I have been sorting out my wardrobe... this shouldn't be a collection of things I rarely wear, but a wardrobe of things that I do wear after all... Now that I wear vintage almost every day, and have learned so much more about caring for it - and that some things just aren't washable (or ok to give to a normal dry-cleaner) and therefore not overly practical for regular wear, I have shifted my focus on that which is more practical. That still includes items as old as 1940s, but some of my 40s and older stuff just isn't practical, and I have been wearing these things a lot less, even though I like them. So I've been sorting quite a few things out of my wardrobe, plus some that just don't quite fit me anymore. It's just gotten a little too much... I had a 1930s and a 1940s dress that I'd both found at the same secondhand shop in Vienna (though not at the same time), hanging between boldly printed 70s polyester dresses and looking a bit unassuming there. Both were in excellent condition and fit me, so I bought them without thinking more. Besides, they weren't expensive - the shop personnel had obviously not realised what they were. They also fall into the "I don't dare washing them or giving them to the dry-cleaner"-category. So I decided they had to go... as both have labels from Vienna (one from a fashion salon, the other from what I think was a commercial maker), I thought I might as well try and offering them to the Vienna city museum (Wien Museum) which has a sizable fashion collection (Modesammlung Wien). This just felt right for me, they were quite special to me personally because of how I found them and because they had those labels. The Wien Museum is also a museum that I have been to many times, and I have seen some beautiful fashion exhibitions there. As the contact info of the curator is on their website, it was easy - I sent her an e-mail with lots of photos. And I got a very nice reply, saying she'd love to have them for the collection because they are so typical for their eras and because of the Viennese connection. So off I sent them, insured and all, and two days later she had them already! I got a very nice thank- you, and I will be getting a certificate once the dresses have been cataloged etc. I have to say, I am really happy about this, it just felt so right, and I'm so glad my dresses are going where I feel they belong pinkeleemoti!
It probably helps you to persuade yourself to let things go, knowing they are going to a museum! I really know what you mean about needing practical vintage... They are great dresses, how wonderful that they end up in such an appropriate place.
Practical vintage is definitely the word! I have two 1940s dresses that I can hand wash (both synthetic fabrics but not the usual rayon crepe), so those are fine and I wear them quite a bit, and 40s wool gabardine jackets are fine to be dry-cleaned by the "better" dry-cleaner I have here. The 30s dress above is probably some kind of wool, the 40s one is a relatively coarsley woven mystery material that could be anything, I never really found out and there wasn't much to snip off for a burn test. Anything that's light to pack or doesn't crease much is a plus for me too with my travels. Both those 40s dresses are light to pack, and my black 40s jacket has been around the globe with me more than once, it's been folded up in all sorts of ways - and it just holds up! It has taken me some time to find out what works, but now I know and I keep that in mind when I shop. Anything cotton, and the occasional "good" polyester items from the 70s are what I zoom in on mostly these days.
Such a nice story. They look so good on you but I can understand the move to more practical clothing.
