Vintage girl in a modern world

story by Sydney Shain

“Most people are just into what’s now,” Addie Dahl, Frosh., said about why she stands out from the crowd. It’s apparent that “most people” doesn’t include her.

Dahl draws attention in the halls for her unique clothing style for dressing in 50’s style reproduction and occasional true vintage pieces. Her clothing and look proves a stark contrast to that of the mainstream styles and looks that her peers often choose, making her stand out from others.

Her interests in the 50’s began around her fourth grade year, but she didn’t start dressing every day in vintage clothing until the end of her middle school years.

“My first dress was at a car show at World of Wheels. I never had a reason to wear it until now because I thought ‘Oh, gee, it’s kind of awkward being the only fourth grader wearing a big circle skirt,’ ” she said.

Though this awkwardness about being different from her peers made her hesitate at first, she doesn’t let it affect her sense of style anymore.

“As you grow up, you start to stop caring about the opinions of other people and what they’re saying. People stop caring too, and focus on themselves instead of what others are wearing.”

When she started dressing every day in this style, students noticed, and there has been negativity, but it was received in a mostly positive way by her class.

“They were a little surprised, and shocked, but amazed that she could do that. It was really pretty,” said Claire Ewy, Frosh. Ewy is a friend of Dahl’s and appreciates that her friend has the courage to express herself through fashion the way she does.

Since she wears these clothes everyday, she boasts an entire wardrobe made up of vintage-style pieces. Besides two pairs of jeans that can technically be considered modern and one regular t-shirt, she has chosen to donate all of her clothing that doesn’t fit into the vintage style.

Most of her clothing is reproduction, but she has some pieces that are original from around the 50’s decade. For example, Dahl has one dress that she wears for formal dances and another she would wear to prom. She picks these up from car shows, the internet, and sometimes even flea market-type sales.

“You have to clean them really well though, because you don’t know where they’ve been,” she said.

The way she chooses to dress is only the beginning of how the 50’s has influenced her lifestyle. It’s sometimes the only part that most see, but it stems from a much greater love for the decade. It all started at a very young age for her, because her father spends his time renovating vintage cars.

“I’ve loved the entire fifties my whole life, because my dad had all these cars around. I ended up learning how to work on and detail these vintage cars,” she said.

This means that Addie Dahl isn’t just a pretty face with pretty vintage dresses. She works hard alongside her father to clean and maintain cars that he buys to renovate.

Besides her familiarity with vintage cars and her love for 50’s style, she also enjoys listening to music from back then.

“The music, oh my gosh. Don’t hit me, but the last modern song that I’ve listened to was We Can’t Stop by Miley Cyrus. And that was forever ago,” she said. Speaking briefly about why she prefers older music to more modern artists, she said, “It’s just the same songs being repeated. If you listen to modern music, you can hear things that come back from the past.”

With the price of these clothes getting steeper and steeper throughout the years, and the pressure to conform not as strong, but still present, Dahl feels that she has solid reasons for her choice of style.

“It reminds me of how I grew up,” she said. “It’s more attractive, more elegant than some new stuff.”