People always look forward to moving ahead with changing social trends and fashion. However, have any one of your reading this post thought what would happen if times are behind us and not ahead of us? We want you to meet a couple who have a cure for these modern problems. Ruth Shelley and Robert Oestmann decided to give the world a great throwback to get out of the Depression era. Their decision of making this lifestyle change doesn’t depress them, it’s the opposite – the newly engaged couple find many perks and advantages in going retro.
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Hiptoro reached Ruth and Robb and asked a few questions to both of them. They came up with their individuals answer and give us an insight into their journey. Let’s start with Robb and how he discovered his lifestyle: “My mother used to collect a lot of antiques, so I think an appreciation for them came from her. I also love old movies, and would watch them with my grandmother. These days, I visit museums and heritage railways to learn about history. I find it feels right when in historical clothes.”
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However, Ruth was motivated with other things and it was a self-discovery journey for her. “I was a tomboy, or mostly, until I was 16. I thought I just wasn’t really into clothes or makeup, and that was totally fine. But then I tried 1940s makeup at an event on a whim and I discovered that I really liked how it looked on me, it drew me in a way that nothing I’d really tried before had! And everything went from there, the makeup, then the clothes and hair a few years later, and I’d say by the time I was 20 or 21 I was very much on the fashion track I’ve stayed on since!”
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Robb explained to us how he gets his clothers. “I find my clothes wherever I can get them! It can be difficult sometimes to find the right sizes. I visit vintage clothing shops when I can, and sometimes various events will have the odd stall or seller. Occasionally, they’ll have something that fits!” Ruth added to this by saying,”My answer here is quite similar to Robb’s. There are stores, online and brick-and-mortar, that specialize in selling both original and reproduction vintage fashion, so we shop at those, and then sometimes you find something wonderful at a charity shop or even get given it by someone who inherited it and has no use for it! I got one of my favorite pieces of vintage jewelry when I was given it by a lovely lady who inherited it from her mother.”
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There is certainly no doubt that the couple nails their fashion game. Ruth said: “People usually enjoy seeing us dress the way we do! You often get stares but they are usually positive. People sometimes stop us to ask for pictures, especially when we are out together. When I’m going to parties I very occasionally get children in the street or on the bus asking me if I am going to a ball, which is adorable… I sometimes say yes just to watch their excited little faces!”
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Robb added: “Overall, it’s been positive. Sometimes you meet people who just don’t understand, or perhaps don’t want to understand. They can be aggressive, but it’s very rare. Most people seem to think it’s all rather smart and ‘trendy.’ I’ve also had people think I’m trying to be a ‘Peaky Blinder,’ which I’m certainly not! I’m just being myself, or at least, trying to represent a generation-long past.”
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