Vintage ladies breathing new life in
Heidi Smith
By Stephen Rafferty
Vintage dress but not vintage values is how one group of modern women sum up their fascination with fashions from bygone eras.
The members of The Auld Holyrood Club dress in classic clothes stretching through the last century and as far back as Victorian and Edwardian times, but that’s where the poodle skirts, pedal pushers and petticoats stop. To a woman, they would baulk at any suggestion that they subscribe to outdated notions which place women firmly in the home, while the dominant male figure acts as protector and provider.
An international blend of modern career women - sisters, daughters, mothers and grandmothers - their attention to detail and an eye for oh-so-cool garments which have lasted the test of time draws widespread admiration.
Former vet Irene Guerrero, 32, originally from Cadiz in Andalusia, can sometimes be spotted on Portobello Promenade where often there is an atmosphere of times past. It was in making Edinburgh her home that she made the switch to vintage and reproduction clothes, in part because of easy access to a good range of specialist shops.
Irene said: “The pin-up look is something I always wanted to try but I didn’t have the confidence and it was only three years ago that I bought my first reproduction dress. I started buying some original vintage pieces and I treasure all of them. It’s just wonderful to wear something so old and I can’t see any of my modern pieces being wearable in 70 years or more.
“I started with the 1950’s style because it’s easier to find affordable repro clothes, I love how feminine the style is and I discovered the clothes really suited my body shape. I’ve never
Veronica Schreuder
felt good in modern clothes and all my life I’ve been trying to change my body, when all I needed to do is change my style. I love 1940s style too and I move between the two eras, but I can’t resist a full skirt and a petticoat. I really love the style but none of the group feels we were ‘born in the wrong era’ and our mantra is ‘vintage style, not vintage values’.”
For retail worker Irene, vintage has become a lifestyle choice. “Initially it was a weekend thing but now I dress vintage every day. Vintage style makes me feel more like myself, gives me more confidence and I also love vintage hairstyles which I think really brings the look together,” she said.
Irene collects ideas from social media and particularly Instagram, and rather than imitating the classic looks of film star greats or period drama characters she prefers to follow what regular women wore at the time.
“When I am out people stare – a lot. I guess it's hard for people to think this is your everyday style, but what I enjoy most is when older people tell you that you remind them of their youth and you can see that spark in their eyes, that really makes my day.”
By day Veronica Schreuder, 32, is an archivist at the National Records of Scotland, helping make our historic records available to the public and handling documents from the early 1100s to the present day. Her early fascination with how people lived in the past, what they wore, and the aesthetics of different time periods now manifests itself in how she dresses.
Veronica said: “When I was younger, I really enjoyed looking at pictures of my grandparents in the 40s and 50s. My gran looked so glamorous, both dressed up and in everyday life. She really loved it when I wore vintage dresses and it brought back memories for my granddad of when they would go to dances at the Palais. I wanted to try and emulate what my grandma would have worn which was a quite feminine style, well put together and taking pride in your appearance.”
Veronica borrows ideas from social media and from television hits such as Mad Men, Call the Midwife and Netflix’s glamour-fest Hollywood, but like other vintage veterans she has no time for old-fashioned attitudes. “We are very much modern people and it is
Irene Guerrero and Anya Mackay PHOTO darja-bilyk.com
more about taking the aesthetics of that time period and wearing it in a modern world. When I started I decided I wanted vintage right way. There is nothing wrong with reproduction clothes but I went out and bought anything that I thought resembled vintage and ended up with a lot of stuff that I didn’t love. Now, I save my money and look for things that really appeal to me, and I only buy special vintage buys every so often.
“When you buy vintage clothes and put them on, it makes you feel really good about yourself, you hold yourself differently, you feel done up. It’s also an ethical thing, you are giving clothes a new life and a new home and there is a tangible connection to the past.”
Growing up in the 1970s, Anya Mackay loved dressing up for weekend tea parties with her mum and granny and pulling on fake fur coats and hats had a lasting impact which developed as a teenager when she discovered the joy of second hand shops.
Project manager Anya, 46, said: “I quite liked 60s style for a while with its shorter mini dresses, then I lost my way a bit and followed High Street fashions, but I didn’t
feel confident in my body shape because it never matched what was available on the High Street.
“I moved to the east coast and on discovering there was great second hand and vintage shops in Edinburgh, a whole new world opened up to me. I realised that vintage clothing suited me a lot better, it was more body positive and I could celebrate my curves.
“My favourite era at the moment is the 1940s, it is quite elegant and it’s something you can wear on a day-to-day basis. We bought an old Victorian property and restored it, but once all the messy jobs were done I decided to bin all my old chinos and replace my wardrobe bit by bit, and now I dress vintage every day. Life is too short to have your nice items hidden up the back of a wardrobe being saved for a nice opportunity, and I am now at the age where I think ‘sod it, it makes me feel good’, so I might as well just wear it every day.”
With friends she has met in the vintage world Anya meets up with other enthusiasts at vintage fairs, picnics, Edinburgh Fringe shows, museum and lunch trips and even murder mystery events.
She said: “The Auld Holyood Club has teenagers and pensioners