Vintage School Girl Fashions

September 08, 2016
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage School Girl Fashion, Vintage Blog

Today I strapped on new book bags on my children and placed them with their new teachers and had to walk away and say goodbye. Time passes and it doesn't get any easier. The school year is filled with lots of homework, waking up early, and ironing uniforms. Its bittersweet because every time you drop them off another year has passed.

The fun parts of a new school year are the newness of all the clothes and school supplies, the crispy breeze through your hair, the brown crunchy leaves at your feet, and the ability to finally wear your cardigans.

I went to Catholic school my whole life and my children attend Catholic school so uniforms and plaid go hand in hand when the school year begins. It got me to thinking about what kids wore years before and what my research showed me was the kids have been rocking peter pan collars, cardigans, and plaid for decades. Frankly, I love it. I think you will too.

A Vintage Nerd, Vintage School Girl Fashion, Vintage Blog
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage School Girl Fashion, Vintage Blog
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage School Girl Fashion, Vintage Blog
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage School Girl Fashion, Vintage Blog
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage School Girl Fashion, Vintage Blog
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage School Girl Fashion, Vintage Blog
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage School Girl Fashion, Vintage Blog

Do school girl fashions make you giddy for marble notebooks and freshly sharpened pencils? There's something fresh about the beginning of a school year. I spent so many years in school that after a while September felt more like the start of a new year than New Year's itself. 

I also find uniforms and back to school fashions a precursor to the fall and in my book that's a great thing. I personally wish the fall lasted all year round than just the two months that we have it here in New York.

Do you like school girl fashions? If so, what is it that you like about it? If not, what don't you like about it?

Pop Culture Tuesdays: Degrassi

September 06, 2016
A Vintage Nerd, Pop Culture, Degrassi Junior High, 1980s TV

While other kids grew up with cable television I was lucky to grow up with PBS, which stands for Public Broadcasting System. It was free and it came with standard channels. In Manhattan where I was born and spent my childhood, that channel was channel 13. There I experienced television shows like Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street, 3-2-1 Contact, Doctor Who, The Voyage of the Mimi, and another show called Degrassi Junior High.

Degrassi is known today by its revival with the series of the Next Generation but it all began in 1979. A production company called Playing With Time Inc. decided to create a show that would follow the lives of kids and address challenging topics such as death, drug abuse, and teen pregnancy.

The first show was The Kids of Degrassi Street (1979) and although many of the actors that were on this series turned up in Degrassi Junior High (1987-1989) and Degrassi High (1989-1991) they were not the same characters so it is not considered a precursor to the later shows.

What blew me away as preteen and teenager was for the first time being exposed to teen pregnancy. Most of us who watched Degrassi back in the 80's will never forget Spike and the moment she found out she was pregnant. I think Spike's character became pregnant at only 13 years old (by 14 she had Emma) so it was shocking.  But the way they handled her story line you couldn't help but learn a thing or two. It was powerful.

There were other story lines that can easily be applied to today which makes Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High so timeless. They address issues on sexual confusion, parental abuse and alcoholism, the effects of taking drugs, cancer, suicide, molestation, cheating, lying, young love, insecurities, and all sorts of peer pressures.

I learned so darn much from those episodes as a kid that I decided to take a look back and refresh my memory on them. I can tell you that it felt like I was walking through memory lane. There was a rawness and simplicity about the 70's and 80's that was gone once the 90's came and I miss often.

Degrassi is something special. I watching a few episodes of the latest two reincarnations (Next Generation and New Class) of the show and although it is too much like a soap opera for my taste I appreciate that the writers and producers are still addressing real problems among teens today.

I own all the cds to Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High (including their movie School's Out) and I will definitely  let my children view them when they are older. I think the best part of the show (aside from The Zit Remedy) is that watching it can open up a dialogue with your child. And frankly I think that is just incredibly awesome.

A Vintage Nerd, Pop Culture, Degrassi Junior High, 1980s TV
A Vintage Nerd, Pop Culture, Degrassi Junior High, 1980s TV
A Vintage Nerd, Pop Culture, Degrassi Junior High, 1980s TV
A Vintage Nerd, Pop Culture, Degrassi Junior High, 1980s TV

I am a sucker for cheese and not just the kind that comes from cows. I love the uber cheesiness of the 80's and Degrassi delivers. Better still it will teach you a little something about others and give you the appreciation in knowing that the teen angst years are far, far behind you.

A Vintage Nerd Supplementary Reading:





Four Decades of Degrassi-Interview with Stefan Brogren



Five Years of Favorites

September 03, 2016
A Vintage Nerd, 1960s Retro Fashion, Eshakti Red Dress, 1960s Vintage Hairstyles

I thought since this summer marked my 5th anniversary as a blogger that I would share with you some of my favorites posts. You will notice that I started out on Bunny's Victory which is still available to look through but that here at A Vintage Nerd is where I found my footing as a blogger.

Looking back at old posts made me feel so good and proud to see how far I have come in my writing, my content, my photography, and just being a blogger/vintage girl in general. I can see where I made mistakes which led to seeing where I could make things better and I can't help but feel excited about the prospect of becoming an even better blogger. Not only do I want to bring higher quality content but I want to keep progressing and evolving.

I started out on July 12th, 2011 and here I am still today. For those of who find themselves struggling to do the things they love or find the journey harder than it seems for others, I am here to tell you that the slow route may be tougher but the rewards are so much sweeter.

Enjoy peeking through some oldies but goodies and let me know which of them you enjoyed looking back on.

A Vintage Nerd, 1960s Retro Fashion, Eshakti Red Dress,  Twin Peaks, Damn Fine Coffee

2016






A Vintage Nerd, Unique Vintage 1930s Dress

2015




2014






A Vintage Nerd, The Outsiders, Vintage 1940s Dresses

2013






A Vintage Nerd, 1960s Retro Fashion, 1960s Vintage Hairstyles, Vintage Life Magazine, World's Fair Fashion
2012






A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, It's A Wonderful Life, Zuzu Petals, Old Hollywood Actors

2011







 
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