Turn of the century vintage

[Thomzo]

One afternoon, last week, my employer (one of our newly nationalised banks) sent me on a training course in London for the afternoon. So, like the good little civil servant that I am, I deferred my train home for two hours to save all us tax payers fifty quid.

Oh the hardship I endured as a result. What on earth does a girl do in London (well somewhere between the City and Paddington actually) for two hours. Nothing for it, I just HAD to go to Oxford Street and decided to take shelter in Liberty's. Now Liberty's has to be my favourite shop in all the world. I just love wandering around looking at all the lovely things that look gorgeous in the shop but I neither really want nor can afford. For me, Liberty's is more of an art gallery than a shop.

Anyway, somehow, I ended up in the vintage haute couture section. Quite why, I'll never know, as none of the clothes will ever fit my either figure or my purse, but it seemed worth a laugh. My eye was caught by a lovely handbag that was described as "turn of the century". Wow, that's in good condition, I thought, for something that's over 100 years old. WRONG, turn of the century now, apparently, means 2000's not 1900's. And 'Vintage' apparently means anything more than 3 years old!

Time to start growing old gracefully.

Zoe

[Susie]

Oh, honestly! I can't believe what passes for vintage these days (time for me to grow old gracefully too )

I love Liberty too, I know the vintage bit you mean, I mooch round it sometimes as well. (In fact I'm going down to London next week, I may go and look at that handbag and tut my tongue at the assistant.)

[Millymollymandy]

That means I have tons of turn of the century clothes and even more vintage. The same with furniture and technology. Maybe I'll open up my house as a museum as we still have a turntable which works and records and stuff.

I think I only ever went to Liberty a few times despite living in London for years - it struck me more as a museum/gallery rather than a shop!

[MuddyWitch]

Along the same lines: I was looking for a cheap shelving unit for our youngest's new flat. Dear old fleabay had a 'vintage' one on for £250!! Why so shocking? It was a 1970's mdf number from Made For Idiots!!!

MW

[Keaniebean]

Good grief, if 2000 is turn of the century then that makes me Neolithic being a 1978 'vintage'.

[Russian Doll]

lol thats fantastic i have a wardrobe fulll of vintage and furniture to boot....


oooh as my devil child is now 3 can i put him on ebay and advertise him as vintage lol

kidding btw

[grahamhobbs]

.............. Maybe I'll open up my house as a museum as we still have a turntable which works and records and stuff. !

Yes, it's frightening the number of kids that come to our house and ask 'What's that?' pointing at the turntable.

[Bikil]

How funny! I guess opening up as a museum would be a good way to make some extra money, just by being me! We also have a turntable and records. I'm so happy my daughter will actually know what they are. Now as to the content of those records, ahem, we will leave that to the imagination.

[Millymollymandy]

I'm glad I'm not alone! The only downside to vintage technology is that its paraphenalia does take up a lot of space (records, videos, photo albums etc).

[theabsinthefairy]

.............. Maybe I'll open up my house as a museum as we still have a turntable which works and records and stuff. !

Yes, it's frightening the number of kids that come to our house and ask 'What's that?' pointing at the turntable.

LOL - made me laugh Graham - if only I had a pound for everytime some one has been in our house and pointed at our stack of separates and asked why we don't have a proper stereo?

[Thomzo]

I'm glad I'm not alone! The only downside to vintage technology is that its paraphenalia does take up a lot of space (records, videos, photo albums etc).

Doesn't it just! I've been thinking about freecycling my old stereo system as it takes up so much space. I've transferrred all my vinyl onto CD so don't need the turntable, and I haven't used any of it for about 4 years (I know that as the speakers have been in the garage for that time).

The only thing that stops me is that it all cost over a thousand pounds about 20 years ago and I can't bear to just give it away.

Zoe

[Green Aura]

We don't use the turntable very often, but our stereo system gets used regularly mainly I must admit as a sound system for the TV - no good watching a blockbuster without your ears melting is there?

We started transferring our vinyl to CD but I have to admit we gave up after a while. OH can't bear my old folky stuff so we've just bought replacement CDs whenever we come across one.

Funnily enough I went to a discussion over the weekend and they were talking about CDs becoming obselete for more advanced technology but also a return to vinyl!

[Millymollymandy]

I couldn't bear to get rid of my records cos they are a part of me and my life and hold many memories. Most of them are punk ones with dayglo or glow in the dark or puke coloured vinyl which are probably collectors items by now. Or maybe not. But even if I sold them for £1 each they'd add up so they are worth something, so I'm not going to chuck them. On the other hand my husband's collection (his 1970s taste was completely different to me ) I'd happily chuck away. We're talking about 7 heavy boxes just of albums every time we move house - then there's my singles, and with the photo albums there's another 10 boxes plus the videos and cassette tapes.... I suppose books are a thing of the past too. I guess modern young people move house with a few clothes and everything else on a memory stick whatsit thingy.

[Russian Doll]

I couldn't bear to get rid of my records cos they are a part of me and my life and hold many memories. Most of them are punk ones with dayglo or glow in the dark or puke coloured vinyl which are probably collectors items by now. Or maybe not. But even if I sold them for £1 each they'd add up so they are worth something, so I'm not going to chuck them. On the other hand my husband's collection (his 1970s taste was completely different to me ) I'd happily chuck away. We're talking about 7 heavy boxes just of albums every time we move house - then there's my singles, and with the photo albums there's another 10 boxes plus the videos and cassette tapes.... I suppose books are a thing of the past too. I guess modern young people move house with a few clothes and everything else on a memory stick whatsit thingy.

no books will nnever be a thing of the past/...there is nothing better than curling up with your favourite battered old paperback when your feeling low..plus books have that smell about them....

[Jessiebean]

MMM you would be the height of cool with your collection. Turntables are making a comeback with young music afficanados becasue as any fule nos vinyl has the best sound and MP3s are worse than CDs. Also around here "the young people" like to wear Ramones and The Clash shirts a lot (as well as the Specials) so hang onto that collection. All that retro gear is cool and the coloured vinyl is very sought after! I am alarmed to see that the clothes I wore in high school are cool again esp. the original "vintage gear". It used to take longer than that for fashions to come around again. I am not yet thirty!