I would consider myself to be an enthusiast for all things vintage; I aspire to surround myself with things that withstood the test of time. I believe that there is nothing more comforting and inviting than something that is well-worn and tattered. I have an affinity for top hats and I never say 'no' to anything crunched or frayed around the edges.
I am only 22, but I feel that I am authorized to say that they just don't make things like they used to. I may not have been around during the time that some of my possessions were in their prime, but I have been around to watch plenty of 'new' things fall apart. Vintage t-shirts that feel like they just might survive only one more wash before they fall apart but continue to live to be worn another day. The old purse from 1950 that you've used for years and it's never let you down. The books passed down from generation to generation with the original binding still intact. And finally there is the old tattered top hat that you wonder how it ever withstood the test of time. It is crunched and it is frayed and it is just about to fall apart, but somehow it holds to it's binding and it lives on.
These are the things that fill me with joy. When so many things are fleeting, there are the old t-shirts, the old accessories, and the old tattered top hat letting you know that some things were built to last. These bring hope and happiness as they have for many years - some more years than others, but they are the things that keep coming back.
I love old things. Growing up, my mother purchased old things and it seemed that she believed that the more beat up and warn it was, the better it was. She always says, "...it has character". I have grown to believe this and cherish it. The things you surround yourself with might not be perfect, but if they are perfect to you and they make you happy, then that is all that matters. Whether it be "the more rust the better" or "the more tattered the better" it will always be the same. What you are really saying is...the older the better.
And remember, never say no to the crunched and tattered top hat.
