Learning Through Wear: Experiencing the Everyday Vintage Wardrobe

There is a patch of red, slightly inflamed, dry skin on my right index finger that never quite heals. Typically more noticeable in the summer months, it is a sign of the imprint my clothing choices leave on me. This skin irritation has largely been caused by my penchant for tightly fitted 1950s and 1970s clothes, the worn skin symptomatic of having to pinch garments tightly together, so that metal zips, 50 years old or more, can slide up my back or the side of my torso with ease.

My clothes tend to leave other marks too. From boning that has worn through its cotton binding with age leaving stab marks on my skin to red lines encircling my waist from belts secured tightly around my middle. Some may consider my clothing choices suffering for fashion. In an era of easy to wear soft clothing, my choice to encase my body in tight garments may seem surprising. Yet, I find these garments liberating at the same time, and despite the marks left on my skin, generally comfortable too. In these vintage pieces I feel confident and notably my posture is often improved.

When I look closely at my clothes, I recognise that they do not just leave marks on me, but I leave marks on them too. As Ellen Sampson suggests, ‘in the performance of dressing and the practice of everyday life, we are marking and altering our clothes.’ This is most notable in the make-up marks I seem to leave behind. For example, the faded whisper of red lipstick, smeared on linings, where garments have been hastily pulled over my head as I undress.