German Vogue
June 2002

Elizabeth Jagger wears a French gold lamé shawl with ombré fringe c.1920s from vintageloftnyc

Lucie de la Falaise wears a 1920s beaded silk chaffon flapper evening dress from vintageloftnyc

“Vintage dresses and where they came from were a long-kept secret, in which only a specialized group of individuals showed interest, even though the flea markets of London, Paris, and New York have always been an inspiration for fashion designers. “Ralph Lauren is a good example,” remarks Mary Catalina, head of vintageloftnyc in New York. “He started his career by buying vintage outfits. Ralph was fascinated by the upper-class elegance and the old-fashioned ‘Ivy League college’ style. Because of him, that culture became a worldwide brand.”

Along with the rising interest in the unmistakable and the unique, Mary Catalina recognizes a new taste for handiwork. “I buy everything that looks hand-made and often is hand-made, especially from the 40s when there wasn’t a significant clothing industry.” Color references are very important to MC. “I often take apart old, worn-out patchwork quilts, just to save a single blue square. These models can be helpful, because today’s fashion in industry makes everything from the Pantone color scale. In that scrapbook, there are thousands of shades of course, but it seems to me that, in comparison to back in the day, the colors are a lot duller. And still the designer to whom I give this sample piece will most likely look in the Pantone book to find a matching detail.”

Mary Catalina “offers more than clothes. I spread ideas. What I really sell is inspiration. It is not about the piece itself; it is about the fantasies that were indulged in those collections. Just think about the measuring tape of Jackie Onassis. It once cost $2, but when her estate was sold, hundreds of dollars were paid, because it was charged with Jackie’s glamour and presence.”

It is a paradox how the suggestive charm with which suggestive retailers sell not only a product, but an identity, has led to a trend of being tired of brand-name products. The bigger the retail store became, the more they were covering the metropolis with their flagship stores, the less exclusive they appeared. Global player Miuccia Prada consequently stood up against this movement. In the new recreation boutique in New York, she reproduces one-of-a-kind pieces from former times and offers them up as vintage fashion. For this year’s collection, she had a Lyoner-Wearing machine fixed up, and she uses it. This is only one example of the intensive search for originality that dominates today’s fashion scene.

Rita Watnick recognizes a longer for a larger palette of ideas and cultural references in the “retro” trend. “We are searching for a more glamorous self, for kindness, magnificence, formality.” This trend has become even bigger after the attacks on September 11. “After September 11, New York’s fashion boutiques were empty. It was depressing.”

Mary Catalina remembers, “The fabric and craft stores were flooded. People started to sew again. It was not embarrassment or shyness to show money. The reasons lay deeper. In the 60s, we were afraid of the Russians. Now we are in a similar situation. We are confronted with our own mortality and ask ourselves, “Why not try something out? Life is short; we have to search for our true self.” That is why people look for individual clothes, in which they can find themselves. Often people want to look like their parents in better times. Even those who did not have a happy childhood try to buy one of other people’s, by getting their old clothes.”