By Samantha Baize

 

 

 

Have you ever noticed that when a star is asked on the red carpet who she's wearing and she replies, "It's vintage", she rarely makes a "worst dressed list"?  What is it about vintage fashion that makes us feel so powerful, so validated?  According to Michelene Kerfonta, manager of the oh-so-popular Ahab Bowen on Boll Street, it's about uniqueness.  "I think with vintage, it's more one-of-a-kind.  It can definitely depict your personal style.  You can pretty much define who you are by what you wear and what you look like."  Personally, what I love about vintage is that you can mix and match.  For those of us who aren't bold enough to wear head-to-toe vintage, we can fuse it with styles of the now and be ultra-fabulous.  So, you ask, what era is too hot to handle right this second?  Hint: pencil skirts. Hint: big belted waists with big feminine skirts.  Hint: cuffed jeans.  Yep, you guessed it.  The fashionable fifties are back.

           

It's bizarre to me how fashion always repeats itself (rule-of-thumb is about every 20 years).  Are designers less creative now or were the styles just so flawless in previous eras that we would be silly not to wear them again? Lisa McCullough, owner of Time Bandits (a year-old, worth-the-drive vintage store in Denton),  seems to think that Pierre Cardin was one of the last true futuristic designers of our time. I think she's right. So until we are graced with another Cardin (unlikely), we will simply have to settle with styles inspired by our past.        

 

Luckily, the silhouette of the 50s, was perfection.  Tailored yet flirty, feminine yet bold...it's everything we haven't seen for the last few years.  With the shift dress and shapeless tops making their way back into our closets, we seemed to have forgotten that women were designed to have waists.  But thanks to some rockin' new belts, the ever-so-slimming pencil skirt, cinched waist dresses, and soft, elegant blouses, we can embrace our inner hour-glass figures like it's 1955. 

 

But if you're feeling a little less flirty and a little more insubordinate, the 1950s rebellious look is just what your wardrobe ordered.  Kerfonta says, "Before the 50's, teens dressed like their parents.  In the 50's, they started wearing the denim.  You had your rat pack look."  Think James Dean and The Fonz.  These trends are being seen everywhere today and have progressed to become unisex.  I just saw photos of Katie Holmes and Reese Witherspoon walking around New York with their jeans cuffed like Marlon Brando on an evening stroll through Central Park in 1957. 

           

So here's the thing.  If we are going to repeat styles anyway, why not buy vintage?  Don't you want to feel powerful and validated?  Don't you want to wear some pieces that aren't being seen on every trendsetter in Dallas? Remember: it's okay to mix and match.  Just ask Kerry Bonnell, owner of Archive, a new designer vintage store on Maple Avenue.  "You might wear a 50's dress with a modern studded belt and new Gucci shoes.  Mixing is important."  I challenge you to  set aside one day to get out of your comfort zone and scope out the Dallas vintage scene - it's broader than you may think.  I did a little homework to give you a head start.  Happy shopping!

 

2614 Boll Street, Dallas

Beyond it's great history (one of the only remaining farmhouses in Dallas from the 19th century), it has great merchandise.  Moderately priced, you will find everything from sunglasses to jewelry to coats to menswear and it covers about every era.  Michelene, the store manager, is beyond knowledgeable about vintage clothing and always more than willing to help.

 

2912 Maple Avenue, Dallas

Owner, Kerry Bonnell was a buyer in New York for designer vintage clothing before moving to Dallas.  If you're looking to wow a crowd with a vintage Versace piece, Archive would be your best bet.  The store is small, but charming and Bonnell also maintains a thriving website: www.archivevintage.com.

 

108 West Oak Street, Ste. 102, Denton

It may seem out of your way, but it's worth it.  This tiny little shop has just about everything you need, including records for your vintage music collection.  Store owners, Lisa McCullough and David Townsend, opened Time Bandits about a year ago after moving from California.  McCullough doesn't wear any clothes that aren't at least second hand; and she's super-secretive about where she buys her clothes for the store, so you know it's gotta be good.