Vintage Fashion Facts that You Probably Didn't Know

Interested in learning more about vintage fashion? You're sure to learn something new from these vintage fashion facts that you probably didn't already know!
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Interesting Vintage Fashion Facts

  • Vintage is not to be confused with retro, which is another term commonly used to refer to all kinds of items (not just fashion), usually dating back 20 years or so. Vintage fashion is used to describe items that existed, were used and have been saved from a previous era. Retro products are things that have been made to look as though they existed during a particular decade. 
  • Vintage fashion refers to items originating after the 1920s.
  • Fashion items originating from the 1920s or before are known as "Antique Clothing".
  • Do you know what the first ever pair of Doc Martins boots were made from? Old tires!
  • Generally speaking, most people were shorter and slimmer during the "vintage fashion years" and so clothing sizes can be dramatically different when compared to today's equivalents. So, if you wear a UK 8 now, you may be a UK size 12 in vintage wear. 
  • Buying vintage clothing not only makes you look cool, it is also great for the environment too. Next time you want to buy something new, why not consider investing in something vintage instead?
  • When you take into consideration that the average lifespan of an item of clothing is 3 years, wearing vintage fashion is very environmentally friendly. 
  • The brand Woolrich is one of the oldest, most recognisable brand that we are likely to see today.
  • The first item of clothing to be invented were Grecian-style wrap "dresses" that were worn by both men and women. These were created using the draping technique
  • The second item of clothing to be invented was the skirt, which is the oldest garment that we would recognise as something people wear today. 
  • Garments with zips did not exist until the 1930s. Zips were invented and used for some twenty years before they were used on clothing. In the early 1900s zips were used to fasten up tobacco pouches and for closing boots. 
  • In the late 1930s zips were featured for the first time on clothing, as part of a children's clothing campaign. Zips were promoted for their ease of use, allowing children to dress themselves with ease. 


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LeMaitre Design is a modern day vintage fashion design company, designing clothing inspired by the 1940s and 1950s. Read the interview with the designer behind LeMaitre here.
 

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