Vintage! Celebs Do It & So Can You - A Crash Course in Wearing Vintage!

Generally I am the last person in the world who would tell anyone to take life cues from celebrities. I mean, it's not as if they're often the most stable group of people in the world, is it?  However, when it comes to fashion, unlimited financial resources and armies of professional stylists definitely give them a leg up over us every day fashionista wanna-be's! Some of them, like me, have been wearing vintage since they were teens. Some of them style themselves and some are told what to wear by stylists. Regardless, there's something to learn from they way celebrities incorporate vintage into their wardrobes.

Nicole Richie is known for wearing vintage, she wears it frequently and she wears it well. Here she's paired a fabulous 70's dress with a modern , complementing pattern clutch and neutral shoes.  The headband, while vintage, doesn't compete
 with the dress for attention. her hair and make-up are both low key.  Perfect accessorizing, she looks modern and fashionable, not like she's trying too hard.

Celebrities have a lot more money than most of the rest of us, they get free stuff from designers and have people making sure everything they wear looks good. Right? So why do so many of them choose to wear vintage? Same reason the rest of us do, vintage is cool. Being able to wear history, the superior quality, the uniqueness, appeals to everyone and can help you stand out from the crowd in a positive way.  

 
                                                                                             Halle Berry in Vintage jeans & sunglasses.

I use Vintage in everything, because I love it. I collect it, I have it all over my home, I live it, I sell it and rarely does a day go by without my wearing at least something vintage. My daughter has inherited this vintage obsession (really, she didn't have much of a choice, did she?) and also incorporates vintage style into her own. Vintage is fabulous, it's hip and it's cool. If you don't believe me, check out the fashion movers & shakers - they wear it all time!

The Olsen twins, in vintage.

So, for those of you who want to incorporate vintage into your everyday style but are feeling apprehensive, cautious or unsure of how to do it, here's a quickie crash course! I'm sticking with fashion for this blog, I'll probably do another one later on featuring household stuff, but I may bring a guest artist in for that one - stay tuned!

Here's the Vintage Life & Design Everyday Guide for Wearing Vintage Do's & Dont's:

Zooey Deschanel is wearing something vintage almost every time she's photographed. She does a great job choosing clothes that flatter her figure and reflect her personality. She has short legs, so the black tights and black shoes add length. the cute handbag adds some color without competing with the black and white 60's dress. She's kept her accessories to a minimum, perfect with this look.  Her latest TV show, New Girl, features a character with a personal style that is a lot like Zooeys.

1.  Do use common sense. Normal fashion guidelines still apply (my own guidelines are below). You DO NOT want to look like you wandered away from your street corner or like someone who actually thinks they are living in 1945. You do want to make sure what you are wearing is body and event appropriate. It doesn't matter how cool that vintage mink stole is, you'll look ridiculous wearing it with a bathing suit.

Krystin in a great outfit incorporating vintage, 
that flatters her curves. She put it together for
school. Blazer & Earrings from
www.shelleysvintagelife.etsy.com

Jennifer Lopez, sweats, no make-up. So?

Now I admit, I don't always follow my own rules. I inherited a great fashion sense, which has been honed by working in fashion and theatre most of my life, but there are days I just don't care. Personally, I think we're all entitled to days like that, even celebrities. How many times have I run to Costco in sweats and a t-shirt, hair in a pony tail and hoping I don't run into anyone I know? Lots. I don't have paparazzi following me around, thank goodness, so cut them a break.

Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen are known for wearing vintage often. Here, Ashley has the proportions down, wearing a big, vintage (designer, but still vintage) sweater, with a mid-thigh a-line skirt, black tights, pointy toe pumps and a large, tailored black bag. A cute, body and occasion appropriate outfit incorporating vintage.
 

Following are my personal style guidelines. They are also pretty common across the fashion world, and no, just because someone is famous does NOT mean they have good taste. Examples abound. If a celebrity looks ridiculous, it won't look any better on you, I promise.

• Proportion is Key! If you're wearing something skimpy on top, don't wear it with a mini-skirt or short shorts. Unless you are a skinny 12 year old or built like a skinny 12 year old, you'll just look like a skank.  
• Along the same lines, wear clothing that fits! Just because you are usually a size 8 does not mean every size 8 is going to fit you! Sometimes it might be a 6, sometimes it might be a 10. Manufacturer's cut differently. Don't worry about the size, worry about the fit. It if pulls, tugs, bunches or exposes body parts it is not supposed to, try another size. 
• If you're wearing something big and blousy on top, go slim and small (this does not necessarily mean short) on the bottom, and the reverse. If you wear big and loose both top and bottom, you just look like a bag lady. It's not flattering, really, even on celebrities. Also remember that in general, it's short with long, long with short. A crop top and a mini skirt do not a good look make.
  

  

  Rhianna in vintage boots, shirt & fannypack.

•  If you are going bare, highlight one body part. Make your legs, arms and shoulders, back, decollete, whatever you consider your best asset the focal point (keep it decent though, please!). In spite of what some think, the vast majority do not enjoy being forced to view almost all of your skin at one time. Why? Because too much skin is tacky and cheap, not sexy. If you're wearing a short skirt, wear a more covered top so you look classy and sexy, not tacky.While I'm not advocating a return to mid-century decency standards, if you really want to see sexy, watch a movie with Mae West, Gina Lollobrigida, Lauren Bacall, Ava Gardner and even Marilyn Monroe kept the right side of the line. They didn't overexpose and wow, did they get results. Classy is sexy, trashy is not. It's just trashy.

• Remember the Coco Chanel rule for accessories. Put on whatever accessories you think you want, then look in the mirror and take one off. Too much is too much. This, too, can get tricky though. If you want to layer loads of bracelets, that's ok. Same with necklaces or a cluster of brooches. Just don't wear it all at the same time, ok?
• Be very careful mixing prints. It can be done and it can look terrific, but you need to know what you're doing so you don't come across as color blind and fashion challenged, rather than fashion forward (we'll talk about this later too). If you're not confident of your own ability to do this, have a friend who is help you out, or just steer clear.
• Major attention getting pieces are better on their own or paired with more classic or subdued pieces, unless you are Lady Gaga or Adam Lambert. Again, often more of a good thing is just too much. 

Even Lady Gaga tones it down when she's not performing. Seen here in a Vintage lime green dress from the 70's, she's paired it with vintage yellow earrings from the same decade and 60's style sunglasses. The dress is simple enough that adding the extra accessories is not too much, it looks great. 

When you are 5, glitter is cute.

My apologies to whoever this is, but, please do yourself and everyone else a favor. Do not go out in public looking like this! This outfit is a disaster on so many levels, too shiny, too short, too bare and what is with the scarf around her head? The 70's scarf around the head can look good, here, it's just kind of sad. The whole outfit just looks tacky and cheap. A Definite Don't!

Natalie Portman - Vintage Do!

I don't care how rich and famous you are, this dress is the epitome of cheap and trashy looking. Huge Don't! 

Nicole Kidman, A Vintage Sequin Do.

• Don't go overboard with glitz and glitter. Seriously, unless you're a fairy (yes, I mean a real fairy, the kind with wings and stuff) or six years old, keep the glitter and sparkle to a minimum. When you're covered in glitter and sequins you look not only tacky, but dated. It's not a good look, trust me. Even if people aren't saying it to your face, they're saying it in their heads or behind your back. Don't be that person. Even at times when some glitz is appropriate, don't go overboard.  A too tight sequined tank top, sparkly earrings, sparkly bracelet, and sparkly high heel shoes with a mini skirt is not cute or appealing, at all (yes, I saw someone wearing this not too long ago, the image is burned into my brain, unfortunately. It was like a car wreck, when you just can't stop looking.). All I could think was "good heavens girl, do you not own a mirror?" If you must have glitz in your clothes, keep it under control (ONE sequined item of clothing is PLENTY in any outfit and should not be paired with glittery accessories!), and remember, a little bit of glitter goes a long way. A sequined dress can look fantastic done right for a formal occasion, but not paired with sequined shoes and accessories. A short, tight, bare sequined dress never looks good. Sorry, but it doesn't.

Drew Barrymore wears a lot of vintage. This fabulous 1980's dress is a major statement piece. She paired it with modern, neutral pumps, a sleek hairstyle and great earrings. The perfect way to wear this dress! Also, note that although the dress is tight, it's long. Bare shoulders are the focal point, classy, sexy and dramatic. A Definite Do!

2.  Don't go vintage from head to toe, unless you are confident you can really rock the retro look.

Gwen Stefani can carry off the total Retro look.

 Now, some people can rock the totally retro look, so it's not a never, just a not usually. Gwen Stefani does it all the time and she rocks it. If you are totally confident in your style and know you can carry it off, go for it! The key is, you need to feel confident and it never hurts to get a second opinion from someone who knows you and whose fashion sense and honesty you trust. You want to turn heads with your fabulous uniqueness, not because you look like you're going to a Halloween party in January.

Chloe Sevigny is another actress who almost always incorporate vintage into her look. She's probably recognized more for her fashion sense than for her acting. Here, she wears an 80's leopard print mini skirt with a black, long sleeve tee, black tights and vintage 80's boots. Note how she has steered clear of other accessories.

2.  Do pick one fabulous item to build your outfit around (there are times you can do more, we'll get into that later). If you find a fantastic 1960's leopard print mini skirt, wear it, by all means! However, if you wear it with a black turtleneck, black tights, a great necklace and boots you're going to get compliments. If you wear it with a sequined tank top and strappy stilettos, well, just say the the type of comments and attention you get are probably not the type you're looking for.

Sienna Miller in aVintage Gown, modern accessories.

3.  Wear vintage that fits. Pay absolutely no attention to the sizes of vintage items. Seriously. Vintage sellers who know what they are doing will post measurements for any item they are selling. Use them. Sizing has changed tremendously over the past 75 years. As an example, measurements for a size 6 today are approximately equivalent to a size 12 in 1957. Even sizes as recent as the 1980's are different from sizes today.

This fantastic 1980's ivory lace bodysuit looks great and very modern with jeans, heels and a chunky chain necklace. Bodysuit will be available at www.shelleysvintagelife.etsy.com, soon.

Vintage brooch cinching in a sweater, www.shelleysvintagelife.etsy.com

.

Nicole Richie, everyday vintage.

3.  Don't feel like just because something is vintage, you have to wear it in the same old way. There are some amazing vintage brooches out there and they are one of the easiest ways to incorporate vintage into everyday. A brooch can be, of course, a brooch. It can also be a necklace, go on a headband, be used to fasten a sweater, shirt or any other item of clothing. Use a vintage brooch to fasten a vintage scarf into a really cool skirt. A brooch can go on a purse, belt, shoes, or a bracelet. Experiment, make it your own!

4. Do mix and match decades! This is one of the best ways to wear vintage. Taking a classic piece from the 1940's and wearing it with a more flamboyant piece from the 1980's can look terrific!  Again, you just want to follow the basic fashion guidelines for terrific style.

5. Do use hair and make-up as accessories! If you are going full retro hair and make-up, unless you're in costume, keep your outfit more modern, incorporating maybe one or two (one major, one minor) items from that decade is plenty.

Guys can do vintage too! It's hot!

 6. Don't be afraid to separate vintage suits and ensembles! The jacket from a classic 1950's Pendleton suit looks terrific with jeans, or a light sheer maxi skirt and a tank top. The skirt, meanwhile, can look great for work with a blouse, wide belt and pumps. Or wear it with a tank top and a loose light sweater, mix it up!

Sometimes a scarf is just a scarf.

7. Use Vintage items in unexpected ways. A vintage scarf can be a scarf, a headband or a belt. If it's big enough, it can be a skirt or swimsuit coverup. Try a 1970's blouse with a big bow under a sweater with jeans. Use a vintage belt as a necklace, think outside the box! One of my favorite looks is a vintage slip with a belt and a long cardigan. Pair it with some cute booties or heels. For winter, add a long sleeve tee under the slip and some fun tights.

8. Do be occasion appropriate. Please. Wearing a short, skintight dress is probably not the best look when you're going to church with your boyfriends' family (yes, I saw someone do that, too. It wasn't pretty at all and his family never quite got over that first impression. Yes, first impressions do matter, fair or not.).If you're at a school or business function, dress appropriately. Wearing a low-cut tank top to work, not a good idea in most businesses. Neither are mini-skirts, shorts, or strappy heels. If you're in the arts, you have some more leeway, but keep it classy at work.

Zooey Deschanel in 500 Days of Summer.

9. Do care for your vintage clothing properly. Just about anything pre-1975, will need to be hand washed very carefully, or dry cleaned. If you're not sure how to care for something, consult a good dry cleaner or someone who knows their way around textiles. It's the worst to find something you are totally in love with and then destroy it by not cleaning it properly. I did that more than once in high school and in college. It's tragic, so learn from my experience, you don't want to ruin your treasures!

Making vintage everyday. Pairing a long 70's jacket with a tunic and layering both over a crew neck t-shirt works well with modern jeans and boots! Photo from the "I adore Vintage" website.

Chloe Sevigny, just hangin' out.

Incorporating some 50's styling, 70's shirt, vintage boots!

10.  Do make vintage part of your everyday look.You can absolutely incorporate vintage into a work wardrobe, even if you work at a bank, just use common sense and good judgement. A vintage sundress worn to work with sandals, probably not a good idea. A vintage sundress, worn under a blazer, with hose, pumps and the right accessories, well, that will just look awesome. Incorporating vintage can be wearing a pair of earrings, a pair of shoes, a skirt, whatever.

This is such a cute summery outfit! Vintage jean jacket - 80's, vintage skirt - 60's and vintage platform sandals 70's, with a regular every day t-shirt. Photo from "I adore vintage" site.

11. Do coordinate when mixing patterns. If you do want to mix your patterns, look for patterns that have complimentary colors. That doesn't mean they have to match, but the colors should complement each other. Generally, if you have one big, bright pattern, your other one should probably be softer and more subtle. Another way to mix is to keep your different patterns separated, i.e., shoes and a sweater, a jacket and tights, etc. Don't be afraid to experiment, just check it out in the mirror before you go outside, and if you have doubts, get a second opinion!

This is a great example of mixing patterns and decades. The 60's cardigan, 80's shirt, 70's skirt and modern tights look great. I would have gone with solid black shoes, personally, but everyone has their own taste, it's still a great outfit!
This photo also from the "I adore Vintage" website.

12.  Don't be afraid to wear more than one vintage item in an outfit! A pair of 1950's vintage pumps, while perhaps too much if paired with a 50's vintage dress, can look great with jeans and a 1970's jacket, or an entirely new outfit with great big 80's earrings. Again, don't be afraid to experiment!

Here, a pair of 1970's Vintage boots, worn with a pleated skirt from the 80's, funky tights from Marshall's, a Calvin Klein tank top and a Juicy wrap cardigan from the late 1990's come together for a super cute and flattering outfit that could go just about anywhere. Vintage 80's silver hoops & silver heart necklace. Boots and skirt will both be available soon at www.shelleysvintagelife.etsy.com

13.  Don't feel that you can't wear vintage because you're a guy! Guys can totally rock vintage and there are just as many different ways to wear it for guys as their are for girls. Go for it!

Guys on the street.

Vintage fashion rocks. It is perfect for expressing your individuality and it's a way to tie into the glories of the past. It is a way to make your look really your own and it makes today's fashions look even better when you incorporate both!

So consider yourself encouraged to incorporate some vintage into your life! I hope you're inspired and I hope this helps if you were wondering how to do it!  If so, please let me know and if anyone has questions I will do my best to answer them. I would love to get photos of how you incorporate vintage into your everyday style, too, so please, don't be shy!

My latest goal - I am going to be more consistent at updating this blog! Weekly, there will be new posts - some shorter than others, but I am determined to get it done! 





*All photos where source isn't noted are from Google Images.

Dyeing - For a New Color! How to Dye Clothes & Stuff!

As mentioned before, I like to redo old stuff. One of the things I do, often, is dye things clothes, and other stuff, a different color. I do it to fabric, clothes I’m going to remake, and clothes I wear but want to be a different color, vintage lingerie, all sorts of stuff. This is another thing I started doing in college to some of the thrift store finds I was re-doing (by the way, if you are in the dorms in college, they DO NOT like it when you dye stuff in the dorm washers! Even if you clean them thoroughly when you're done. Just a tip.).

Working on the maxi dress while dye is setting.

That’s what I did for most of the day Saturday, plus got about halfway done with a maxi-dress I’m making from some vintage fabric for the shoot upcoming next Sunday. I have a bunch of vintage lingerie that I’ve collected over the past several years, several of which I planned to dye. Saturday was the perfect day to take care of that little chore and after I did the first couple of slips I thought, “I should write a blog post about this.” Not long after that one of my friends asked me a question about dying a dress that had a discolored spot on Facebook – perfect timing!

So, for the novice, here is a step by step guide to dyeing clothes and textiles. There are tons of different techniques and you can dye all sorts of things besides fabric and clothes, but these are the basics.* You do need to be careful about what you are trying to dye. Some fabrics will change chemically if they are dyed. Silk, for instance, while it takes dye beautifully, will completely change texture if it is dyed, unless it is washable silk. Acetate will shrink in strange ways, completely changing the shape of the garment. Some types of rayon will also shrink, and so will some wool (although sometimes if its a sweater you can stretch it back into shape while it's wet). So be cautious and research your fabric if you're concerned about it.

Some fabrics will take dye and some won’t. Heavy polyester fabrics need a special chemical dye, RIT won’t work on them. You may have heard that dye won’t take on synthetics, but that is not necessarily true. I’ve had good luck with nylon and some lighter weight polyesters and blends. I’ve also used dye on leather, suede, wood and wicker with good results, but the technique is different. I know people hate to here this, but experience is sometimes the only way to judge accurately what will work and what won't. So if you don't have it, ask someone who knows fabric.

Blah white lingerie pre-dye

There are two main reasons to dye something. 1 - you just want it to be a different color or 2 - to save a stained or discolored item you would like to keep.  If you are dyeing because of a stain or bleach spot, you will need to treat the stain first and remove as much of it as possible. You will also need to do this if you want something to be a lighter color than it starts out. Then you need to remove as much color from the item as you can. If you don’t need to lighten the color of your item you can skip the next couple of paragraphs!

I do keep a little dye on hand.

To lighten an item you can either bleach it (I fill the washer about half way with as hot of water as is safe for the item and then dump in several cups of bleach, stir it up – I let the washer agitate before adding things and periodically while they’re soaking -  and let the item soak for several hours).  This seems like common sense, but just to make sure - if you haven’t used bleach in your washer before please make sure you rinse it out well and make your next load a load of whites, just to be safe!

If it’s a white item that is stained, this sounds contrary I know, but unless your item is a fairly sturdy cotton you don’t want to bleach it. Some synthetics will dissolve in bleach and on some other blends chances are it won’t take the stain out. Depending on the fabric content, bleaching could just turn your item yellowish. If you need to get the stain out of a white item that your normal stain removal tactics haven’t worked on (try using pre-wash treatments, soaking, etc.), try hydrogen peroxide.

Put an old rag under the stain, get some hydrogen peroxide and either a medicine dropper or a q-tip, and dab it on the stain. Let it sit for ten minutes or so and check it. If it’s gone, you’re good, if not, try it again. You can repeat this multiple times. Once the stain is out or lightened enough that it’s not noticeable rinse the item out thoroughly. Then if you still want to dye it, you’re ready to go. You can use this on some other colors as well, just be sure to check for color-fastness in an unseen spot first.

Some of the dye colors I'm mixing, plus salt.

RIT also makes a color remover that works really well, although you need to make sure you’re well ventilated and DO NOT breathe the fumes, they are seriously nasty. Actually this goes for the dye too.  When I use the color remover I dissolve the color remover in hot water first either in the garage or right by an open window, keeping my face well away and pouring carefully to minimize the dust, and then add it to a washer partly filled with hot water, close the lid and agitate the machine to mix. Important - when you add the color remover or powdered dye, hold it right above the water and pour it in slowly to minimize the dust in the air. Do not have the washer agitating while you pour it in, it will circulate more of the toxic dust.

Add your item/s and set the washer so it agitates for a couple of minutes, then turn it off and let it soak for a bit, say 10 or 15 minutes. Then agitate some more, so on and so forth.  After your item has lost most or all of its color, let the washer go through the rinse cycle to rinse your item. Once you’re finished, rinse your machine well and make your first load afterwards whites, just to be on the safe side!

Things you will need: 

1.      Something to dye things in – this can be a giant stockpot – stainless steel so it won’t stay the color you dye; a sink or a washing machine. It depends on what you have available and how large the item is or how many items you plan to dye. If you want your item to be black or very dark, the stove method works the best.

2.      Dye. I just use RIT dye, because it’s easy to get and pretty inexpensive, there are plenty of other brands though, just make sure you read the directions first! Pick the color you want. If you want it to be especially dark or bright or you are dying more than one item or two smallish ones, use two packets or bottles (it comes in both powder and liquid forms, I usually use the powder). Don't be afraid to mix colors!

3.      Bleach or Color Remover, if you are dyeing a lighter color than the original or because of a stain. Plus bleach for clean-up.      

4.      Something to stir with. I have a big dowel that is my “dye stick.” I use it for everything I dye.

5.       Salt, quite a lot, depending on how many items you are going to dye

6.       Vinegar 

7.       Somewhere to rinse things out.

8.       Whatever you want to dye.

9.        Rubber Gloves (unless you want rainbow fingers!)

My dye stick

10.    An extra bucket.

All right, now to the dyeing!

I am going to use a slip for this example, and do it on the stove.

        Fill your pot up about half or 2/3 of the way full. Put it on the stove and turn the heat up high. Add about ½ cup of salt for each 2 1/2 gallons of water, stir to dissolve. When your water is really hot but not boiling, add your dye (If you are using either the sink or the washer, dissolve your dye in 2 or 3 cups of boiling water and salt before adding it to the hot water you fill the sink or washer with.) and stir well and carefully – drops spattering will stain! On the stove, once your dye is in turn down the heat a bit. If it boils over you will have a huge mess!  




  


   

      Once your dye is fully dissolved, get your item wet in hot water, squeezing out the extra then shake out your item so it’s not crumpled, make sure its wet evenly and everywhere. Carefully add it to your pot of dye.

 Stir often and carefully.

     

      
    

      Take the pot to the sink or wherever you plan to rinse (choose somewhere close if you’re doing the stovetop method, you DO NOT want to trip and spill a pot of dye on the floor!). I just dump the whole pot, clothing and all, CAREFULLY into the sink. Then you can start rinsing it with warm water. Gradually move to cold water and rinse until the water runs clear. Then rinse with water and vinegar to set the color.

       

        




    
      If I am only dyeing one item, I will fill an extra bucket with cold water and stir in another 1/2 cup of vinegar.  If I have several I fill the washer with cold water and add the vinegar. Put your item into the cold water with vinegar and swish it around really well before rinsing thoroughly.

    

 In the washer, just let it go through a rinse cycle after this. If you just did one item, dump it out in the sink and rinse it again with cold water.  The vinegar helps to set the color and prevent bleeding in the future. Although you should still wash it separately several times in cold water!

I like to put things in the dryer for a few minutes, unless they are wool or something else that will shrink. The heat helps set the color.

Ta –da, you are done and the proud owner of something that is now a different color than it was before!  Happy Dyeing!

Some of the vintage lingerie I dyed on Saturday.

*The RIT website has some great information on going further! http://www.ritdye.com/

Charlene, Rock Stars' Lady & How I Got the Bag

Some of you have been patiently waiting (not so patiently in a few cases, but that’s ok, I've been a little slow and I’m glad you're interested!) to hear the story behind the cool metal mesh clutch I acquired while driving from Seneca, SC to Savannah, GA.  So here is the story I was told, a small chapter in the life of Charlene,* girlfriend to a rock star back in the day. 

I don't really hang out with famous rock stars or their girlfriends much, so it’s kind of exciting. It's like a very removed brush with fame – albeit over 40 years after the fact, but hey, it’s a brush! Although, I have to say, I do know a few up and coming, incredibly talented musicians who deserve to get there. Totally different sounds, but both groups are fantastic. So please, check them out - The Winchester in Chicago and Aeris here in Michigan, contact info listed below.

About how it looked when I was there.

 

I met Charlene at a bar in Aiken, South Carolina called City Billiards, founded in 1957. It’s a place that claims to have “The Best Cheeseburger you’ll ever eat.” That’s why I stopped there for lunch and it was a pretty darn good Cheeseburger, I have to say (mine was Medium, Swiss cheese, spicy mustard and grilled mushrooms and onions, just in case anyone wondered!). The place was pretty much empty when I was there. It was late, after the lunch crowd had left. The stragglers besides me and Charlene left while we were there. 

Charlene and I struck up a conversation while I ate lunch and she had a couple more drinks and some of my french fries. Charlene lives in Aiken these days, but she grew up in a small town nearby, which I won’t name at her request. She was fine with me writing about her, but didn’t want her real name or where she grew up used and I am happy to oblige. I also have to clarify, this is all hearsay. I have absolutely no authentication for any part of this story. Except I believe her. Totally.

Charlene's Bag

As we talked and I told her about my new online store, Charlene offered to show me some of the things she’d kept since she was a teenager. Of course, I jumped at the chance. We spent the next several hours at her small place. She offered to let me have whatever I wanted, but I couldn’t do that. I’ve had friends offer to give me things before and it makes me uncomfortable, like I’m taking advantage of a friendship to get something for free that I plan to sell. With family it’s not so bad, but with friends I would prefer to pay them for anything they give me to sell. I left with a few items (which I paid her for) that she was ok letting go. The rest she had emotional attachments to and they’re still with her. One of the items she let me have is the tan metal mesh bag.

Rich's Department Store, Atlanta 1959.

Here’s the story, loosely, behind the bag and its owner. Charlene bought the bag in Atlanta at a Department Store called “Rich’s,” a popular higher end Department Store in Atlanta that, according to the Encyclopedia of Georgia, symbolized “THE” Shopping Experience in

Atlanta for most of the 20^th Century. Rich’s was bought out by Federated in 1993 and absorbed into Macy’s in 2003, but in the 60’s it was still a downtown landmark and THE place to shop.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and others being arrested at  Rich's Department Store, October, 1960.

 In 1960, Rich’s figured prominently in the Civil Rights Movement, where it was the target of quite a few “sit ins,” more because of its prominence in the Community than because of practices of discrimination as it was known as one of the least discriminatory department stores in the South. Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested at Rich’s, along with several students on October 19, 1960.** Rich’s was actually known for being much more advanced and accepting of African Americans than its peers and agreed to desegregate it’s stores in 1961, far in advance of most other establishments of the time.***

This was how all the other girls in her

town were still dressing in 1961, as were
most American teenage girls, especially
the ones in small towns.

Charlene had cousins in Atlanta and had visited occasionally while growing up. Her parents didn't really approve of the Atlanta branch of the family. She made a trip to stay with her cousins again late summer after she graduated from high school in 1961.One of her cousins was at the University of Georgia in Athens, the other was working in a Hair Salon. They were hip.

She had saved some money working part time at the Diner starting when she was sixteen and went on quite a shopping spree. To hear it from Charlene, she was quite the Fashionista for the time and didn’t want to stay in her small town, where she felt stifled. She had already been in trouble (both at school and at home) for altering her clothes to make them more stylish (and shorter!). She wanted out. Her plan was to go to New York and, in order,  become an actress and meet a Rock Star, which put her at odds with her family and her high school boyfriend, who everyone else thought she should marry. 

This was how Charlene wanted to dress. She wanted to look like the girls in the magazines and movies. The horrifyingly skeletal Mary Quant and Twiggy were her fashion idols. She wanted to look like them more than anything.

She didn’t want to get married and she had a stubborn streak. That trip to Atlanta opened her eyes in a way she'd never seen before. She had never shopped at a store that allowed Negroes, as African Americans were referred to at the time, the same privileges Whites enjoyed. Charlene told me how exciting this was, it made her feel like she was part of the world, and, she admitted, knowing that her parents would have been horrified made her enjoy it even more. Her cousins were older and their parents more liberal (her cousins marched with MLK and SMOKED, in Public!) and she was exposed to a younger, more hip group living on the fringe. It made its mark.

 Charlene, like all other American teenage girls of the day, wanted to meet Ricky Nelson, The Beach Boys and Elvis. She also wanted to marry a Beatle, an aspiration the rest of her contemporaries didn't reach for a few more years. She watched The Ed Sullivan Show religiously and read every Teen Fan Magazine and Fashion Magazine she could get her hands on. She was a Beatles fan long before they appeared on TV here in the US.  Her savings went on Go-go boots (pretty exotic for America, but worn by all the British Fashion Forwards and turned into an American Icon a few years later by Nancy Sinatra), mini-skirts (which she couldn’t buy locally, they were too scandalous!), a two piece bathing suit (same!), make-up and the metal mesh bag, which I now have listed on my site.

 Although this is actually a photo of fans from the Beatles

 first US Appearance in 1964, this is what most teens still dressed like in 1961.

It's easy to believe that Charlene (who was a knock-out from pictures I saw), in her Mod Styles, 

stuck out and gained the attention of an up and coming Rock Star.

Returning to South Carolina after a few weeks in Atlanta, shopping and being exposed to Big City life by her more worldly cousins, Charlene broke up with her boyfriend. Charlene went back to work at the Diner, because she had spent all her money on clothes! In her own words, “I didn’t think things through too well.” Her parents were furious about the clothes she'd bought (which she wasn't allowed to wear in the house, she had to change after work or at a friends' house) and the break-up. As soon as she could, she moved out and rented a room with another girl that was over a downtown store.  

College was not only not the norm for most girls after high school in 1961, it wasn’t even considered. It was even less likely, not even imagined by girls who grew up in small southern towns. When I asked her if she’d ever thought about going to college she looked at me like I was speaking Arabic. College was never even mentioned or thought of, much less an actual option. Not only did she not regret not having gone to college, she’d never even given it a thought.

London, 1960. Charlene was cutting edge fashion.

So far, this doesn’t sound much different from the lives lived by probably thousands of girls who graduated High School in 1961 and didn’t want to get married. Charlene told me though, that this was where she changed course a bit. She went a little “wild,” in her words. There was another woman who worked at the Diner who was quite scandalous, we’ll call her Mae. In her early thirties, she was divorced and whether she actually was or not, was known as “fast,” one of “those” girls. She’d come to town because she had family there and couldn’t stay in her home town after her divorce, for reasons unknown.

Charlene hit it off with Mae, not surprising for young girl dying to escape her small town life and put into daily contact with an exotic and mysterious woman with a past. Mae, of course, was terribly lonely and they bonded. They became good friends and soon started visiting bars in all the towns around to see the live bands that came through. All this was too much for Charlene’s parents and they cut her off.  She wasn’t allowed to see her younger brothers and sister any more, but sometimes she did on the sly. She told me that she kept close to her Grandmother, who refused to cut her off. She eventually started talking to her mother again but she never spoke to her father again. He was a staunch Southern Baptist and her “drinkin’ and carryin’ on” was more than he could handle. He died of a heart attack when Charlene was in her early 30’s.

An early photo of the band she spent the next six years hanging around.****

It was at one of these bars in 1962 where Charlene met the boy in the band for whom she put her life on hold for the next five years and for whom she didn’t go to New York. She met him, we’ll call him “Bob,” after a show his band played at a local bar. She couldn't remember the name of the band, she thought it might have been The Uniques, but couldn't remember for sure. "They changed it a whole bunch back then. Wasn't 'til they started usin' their last name they really made the big time." She and Bob clicked immediately, she said, the way people sometimes do. “I just knew it,” she told me. “I just knew he was the one I’d been waitin’ on.”

After they made the big time, late 1960's.****

Charlene kept on waiting for the next several years, still working at the Diner and seeing Bob when he came through town. Sometimes meeting him in Atlanta, Savannah or Charleston, even all the way up to Greenville and Columbia a time or two, she was there, waiting. She was there as his band grew more popular, changed names and started having to fight her way through crowds of other girls when she met him after a show. Charlene lost touch with Mae who had left for Charleston several years earlier with a salesman who traveled through town.

After being stood up a few times, phone calls that didn’t come and finally, after a while, “Fin’ly facin’ up ta the writin’ on the wall. I just didn’t want to know for a while, that’s all.” She said it took her a while to accept, but finally she, “kinda let it go, you know how it goes, sometimes.”  Older and wiser, she moved to Aiken, got a new job and started a new life. A few years later she married someone else and had a couple of children. Fifteen years after that she got divorced.

“I still think about Bob,” she told me. “I wonder if he ever thinks about me too.”  It about broke my heart.  She appeared lost in thought for a few minutes, and then shook it off, showing me pictures of her kids and grand kids. Charlene has done all right for herself, if seems.

Charlene, while a little worse for wear and at a low point when I first met her, is a pretty amazing woman. Apparently about once a month or so she spends the day at a local bar, drinking and reminiscing about old times. I just lucked out and showed up on her day while she was still feeling social. She starts about 11AM and stops about 6PM, waits a few hours and goes home (I drove her home this time, then back to the bar to pick up her car later).

 It’s her way of remembering the past. She doesn’t have much education but she is smart and has managed to make a life for herself despite none of her dreams happening the way she’d planned. Something that really happens to most of us, doesn't it? She has two grown up kids and grandchildren, who she sees often. She has a great sense of humor and I had more fun spending an afternoon with her than I’d had in a long time. I feel privileged to have made her acquaintance and the next time I’m in South Carolina, I’m going to make a point of going to Aiken to see Charlene.

 * Charlene is a pseudonym, at her request.

** http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/primarydocuments/Vol5/19Oct1960_Draft,StatementtoJudgeJamesE.WebbafterArrestatRich.pdf

*** http://www.authentichistory.com/1946-1960/8-civilrights/1954-1960/index.html

**** http://www.duaneallman.info/familytree.htm

How to find the Bands I mentioned above:

http://www.thewinchestersound.com/

http://www.facebook.com/AerisMusicMI?sk=wall