April 21, 2015
From bell bottoms to loafers and vinyls to polaroids, everything comes back in style. “Retro” has gone from being a small, steady trend to almost defining the current generation. The infatuation with vintage suggests that as a society we are beginning to appreciate the things the preceding generations left for us more and more to the point where it has entered a complete revival.
With the rise of digital music, vinyl and CD sales took a huge hit but according to Billboard.com, vinyl album sales hit a record high in 2014 with 9.2 million copies sold. Jack White’s Lazaretto became the first album to sell more than 60,000 vinyl copies since Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy released in 1994.
The sound quality of digital music makes it hard to imagine listening to anything else but some avid vinyl listeners argue that it sounds better. The truth is that it essentially doesn’t sound better, but it sounds different. It sounds authentic and holding that piece of music feels authentic which is perhaps why this piece of the past is coming back to life.
The emergence of cell phone cameras, essentially drove Polaroid cameras extinct. In 2008 the Polaroid Corporation stopped manufacturing instant film and the last batch expired in 2010, seemingly making them a thing of the past. But a team under the name of “The Impossible Project” bought the production machinery from Polaroid and were determined to revive the business and by 2013 they were in full swing.
The revival of vintage apparel and gadgets is stimulated by how easy it is to access it now. Stores like Urban Outfitters are defined by their readily available supply of vintage clothes and old technologies, such as Polaroids and record players. Billboard says that 36% of the vinyls sold in 2014 were sold from stores such as Urban Outfitters. We no longer have to dig through our grandparent’s attics or search for hours on the internet to find a remnant of the past, it’s basically at our fingertips.
Record stores have also experienced a resurgence in popularity since they faced a downturn with the rise of iTunes. Billboard points out that 57% of all vinyls sold in 2014 were sold from independent stores, supporting the notion that the demand for old-fashioned items is rising and shows no signs of slowing down.
While we argue that old trends always come back in style, it can also be argued that the really important trends never really died. Society is constantly trying to find new ways to evolve which often makes it difficult to transition back to original forms of technologies.
We understand the value of physically holding a piece of music in our hands instead of seeing it on our screen. We see the importance of having pictures to hold in our hands instead of just having them in our phones until we run out of gigabytes and have to delete them to make room. And fashion is bringing back some of the famous trends of the past in an effort to keep the trademark pieces of previous decades around. These things define us and define every generation and the revival of such staple aspects of each generation is important in keeping the spirit of them alive.
Junior Karrah Tranquill’s encounters with vinyl began in her grandparents’ attic. For her, it all started with the songs of Stevie Wonder, Hall and Oates, and other classics. Since then, Karrah has gone from idly digging through dusty crates to a daily obsession.
“I was listening to songs from the 70s for a long time, and I started buying recent artists over Amazon because you can’t find decent ones unless it’s over the internet,” said Karrah.
Even though she acknowledges the higher prices of vinyls as a disadvantage, Karrah buys vinyl to show her gratitude for the musicians she listens to.
“I like paying more for music in general because I hate how music is so free. It’s not fair for the artists,” she said.
The sound quality of vinyls also attracts her.
“I’ve found that vinyls and sometimes even cassettes surprisingly tend to have better sound, especially in a good machine,” she said.
Whether through Kiss or Richard Pryor, Jimmy Hoffman’s (‘17) grandfather and parents first introduced him to vinyls. Around two years ago, he started collecting vinyls from Hooked and his grandfather’s collection.
While he enjoys listening to them, he doesn’t find vinyl superior to other forms of music.
“I mean, I’ll listen to whatever. I don’t have a preference,” he said.
“I think for some people [vinyls are] just kind of a fad I mean so they can act like old dirty hipsters.”
Mark Lydell (‘15) has found that listening to music on vinyl is all about the experience. Whether mental or physical, collecting and listening to vinyls is a retreat for him, bringing him to another age or letting him explore and meet new people on the quest for more.
“The idea of listening to music at its roots fascinated me,” he said.
Not only do vinyls allow him to look into his origins, but they also have an effect on his mood.
“The journey they take you on and the relaxed vibe they create just make music more fun to listen to, and can help you relax.”
Though Mark buys many of his records at Hooked (formerly Horseshoes and Handgrenades) in Downtown Fredericksburg, he also sees collecting vinyls as an opportunity to travel.
“The trip you take when you try to get a particular record can give you the chance to meet a lot of interesting people and go to interesting places,” he said.
“I think we’re running out of stuff to bring back; people are running out of ideas and they look back on older things and start to appreciate their value and how cool they are.”
— Salma Abdelkader
“Polaroids have more value. And they have a really cute filter. Everyone with iPhones wants to put a filter on their pictures and this already comes with it.”
— Salma Abdelkader
From Doc Martens, to funky sweaters, vintage styles are back. Eli Smith (‘15) is a student whose fashion is particularly unique.
“Fashion is a way for us to be different,” Eli said. “The clothing around here is really saturated so it’s cool when someone has something different. Being unique is good.”
Clothes have always been an easy way for people to express themselves. It’s a peek inside of their personalities. Eli’s style is impacted by the type of music he listens to. When he finds a band he’s interested in, he takes their fashion into consideration when shopping for his own clothes.
“I like to look good, but I don’t dress to fit a certain profile, I do it for myself,” said Eli.
Eli finds shopping interesting; it’s a way for him to mix a variety of materials and designs and create a style of his own. Being on a budget and a working student, Eli’s style is inexpensive. He goes to thrift and consignment shops to find good deals, since he refuses to pay full price unless he’s absolutely in love with something.
Fashion is constantly evolving. New trends and new brands come along and find you throwing last month’s trends to the back of the closet and back at the mall buying what’s temporarily “in.”
“I wear things that don’t go in and out of style, just classic pieces that stick around” he said. “I like the old school style.”
A trend often associated with grandmas is coming back with students at Colonial Forge.
Knitting, a hobby that has been around for generations, has come in and out of style for decades. But now knitting is on the rise.
Ellisha Javar (‘15) finds a particular satisfaction in knitting.
“It’s cool to make your own stuff,” said Ellisha, “Like, ‘I made this!’”
Ellisha commented on her mother’s influence on her long time hobby.
“My mom and I were walking down the aisle of a store and she said, ‘Do you want to do that?’ Now I have a whole set of needles,” said Ellisha.
Although it’s an activity that is often passed from generation to generation, many students learn through Youtube.
“My mom always did it when I was younger and I thought it would be a cool way to bond with her,but I essentially learned by myself,” said Emily Pawlica (‘16). “I watched step-by-step videos on Youtube and read knitting books.”
There are certain benefits to this time-old craft, especially when it’s colder.
“During the winter, I usually give knit gifts,” said Emily. “Instead of just buying things, I can make gifts that are unique and one of a kind.”
Ellisha additionally said, “I made a beard attached to a hat once for my dad. It was made from the heart,” said Ellisha.
With this trend suddenly “coming back” it is questionable whether knitting was ever necessarily old-school.
“It’ll always be current,” said Audrina Surman (‘15). “A lot of people know how to knit but aren’t very vocal about it.”
Ellisha feels that knitting isn’t necessarily current. She feels that it is meant to be old-fashioned and is meant to give off an old-time feel.
“Websites always say “vintage” when they are selling knitted items, but the design of knitting is vintage in general,” said Ellisha.
Whether knitting is considered vintage or not, the students at Forge don’t knit to be old-school.
“I don’t really knit to be a ‘hipster’,” said Audrina. “It’s relaxing, really. Almost mindless.”
The motions of knitting might seem complex at first, but gets easier as time goes on.
“It’s difficult,” said Audrina, “but once you spend a good amount of time on it, you get the hang of it. I don’t know how to not to knit anymore!”
“Just take it step by step,” said Ellisha. “Anyone can do it!”
Emily additionally said, “Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get the hang of it on your first try. It takes a few tries to get the hang of it.”
Ellisha even has a unique way to spread the trend of knitting to other students. Ellisha hopes to start a knitting club at school, where students learn to knit and share ideas.
“I tried last year, but couldn’t get a sponsor. It would be so much fun to start a knitting club!” said Ellisha. This way, students could visually learn face-to-face.
Knitting is on the rise. But to many students at Forge, it never left and will be here for some time to come.
Roman Rodriguez (‘15) sits behind the wheel of a 1986 BMW 325 E30. The vintage luxury car cost him a mere $3,500 and was in mint condition when he bought it in August 2014. In 1986, it averaged a price of $20,000, roughly equivalent to $40,000 in today’s terms.
Dominic Hernandez (‘15) also owns a BMW 325 E30, but his is a 1990 model. He bought the car for $4,500 in August 2013.
“I just really liked the look of the car and always wanted a smaller car that was stick. It came down to looks and what I could do to the car to make it look better,” Rodriguez said.
“I liked the way it looked. Very boxy and different to cars around now,” Hernandez said. “There are a lot of cool cars in movies from the 80s. That’s what sparked my interest. I saw a lot of those movies around the time I got my license.”
As with most vintage cars, there are many problems that come with maintaining the vehicle.
“Some parts have been discontinued and are too expensive to buy. I paid someone to put on my wheels and to install a short shift kit because I didn’t have the tools to do it myself,” Rodriguez said. “Certain parts for Euro cars can be extremely expensive.”
“The car is a soft top, so it doesn’t hold up well when it gets cold,” Hernandez said. “There are some places where the car doesn’t close up all the way, and the roof sometimes leaks when it’s raining.”
Like many students, Rodriguez had to work hard in order to pay for his vehicle. “There’s a lot of sentimental value to it because it’s the first car I bought myself,” he said. “I worked a long summer at a crappy job for that money, and that’s why it means a lot to me.”
“It might sound cliche, but it’s like a window into the past. Vintage cars represent how different our ideas were to present day. Looking at old and new cars side by side, they show a different way of thinking,” Rodriguez said.
“While there are problems, when it’s sunny out it’s really nice to have,” Hernandez said. “It’s something different than other cars nowadays.”
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