Daily Dose Blogger Bios
Vintage Knockoffs vs. Authentic Vintage
I'm generally fine with knockoffs because, as you know, I'm scrappy. What you may not know is that I'm not careful with nice things. Ask my mother. She's the sort to keep her dresses in plastic garment bags and her fancy Bruno Magli shoes in boxes for twenty-five years. I'm the sort who borrows her shoes without asking and breaks the heel. Or, true story, who insists on wearing her pearl necklace and then breaks it and loses half the pearls in the backyard. So, vintage knockoff is fine for me. Unless it's something "authentic" I get for nothing.
When I first started working for domino, we did a story on mid-century vintage and knockoffs. To be honest, I don't think I knew the difference before that. But I'm sure there are people who see the difference and can feel it, the way I can look at a rack of clothes at the Salvation Army and pick out the designer dresses from five feet away.
Any of you got an eagle eye for furniture? And the million dollar question--is vintage furniture that's not signed or not by some well-known designer necessarily inferior quality? And vice-versa: is signed vintage furniture by well-known designers like the Noguchi coffee table above better quality?
Well known does not necessarily equate well made, in my humble opinion. Yes, I have been thrilled each time (3, thanks) I have spotted a dress from afar and it's turned out to be a vintage Diane Von Furstenberg. BUT, the most beautiful, well made things I have come across, both in clothing and in furniture, have been obscure, well made, and one-of-a-kind. At least in my price range! ; )
Now, would I take a Noguchi table? Sure. Would I pay $300 for one? Not on your life.
Yay, thanks for asking this question. Also, I didn't remember Domino's article on vintage vs. knockoffs, so thanks for posting that link. I'm going to have to check out all the stores listed in there.
Hmm. I think if you want a specific piece you're probably best off getting the real thing. But if you just want the look of a certain era, I actually think it's cooler if you DON'T have a sterile room full of all identifiable "pieces." It's like wearing an outfit covered in designer labels—some people dig it; I don't. In general we buy old furniture because it's so much better made, but we don't have any signed or statement pieces. (That is also because we don't have a MCM style...) I like one-off things; I love to think about who crafted our tiny maple dining table somewhere in New England in the 1790s. A signed designer piece from the 50s is cool, but it was made in a factory. I prefer more personal things. Not that my brother, mom and I have all been eyeing grandma's original Eames lounger for the last 10 years. That thing is awesome, and the leather is only now perfectly broken in!
You all make such a good point about hand-hewn antiques vs. factory-produced vintage modern stuff. I forget about that all the time. The reason I'm such a sucker for vintage clothes is because they are tailor made with all the right darts and things. Darts are sort of like dovetailing, aren't they?
Just be sure to know the difference between a knockoff and an unlicensed copy. While a knockoff is inspired by the original, an unlicensed copy is a theft equal to plagiarism. For example, fake Prada purses violate copyright law and often fund terrorism and are often made by child and/or sweatshop labor. Keep this in mind with furniture that is an outright illegal copy in terms of your own personal principles.
Becky