Retro Curious Rebellious: The Revival

One of the things that is often the center of interest for Retro Revivalists is the morals and values and standards that come with the vintage lifestyle. How much do I have to change in order to fit into this? The answer is not at all. Unless you’re a total jerk, in which case, I’m not so sure you should be trying so hard to fit. The standards are timeless, the ideology is that we are simple, tasteful, and respectful people as generations before us were collectively known to be. One of the largest concerns, however, comes with the idea of courtship. There are so many methods to woo the one of your dreams, but how can you impress the one whose tastes are very classic?

The answer for all genders and backgrounds is identical. There is something timeless, elegant, noteworthy, and sexy about chivalry. Why it has fallen by the wayside is something beyond what my imagination can conjure. Personally, I only acknowledge the nice guys. Of course, in today’s world full of some rather uncomfortable going-ons, sometimes we have to be more deliberate and authentic in our methods of engaging courtship. Asking for someone’s number after holding a door open or smiling is considerably creepy. The heartfelt sentiments, the thoughtfulness, and expression of real kindness is what gets to a person. We can’t continue to live in a world where hearts are too bashful to show.

So what can be done? Vintage-style courtship is expensive as opposed to today’s digitized sentiment, but it really will make all the difference when impressing anyone. Postage for letters, a nice outfit, some flowers… Sound cheesy yet? Its become so seldom expressed that frankly, the notion of anything formal being cheesy never comes to fruition. In fact, if you’re into taking a risk in order to really woo your hopefully-to-be-significant other, it would be remarkable of you to express your sentiments in an old-fashioned, timeless way. You know that cute guy whose at the gym when you are? Howsabout some yoga in the park, just for the two of you? Bring a picnic blanket and let the good times roll. Even when establishing friendships, in-person communication and good, clean, fun experiences are what the strongest bonds are made of. For the lady you see working her ass off in the office all the time? When was the last time you think she got a memo whose context wasn’t telling her something new to do for the boss? I’ll bet she’d be the happiest person on earth just to be told she’s pretty once. Perhaps the methods of spending time and energy could be the most successful in acquiring a date.

I should also take the opportunity to reintroduce the concept of casual dating. No, not hooking up, because that’s a rancid new trend of modern overemphasized sexuality. Casual dating is really just the idea of going out, having a clean, fun time as aforementioned, and meeting people with interest of finding what you like in a person. What’s so wrong with taking the time to find true love? Thinking critically, many people believe that the notion of ‘true love’ is a vintage concept. Maybe the reason why is because love, like many other rites of passage, is rushed in this society. If we took the time to slow down and explore our options and remain open to spending time with people broadly, I have confidence that human interactions and quality time spend can easily result in love. But not just love. Keeping yourself receptive to people and communications can produce the same caliber of love we hear about our grandparents and ancestors having. Now does this new style entice you?

Chivalry, my friends of all sexes and genders, is the key to establishing mutual kindness and connections. Spread the love, channel your inner hippie. Besides, I’ve notices bellbottoms and spandex are en vogue anyway! Much love, readers!

~Harpie

My grandfather always had the nickname of ‘Mr Fixit’ for the simple reason that he was thrifty and could make just about anything work. Granted, he’s the same person who would staple and glue his trusty slippers back together, but he was capable of just about anything. He added a fireplace to his home, reupholstered his own furniture, and sewed his own pants. One of the attitudes of the cohorts that experienced the Depression or rationing know the importance of working with whatever you’ve got. If something broke, you collected the means you had to fix it as best you could. Then another commercial shift happened where its acceptable to dispose of perfectly good or lightly tarnished things of all sorts when anyone wants new. This shift was accompanied with the interest that corporations have for preparing goods that are cheap to produce as opposed to carefully crafted or handled with too much care. I firmly believe this is why there has been such a retro revival in the first place; people of this generation are realizing what value there is in hard work and craftsmanship. In this newfound appreciation, they turn to antiques to satisfy the criteria. And golly, the antiques deliver!

So, with regard to fixing things, it seems like antiques and today’s goods have the same repairability as one another. Just as anyone can refurbish a piece, modern furnitures can get facelifts. Cobblers still exist to remedy shoes. Sewing is already an essential skill for girls whose proportions aren’t accounted for in the clothing world. Furniture and houses and vehicles of all sorts undergo aging that can seem un-graceful if not tended to. There is an inevitable pattern that emerges here. If we live in a world where if broken things are consistently discarded, we become less and less tactile or thrifty. We have amazing capabilities to change and create just about anything. Over time, it seems that through this very simple observation of pop culture, we have detached from this domestic skill. So, how is its revival going? Perhaps it is not as direct as it could be, but I do see some serious attempts in the business.

Arts and crafts are on the rise. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a college-aged young woman whose crocheting ability surpasses the skill of even seasoned needle-crafters. There are shows now on TV where the focus is on restoring old treasures and collecting interesting pieces. Entire towns on the lovely northeast corridor are praised as being the ‘Meccas of vintage wares’, which often now expand to include refurbishing services. Social media devote chapters of people to creative ideas and art forms. And people do go for this stuff. Hobbies flourish in a world where everyone yearns for leisure. We must, in order to stay lively in the likeness of a sunshiny era, seek spontaneousness and joy. Isn’t this basic idea of creativity and happiness what we’re supposed to be thriving for anyway?

It is often more work to fix things, but it conserves on the landfill epidemic and its something substantial to be proud of. One of the largest pieces of good, widely applicable advice that the depression and ration era cohorts have given us is that we should Spend Time, Not Money. Life is too short, but that doesn’t mean we should all be rushing through every task in front of us. Rushing and being overly conscious of efficiency only makes us less able to appreciate experiences and skills that we can acquire. The next time your furniture gets a scratch or your pants get a tear, roll up your sleeves and get creative! Encourage yourself to find ways to fix and improve things. Then, pass on your ideas to your friends, family, kids, and anyone else that you think could learn from it. You can pass on inheritance, but its so much more valuable to pass on skills and understanding.

So how does the vintage/retro/antique/(all other nomenclature here) tie in to this notion? Heck, Harpie; anyone can patch up some Ikea furniture and patch a pair of jeans! Certainly. The retro morale is amazing in this silly little way; it’s versatile and the values of the past can be applied to just about everything in modern living. It is not biased toward older things. But if you think about it, older stuff has already lasted this long, so it must have been created in the likeness of longevity and pride in the craft. The bottom line of this morality is timeless: Try your hand at fixing things before you leave them to the landfill. You’ll gain so much from just attempting, and it’ll save some green. Reconnecting with our collective thrifty spirit can make our lifestyle both more vintage-retro and more fulfilling all the same. ♥