Bringing Back Glamor to the Everyday
Sometimes, the cold weather, early sunsets and long winter work days make it hard to feel like dressing up. Still, a residing warmth emanates from layering clothing, providing almost a ceremony for dressing. This ceremoniousness helps cap an evening in style and memory. The commodification of fashion and the global deference to fast casual life have often done away with the formal or intricate customs of decades past. Whether through clothing, cuisine, or even etiquette, it is clear expectations have changed. While the world continues to evolve, there still remains a sense of forgotten glamor hidden among the cobblestones of an old European street or well-trodden farm road. Now, with broken plaster or chipped paint, the humble crumbling German Schloss evokes images of the gallant balls, prophetic operas, and scintillating dinners that once graced its rooms. When historical dramas like The Gilded Age, Bridgerton, and Downton Abbey continue to grip audiences, why not restore some of that former glamor to life now?

The idea of creating glamor in today’s day and age will likely turn heads, but this should not deter one from making bold choices, even unconventional ones. These bold choices will hopefully fulfill some innate desire for the chic missing in the day-to-day while also padding and enhancing self-confidence to make a lasting impression on whoever crosses your path. Formal and ornate clothing has long been a signifier of class, status, and power, costing just as much as those qualities. This is no longer always the case, as the rise of vintage clothing, reselling, and other forms of upcycling fashion have seen bespoke vintage tuxedos going for the same price as a Target pajama set. The real key to these mouth-watering deals is knowing what to look for in garment construction, designer provenance, and quality. Of course, clothing is a matter of personal taste; however, understanding the difference between a hand-sewn suit lapel and one machine made or glued in means the difference between thrifting grails and more common staple pieces. A well-made vintage suit, once tailored by any decent local tailor for a mere fraction of the cost of a new bargain-bin suit, will look better than that department store suit– and feel better, too. The first easy tell for any suit or vintage garment is to look at button holes. Buttonholes will tell if the garment has been sewn by hand or machine-sewn. Higher quality suits have functional buttonholes on the cuffs, often known as surgeon’s cuffs for their ability to roll up the suit sleeve, adding not only to the complexity of the garment but also to its craftsmanship. Hand-sewn buttonholes have clean edges and lines, slightly irregular or imperfect stitches, and a much tighter thread count than regular buttonholes. Another easy tell is the fabric tag; things like wool, cashmere, merino, tweed, satin, alpaca, or silk are all higher quality natural materials and can last a lifetime. Hand-sewn lining or pick stitches (tiny dotted stitches on the edge of a lapel) also show higher craftsmanship and quality. It is much the same for dresses with buttonholes and stitching, adding the quality of hand embroidery, lace, and prized fabric as additional tells of higher-quality garments.

There is also value in knowing historical designers, fabric producers, and ateliers who have a history of producing clothing for some of the world's most glamorous. Fashionpedia by Fashionary is a great resource for understanding garment construction and design. Phaidon’s widely acclaimed Magna Carta of fashion designer history, aptly titled The Fashion Book, rounds out a fairly comprehensive knowledge of both historical and up-and-coming designers. The best knowledge concerning skillful thrifting, however, is often gained through experience. Simply going out and digging through bins, flipping through rack after rack of items until stumbling across a hidden gem, is the best and only way to sharpen those skills for quality detection.
Now that the skills and knowledge needed to find these remnant artifacts of a glamorous past have been discussed, the next step is gaining the confidence to embark on this journey of experimentation. The truth is, when dressed to the nines, even for the grocery store, there is the keen impression of amusing, enchanting, and fueling an appetite for investigation from the world. Think of the last time you saw someone in a floor-length gown on a 7/11 at midnight. The answer is probably never, yet imagine what an impression that would make. What questions might come up? Where are they going? Where did they come from? Who are they? Each of these inquiries not only mystifies the wearer but creates a sense of wonderment deeply lacking in day-to-day life.

The accompanying photos to this ode to glamor are from last Christmas, spent in Vienna at the Hotel Bristol. The striking peak-lapel, double-breasted tuxedo is vintage, thrifted down the street from the hotel in a store called Humana (a chain of vintage stores). The suit was handmade in Italy, with full silk satin lapels and a wool exterior. It cost only 25 Euros, the equivalent of $30. The shirt is vintage Brooks Brothers, with vintage accessories and jewelry to complete the look. The combination of Hotel Bristol’s striking and dramatic visual landscape and the equally riveting vintage clothing exude glamor and intrigue that could just as easily appear on some Bond villain, mafioso, or titan of industry. That evening drew long gazes from onlookers and friends alike, fascinated by the elegance of a time long gone, further proving the power of dressing up in inspiring intrigue and memory.
While the weather outside is nothing to speak of, and the days grow dark far too early, why not make life a little more exciting by introducing some vintage glamor and elegance into the day-to-day rigmarole? Just as celebrities like Rosamund Pike reintroduce archival Dior at the Golden Globes, so too can anyone willing to look hard enough to capture that retro red carpet dazzle in their own lives. The choice to make each moment worthy of memory will inevitably spill over into other aspects of life, projecting an air of sophistication, thoughtfulness and mystique. Glamor has always been a conscious choice and one not easily made. The only question that remains is—will you dress up today?
Photography by Nicole Zens
Photo editing by Eden Meidl
Direction by Zack Zens, Nicole Zens
Featured Model Zack Zens
Source: Sanchez, R. (2024, January 7). Rosamund Pike Is a Shameless Queen in a Dramatic Lace Gown and Headpiece. Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved from https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a46307342/rosamund-pike-red-carpet-photos-2024-golden-globes/