play it again
Dahling, nothing’s ever as good as it used to be. The city has slim pickings for the vintage vulture, but element points you in the right direction.
TEXT JESSICA PHILIPS feedback
Vintage, vintage, vintage. Whenever I come across the word, no matter how plain the italics, it always appears to me to be written with a flourish, suspended in its own space, with a garland of flowers around it. Vintage. It is impossible to say it without conjuring up images of Marilyn Monroe or Lubov Orlova lounging effortlessly on a chaise lounge, long cigarette holder between delicately painted lips.This is a strange phenomenon as, thinking about it logically, vintage, slight shudder, is actually really old, second-hand clothes, but every girl goes weak at the mere mention of it. Behind even the most career-minded modern women lies a secret yearning for the elegance, chic and class that vintage embodies. This was beautifully recognized by Christies, who put on a “vintage sale” of clothing from the 20th century to celebrate Women’s Day; silk dresses inspired by Greek statues, Gucci bags and Thierry de Havilland stilettos. If you are going to try to recreate the glamour of years gone by, then I’m afraid that you have to unlock the shackles on your wallet. Sophistication comes at a price. The first vintage boutique to open in Moscow was Brocade in Gostiny Dvor. Here you will find clothes and accessories from throughout the twentieth century from prestigious brands such as Rive Gouche YSL, Oscar de la Renta, Christian Dior, Givenchy etc. Another option is Garderob Weekend. One of those shops where dyevushki scrutinize your every movement, Garderob is not exclusively a vintage shop, but nestled amongst its rails of clothes lie remnants of the past just waiting to be given the chance to dazzle again. Starting at the 10,000 ruble mark, there are Nicole silk crepe dresses, YSL satin shirts and a beautiful handmade silk dress with ripples of material and embroidered ivory detail that shimmers in the light. The next place to consider is Zima at Mayakovskaya. This boutique was set up by Irina Zima to give others the chance to experience the beautiful clothes that she had found. This means that you can rent an outfit complete with accessories from as little as 700 rubles. At the moment however, the thirst for such clothes appears to have bled her vintage section dry and she is left with only a few dresses. “I need to go hunting again,” she told me. This seems to be the case in a few places. Soho, for example, is frequently known as a good supply of vintage clothing, but at the moment, have nothing left. The Moscow fashionistas are clearly well ahead of me, probably getting suited up for Fashion Week. Vintage doesn’t have to be all elegance however, there is also the retro end of the scale with styles from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. Polka dot skirts and ruffled shoulders have also made appearances at the New York and London fashion weeks. This sort of thing is much easier to come by and I found one real Aladdin’s cave of retro clothing. Frik Frak at Shabolovskaya is stuffed with piles, rails and bags of skirts, shirts, coats and dresses. This is certainly much easier on the bank balance but does require some real dedication to sift through those outfits that are probably best left in the past. Last thought: who says where vintage ends? Try selling off those outfits gathering dust. A “vintage” 2002 jacket could be the answer to this month’s cash problems! |
