As an international student a year into Rhode Island, yet still only a breath into America, I finally found a question that I might be able to answer – this is my continued exploration of:
What is the fashion culture in Rhode Island?
Many vendors that I spoke to emphasised a large interest from their clients in owning clothes of specific fabrics, with Ella and Maya of The Vault telling me that particularly clients above thirty will ask directly what fabric is available rather than what pieces they have. When buying second-hand, it’s understandable that clients would want to ensure the quality of what they’re getting, and it seems that Rhode Island takes a vested interest.
The presence of the formerly-booming textile industry has left Rhode Island with a rich archive of high-quality clothes in pure silks and linens that have found their way back into circulation through the “True Vintage” community. This refers to a similar life-cycle that many clothes in RI go through: from early 20th century origins in local factories, through generations of hand-me-downs, and eventually giveaways, estate sales, or garage sales, when the interest or capacity to preserve them is lost. The intent of the true vintage community is to find high quality material in vintage clothing, curating a wholesome, local journey for these clothes that originate from and circulate within RI.
Emma, from Studio Hours, had told me about a pair of overalls with the name “Buffy” stitched on to them that had been named after the dog of the original owner in the late 1890s. Timeless and well-preserved, they looked like they could’ve been made today, making me think of how the repurposing of fashion keeps fashion cyclical and keeps second-hand clothes alive.
Sarah, from Astral Plains Vintage, who is particularly interested in a 1930s/’40s ultra-feminine aesthetic, a repurposing of garments like silk nightgowns and slips once worn for pyjamas, finds a sweet spot as rare, high quality pieces that are in demand for young women as “going out” dresses. Sarah had described encountering many clients who were “just getting into” vintage clothing and fashion, influenced by the desire to dress well for occasions and stand out.
Slip dresses and silks are associated with timelessness and are also very prevalent online, reminding me again of who we see and perceive as “fashionable,” or participating in fashion. If we return to The Girls as financially unburdened, commercialised representatives of cosmopolitan success, we can use this lens to see fashion as a tool which represents status. However, fashion as a means of status is neither limited to this cosmopolitan sketch, nor is it reliant on actual clothes on your back.
The rise of the “thrifting” industry, in tandem with the promotion of sustainable, eco-conscious values has engaged a lot of young people with second-hand clothing as a means of practising sustainability. With this in mind, now practising fashion culture can also be a cool, conscious activity to do. Let’s go thrifting! It’s easy to forget that the perception of second-hand clothing has not always been positive, nor received well. In discussion with Brie, from Siren Saint Vintage, we spoke about how charity shops and second-hand clothing stores had, not comprehensively but largely enough, held this stigma of being “dirty,” or tattered, being associated with cheapness, and therefore only appropriate for low-income individuals. While the rise of sustainable social culture and practices have encouraged people to think more consciously about where they are getting their clothes, this rebranding, some would say quasi-gentrification, of second-hand shopping, has brought a much larger and more diverse audience into participating, diversifying the customer base and the perception of it.
Follow along to my final part, next issue, to further discuss our social role in cultivating how we dress!
Keep up with Ella and Maya at @thevaultri, Emma at @studiohours.shop, Brie at @sirensaintsvintage, and Sarah at @astral_plains_ on social media!