It's been said that style is always in style, and vintage clothing appears to be a popular choice both domestically and internationally.
What then is the meaning of the vintage fashion trend?
Stephanie King has been the owner of Auckland's Painted Bird store for eight years and has a strong affinity for vintage clothing.
She said to Afternoons that vintage clothing was something people wanted to cherish and hang onto, as opposed to secondhand apparel, which may be obtained in charity or op shops.
Her collection, which spanned the years 1940 to 1980, came from wholesalers of vintage clothing and individual collectors, many of whom were from Europe and did not "want their beautiful pieces to go into landfill".
King distinguishes between three categories of clothes: vintage/antique (clothing 50 years or older), designer (typically a named designer or label), and anything younger, which is found in thrift, charity, or op shops.
Poor quality vintage and antique apparel is mistakenly classified as secondhand when it's actually not... It's actually the items that people kept in their wardrobes and their grandma passed [down], not the crap that people didn't want. They weren't just clothes; they were made to attend a wedding."
She noted that quick fashion made up the majority of the apparel found at charity shops these days. (This phrase describes inexpensive, subpar clothing that is frequently thrown away after being worn just once, if at all.)
King's search through the vintage stores on the North Shore, where she lived, gave her the idea to launch her own retro company.
Finding nice vintage was really tough; you were lucky if you ever found anything in an op store. This involves visiting op shops nonstop, which is not an easy task.
"And I know there are lots of people who are like me, who like vintage so [I thought] there needs to a store and that's kind of how it started."
At Painted Bird, King prioritises quality above quantity, and her clientele spans from young professionals to elderly individuals.
"My goal was to create a space where the coolest stuff is kept exclusive, allowing customers to try on and feel items that are entirely unlike anything they would find in other stores.
"I think [secondhand clothing] used to be ... stuff that was all ripped and munted and stained... things that people didn't want, so I tried to curate the stuff that people did want... and saved and left for generations."
She claimed that the "coolest" and most flattering styles were those that had persisted from earlier decades.
When she was told the apparel in one vintage boutique was "not for me" and was more appropriate for TV and movie productions, she was taken aback.
"I only wear vintage and secondhand and that's not OK to say to someone... Vintage is for everyone!"
King delighted in styling the vintage items that his clients purchased.
"You can look completely current wearing all vintage - it's how you put the pieces together."
She was dressed in her mother's old leather pants from the 1970s, a retro silk top, and a retro leopard skin jacket today.
"Those items that were made half a century ago are still in existence and, for the ones I own, are in excellent condition. Why then would you remove that?" /BGNES