The Nostalgia Factor

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Angie is co-founder of YLF and its resident fashion stylist.

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Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

The Nostalgia Factor

— by Angie

on February 4, 2013

Forum member and good friend Antje mentioned in the comments section that wearing something “nostalgic” contributed to the happiness factor of her outfits. Oh my goodness,YES. This resonates very strongly with me.

An entire outfit, the design of a single item in the outfit, a particular colour, or the way you are wearing an item can create happy feelings of nostalgia. They are also created when someone special bought a fabulous wardrobe item for you. Or when you wear something that belonged to someone special. Or what you’re wearing reminds you of a great time in your life.

This is another way that fashion and style is about more than just our comfort and appearance. Like a special song or place, our clothes can connect us with something meaningful in our past.

I’m nostalgic about any outfit that incorporates an item that Greg chose for me. I love my retro lace blouse because my Papa bought it for my birthday. I seldom wear jewelry, but when I do, I love wearing one of my late Mum’s old gold pieces because it reminds me of her wearing them when I was a little girl. And my black power suit and cream wedges will forever remind me of our incredible trip to Japan.

I just bought a fab pair of jeans, True Religon’s Cameron, and realized the reason I’m smitten is because they remind me of my much loved Levis 501s back in 1990. Non-stretch, stiff, button-fly, low-ish rise and a baggy fit. I love ’80s inspired looks because I had so much fun with fashion when I was a teen despite wearing a school uniform five days a week.

I don’t have nostalgic feelings about my outfits every day, but experience them frequently enough to realize that they are extremely important to me. How about you?

Individual Style

65 comments · Add a comment

rute

Veteran

well, not that I think of it .. I’m not nostalgic at all. That’s why I’m so good at purging my wardrobe, I don’t get attached to clothes.
On the contrary, wearing something new makes me happy! Love a new piece!

February 4, 2013 at 4:54 am

clearlyclaire

I’m not nostalgic either! The only piece I’ve saved is my Mom’s wedding dress, which I also wore. I have nothing in my closet or jewelry box for purely sentimental reasons. In fact, I recently purged some of my Mom’s and late Grandmother’s costume jewelry because I was tired of trying it over and over again and not being able to make it work. That felt very freeing.

Sometimes I feel a little nostalgic for 80’s fashion when I see my DD wearing Bass cordovan loafers and carrying a vintage Coach bag, but I’m better off enjoying it on her.

February 4, 2013 at 5:22 am

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Smiling at Rute!

I want to say that I don’t get attached too much to particular items of clothing (except my wedding ring) but it’s not completely true. And there are lots of items that I love or buy in part for what they remind me of. My Doc Saras reminded me of shoes I wore in high school. A certain type of knife pleat skirt will remind me of my mother. I love the mod 60s looks I remember dimly from childhood.

Sometimes…I’m not sure how to say this…it’s not so much that an item makes me nostalgic because I remember wearing something similar way-back-when. Sometimes, the reason I’m drawn to that item is because it is a pure expression of my best style. And I had a version before….and now have found another, updated version. Your jeans sound a bit like that to me, Angie.

February 4, 2013 at 5:25 am

Diane G

I get a nostalgic feeling very infrequently, but I do have a small gold dragonfly necklace that I had when I was 21 that I get nostalgic about and I actuall got nostalgic about oxfords the other day when I remembered wearing some at art colege when I was about 19 and this prompted me to buy some more

February 4, 2013 at 5:31 am

RoseandJoan

Veteran

If I happen to wear an item for a special occasion that piece becomes infused with memory.

I have an Amanda Wakeley skirt which I wore in Las Vegas before I wed Ben which has also been worn for a couple of anniversary meals, I doubt I could ever part with the skirt but I do have photographic evidence for back up just in case.

February 4, 2013 at 6:00 am

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

Maybe that’s where my love of vintage/retro comes from – maybe it’s really just a form of nostalgia.

February 4, 2013 at 6:18 am

TraceyLiz65

(website)

Veteran

So funny, last night I posted a look with my grandmother’s cameo!

February 4, 2013 at 6:27 am

StaceyMcGill

I’m loving all the pastel-y sorbet colors right now because they remind me of colors I wore as a child in the late ’80s/early ’90s. I have a feeling that I’ll cave and get a few pastel items this spring for the happiness factor alone.

February 4, 2013 at 6:32 am

cheryl

Veteran

I do get nostalgic from time to time. I am loving the things that remind me of the 80’s. Such good times! I also have my dad’s work coat that I wear from time to time and I have his favorite suspenders put away to look at on occasion.

February 4, 2013 at 6:37 am

merwoman

Veteran

Hmm …similar to Rose&Joan – it’s not so much the outfit, it’s more what happened or the era when I wore it. While I might not wear these pieces I find it terribly difficult to part with them.

February 4, 2013 at 6:50 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

So interesting.

I haven’t mentioned pieces that I don’t wear but I keep because they are sentimental. That’s a different kind of box :). I am nostalgic about pieces that I actually love to wear

High five, Suz,Cheryl, Diane and Julie!

February 4, 2013 at 7:02 am

Laura

(website)

Veteran

I don’t know that I put any stock in astrology, but I’ve been told that nostalgia is a distinctly Cancerian trait (total amateur speaking here so please correct me if I’m wrong!). You are a Cancer, right, Angie?

My biggest closet purge problem is that I am hugely nostalgic about anything that Angie recommended or that we bought while shopping (and gabbing) together. And of course I have quite a collection of those items by now! A few years down the road, it requires a will of steel to pry those items off the hanger and place them into the give-away bag

February 4, 2013 at 7:11 am

jayne

Veteran

All my peices fall into nostalgic but not worn…my grandmothers engagement ring, opal earring from my mother, small pearl necklace also from my mother (although my DD is expected to wear it on her sweet 16).

I missed out on fashion early in life, loving to shop is not the same as fashion sense, so I don’t have those rememberences….but I do keep some recent purchases because I couldn’t bear to part with them (moto boots)…and then I had them resoled and they are back in service.

February 4, 2013 at 7:15 am

Dana

(website)

Veteran

Now that you mention it, I am pretty nostalgic. I have a few prices of jewelry that were my mom’s and grandmother’s– I love wearing them! So there’s that, but I also get nostalgic over clothes I used to love. A good friend of mine says that all of my memories are related to what I was wearing.

The discussion about the pastel suits and remembering my pastel interview suit from the ’80’s was so fun! That said, I don’t hang on to my clothes when they’re over. I just tuck the memories away.

February 4, 2013 at 7:20 am

transition

Active Member

I’m pretty sure I would be if I had anyone giving me such fab gifts, and if I could wear anything that I wore when the nostalgic event happened. But two pregnancies in three years, the second ending less than three years ago, means the only things I have in that category are a sweatshirt my dad bought that I love only because he bought it for my birthday even though it was a little small then and way small now, and the super-warm wool winter coat my mom bought for me nine years ago that I wore this morning. Even my wedding rings aren’t the ones I wore on my wedding day.

I’d like to think that as my wardrobe becomes more fab, and my life grows to have more to be nostalgic about, I’ll have pieces that I will wear with fond memories.

February 4, 2013 at 7:21 am

Aziraphale

Veteran

I’m more likely to be sentimental about objects in my home than clothes. While I have certain clothes I’m very fond of, usually they don’t remind me of past events, whereas many of our household objects do. I think that’s because I don’t generally buy clothes when we’re on holiday, whereas I do occasionally buy art, or pottery, or a small item of furniture. And because I am more likely to remember and attach significance to special events such as holidays (even holidays spent at home) than ordinary day-to-day life, the household items will of course remind me of those events, and become nostalgic for that reason.

I won’t keep something ugly, though, even for sentimental reasons. Beauty trumps nostalgia!

I guess I do sometimes wear an item that was given to me and I am reminded of the person who gave it. Does that count?

February 4, 2013 at 7:22 am

Amy

(website)

Veteran

Nostalgia doesn’t play much of a role in my happy outfits either. In fact, I’m more likely to shy away from the types of things that I wore in my youth.

February 4, 2013 at 7:25 am

Day Vies

Veteran

I love a bright red sweater and a swirly skirt because I had both when I was a little girl. I think more than anything my happiness factor is influenced by how I feel when I look in the mirror.

February 4, 2013 at 7:29 am

Ceit

Interesting question. I don’t think I am too nostalgic at all about outfits or things. Maybe it is because I work surrounded by thousands of years of peoples’ stuff?

February 4, 2013 at 7:34 am

Joy

Veteran

I don’t have many nostalgic pieces but can see that I would jump at newer versions of past favorites if I ever run across them. The Halogen yellow raisin pencil skirt was something I had to have because a favorite blouse of my mother’s was that color. I’m still hoping to find a natural raw silk (taupe) simple sheath dress like I wore for my wedding rehersal, and I enjoy trying to incorporate some of my mother’s jewelry…real and costume.
I’d never thought about the nostalgic aspect of dressing. Interesting topic.

February 4, 2013 at 7:43 am

deb

Veteran

I go not have nostalgic feelings about my clothing, at all. Or sentimental feelings. I have these feeling about many other things, though. Strange.

February 4, 2013 at 7:46 am

Eliza

Veteran

I am nostalgic about clothes when they remind me of a special trip or moment in time. Some looks I like to actually wear again; some are truly of another time and well into my 5th decade, I am content to just be wistful when I see them. I have a bit of peplum now that I last wore in the 80’s and it is fun to re-visit the updated version.

Angie- I like those TR Camerons. Just wondering what your take is on the “hand wash” instructions. Of all the things I would find hard to hand wash and dry, it would be heavy jeans. Those are a nostalgic style for me. But maybe I don’t want quite that far back with pre-washer nostalgia!

February 4, 2013 at 7:47 am

Diana

Veteran

I’m nostalgic about a lot of things, both specific items and general styles. It makes me happy to wear things that were gifts from people I love, and things that are attached to great memories. For example, the jacket I bought in NYC last winter with Angie makes me smile every time I wear it!

I also love 90’s style because that was when I was in high school and college and was first developing a sense of style!

February 4, 2013 at 7:55 am

Thistle

Veteran

I am not all that nostalgic about clothes, but jewelry is another matter. Anything DH bought me stays. It reminds me of him, especially pieces where I know he struggled to choose it for me. Reminds me how much he loves me and how much my happiness means to him.

February 4, 2013 at 8:02 am

Phoebe

Veteran

I´m not nostalgic about clothes, but i have my grandma´s engagement ring, that her father-in law made for her himself (he was a goldsmith). I´m nostalgic as can be about it.

February 4, 2013 at 8:14 am

shedev

Veteran

Patterned jeans make me a little nostalgic, and studded items. I dont have any I’ve saved from the past, but I am intensely attracted to current ones. I do have a pair of Harley Davidson bootsthat I bought on vacation in the nineties. They are square toed, so I know they are not fashion forward. Their happy factor is about an 11. I am much more interested in keeping to my fashion persona than embracing fads. I do end up participating in my own ways though.

February 4, 2013 at 8:34 am

amiable

Veteran

But a great post – very interesting. In general, I don’t think I’m nostalgic about clothes. What I’m wearing today is a bit of an exception, because the fabric is from Mali (I’ll post it in a while). I also have a home-knit cardigan that I keep due to nostalgia. I’m going to be trying to see if other things in my closet are nostalgic to me.

February 4, 2013 at 8:39 am

Antje

Veteran

As you know, I’m very nostalgic – in general, and about clothes. I even keep some pieces just because they remind me of special times in my life. I have a few pieces from my college days that are very dear to me because they conjure up feelings from that time I will just never experience in the same way. I wish I had kept a few more things, especially from the 80s and my “vintage punk” phase – there were a couple dresses that I still think soooo fondly and I wish I had them tucked away in a box rather than only relying on photos.
Most of my nostalgia is about the distant past, referring to whole different life stages, but I also get nostalgic about more recent past events, e.g. the dress I wore for my shotgun wedding, and also funnily some pieces I’ve worn for job interviews that went well. I love wearing clothes that I can recall wearing before in moments in which I felt confident, beautiful, strong and HAPPY. So there we go – nostalgic all around.

Angie, I am so happy to hear that you found your stiff jeans!!!

February 4, 2013 at 8:39 am

Jamie

Veteran

Oh yes…my happiness factor is elevated when I wear something I’m nostalgic about. Most often, nostalgia is associated with items that my sweet husband has chosen for me and in updated versions of items I wore years ago and enjoyed. Sometimes, too, I associate an item or outfit with a very happy occasion, trip, or event. Wearing them reminds me of that feeling and moment in time.

February 4, 2013 at 8:52 am

rae

(website)

Veteran

OH yes, I am an emotional dresser and am very big on nostalgia – even just for films or books I’ve read. It is also extra hard for me to part with anything that DH gave to me.

February 4, 2013 at 8:53 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Antje, you and I head up Team Nostalgia. I’m quite surprised that few people are as nostalgic as we are, actually. Fascinating

Elisabeth, I’m really nostalgic about items in my home too. I have a pair of measuring cups that my Mum bought for at age 20 when I moved into a flat on my own for the first time. Those are the measuring cups that I use at home today – age 42. I will not part with them, or use another set. And we always bring back something for our house from our trips too. I love that.

Laura, such fond memories, of which there will be many more. Pass on those items and make room for new ones!

Diana, you and I feel outfit nostalgia in exactly the same way. High five!

Eliza, that’s a good question. I hand-wash EVERYTHING. But that means that I pop our stuff on the hand-wash cycle in the washing machine if it doesn’t need to go to the cleaners. I also hardly use the drier for our clothes. I hang dry in a cupboard – and that includes our jeans.

February 4, 2013 at 9:16 am

Debora

Veteran

It’s funny, I think my hubby is a bit nostalgic. I’ll see his face light up when I wear a piece of jewelry or an item that has special meaning for the both of us. And that, of course, increases the happiness factor tenfold for me.

February 4, 2013 at 9:18 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Happiness all round, Deb

February 4, 2013 at 9:21 am

janestyle

I definitely bat for Team Nostalgia! I have many items of clothing that I keep, but don’t wear, and many I do wear. It’s one reason I love to buy an item of clothing while on a trip.

My favorite nostalgia piece is a linen petticoat that was a great great Aunt’s. You can see all the tiny hand stitches even. In the 80s when wearing layers of skirts was in (at least at my H.S.), my mom remade it for me as a skirt and I wore it under a skirt that let it show through. I don’t wear it now, but I still have it.

February 4, 2013 at 9:23 am

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

I think I am another one without nostalgic feelings about things but then I am not even nostalgic about my youth (not yet anyway).
As for the gifts from my hubby I do try to make them work for me because I know it gives him pleasure to see me wearing them… but I guess I don’t need them to remember that he loves me…
I do cherish memories but they are not attached to things but rather to places or times. For me old photos are the best companions for walks down memory line…

February 4, 2013 at 9:39 am

Debbie

Veteran

Definitely nostalgic. I have several pieces of my Mom’s jewerly and wear them when I am feeling down or missing her more that usual.

February 4, 2013 at 9:52 am

Christie

(website)

You found your new jeans! Yay! I’ve been following your search. I faithfully read your blog in my reader, and haven’t commented much lately (sorry!) … but your jeans search echoes my own. Thin, stretchy jeans aren’t what I’m looking for lately. I do like my Kut jeans … heavy fabric. I tried some Levi’s at Kohl’s and while the fabric was nice, the pocket placement didn’t flatter like my Kuts do. I might have to buy some white Kut jeans this spring. I hope they are a sturdy fabric. I just donated my Levi white ones (darn pocket placement) which was kind of hard to do since the fabric was nice and thick.

February 4, 2013 at 10:06 am

rachylou

Veteran

Hmm. To be Jesuitical (this word costs $2 if you want to buy it!) and split hairs, I’m not sure I have much longing for the past. Not beyond dressing for dinner, cocktail hour, and smoky cafes where you can get a glass of wine as well as a cappuccino. Things that come forward with me from the past for the most part have to speak of the present too.

That said, I do have sentimental pieces: jewelry, two fur-trimmed coats, and a Gucci purse that my dad got me. These things, yes, aren’t my style (tho I make them so) and are evocative of… I don’t know… my formative atmosphere ($.50 for *formative*!). And while the fire is banked on that, it’s not out.

Although maybe it should be quite frankly. For moral reasons.

February 4, 2013 at 10:21 am

Kim

Veteran

I do attach memories to clothing, but mostly because when I travel I like to find a new piece and add it to my wardrobe as my souvenir. I don’t collect things, as others might, so I pick up clothing or household items along with photographs and memories when I travel. So I will recall the trip to Kentucky with my dh because of my summer Vera Wang top, or my trip to Syracuse with my sister and best friend because of my Franco Sarto boots, etc. Some outfits are made entirely by clothing I’ve picked up in my travels! It’s actually kind of funny to me at times.

February 4, 2013 at 10:23 am

DonnaF

Veteran

Generally, my clothing over the years has never been fab enough to create feelings of nostalgia. . .although I sometimes wonder if the Indian bedspread maxi dress I sewed will ever show up in a long forgotten box. My mom recently gave me the vest I sewed for my late dad some 45 odd years ago. He didn’t wear it all that much and it was a ton of work for me to sew. Not the type of thing my husband would wear and I’m sure it’s too small for him but too large for me.

Now music makes me feel nostalgic, although nowadays, some stuff just reminds me of Pledge Week at our local PBS station!

February 4, 2013 at 10:25 am

(website)

Veteran

I may be just a tad nostalgic, but it’s my BF who is really the one in our house. He makes purging hard because it’s always a sentimental attachment for him. Funny, but he’s not really that way with his clothes, just mine. We do share the association of fleur de lis with New Orleans and both have items sporting them that remind us of the city we fell in love in

February 4, 2013 at 10:42 am

Scarlet

Veteran

I think this is not a big factor for me, but I have only really been able to have fun with fashion for the last ten years or so, so maybe not enough time has gone by.

February 4, 2013 at 12:09 pm

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I think I am a bit nostalgic, even though I try not to hang on to items if I’m not going to wear them. I guess it’s more about why I pick the new items that I do – like I really love lower rise jeans in faded blues right now because they remind me of carefree summer days years ago. I like bright painted toenails for the same reason. Right now mine are painted a neon hot coral pink that makes me happy every time I look at them and reminds me of days by the pool as a teen. I love deep brown leather handbags because they make me think of the first time I came to Texas and experienced horses and saddles and all things Texas. It was like going on an exotic safari way back then.

February 4, 2013 at 12:32 pm

Inge

(website)

Moderator

Oh yes, music, books, places, restaurants, accessories and clothes, decorative objects, kitchen tools that belonged to my Mum or Oma.. everything that comes with beautiful memories has a special place in my heart (and often home and closet). I guess I have a very high nostalgia happiness factor:-)

February 4, 2013 at 1:10 pm

Chiara

(website)

Yes! I love wearing clothes or accessories that bring me back nice memories. Like, something my mom gave to me, the earrings mother in law gave me for the wedding, or something I was wearing at some happy moment in my life. Husband remembers what I wore on our first date (and I was going from work!), and I love re-wearing that particular outfit.

February 4, 2013 at 1:19 pm

Deborah

Veteran

I am not really nostalgic about my wardrobe. The few genuine vintage pieces I have are more about the quality and the uniqueness of them, but for me nostalgia rates highly when it comes to movies and music. Hearing a favourite song from the 80’s will evoke emotion, bring back memories, and remind me of people etc as do movies. As I think on this there are maybe a couple of clothing items that do this also but this wouldn’t stop me from passing them on and the impact of the past or the story to them when I wear them isn’t that great.

February 4, 2013 at 1:29 pm

Caro in Oz

Veteran

I have pieces that I bought on trips that bring back wonderful memories but I only keep them if I wear them – everything else goes.

February 4, 2013 at 1:46 pm

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

Normally I am nostalgic about everything. I especially love old photos, movies and TV shows. And I do hang on to clothing and jewelry for nostalgic reasons. But lately, I have been feeling an urge to let go of things from certain periods of my life. I actually woke up at 4:45 am thinking about this so Angie your post is a timely coincidence. This simple thought about cleaning things out, then turned into a worry state of mind which is human nature in the wee hours when it’s dark out. I think I was thinking about taxes LOL because that’s what I have been working on this past weekend!

February 4, 2013 at 1:48 pm

Lena

I’m an emotional dresser I think. I’m big on nostalgia. So this resonates with me a great deal.

Two recent color examples: a specific shade of periwinkle and mint/sea foam/seaglass/light green. The foam green brings back memories of collecting seaglass – that’s an easy one to decode. The periwinkle reminds me of an anorak I had in college – not a terribly happy association, actually it was a trying time – nevertheless it’s my happy color. Plus I draw strength from thinking about that coat because it reminds me how much I’ve grown, have yet to grow and do better. Curiously, I have a periwinkle shirt in a slightly different shade – and that specific shade is NOT my happy nostalgic color. Weird, huh.

I totally get your Levi 501s happy association, Angie.

“Sentimental” is a different thing in my mind. Not the same.

February 4, 2013 at 1:52 pm

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Agreed, Lena! Sentimental and Nostalgia are different things in my mind too.

Inge, I can be nostalgic about all those things just like you! So we should high five, Cocolion

February 4, 2013 at 1:55 pm

Ajoanna

I can’t say that I’m a nostalgic dresser–unfortunately, my teen years were not very fashionable at all, and anything that reminds me of something I wore then would most likely end up in the “discard” pile. I do still wear my high school class ring every day, and I have one well-worn forest green hoodie from Target that I wear when I’m at home. It’s several years old and quite faded, but I haven’t had the heart to get rid of it because it’s the most comfortable thing I own.

I do think I’ll become more nostalgic as I get older, now that more of my pieces will be worth saving.

February 4, 2013 at 3:08 pm

Kyle

Veteran

Definitely! Not the actual items from the past (I don’t keep them), but things that remind me of an era or a feeling in a good way.

Hoodies remind me of college. Flared jeans remind me of jr. high and high school. Loafers and oxfords bring grade school memories. There’s a certain shade of pink that makes me think of a dress I wore when my now-husband was my date for a wedding.

February 4, 2013 at 5:19 pm

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I don’t think I am nostalgic about my clothes at all. Certain music and smells bring up memories that are almost too strong to bear, but I just don’t have a fashion memory for my younger days. I am pretty love ’em and leave ’em with clothes- I wonder if this will change now that I am paying much more attention. I do sometimes enjoy remembering where I found a particular piece I am wearing or what an amazing deal it was – but I wouldn’t call that nostalgia!

February 4, 2013 at 5:27 pm

Sarah A

Veteran

I an hugely influenced by both. Im nostalgic and sentimental. Double whammy. I am working hard to move not currently worn items to out of closet storage.

February 4, 2013 at 5:40 pm

Mia

Veteran

This strikes a chord. I wore several things from my 2010 Winter Olympics capsule while attending the Davis Cup Tennis this weekend (Canada advances!), and they brought back such wonderful memories.

I get all nostalgic too when I wear things I picked up in my travels or wore on special occasions, pieces that belonged to my grandmother and anything my husband helped me choose.

February 4, 2013 at 6:10 pm

Annabeth

I don’t get very nostalgic about clothes, weirdly. I have favorites, but I rarely recall what I wore on any specific occasion, etc. It’s odd to me because I am very sentimental about many things in my home, about music, about food, about books — but clothes just don’t strike that chord for me very often. I wonder why not?

February 4, 2013 at 6:30 pm

Not nostalgic for clothes, I didn’t even keep my wedding dress. I think it is because we moved quite a few times as an adult. I am sentimental about some of my children’s things as babies, a blanket, sweater my mum knitted for them.

But my own closet?? I could not tell you what I wore to a special event

February 4, 2013 at 6:31 pm

Ceit

Hmm — I do have my grandmother’s biscuit cutters and a bunch of my favourite teacups from her that I try and use often. So I guess there are some things I do keep around

February 4, 2013 at 7:07 pm

Inge

(website)

Moderator

High five indeed to CocoLion and all the other nostalgic lasses out there:-)

February 5, 2013 at 5:18 am

Emily

Active Member

No nostalgic clothes for me. BUT, I do have many pieces of vintage costume jewelry from both my mother and mother-in-law, and her mother, which I love wearing on jackets. Some of these are really striking and I often get compliments on them from complete strangers.

Oh, and I do have a vintage black velvet beret which I wear very occasionally and which looks very jaunty and makes me feel very French.

February 5, 2013 at 6:37 am

christieanne

Veteran

I am completely and hopelessly nostalgic – especially apparent when you walk through our house and identify furniture made by my great grandfather (my little mail filing cabinet these days), dvd cabinet made by great uncle (which used to be in his tool shed) and the first kitchen table my grandparents owned (which has served as vanity, coffee bar and breakfast table for me).
With clothes it is more a style nostalgia – that denim jacket, slim/skinny leg jean, oxford shoe, rolled cuff blazer, Frye boot – all of them reminiscent of the 80’s when I sported the styles first time around. I resisted visiting the updated styles for a long time but now I just mix them in and every so often have a smile about those days.

February 5, 2013 at 8:32 am

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

I keep a few precious things that I wear – a pearl necklace and a brooch from my grandmother – and that I don’t wear, particularly an old dress she brought back from China in 1946 and cherished her entire life. It is still wearable and quite beautiful, but it needs alteration to fit me. I love to have it in my life as it is. My mother is all well and healthy, but when the day comes, I will honor her memory by adding a few of her things to my possessions. But only a few, because too much, and each piece becomes devalued for me. I am not sentimentally inclined towards my own clothes, and I don’t mind purging them at all. However, I like to replicate clothing that I have loved in my past, like Suz mentions.

February 5, 2013 at 11:15 am

Tanya

Veteran

I doe experience nostalgia occasionally, both in a good i and in a bad way. If a certain piece of clothing reminds me of a certain painful experience in the past, then I tend to either get rid of it or hide it for a while. On the other hand, there are some items that my Mom made for me that I like to wear just to feel like she is closer, despire her being on a different continent.

February 5, 2013 at 4:41 pm

Gillian

Angie, I love your blog! I’ve been reading for a month or two and working my way through the archives, but this is my first time commenting. I just have to chime in that I’m very surprised so many ladies don’t feel nostalgic about their clothes. I don’t think I would love personal style as much as I do if I wasn’t so nostalgic. I think that’s why i veer toward vintage/retro/costume styles and dressing to represent a character. I clean out my closet often, but my hand-me-downs go straight to my younger cousins. At 24 I think my oldest nostalgic item purchased for myself is the dress I chose for my 8th grade graduation, but I also own a lot of vintage and treasure family pieces. I literally have dreams about clothing, no joke One of my recurring dreams is discovering that my mom and grandmothers saved a bunch of clothes for me from when they were young. In reality my mom and her mom don’t live clothes the way I do so that would never happen, but I hope my future kids will appreciate what I’m saving. Of course they’ll probably have totally different style!

My most nostalgic piece is my gran’s necklace with those little birthstone pendant people, eight of them for her grand kids. I don’t wear it much because that would seem odd but I love having it and remembering it on her.

February 7, 2013 at 6:48 pm

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Thanks, Gillian! I’m also surprised people aren’t that nostalgic about fashion and style, so high five

February 8, 2013 at 2:00 pm

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