Thursday, November 30, 2006

What is "vintage" anyway?

With seeing "vintage" this and that all over the place, I'm wondering how the word "vintage" is defined...is it a technical term or something used fairly liberally? When I looked it up in the dictionary, vintage has a lot to do with wine! lol! But, when talking about other things, it says, "a year or period of origin" and "old or outmoded", among other things...and that could be widely disputed! Seems pretty vague

We can probably all agree that something like this dish towel calendar from 1957 would be considered vintage.



And probably even something like this...my Mr. Pickle handmade Christmas ornament, made in the very early 1970's for me by one of my neighbors. I love this one!!!



But what about things from the 1980's or 1990's? It's a whole different century! But, since I was born in 1966, I clearly remember the 80's, so I wouldn't consider that vintage, but I see some things from that time period that are considered vintage by others. (But, maybe I'm older than I thought! LOL!) What about fabrics that are just no longer in production...like a pattern Alexander Henry discontinued last year? Or the little black and white calico that I used to get at Joann's all the time, but now they don't have it anymore?

It seems as though the definition of 'antique' is much more clearly defined. My dictionary says an antique would be something that is at least 100 years old, but I have always thought that it was something at least 50 years old...unless you are talking to a man about cars, and then it is something else all together! ha!

Anyway, if someone could help me clear this up, I would greatly appreciate it!

PS-I got some really cool, old, handmade ornaments from my mom this weekend...that's where I dug up the pickle...but I'm saving them for a post better suited for them; so check back!

*Edited here*...Head on over to Eren's blog, where she created a whole post dedicated to answering this question for me!
And today, we are headed to Gruene (pronounced 'Green'), TX for their Holiday lighting and Market Days...a place known for all of it's antique shops and things. Maybe I'll ask some people there about what vintage means to them. I feel like I need to make up a Press Badge real quick, grab a Karoke microphone and a little notebook to take notes...lol!
"Hello, this is Lauri Smith reporting on behalf of all the crafty women and their blogs, who need to know the answer to just one mind-boggling question..."Just what is 'vintage' anyway?" LOL!

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