Social and Psychological Aspects

“Wearing Vintage with a Shaved Head”: Balancing Historic Authenticity with Personal Authenticity in Retro Sewing

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Abstract

Retro sewers, who sew their own versions of historic styles to wear as part of their everyday lives, represent a unique intersection between the vintage clothing market and the home sewing market. For the retro sewers interviewed, although their clothing is historically influenced, much of their style tends to be a negotiation between historic authenticity and personal authenticity, with one often being set against the other. Similar to people who wear vintage clothing, retro sewers are situated at different points on a continuum from a modern look with subtle retro elements to head-to-toe period ensembles. Although both historic authenticity and personal authenticity are important to the participants to at least some degree, typically either one or the other is given priority. This study found that retro clothing is a fusion of historic authenticity with personal authenticity, with one or the other being assigned higher priority depending on the sewer’s preferences and/or the event for which the ensemble is being worn.

Keywords: vintage, retro, retro sewing, home sewing, home sewers, historic authenticity, vintage clothing

How to Cite:

Armstead, C. C. & McKinney, E. C., (2019) ““Wearing Vintage with a Shaved Head”: Balancing Historic Authenticity with Personal Authenticity in Retro Sewing”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 76(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.8809