Oh, that word – it’s everywhere – it’s like an annoying
C-class celebrity who manages to spin out a career based purely on hype.
In our industry the word vintage simply means over 30 years
old, while antique means over 100 years. It is simply a quick indication of
age.
Several years ago, the word got picked up by the media and high
street types and has been turned into something different. In the early days
advertisers were very careful to present reproduction or new goods as ‘vintage
style’ but now many seem to have dropped the ‘style’ bit!
I overheard a shopper in a certain retail outlet (one that
sells wall-to-wall chintz on everything from mugs to towels to mobile phones to
badges) saying that she’d just bought a
‘lovely new vintage bag’!
Can you have a new vintage bag? Can you have a new antique
bag? I think the way the word is being used now, the answer is probably yes!
Still, that’s the beauty of the English language, always changing
and adapting to commercial pressure! I guess I will have to accept the looser
definition of vintage and try not to get too irritated by competitors selling
vintage accessories that were made 2 months ago in China. But, if you shop in
Nest and you buy something vintage – rest assured it will be over 30 years old!
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