For me, as a writer, vintage clothing holds special value: There are stories embedded in the seams, memories stuffed in the lining, caught between the pleats, and hidden in the hems. Sometimes the previous owner has left evidence: a shopping list in the pocket, a coffee stain or a rip from an ecstatic night out dancing. An imperfection is an indelible detail of a secondhand garment’s charm. A tear or missing button might tell the story of the item’s provenance, and sometimes an imperfection explains how the item found its way to you, who will mend it and love it again. It’s true about people, too—our marks and scars tell the stories of where we have been, where we fell, and how we’ve healed.
For thousands of years, people wore one another’s hand-me-downs, and bought and sold clothing secondhand because it was so costly to purchase things new. My grandmother sewed the dresses my mother wore to school, and then my aunt wore them, and then they were passed down to a cousin. But at some point this hand-me-down tradition stopped being so common. Buying new outfits was a way to present as having self-respect; the only people who wore vintage clothing were either poor or weird or both.
Denne historien er fra September 2022-utgaven av ELLE US.
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Denne historien er fra September 2022-utgaven av ELLE US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The Surreal Life of Tyla - Inside the dizzying, meteoric rise of a true African pop star.
The night before the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Tyla was unusually calm. The South African singer was about to give a surprise performance at the Prelude to the Olympics, held at the Fondation Louis Vuitton and attended by celebrities from Zendaya to LeBron James.I was asked to do the event by Pharrell [Williams, Louis Vuitton Men's creative director], so it was insane-an instant 'Yes, she says. Sometimes I'm nervous, like I'm really nervous. But this time, Tyla looked forward to the show the entire day.
Wellness - Amazing Grace - Actress Toks Olagundoye was making people laugh on TV while managing intense treatments for breast cancer.
My work makes me really happy, says Toks Olagundoye, an acting veteran who plays Olivia Finch on the Paramount+ reboot of Frasier. That's one reason she stuck with the hit show's first season despite a shock diagnosis: During the course of preparing for and filming the series, as well as Paramount+'s Fatal Attraction, she underwent chemotherapy and six surgeries to treat breast cancer. Feeling healthy ahead of Frasier's Season 2 launch on September 19, she talks to ELLE about her healing story.
Shanghai Rising - An international fashion presence and an appreciation for the city's own talent are powering a renaissance in China's largest city.
A year ago, Louis Vuitton wrapped the giant warehouse space housing Fotografiska Shanghai in electric blue. The occasion? "Nóng Hó, Shanghai" (Shanghainese for "Hello, Shanghai"), a four-week cultural festival of book clubs, architecture tours, and live music to promote the maison's City Guide Series. "Everything was built in 48 hours, whereas in London that would've taken weeks," says Shem Jacobs, a recent transplant to Shanghai and Fotografiska's director of partnerships, Asia. "The efficiency here is really amazing."
The Power of Kindness
To mark National Hispanic Heritage Month, Lauren Sánchez and Nina Garcia come together for a conversation about identity, education, and civility.
The Gift of Ketanji Brown Jackson
In an exclusive profile and a new memoir, the history-making Supreme Court justice is telling her story.
Gaining Momentum
Vaccines, targeted meds, and a new way to stop hair loss? Breast cancer research is reaching a breakthrough point.
The Miami Glam Squad
The city's rising cohort of beauty entrepreneurs is leading the Latine beauty boom.
Golden DAYS
Tiffany & Co. pays tribute to Elsa Peretti's legacy.
THE CULT OF COZY SEASON
Forget \"New year, new you.\" Fall has us all turning over a new sartorial leaf.
Scarlet WOMAN
For one Latina novelist, reclaiming the color red turns out to be the ultimate power move.