Happy Sunday y’all! (Hmm. I’ve never typed ‘y’all’ before. Not sure I successfully pull it off.)
So, it’s the penultimate week of my A-Z of a vintage girl in a modern world, and I wanted to take some time to talk about being positive and saying ‘Yes!’ to things, even when they’re terrifying.
I know that this advice isn’t exclusive to vintage, but I think it’s good advice all the same, and is something that I had to really work on when I started to dress like this every day.
There are many times I was nervous, but did something anyway. That time I went to Collectif’s 100 Dresses event on my own, which was terrifying (not least because I got lost walking around Camden and thought I’d never find the shop). But, I ended up enjoying it so much that last year, I convinced one of my friends to come with me and we had a whale of a time (except for getting lost walking around Camden and thinking we’d never find the shop). You can read more about it here: https://somethingdefinitelyhappened.com/2015/11/13/bonus-post-i-said-yes-to-100-dresses-15-and-a-bit-weeks-to-go-2/
Then there was my visit to the Classic Car Boot Sale and Cahoots this year, where lots of women I admire/read blogs of/stalk a bit on social media were going. I was incredibly nervous, but they were all so lovely and kind, and I’m proud to call them my friends now (they didn’t even mind about the social media stalking, that’s how nice they are).
And, of course, there’s every time I leave the house dressed in my vintage (or vintage-inspired) outfits. I love them, and it’s become much easier to do as time has gone on, but when I first started, I was incredibly aware of what I was wearing and waiting for someone to point and laugh. And even now, when people can point and laugh as much as they like and I won’t mind, there’s still a split second before leaving the house where I wonder if it’s a bit much. The Boy combats this by telling me that yes, it is, but then so am I, and it seems to work pretty well.
And then, of course, there was this year’s Miss Vintage competition, which I was desperate to get through to the final of, then spent the entire time between being told I was a finalist and actually being in the final alternately crossing my fingers and wondering what the heck I’d done.
I was terrified. Right before going onstage, I thought I was going to faint (surprising, I know, but I suffer from pretty terrible stage fright), and when the competition finally got underway, my hat – which I’d been struggling with – nearly fell off. But, I had a great time, and got to meet some very lovely ladies (and gents). I’d do it all again, just perhaps with more gin!
Every time I’ve done something that scared me, I’ve come out the better for it. Whether it’s making new friends, achieving something I never thought I would, or just generally having a lovely time, there’s nothing that I look back on with regret.
So, next time you see something that you quite like the look of but which takes you a little (or a lot), out of your comfort zone, give it a go. Even when things don’t go to plan, there’s something to be gained from the experience; nearly losing my hat taught me to bobby pin the crap out of any future headwear, which is a handy lesson to have learned.
Take a deep breath, and just say yes!
Something Definitely Happened 