In case you missed this article in The New York Times last Thursday, I’ve listed the vintage reproduction companies that it mentions after the jump.  You know that I’m not a fan of “all vintage all the time”.  No body type should be relegated to one time period in the past.  I want to dress for success in 2011, not 1950.

However, the quote from the owner of Queen of Heartz makes sense:  “[Y]ou can’t say it’s just a fad because these clothes are timeless classics, not ‘in’ one year and ‘you wouldn’t be caught dead in it’ next year.”  So if certain timeless classics happen to fit our curves, then why not give them a try?  With a 2011 hairstyle and a jacket over the Bettie Page dress below, it would fit in fine in a corporate setting.

Source:  the NYTimes article linked to above

Here are more quotes from the article about the appeal of vintage clothing:  

  1. From the author:  “Unlike many contemporary fashions that are layered, slouched and unisex, styles of the mid-20th century were typically tailored to flatter, even accentuate, the female form.”
  2. From the owner of Blue Velvet Vintage:  “I sell to women who say they go to the mall and can’t find anything that isn’t either flimsy and trendy or dowdy and frumpy.  They want something classic and distinctive that makes them feel pretty.”
  3. From the owner of ReVamp:  “Men treat me differently when I wear vintage or something that looks vintage,” she said. “I’ve noticed that they open doors and even apologize when they swear, which is so not the case when I’m wearing regular clothes like pants and a sweater.”

That third quote may highlight the biggest issue about wearing vintage.  Sometimes, we just need to be one of the guys.  So it’s back to that balancing act of how much we can highlight our femininity and individuality, and how much we think we should blend in.  It’s a matter of the setting and what we’re trying to accomplish in it.

I love how Anina, the owner of Brazen Lingerie, demonstrated this recently:

January 21 tweet:  Benefit of shoveling snow in skirt: Very HOT guy offered to shovel sidewalk for me. Chivalry is not dead.

January 25 tweet:  Wore pants while shoveling snow earlier. No hot guys offering to do it for me this time. 🙁

Find links to the vintage reproduction companies mentioned in the article after the jump.

So far, I’ve only read feedback from women with large chests who have tried Trashy Diva and Stop Staring!
I’m not sure when I will get around to trying the brands listed below, so if you would like to contribute here or can point me in the direction of someone who has already tried them, please let me know!

Bettie Page Clothing

Blue Velvet Vintage
 
ReVamp Vintage (The size chart only goes to a 40″ bust, but it also mentions a made to measure option.)

ModCloth  (I love their “Be the Buyer” voting approach!)

Queen of Heartz   (Their website says that they “can accommodate all shapes and sizes”.  They also have cute swimwear.)