Mom's Oldies = My Goldies!

Gifts from mom's closet are the perfect example of real vintage shopping, to me. There's no thrill like finding coveted items in your mom's closet - old pairs of sunglasses, slightly worn purses, dulled scarves, old fashioned shoes, tinted over-sized or funky shaped glasses. If you happen to have a mom who saved her fashion treasures consider yourself lucky. We in 2012 are at the perfect moment to witness the fact that fashion repeats itself. Any of these found fashion treasures already have a certain sophistiscation in experiencing a different decade in addition to them being handed down from a parent and the sentimental value attached plus the bonus of the lack of monetary exchange; thereby making closet finds the epitome of vintage shopping. *Check out some of my treasures described at the end of the post. 

Vintage seems to have made a huge comeback today with returns to harems, neutral sunglasses, over-sized eyeglass frames, overalls, shoulder pads, pony-tail heels, etc. While some do indeed shop at vintage stores - cheap pawners to pricey boutiques - others wait for mainstream society to mash up a new-meets-old item, like workplace harems, fitted coloured jeans, chic overalls, etc. These items while cool and trendy don't really convey the history of the vintage collaboration and defintiely lack a sentimental side to it. On the positive side it makes it easy to find what's in style and to be trendy. In the negative, you never truly understand that you're wearing - the story behind the clothes (but then again let's admit it, a lot of us don't have the time to hear the story about the dress that once was...).

Most never knew that military boots came from military war camps or that shoulder pads reallly took off in women's fashion in the 1920s greatly influenced by male militaristic fashion or that tie-dye prints came from Asia and were then adopted by the hippie era as an inexpensive way to express individualism.

So I may stand alone when I say that I prefer my old school items lovingly handed down but I do encourage you too, to look through your mom's, aunt's, grandmother's even your grandad's (maybe) closet, you never know what fashion treasure you might find and in this day and age what trend you might start ;) Their oldies could definitely become your goldies. What have fashion finds have you found buried in the closets? And how are you rocking them?

*Check out the above and below pictures of a few items that I found in my mom's closet.
Above: mini-suitcase/over-sized briefcase with a blue shell complete with metal clasps and the slightly rusted hinges; cowboy brown make-up bag in absolute perfect condition; darker brown detailed satchel.
Below: brown suede shoes with tie-ups.