Monday 9 January 2012

Please Don't Laugh, It's Vintage Stuff...

For those of you who know me, you might well be confused by the title. What? Amanda writing about fashion? Vintage fashion? Odd indeed. It's another tag gauntlet.

Right, vintage clothes...

Well, I can safely say I know nothing. Nada. Sweet feck all. To me vintage fashion means old Gap jeans and a skanky misshapen t-shirt. Yep, holey, stained, and out-of-date, that's Amanda. Classy vintage, I am not. I spent an hour rummaging through drawers and wardrobes yesterday afternoon, and managed, eventually, to find three things to write about. NB: my bedroom still looks like a war-zone, so thank you Fivefingersonly for that... (It was he who tagged me. Little so-and-so).

1) My old rowing top. Twenty years ago, on arriving at Cambridge, a new friend and I signed up to row. That's what everyone did, didn't they? Rowed. Like Hugh Laurie, and...um...well, others. Anyway, they shove newbies on the river at five am in the morning, in the winter, in sub-zero darkness, presumably to weed out the pansies who can't cope (I lasted a pathetic term). After our first training session my friend and I went for a restorative hot chocolate and then, when we'd thawed enough to move, went shopping to buy the college rowing hoodie (which, incidentally, cost our entire Liebfraumilch budget for the year). We wore them out of the shop and it felt gooooood - we'd frozen our ample boobs off and now we had our badge of honour.  When we got back to college we were met by a mob of oar-wielding boaties from the third year. They approached us, whites of their eyes rolling, and in no uncertain terms told us to remove the tops immediately. Why had we bought them? We were merely first year scum. You had to earn the right to wear the top. You had to be in the First VIII, the top boat, to wear the top. For the love of all that is right in the world, you had to have cried tears of BLOOD into the Cam itself before you were worthy of this Divine Garment... When they finally stomped away, huffing and puffing, incredulous at our blatant disregard for the Law, we sat and laughed 'til tears poured down our cheeks. I will never throw this hoodie away. Despite it being old and saggy I wear it all the time, and every time I do it reminds me never to take the small things too seriously...



2) My rug. Rug was my world from birth. He - for he has gender - was the only thing I cared about for the first seven years of my life. When I was about five I noticed a small rip in his seam. It grew and grew. I was pretty cut up about it at first - watching your best friend gradually tearing in half is traumatic to say the least. But as the rip grew I discovered I could wear him. From that moment, if possible, I loved him even more. Suffice it to say, I wore him A LOT. Rug is as old as I am. Rug is Vintage.

My five year old modelling Rug


3) My necklace. It isn't strictly vintage. It's new. But as I'll still be wearing it in fifty years (I intend to wear it forever) it's Prospective Vintage, so makes the list. My husband gave it to me. He chose it all by himself. I love that he knows how dark I really am. It's bling, it's whimsical, and it's deeply twisted. I HEART IT.


Right, I'm tagging Janet (who writes about pregnancy and childbirth) and Chrissie  (Mediocre Mum)... Over to you ladies!

xx

12 comments:

  1. Hehe - Charlie just read your blog - and looking at the photo of Rug - exclaimed "what is that" - my obvious reply was..."duh..it's RUG" - he still looked baffled, and then I retrieved my 'rug' from the cat basket and he was even more baffled. "Has THAT been in our house since we got married?"

    I was always sad that I could not muster the same adoration for my rug as you did for yours - but it's still with me (if a little manky with cat hair)!

    Feel sad that Sam no longer has his once adored "duday" (duvet)... ;(
    xxx

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  2. Your rug was so much prettier than mine as well!! All navy blue on one side, and then white on the other. Mine a manky brown. But it's not all about looks, is it, and that little rectangular hunk of polyester-mix had me wrapped around his...um..his... Yeah, well, I loved him. And that is all.
    xx

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  3. Love the necklace. Quite jelz. You can keep the rug. Sorry. Cathy xx

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    1. You can borrow the necklace...maybe...but first youhave to repeat after me: 'I love Rug. He is beautiful.'

      xx

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  4. I would rather have the rug - I don't do skulls - and I too have a shirt with a rowing connotation - it says "Kelly for Brickworks" - see if you can find out what that means - I got it in the same year that an erstwhile and I climbed to the roof of Leander and...borrowed the flag - he took it back to US and used it as a bedspread for...seventeen years and then returned it...

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  5. brilliant as usual pal.. I just love the fact you actually did this and (well, almost) embraced it ... and still you did it so well and in your own styley.. oh and sorry ruggy if I upset you, 'twas MULTIFUNCTIONAL honest ..x

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    1. Thanks, Mr Fingers. You are too kind. And Rug and I are both fine now. My mistake. It is I who is Malfunctional!! Cheers for commenting. And stepping out of Twitter. Now scurry back...like a gerbil. (How are the little guys, btw...?)

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  6. Not saying it's not a great sweatshirt n'all….but to go without the Liebfrau…that's tough!! Loved the blogg which you mastered beautifully. Just glad you mentioned that there IS a 5 year old child under the rug!! :))) Juliettexx

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    1. Hey Ju, you read it again - though you're still anonymous - which would be mysterious, if you didn't then sign your name..! Anyway, I'm impressed, you, on the innnnerrrrnet 'n all. Thx for the comment. I am LIKING the word 'mastered'...whoop whoop! Love to all the crew. We miss you. xx

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    2. Vintage clothing - those words just pee me off - there is something you kind of feel you are missing out on - something only certain people of a certain calibre understand. Thank GOD my mother never gave me anything 'vintage' - I am not sure I would suit patchwork quilt jackets or light stone washed denim tank tops. Vintage clothing in my family means horrendously ugly fancy dress options - there simply is no chic about it - see - cheated!

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  7. my friend came round for coffee last week, after I had my 'Clare' moment in Austria and needed her to tell me I wasnt such a bad mother for abandoning ill husband with 3 kids for 3 days. She was looking v on trend, bright purple trousers, shirt dress. I was in ripped jeans and a fleece. I said, 'you always look so trendy and together', she said, 'you always wear jeans and a fleece'. Could have slapped her. Instead said, 'oh well' and she added, 'it suits you'. Phew. slap withdrawn. Vintage... not I!!! Vanessa

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    1. Love that! I always get comments like that: 'but you ALWAYS look so relaxed and well, like you don't give a sh*t"... that sort of thing.

      Fleece and jeans over shirt dress and heels ANY day of the week! xx

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