As the sights of high-waisted mom jeans, sweatshirts and denim jackets fill the streets; it’s not hard to notice that vintage fashion is definitely making a style comeback. But why? Why has it become so popular?
These days you can spot a mass of young adults hunched over clothing racks, rapidly searching for decent bargains. However – since the return of vintage style, the clothes in those shops have an expensive price tag.
That’s why Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair is such a godsend, packed with colourful stalls to feast your eyes on, classic clothing and beautiful cakes on display as soon as you walk in. The event in Lincoln was heaving with people, gently brushing past each other to check for hidden gems.
Barbella’s Hair Boutique was the first stall to greet you into the Engine Shed; they were all smiles as you passed by. The stall-owners put in a lot of effort, dressing in classic tea dresses which gave you the vibe that they were definitely in their element. Hayley Barrington-Smith told The Linc that she’d been participating at the fair for three years and had “always had an interest in Vintage style”, she believed that “vintage fashion was a style that comes around but had grown over the years because of the recession, which meant that people were valuing family, baking and getting back into those old-fashioned style”.
But the fair doesn’t just appeal to locals, a Nottinghamshire college student Summer Wright (17) travelled with her friend just to attend. She said “I really liked the stall ‘vintage blouses by blousy’ because it was the same type of shirt but with different patterns. I think it encourages people to be individual”.
Summer believes that “because decades have passed we’ve wanted more modern, futuristic styles whether it is clothing or technology, even furniture. Also, the fashion industry itself is encouraging it as most clothes in high-street stores are mass produced so with vintage clothes, people can pick their individuality more effectively”.
Personally I feel like vintage fashion has become such a thing because you can be more creative with the patterns. I love wearing cute pinafores and blouses because you can be more quirky with your dress sense.