White vintage for summer .
Though we aren`t going anywhere, much, we still have to get dressed everyday.
The Covid-19 is still keeping us indoors, or at least those of us, that have the privilege of working from home.
After having spent two months in the 1.Arrondissement of Paris, where I live, only venturing out for walks with my dog, I have been reflecting upon many topics, one of them, obviously fashion . Today there were 11 shop assistants, at work at Yves Saint Laurent, on the corner, where Colette Roussaux spent 11 years creating the legendary shop, bearing her first name .
But no customers . The boutique is clad in, what seems to be, Carrera marble and is so uninviting, that even if you wanted to buy something made by Yves Saint Laurent, you would prefer to visit a department store. The cold atmosphere is emphasized by the lack of customers.
The lockdown was lifted a week ago, and I nearly panicked.
After having, literally been all alone, I walked with my dog in the middle of Rue de Rivoli, that is usually one of the busiest and blocked, roads in Paris, for two months and on this Saturday, in the new normal, there were suddenly cars and I nearly got run over, several times . The new ” social distancing ” did not count on this particular Saturday. Instead, families had come in to Paris from their country homes, to which 1/3 of the Parisian population, fled with minutes notice, when the lockdown was announced .
They came to shop. I have never seen so many large shopping bags from Hermes and Vuitton on the same day in Paris. I did not know that the French were able to shop to this extent, normally it is the tourists that carry so much out from the shops, that they can`t walk by themselves, but must call a taxi . But this Saturday, it were young, French families. Father, mother and 3 children ( or maybe 2.5 ) .
As the women have had to look after their own children, and even wash their own hair, for two monts, rewards were needed and came in the form of shopping bags, filled to the brim.
But, even though Vuitton, Balenciaga, Hermes and the other wellknown shops, around here, were, exceptionally, open on the following Sunday, there were no customers .
And today, a week later, there are still no customers.
Maybe the message is slowly sinking in.
When the lockdown was announced in Hong Kong, Hermes sold for 22 million American Dollars, in one day, breaking every previous sales record.
There was, probably, some kind of justification of the extreme spending; if we can`t buy food and are going to loose our jobs, and will all catch the, so far, incurable Covid-19, we might as well buy the bags and things we have desired for decades. And, who knows, this kind of doomsday preparation, might turn out to be a wonderful investment, if the factories can`t produce as before.
During the last week, there has been large queues forming outside Zara, not H&M or the other fast fashion shops, only Zara, perhaps they have a stricter policy, we are not allowed into any shops without a facemask or without disinfecting our hands and keep a distance of two meters, and only a certain amount of customers are allowed in, at the same time .
Apart from that, the shops are deserted and from what I hear, from our networkvintage customers, is that they are waiting and; mostly shopping for vintage quality and basics.
Which brings me to our Pinterest board, called “White vintage finds for summer” . The principles are that, well washed cotton and a designer vintage jacket or two, can take you through all summer. We will not be going to any parties or restaurants in France, for an unknown periode of time, but if you have a balcony or garden, an oversized straw hat, in remembrance of things past, might lift your spirits, while catching the highly recommend vitamin-D, from the sun, but not the dangerous UV rays. If not, then a promenade to the local farmers shop for vegetables, can be done in anything from an oversized mens white cotton shirt or a tailored Thierry Mugler jacket.
networkvintage.com, Paris 24.05.2020 .
Copyright : Helena Hamilton
Designer vintage news, articles, tips, guides and shopping at www.networkvintage.com
Our Pinterest boards for inspiration
https://www.pinterest.fr/vintageguruscom/white-vintage-finds-for-summer-by-vintage-gurus/
