Archiving

I’ve started archiving my vintage again. Partly because I’m preparing to sell some of it and partly because I’m documenting it for insurance since since I’ve moved it all to one location and unboxed it all again. I still have many boxes of vintage in PR but will be bringing it back in suitcases as I travel back and forth between Illinois and PR.

I’m thrilled at my choice to keep all my vintage in plastic bins to avoid mice, moths and critters.

I’ve noticed that if there’s vintage in storage, critters are going to be drawn to it unless it’s stored properly. I doubled down by ensuring my best vintage is double covered by garment bags then stored in bins. Cardboard boxes are easily chewed up my determined creatures so I rarely use them unless the contents of that box will be unaffected by critters.

This pristine vintage cheetah swing jacket was one of my fun finds to be photographed yesterday.

The only problem is that now that I’m seeing it all again, I’m emotionally attached and hesitant to part with it. Considering my closet space, I’ve chosen to keep almost anything that fits me, since large and extra large sizes are so rare in vintage sizing. However… I’ve unpacked 5 cheetah coats so far. They all fit, So, I’m only keeping a couple of them.

It’s funny how we find ourselves attracted to a style and tend to hoard that thing. I do it all the time. I fall in love with a design or designer and have to collect everything I can get my hands on. Aren’t collections funny?

One of the things I love about this garment is that it’s union made. Which was a big deal because of the terrible working conditions in the garment industry. Do you remember the triangle shirt waist factory fire? “The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on Saturday, March 25, 1911, was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city, and one of the deadliest in U.S. history. The fire caused the deaths of 146 garment workers – 123 women and girls and 23 men who died from the fire, smoke inhalation, or falling or jumping to their deaths. Most of the victims were recent Italian or Jewish immigrant women and girls aged 14 to 23, of the victims whose ages are known, the oldest victim was 43-year-old Providenza Panno, and the youngest were 14-year-olds Kate Leone and Rosaria "Sara" Maltese.”

https://youtu.be/WIzjP6tlrHU

Each collection tells a story. This one tells me about labor unions, fashion trends and quality craftsmanship in the industry at that time. Please note that this is not real fur but the label directs the buyer to clean the garment by the methods of a furrier cleaner.

Also, a fun read is “the history of leopard print” by Jo Weldon. Did you know, You can follow Jo (a sex work historian here on Patrion?

https://www.patreon.com/sexworkerstyle?utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan

What are you currently collecting?