgowns when I was a teenager. I don't have daughters but maybe one day friends, extended family or even girlfriends may want them. I don't have a lot but I would have about 8 pieces.

I also tend to mostly keep coats and I will keep the odd pair of shoes.
Aside from this, I tend to wear out my clothes if I love them; otherwise I pass them on happily.

I didn't do the era challenge, I wanted to but it was a chaotic week with family staying, a full house, a busy workload, and as I am trying to to a 30 by 30 capsule I only wanted to wear versatile pieces.

I loved seeing what other people came up with though!!

Runcarla

Veteran

There was a thread in the past year that addressed items owned because they were beautiful or had meaning, but were not necessarily worn and how they deserved space in a closet.

There are some folks who collect clothes like others collect art, or books, or cars, etc. It is their 'thing' and they budget, spend time, and make room in their homes for their collection. Most folks probably own a couple of sentimental pieces that are old enough to be vintage, some well worn classics that could be 5-10 years old (if they fit) and then things we wear and are 2 years or less old.

The only vintage items in my closet are a cocktail dress my mother wore in the 60's and DH's wool university jacket with leather sleeves. I didn't even keep my wedding dress (nothing special really, and I have son's). I have some well loved sports gear that has held up well and ranges from 5-10 years. Most of the clothes in my closet are 5 years or less.

I think some things have a longer life than others, and newer incarnations are just fashionable updates. Leather moto jackets, jean jackets, a trench coat, premium jeans, wool jacket (equestrian or school boy), pencil skirt, leather skirt, some winter coats. If they are well made and fairly classic in design - will be hard to date, and if kept long enough gain a vintage charm.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Interesting question Una. I did pull out some vintage items during the challenge, but they were all acquired during the last 10 or so years when I started thrifting again. The suit I wore for the 80s challenge and the dress for the 60s challenge are definitely vintage. I cannot resist certain labels at a thrift store and have amassed a small collection of "interestings". The outfit I felt the most myself in though, was the 70s outfit which was a new Zara top and new Monki via ASOS culottes (although vintage shoes and bag). I have to think about this more when I am looking at my closet.

catgirl

Veteran

Shevia, you are one of the people who prompted this post! I have stopped thrifting because I simply can't resist the allure of a label even if it's something I will never really wear. It took me forever to stop being a "just in case I need this!" shopper. And now the Era challenge is making me think I should start buying those things, "just in case" there's another Era challenge!

Gaylene

Veteran

I'm much like Caro. I like to wear clothes, not costumes--and getting older has made me much less sentimental about material items. Maybe it's the realization that hanging on to stuff doesn't turn me into a collector of rare and valuable vintage items. It just means more stuff that eventually I, or a member of my family, will need to clear out.

anne

Veteran

I let myself have one box full of clothes in my "archive".I only keep stuff that is special and meaningful. I do find it hard to let go of things but as have a limited wardrobe budget, I have the space.

approprio

(website)

Veteran

I try to avoid buying or making things that I think will date quickly, so I tend toward classic, international and avant-garde clothing, and I'm also trying to buy more treasures from renowned designers. I hold onto high quality pieces that fit and suit me if I love them enough. I really like it when I suddenly feel like wearing something I benched a few seasons ago because it feels new and interesting again.

But right now I feel like I'm sitting on too much stuff. I'd like to be clearer about what I should get rid of and what I should acquire. And I get terrible purging anxiety.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I had nothing vintage to bring to the era challenge except a couple of pieces of jewellery. So my outfits weren't in the least authentic. They were more "in the spirit of." And that was fine with me.

A few years ago, I'd have been able to recreate outfits with a 20s, 30s, or 40s feel -- but I couldn't do that with what is currently in my closet, so I stuck to 60s, 70s, and 80s.

Style Fan

Veteran

I am one of those people who develops a sentimental attachment to certain pieces of clothing and accessories. I loved the Challenge and wished it would continue. I have pieces I didn't have a chance to bring out. For example, DH went to Morocco in the 60s and brought back about 5 fringed bags. We couldn't dig them out for the challenge. Darn!!!! I have bags from the 80s, tattered leg warmers, red pumps -- boy could I have done a flashdance scene.

To me certain clothing pieces are like antiques (which we also collect) and are carefully stored. I don't actually wear them. But who knows. Maybe someday I will.

My fringe jacket has sentimental value. I will never ever get rid of that.

jackiec

Veteran

First of all, I've never owned anything remotely designer or vintage. I've done some pretty heavy purging in the last couple of years too. The only things I tend to hang onto are cocktail/evening dresses. I usually buy one a year or so for special events. They are usually pretty classic and you never know when you can reuse them.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I never really bought vintage so I didn't have any items from the 70's or earlier. I have one 80's jean jacket I keep for sentimental value but wouldn't wear it (it's way too big on me now and must have been HUGE on me then). I think I could "fake" an era but I just don't have the time to do this kind of challenge.

That said, it was really fun and great to see those who did participate!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I admired the era challenge from a spectator point of view. Last week was just too hectic for me to spend any time on it, but I enjoyed seeing the posts, even if I couldn't comment on them all.

I really don't have much that works for a retro or era-re-creation look either. I haven't held onto much from past decades, even though I have quite a large wardrobe. Most of it is from within the last 10 years, so not old enough to work for a vintage feel. And I've gotten out of the habit of hanging onto items that are so specific I can only wear them for special occasions that call for "costumes." So yeah, I kind of felt like my wardrobe did not suit this challenge well, but it works for me on a daily basis, so it's all good!

Kirstjen

Veteran

I agree that it has been a lot of fun looking at the various outfits people have put together. I imagine that others have either lived in the same place for a lot longer than I have and that they have a lot more storage capacity.

I have nothing vintage - either that I bought new & held onto or that was thrifted. My brain is in perpetual purge mode, I guess. I can't even imagine going into a thrift shop. I participate in a panel of shoppers for Nordstrom & they wanted to know about my experiences at The Rack. I've been in there exactly once, and I told them that I just couldn't stand the chaos of that kind of store. I'm not one to shop for the love of the hunt.

That said, what I've read about vintage & value is that the more unusual the item, the better the value, long term. So if you want to buy say a Louis Vuitton bag, you are better off buying something like the Stephen Sprouse for Louis Vuitton bag than a more classic style.

viva

Veteran

I don't keep anything. I have just a couple of things I have kept for sentimental reasons, but my daughters were always sad on 80s day at school that I had nothing to show for my teen years. I just don't like having a lot of stuff. In fact, if my house were on fire I would have a hard time reaching for anything other than DH, the girls, and the dogs. I'm just not deeply attached to things anymore. Okay, maybe one thing from my mom. But that's it.

And as for vintage, I do appreciate when people have interesting vintage designer pieces. But I never think of clothing as something to collect like that. I see every purchase as an eventual item to consign or pass on. It's very transactional for me, although I do like to get as long a life as I can, at as good a price as I can.

Questions like this always make me think of a friend who keeps everything -- she even has all of her maternity clothes! She is past having children, and her daughter would never ever wear what she wore as a pregnant woman in the 90s. I have no idea why she is holding onto this stuff. I think she has everything she has ever worn.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I think to some extent, it's a personal thing. There isn't an item I have purged that I wish I had kept to wear. There are however, many items that I wish I had kept from my Mama's '60s and '70s wardrobe because they are sentimental.

Anonymous

I own no authentic pieces at all, but I managed to conjure up an outfit for all five days last week, somehow, from my current wardrobe. I fudged it somewhat, by adding a sash here, a twisted necklace there, mixing pieces that I normally wouldn't and in one case I rolled the top of a skirt over to create an 80's mini and then hid the roll under a stretchy belt. So on my part I was adding a creative spin on it for the results and it kind of worked. Nothing in my wardrobe is older than 4 years at the moment.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I've got my wedding dress in a box (which was made with part of my mom's wedding dress), a dress of my mom's when she was younger, and a couple of pieces left from the 90s - a lined denim jacket and a pair of steel toed work boots. That's all, and I prefer keeping only the clothes I'll actually wear, not for archival purposes. I do have some of my grandmother's costume jewelry, which is not a big deal to keep around since it doesn't take up much space, even if I don't wear it that much.

It seems like there's a phase that you have to wait through, when stuff is out of style and not yet vintage quirky, so you have to be willing to store it, or I guess wear it and ignore the people who think you're just out of touch. Maybe it's different for high end designer things; i wouldn't know.

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

(website)

Veteran

I don't see you as 'characterless' at all, Una! If there isn't any really past-era feel to your outfits, it's because your choices reflect the future. Like Annagybe.

I think that in ten years or more, you're going to look back and realize you captured the spirit of your life during this span of years, in what you were wearing.

For my part, while I have some antique and costume/era clothes & accessories that I have collected and worn in recent years, I can think of very few things of my own. I still have a dress from the late 80's - a seafoam green, 80's-does-40's strong-ish shoulder satin dress, that I bought when I was 18. There are times I think I might wear it again, but so far, I have not. Oh, and I have a few costume jewelry pieces that my mom recently sent me, including a crystal etched pendant of a winged Pegasus. (It doesn't get more early 80's than a winged Pegasus. Unless you add a rainbow to it.) Now THAT I will wear For the rest, I've never regretted the things I let go. I look back with nostalgia and smile.

There are always going to be fab retro pieces out there, so I wouldn't regret the things you gave up. You gave them up for a reason.

catgirl

Veteran

LBD, thank you for that perspective. You are another member who has that eye for vintage treasure in my mind - and also LeopardLuxe (where is she?!)... I'm not spending huge amounts of time lamenting this issue, but it did make me wonder whether in my quest to simplify and hone my style, I've gotten into a rut. The "hone vs. diversify" debate is always raging in my style soul!

Interesting how many of you recreated Era looks without original pieces - you are so creative (Diane G, Rabbit and others)! Janet, I feel a lot like you. I've done a lot of pointed purchasing and purging. Now thinking about how I can expand a bit without going all over the place. Maybe the same types of pieces I have now, but in patterns of different eras?

MovingFashionForward

I wonder if you might like the TED talk I saw a while back, by someone who only owns one or two sets of clothes, and buys another set and donates the previous one every day. She shops exclusively in charity shops. I mention this not to advocate it (sounds like too much buying and purging to me) but to point out that instead of buying and holding on to a lot of old junk that you won't actually wear, you could, if a fancy-dress party or YLF fashion era challenge were to make you want to dress up, buy appropriate gems from a charity shop, wear for the challenge or party, then donate them back to the charity shop again rather than hanging on to them and ending up with a wardrobe the size mine used to be!

Sarah

shedev

Veteran

I didn't feel like I could do very many eras either. I have really small closets, so not a lot of space to store things I'm not wearing. I did have a jean jacket in the 80s that was unique enough that I would have saved if it hadn't been stolen. Other than a biker moto and Harley boots from the 90s (still wear both occasionally) most of my wardrobe is from 3013 or newer.

MsMaven

Veteran

I couldn't afford nice clothes in the 60s and 70s and they wouldn't fit anyway. In the last two years I purged my 80s and 90s stuff. Some of it was good, but I am a different person now, and some of the items I'd saved had come to have bad thoughts associated with them. A lot has changed in my life this last decade.

Some kinds of reality I don't want to face. Trying to recreate an old look would probably make me cringe. I might even cry. I'm trying to figure out my new self--gray hair, midriff weight, bad feet and all. I'm working on a positive attitude towards the person I'm becoming.

There is one happy person in Chicago this winter who is wearing a mink coat (bought for me by my husband in 1989) that she bought on Ebay for $75. I never did feel myself in that coat. I would just as soon release my clothes back into the market and keep looking at right now. If I had daughters, I'm sure I would have saved a few things for them.

Still, when I was a kid I loved to dress up in the flapper dresses my Mom had saved. I felt really bad when I found out the teal satin with black sequined overlay had disintegrated into dust.

retailgirl

Veteran

I have held onto some early eighties things...a pink Geiger boiled wool jacket, with a wool challis paisley skirt to go with, ( so pretty! ) , two or three fair isle Shetlands from a trip to Bermuda, and a loden cloth jacket from Austria. I've always had a preppy aesthetic!

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Reading the replies makes me realize it depends a lot on your relationship with your clothes. On a purely functional level vintage goodies make very little sense. On the other side of the scale is Leopard Luxe - indeed where is she?

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