Retro trends making a splash in modern times

By Evan Doherty

BELLEVILLE – Trends of the past are making their way back into the present through an older generation’s nostalgia for their youth and a younger generation’s discovery of what came before.

Gone are the days of the Roaring 20s and the psychedelic 60s, but something that still remains is the impact that these decades had on fashion. From silk and lace to feathered hats from the Victorian era, modern clothing still has hints of its past. Something as simple as taking the shoulder pads out of a dress from the 1980s can make it older or newer depending on perspective.

Marina Boretski owns Boretski Gallery That’s Belleville’s shop for clothing from all different decades. She said that she’s has owned and run the shop for the past 16 and a half years. Boretski said anyone from the casual shopper to film companies buy clothes from her shop.

“Film companies come to me. We worked with Guillermo Del Toro‘s famous movie The Shape of Water, (2017’s) top movie at the Academy Awards. So we have people like Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper wearing our clothes. So the can jewels can be worn and will be worn by people in that movie,” Boretski said.

She said that local theatre productions also use her clothing. She also said that weddings are a big part of her sales and are a part of why vintage fashion is coming back.

“One big thing is bridal showers. They usually do a theme now. So they come in and at the bridal shower they may all wear a hat and they might also all wear a vintage outfit. They come in and we dress them and all the girls in the bridal party are wearing French clothing,” she said.

She said that people like to wear retro clothing now because the materials are made to last and some of them aren’t even used anymore.

“There’s a lot of silk and brocades. We even have skirts and hems that in length are five inches to a foot long and that are intended to change the length for each season. Our clothing now is more disposable. So when you clothing that’s over 100 years old you know that these clothes can last with a little tender care,” Boretski said.

She said that some of the clothing brought in is even redesigned to look like it’s more from another era. She explained how some people bring in clothing to have it altered to have an older feel.

“Sometimes I’ll lay a dress on a table fold the sleeves back. When you remove the sleeves and the shoulder pads, it goes from being from the 80s to the 20s,” she said.

Clothing isn’t the only thing with a long living legacy. Retro game systems and vinyl records are making a comeback too.

Peter Reddyk is manger of Chumleighs which sells used video games, movies, music and other types of media. Two of the more popular types of items they sell are retro game systems and vinyl records.

He said that retro game systems are still being sought after today. He said the big reason for this is finding rare and collectible items.

“Collectors like to buy retro as an investment. It’s generally the older population because it’s quite expensive,” he said.

He also said that another reason why people like to buy game systems is for the nostalgia it brings them.

“Retro gaming is quite often for people who want to relive their childhood or play the games they used to play with their children,” Reddyk said.

The gaming industry has a vast history. Reddyk said that people want to be able to explore it more by playing what used to be popular in the past.

“For gaming it’s just the novelty of seeing something neat and unique and going back through the history of gaming because they were never there when it started. So people often go back to the roots when it started in the early 80s,” he said.

As for records he said that there will always be a crowd who likes to listen to music with a physical copy.

“When it comes to vinyl, it’s usually the 30 plus crowd who buys it. It’s usually them who buys vinyl because it’s not cheap. Generally you have to have a certain amount of disposable income to buy that stuff”  he said.

He said that the younger generation likes to buy vinyl records to be able to see the roots of where their music came from.

“Great fans of music and related media like to go back and listen to their favourite artists on their original CDs and records,” Reddyk said.

He said that he doesn’t think it these types of media will ever disappear because there will always be collectors out there.