VINTAGINA (DOESN'T) RHYME WITH AUNT GINA
Prepare your detox teas and get comfortable, ladies,
the moment is cathartic: today of all days and right here—in your now-favorite BLOG (right???)—we are about to debunk a MYTH:
is that brown leather bag in a shade of sadness I found in my grandmother's trunk VINTAGE or NOT?
Before giving you the answer, we need an explanation (... and those two or three anecdotes I'm dying to tell you!); yes, because I have some bad news for you, Sisters: simply buying a bag from five collections ago isn't enough to act like a vintage lover, you have to earn your VINTAGINE title!
Let me also clarify that here at VIVO VINTAGE, before being Vintage Addicts, we are Bag Addicts... or rather, Bag Obsessives!
That's why HERE you won't only find vintage bags treated in the subject, but you'll also find brand new ones, never used ones, from the latest collection, used ones but in excellent condition, very used ones but in great condition, etc.
We love them and we want them all (or almost... Liu Jo, please no, and neither Alviero Martini, Armani Jeans and similar ones...), so, if you're thinking of selling yours, offer it to us and if you're thinking of buying another one CLICK HERE!
Anyway, put the water to boil and let's start with the basics.
The Mercatini&Co of the third Sunday of the month that you love so much saw the light at the end of the '60s, more or less when that funny rascal Andy Warhol popularized the art of recovery and the Children of the Flowers—nonconformists, rebels and not very fond of the cookie-cutter—began to prefer reuse and to snub designers and brands choosing instead a style all their own (and we'll leave them to it, girls: bell-bottom jeans only if you reach 1.80 meters and are a natural blonde).
CHICCA TIME: the first second-hand store opened its doors in 1965 in New York and was christened by Harriet Love “Vintage Chic”.
But, let's be honest, the Vintage we have talked about so far had very little to do with Chic, if not nothing at all: felted coats and half-broken accessories are not exactly our favorite thing
(if they are, you're the one Manu calls a LANACOTTA... and Manu is speaking here: even if you cried all your tears with “Call Me Anna”, throw away those striped socks immediately!).
The Vintage we like is the one that comes from the Latin vendēmia: that made of objects, clothes and accessories that are indeed at least 20 years old but that in these two decades have gained value and not mold, just like good wine.
Icons of their time already, in short, otherwise we are not talking about OLD BUT GOLD (literally translated: old but gold) but only about OLD.
SECOND CHICCA TIME: this Vintage takes shape here in the '90s and one of the highest examples is given to us by Julia Roberts in 2001. Pretty Woman receives the Oscar for the film “Erin Brokovich” wrapped in a wonderful Valentino dress worn 8 years before by our most loved by Italians (alias Lorella Cuccarini) no less than on the stage of the Ariston at Sanremo!!!
(I read this super cool stuff on the web but, let's be clear, for us Dives—me and Roberts—it's a Cit. and not a copy!)
All this to tell you what dear—we can call ourselves that now—VINTAGINE ???
In more or less this order:
- that that famous little bag from the beginning of the article is not VINTAGE, it's OLD and if it's not a memory that your heart holds dear, neither does your closet, so THROW IT AWAY!!!
- that that little trunk you found in the pretty market in the middle of the article is not the elusive vintage piece oh my god wow but that this does not mean it cannot be a fantastic accessory to wear with pride
- that if you decide to buy it, pay attention to how you match it: a beautiful leather bag can give you that languid and retro air of a sexy French girl lover of reading but if you overdo it even with a vintage dress and a vintage coat you will then look like Grandma Granny and not Lolita anymore.
If you are still not sure you have grasped the concept or need clarification, you can always write to us at 346 7350973.
There you will find Cinzia, you can show her all your crossbody bags, shoulder bags, trunks, buckets, etc.: she will give you an evaluation and you can decide to keep it or give it up for adoption, then we will be the ones to find it another mom.
P.S.: if you have already sent her some photos and she hasn't replied yet, don't think she has forgotten about you, only these options are possible: she is delicately sorting through the bags left by not very loving grandmothers, she is studying the best purchase offer, she is taking out those wonders that you can then BUY HERE.
The tea is finished, see you next week Friends and... I'll tell you in advance, Saturday will be better, prepare the Champagne!
