I sit here writing this post with a cup of hot tea. The birds are chirping outside the window. It's a nice warm day here in Santa Clarita. Days like this make me want to put on a spring floral vintage dress and run through a meadow!
Oh and speaking on vintage dresses this is one of my favorite things! I want to take you on a journey today. I will explain why and what has driven me to love Vintage fashion!
So come walk with me through the pretend meadow as we explore this topic or "Vintage Fashion is my Passion"
The Why behind my Vintage Era
This is a multifaceted question to answer. I could mention my love for classic musicals from the golden age of Hollywood. Perhaps it’s my love for black and white photography. It might even be the nostalgia of it all.
Yes, all of those things are factors for my retro-loving self. I will get to them in a moment. However, I think one of the greatest contributors to this vintage fashion of mine is my grandma! She was a very special lady who was feisty, loving, kind, and a well-dressed woman. She loved the Lord and prioritized her family and caring for those she loved.
She unfortunately passed away when I was 15 years old. She never got to meet my husband or my little kiddo. I just know that she would have loved them both. The reason she has influenced my fashion choices is that I inherited some of her clothing items. They were from around the 1970s and 1980s. Yes this is not my main time period, but you know how fashion comes back into style every so often and these pieces have a more classic 1950’s silhouette. When she passed was around the time I started to find my voice in my clothing, which I was in my late high school early college years.
Another reason I have loved getting to wear my grandma’s clothing is that I am almost her spitting image! Out of all my cousins I look the most like her and I absolutely love that!
Kaytie’s grandma in the 1950’s
Kaytie in a self rockabilly portrait wearing cat eyed glasses and a retro blouse.
Needless to say my grandma definitely influenced me on my vintage fashion journey.
Inspiration for vintage clothing for me comes from the things I previously mentioned. I grew up on classic movies and musicals and how everyone in these movies appeared timeless in beauty. The wonderful lighting on the movies and the beautiful movement of each person was again so timeless and wonderful my heart always skips a beat when being immersed in these movies.
As I mentioned in a previous blog post that I wrote about a photographer from this golden era, Margaret Bourke-White. She was a fantastic photographer for many reasons. She was at the forefront of paving the way for women photographers and capturing so many wonderful angles and details Here is one of my favs.
Nostalgia of it all
Oh how I wish I could have been a fly on the wall during different eras! Do you ever wish you could have experienced another time, place, or event?
I do all the time, not saying I do not love where God has placed me. I would not trade my life for the world, but being able to see what others experienced would be so interesting. Maybe I have nostalgia for the 1920’s, 1940’s, 1950’s because of my grandma, or the family values, or the Fashion! But being able to be sentimental about history and being able to read about it is so interesting and enjoyable. I also simply love getting to know all of you who have the same passions and interests as I do. The vintage community is so beautiful and welcoming and I enjoy being with you all. Going to events like Dapper Day or going to my favorite vintage clothing stores, or going to the fantastic thrift stores around Los Angeles is so much fun! These all have been great ways to get to know people and hear fun stories.
The vintage blue sweater pops against the yellow of the flowering tree in this vintage fashion portrait.
Studio lighting makes this retro ensemble dress stand out and show the details of the embroidery.
Photography – The Vintage Projects
Thanks for sticking around to this point in this post, you did it now let’s talk about how all of this influences my photography!
I think the first time I did a photo shoot was in college for one of my studio classes. I asked a good friend to pose for me. I wanted to make a vintage-like cosmetic ad poster, and this image is still one of my absolute favorites. I kept the lighting simple. At the front there was a key light, with a little back lighting and that was pretty much it. The way the lighting wraps around my friend and glistens off the lipstick holder is simply beautiful
This image is a beautiful studio portrait of a women dressed in a 1920’s flapper dress. This is reminiscent of a vintage advertising poster to sell cosmetics and lipstick.
From there I have been doing different self portraits that capture my vintage clothing collection from real vintage and retro pieces to modern remakes. These projects have been super fun and I have been able to use my creativity in new and fun ways experimenting with lighting and angles! Over the years I have also been able to take fashion photos of others and provide whimsical and magical images that are not your mainstream fashion media.
I feel like I have just scraped the top of the topic of Retro and Vintage influences in my life, but we can continue talking about Vintage fashion another time.
What are some of your influences when it comes to your fashion looks?
Have you ever thought about having a Vintage Fashion Photo Shoot? I would love to chat with you about how my passion for fashion and photography can provide for you memories and showcase what makes you YOU!
Kaytie
A studio self-portrait in one of my favorite vintage formal gowns.
