Vintage or not?

What makes vintage, vintage? I was browsing Ebay looking for some Aloha shirts and found tons of shirts that say vintage and are just simply a few years old.

Mahalo,
Tikitatt
http://www.Myspace.com/Tikitatt

[ Edited by: Tikitatt 2007-06-21 11:38 ]

I believe technically, an item is considered "vintage" if it's, at least, 20 years old. But "vintage" can be used to mean old or out-of-date, or even * the best of the category*, like, "That song, Oh Sherry, is vintage Journey."

An "Antique" is 100 years, yes?

Interesting. I should look it up, but I've always thought "vintage" was at least 20 years old, "antique" at least 50 years old, but I'm not sure where I got that.

'Antique' is over a hundred years old.

'Vintage' used to be anything over 50 years, but that's been sliding down the last few years. At the moment, it seems to be anything that's too old be 'used'. :roll:

So yes, if those shirts you're looking at are past 'used', they're vintage by modern standards.

A vehicle is an "antique" here in VA if it's over I think 20 to 25 years old.

What that has to do with anything else, I don't know.

like, "That song, Oh Sherry, is vintage Journey."

OK, I'm embarrassed I know this, but "Oh Sherry" is a solo Steve Perry song, not a Journey song.

My understanding:
An antique is 100 years old, except in cars: 20 years.

Yes, your 1987 Taurus is an antique.

The problem is that eBay allows the use of the terms "vintage" and "retro" interchangeably.
Most people use vintage to mean old-but-not-yet-antique, while retro is not-old-but-made-to-look-like-that-style, and most of the reputable vintage clothing dealers do the same. They adhere to a strict interpretation of "poor condition" up to "never worn" (or something like that) with all levels in between for their descriptions.

Thus, buyer beware - read the fine print on eBay. That "vintage" shirt may have been made in China last month.

My brother is an antiques dealer, and according to him, the accepted standard is you cannot call something vintage or antique unless it is at least 25 years old.

I get very annoyed when I see folks describing certain items that are definitely not vintage, as being vintage. Vintage basically means a classic, distinctive and distinguishable aged style, not merely 'from the past' or based on a style from the past.

As far as Retro Vs. vintage, there are large-collared polyester shirts manufactured today that resemble those (to a certain extent) of the late 1960s-1970s. This would be an example of Retro, but not vintage. One would be mistaken to even say vintage-styled. But basically retro (retrospective) means 'to look, or go, back'.

Another example would be my hair: pompadoured, often with sideburns. This is Retro. My suits and shirts are largely from the 1950s & 1960s. They distinctive of both eras and are vintage.

As far as 20 years back or 25 years, who knows? I would say potentially vintage items must be at least two decades old. But a few more decades than that would certainly be antique.

The term 'Oldies' is another subjective definition. Having graduated high school in 1985 I find it difficult to think of early to mid-1980s music as being classified as 'Oldies' -- as 'Oldies' back then were largely 1950s & '60s. However, early to mid-1980s music is, in fact, now in the 'Oldies' category. I think 'Oldies' is -- like vintage -- another 2 or more decades old classification. But to call an '80s group like The Stray Cats vintage '80s music would be incorrect, as The Stray Cats and their sound (and look) was Retro.

[ Edited by: DJ Terence Gunn 2007-06-21 20:53 ]

.....and to confuse us even more there's collectible(can also be spelled collectable) ....and that can be new or old and is meant to convey value (some of us think differently!)....I've been dealing in antiques for 35 years and Formica has the accepted standard right. Retro is more an expression of style, as there is much new in that vein. There is vintage retro and new. Modern, deco, arts and crafts and so many other elements typical of a time get mixed and lumped under someones idea of where it belongs. Personally much of what I sell I lovingly call Art Yucco ! You Know, the 3x5 ft. black velvet painting of Hulk Hogan or plaster cobras...I'm not knocking it....there's more reliable $$ in some of these things than waiting for some return on the so called great stuff....Hell,If it wasn't for "bad" taste I'd be out of business!! (and then I might have to work for someone else!).........Aloha

[ Edited by: Hula Cat 2007-06-21 21:19 ]

"Oh Sherrie" - vintage Steve Perry. "Wheel In The Sky" - vintage Journey. Thayer, make sure that your employer does not see your post, lest you incur his wrath.

You both are going to incur my wrath just for mentioning "Oh Sherrie" and Steve Perry. So stop it already before that horrible song works its way into my brain!

According to Wikipedia....

Vintage clothing is a term for garments hailing from another era. Generally speaking, clothing older than 25 years is considered to be vintage, though opinions vary on this definition. Many sellers of vintage clothing consider even more modern pieces to be 'vintage', provided that they are particularly representative of the era in which they were made. For example, the very simple slip dresses that emerged in the early 1990's as an expression of the impact of minimalism and grunge aesthetics on fashion would be considered 'vintage' by many collectors and sellers of vintage clothing.

Here is the full article on Vintage Clothing

On 2007-06-22 14:05, Cool Manchu wrote:
According to Wikipedia....

Vintage clothing is a term for garments hailing from another era. Generally speaking, clothing older than 25 years is considered to be vintage...

AHHHHHHHHH!!!! My entire wardrobe is vintage.

I gotta get some new stuff. I think I'll start with underwear and socks.

My test for "vintage" and "antique" is whether the item pleases me and do I approve of the price? Ultimately, I buy vintage and antique things for myself and not necessarily with an eye toward its resale value. I know there are hard-core collectors that want to know that their thingy-ma-bob is real etc. and while I don't want to be ripped off by misrepresentation, I'm inclined to take the words vintage and antique in descriptions with a grain of salt.

Has anyone ever emailed a seller on Ebay telling them that the item they are selling, is, in fact, NOT vintage? I've done it a few times; I just hate to see someone bid for an item that they believe to be "vintage", when really it was sold a Party City last year. The sellers generally have not responded kindly to my notification, as pleasant as my words may be.

I've actually thought of emailing the sellers at Ebay telling them that their item is a few years old and used. Vintage is far from it in my opinion. Thanks everyone for validating my question. See you all at Oasis 7. OK, gotta run and go to work. Damn the man!

Mahalo,
Tikitatt
http://www.Myspace.com/Tikitatt

I have also seen numerous 'new' items on ebay advertised as 'vintage' and have thought of emailing the sellers to tell them they were guilty of false advertising. But first I consulted my dictionary and was surprised by what I found.

Websters defines vintage as: 'representative of or dating from a period long past'

Therefore, if an item is representative of an old item it is technically 'vintage'.

"Buyer beware" is really the only phrase that matters on eBay.

The term "antique" has technically been misused by "antique" stores for years, but I'd guess very few people enter such a store and are shocked (Shocked!) to find few items over 100 years old.

"Vintage" may have a technical or trade definition but all that matters is how the guys and gals on the street use it. In the case of eBay sellers the rule for use of descriptive words seems to be "Throw it and see if it sticks." Unless the seller is actually claiming an item is a certain number of years old the term "vintage" is more or less meaningless. (A favorite rant from past Tiki Central threads was the description "Eames" being used generically.)

Of course one could write sellers and tell them they're misusing a phrase, but I think they'll just laugh at you all the way to their PayPal accounts.

Still, if you're intent on setting their records straight here's a blast from the past on sellers hocking "Tiki" items.

And if you want to see how ridiculously rampant the misuse of 'vintage' is, just tap the word into the ebay search 'n see what happens...