To parents of little girls who love wearing poodle skirts

Please always ensure that you encourage and support them in doing so, because...

Little girls (and boys) who show an interest in old school clothing as a child sometimes grow up to be vintage fashionistas (or fashionistos) with an unending love of, and appreciation for, the history of the decades they adore sporting the clothing of, and who...

{You may remember this poodle skirt filled photo from last December, when it first appeared here in this post.}

Find, as I do everyday of my life, that they feel more comfortable, confident, beautiful, and happy in clothing styles from decades long gone.

They are not odd for wanting to eschew some or all modern fashions, or for embracing elements of the past. Children, as with adults, often have very distinct sartorial voices of their own, and these should never be silenced.

While some kids may just want to emulate the cast of Grease, West Side Story, Dancing in the Rain, or any number of other classic Hollywood films that we show to children once they're old enough, and thus may lose interest in vintage fashions as quickly as they do the hit pop song of the week, there is a handful out there who will not – particularly if you help make their decision to wear yesteryear styles a completely positive one.

Like many skills and traits, I believe that a passion for vintage fashion often begins very early on in life, and should be nurtured if spotted. As a little girl, I asked her if she could and my mother very sweetly sewed me the adorable pink and white gingham poodle skirt pictured above for Halloween, which  I wore around the house after school most days for at least three years straight after that night back in 1991.

My mom never said anything against me doing so, and I cannot begin to thank her enough for this (one harsh word from anybody in my life back then, as I was an incredibly sensitive child, could potentially have discouraged me to the point where, unthinkably now, I abandoned this important love).

As the years passed and I read every historical fashion centred book having to do with early and mid-twentieth century in both my school and town's public library, my passion for vintage fashion only intensified. By the time I hit high school, though I did sometimes wear modern fashions, my heart lay on the side of my closet which was slowly amassing a collection of 1940s and 50s pieces culled (back in those days usually just for a few dollars at most) from local second hand shops and yard sales.

Then, as now, my mother says that she thinks it's awesome that I wear vintage and don't look, from a wardrobe standpoint, like most people you see everyday. As with many of us, I don't dress the way I do to intentionally stand out, it's simply a by-product of appearing so different from the vast majority of folks in today's society. In dressing as I do, I bring an immeasurable amount of happiness into my life (a point I talked in much greater detail about in this post).

The clothing that I don has a soul. It tells a story, not only of my own wardrobe choices, but of a very different, yet not actually all that distant, time in our shared human past. I cannot fathom at this point my life, a world in which I didn't wear vintage (or repro or vintage appropriate clothing) nearly all the time.

It is so much a part of who I am, and how I see myself. It bolsters my self-confidence (which I see as being very important for someone like me who is incredibly shy, introverted, and has some self-esteem issues), makes getting dressed a phenomenal joy, and doesn't harm a fly. There is nothing wrong with anybody of any age wanting to, and actually, wearing vintage styles or adding elements of the past to their modern day world.

I've always considered myself very lucky actually. The universe does not tap everyone to be a vintage lover, yet it did so with me, and I don't take that honour lightly. I cherish the fact that I wear, try to preserve (a point that Hannah from Just Peachy, Darling is very actively engaged in as well, and which this post was written in part to help celebrate), and get to share my passion for the past with other, be they cut from the same (vintage) cloth or otherwise.

So mothers and fathers of the world, if you child - whether they're a girl or a boy - seems interested in wearing and/or studying the fashions of the past, pat them on back, tell them you love what they're wearing, and sew them some repro or take them to your newest vintage store on the double.

I promise you, they'll grow up to thank you for it - especially if they're part of the next generation of full-time vintage clothing wearers for whom collecting, preserving and sporting yesteryear fashions is as natural as drawing breath.