Its Been a Vintage Summer

vintage
1. A group or collection of people or things sharing certain characteristics.
2. A year or period of origin
3. Characterized by excellence, maturity, and enduring appeal; classic.
4. Old or outmoded.

Now that the dappled dewey mornings of Autumn are beginning to appear, I’ve been having a little reflection on the lovely summer we’ve just had, specifically on Summer Fetes.

In June there was a Hanger Dance, with revellers dressed in 1940’s costume and arriving in Original WW2 Jeeps and cars, then in July The Summer Country Fayre (spelt like that) featured, a Spitfire flypast, vintage cars, tractors and steam engines, traditional crafts and foods. Next, was a small Vintage Transport Rally, followed by the weekly Vintage Market situated in some lovely beach huts. Then there was the Local Antique Street Fayre (spelt like that), the Vintage Ploughing Day, the Trashing Fayre (spelt like that) and so on.

We do so love vintage, don’t we? But why?

Is it because the designs of the past are more beautiful? Clothes, books and homewares, posters and buildings, cars, buses, aeroplanes do seem to be elegant and beautiful.
Or is it because we like the idea that an item was previously loved. It has a back story, although inanimate, it has already lived another life. It has history, a romantic past.

Surrounding ourselves with these things seems to comfort and reassure us that all is well with the World, although many of these items hail from times of brutal conflict, and economic and social hardship.

Next summer it would be nice to see the odd few Futurist Fetes, Modernist Fairs (spelt like that) and Space Age Markets, but keep the vintage ones going, they make me for one, feel warm and cosy.

Do you like vintage items? Any particular era?