A different perspective...
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| Marlon Brando from his screen test for 'Rebel without a cause' |
There's a line in the picture where he snarls, 'Nobody tells me what to do.' That's exactly how I've felt all my life.
Marlon Brando
On this blog we've mostly covered vintage life from the perspective of us ladies so I thought it was high time that we change that. I went and bothered a fellow (male) lover of vintage clothing and asked him a few questions. Here's the insight he gave us to the masculine side of vintage love.
Q. When did you first take an interest in vintage fashion?
I suppose when i was 14-15 and started exploring various subcultures. First came punk, then came the rest.
Q. So how long in total have you been wearing these clothes?
Vintage, as in 50's-60's? A small time when I was 16. They sure were comfy.
Q. What first attracted you to this type of clothing?
Mostly the comfiness. I don't care much how it looks, though I can appreciate the aesthetics.
Q. If you could pick any era to live in, which would it be?
Hmm...The Italian Renaissance, Victorian England, California in the early 20th century or the 60's anywhere...
Q. Why those eras?
Renaissance: Rome and whatnot were getting built and many great inventors and authors lived around that time that I would have wanted to meet.
Victorian England: The pseudo-romantic chivalry and the whole thing with suits, top hats and being a gentlemen had a thing to it.
California in the early 20th Century: It was crazy times, I've heard. I like crazy.
60's: There's not much to say, really. 'Cause, you know.
Q. How do you view the trend of vintage clothing coming back into mainstream fashion?
Not too surprising, history is a wheel of a unicycle. The cart may have moved further, the unicycle's wheel is simply repeating it's own circular motion. Over and over.
Q. Who are your favourite designers?
Don't have any, I'm DIY with clothing. Although Vivienne Westwood is cool, so is Marc Jacobs.
Q. Where do you go to purchase your vintage clothing?
Probably on the market on Waterloo Square, Amsterdam. Or find myself in one or another shops.
Q. Do you think it's harder for guys to find vintage clothing?
Not at all, just need to know where to look.
Q. Also, do you think it's less acceptable (with regards to society) for guys to dress this way compared to women?
A guys wardrobe may be less experimental, in general, but I believe that there is no consensus against it, no, at least not with what I've experienced so far.
There are many things that this interview tells us but one thing that makes me happiest is the fact that this is a glowing example of there still being men who think about the way they present themselves, not just with clothing or styles but also the way they approach their fellow human beings. There are still men out there who want to be gentlemen and that alone is a promising thought!
P.S. Ladies - if you're loving the sound of this man already, just read these two quotes from him as well - I asked him what his favourite colour was and he said -
A deep dark blue, whose name I never knew. Wise, serene, cool, distant. Mysterious.
And when I asked him who his favourtie star of the silver screen happened to be, his answer was as follows - Marlon Brando, The guy who got me into the more distinguished form of fashion. Suits and everything.
So any girls out there in Amsterdam, maybe you'll want to snap him up ;)
All thanks for this insight go to C.J. Boon, Student of Artificial Intelligence, in Amsterdam.
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