Old, as has been proverbially told and re-told, is gold. This is perhaps why styles from bygone eras have a way of staying in vogue.
Fedora hats and fascinators, oversized sunglasses and old-world architecture, retro prints and posters, corsets, curious artefacts, pearl necklaces… they all have a way of finding their place in people’s homes and wardrobes.
“Vintage is a certain aesthetic, it is not a trend. It is a look and feel that is vintage, rather than a style,” explains city-based fashion designer, Vivek Karunakaran. Designers - Indian and International - often come out with vintage collections, or use the aesthetic as an inspiration for a few pieces in a larger collection.
“Each one, at some point of time, would have done something that is vintage-inspired,” says Vivek. “Vintage will always come back in different manners and forms. It will never go out of fashion; how it comes back is what changes.” There are many designers who derive from a vintage aesthetic and give it their own twist.
Maal Gaadi, which stocks products that are fun, quirky and edgy, also offers some that lend an old-world charm. Shahin Ansari, owner of the store, says she picks up curios - retro furniture, chunky accessories, and vintage prints — which she finds interesting, from around the world. However, it’s not everyone who opts to buy products that offer such an aesthetic.
“People who collect such things, or those who have an eye or inclination towards such products, choose to buy it,” says Shahin.
The Old Curiosity Shop, which is nearing 75 years, and is vintage in itself, is testament to how curious artefacts and retro art have a way of catching people’s imaginations.
Owner Mohamad Lateef says many young, working professionals, who have the money to spend on such collectibles, show interest in the curios he offers. And he offers quite a collection - pocket watches and station clocks, gramophones and accompanying vinyls, video projectors and valve radios, opera glasses, sand glasses, hanging lamps, intricately-carved tribal sceptres — the place just gets more and more curious as you explore. It not only offers artefacts that feel vintage, but many which actually are.
Some vintage pieces have a way of appreciating in value, making them an interesting investment option. Not all of them though, warns Lateef. The value of a piece appreciates based on availability and utility. An oil lamp from 200 years ago will have little utility today. A piece of furniture made from rose or teak wood from two centuries ago, with intricate carvings, however, would be an antique worth a lot of money.
“Furniture made from teak over 50 years ago, will cost twice as much to make now,” explains Ambu Adithya, owner of Antique Home Decor, a new store in Royapettah, which offers antique and vintage furniture. He says, even if the cost factor were to be set aside, finding wood of the same quality and workmanship that would achieve the same effect would still be a challenge.
“Such pieces don’t just have resale value, but also endure longer. Polish the wood, change the upholstery and the piece lasts forever,” says Adithya. Yet, he continues to make modern replicas of vintage-styled furniture, because such an aesthetic is always in demand and have a contemporary appeal.
Vintage styles have a way of revamping the feel of a place and offering something fresh and unique without taking away the elegance of the classic. It might not fit into every interior or wardrobe, but the old-world charm it extends doesn’t go away.
From clothes and accessories to furniture and decor, vintage never weathers and continues to be a source of inspiration to invent and reinvent.
