In With the Old
Recollections of Clothing from Generation Z Made by Natalie Guisinger
Foreword We all have our own unique, individual relationships to our clothes. Although certain pieces in our closets may hold more sentimental value to us, each of them has their own story. As a member of Gen Z, I have noticed our penchant for old clothes. I thought that maybe we feel nostalgic for simpler, more authentic times, but maybe we also want to escape into a past in which we’ve never existed, perhaps to romanticize it. In my early stages of research, I was reading about how memories from past generations can be internalized by people who may have never even experienced a certain era. In “Cross-Temporal Explorations: Notes on Fashion and Nostalgia,” Parsons Associate Professor Heik Jenß examines the intersectional relationship between fashion and nostalgia and asserts that wearing vintage clothing can be an intergenerational transmission of memory. After learning this, I wanted to understand the junction between fashion, self-expression, and a longing for the past expressed in Gen Z’s clothing, and I knew that I needed to interview young people about their thoughts on this idea. Once I began photographing and interviewing my subjects, I realized that everyone I talked to had their own interpretation of ‘clothes from the past.’ The interviews evolved into divergent conversations and stories, such as fantasizing about a “soul sister” who was the original owner of a perfectly fitted thrifted prom dress, valuing the high-quality craft of an old Nordic ski sweater handed down by a mother, or re-wearing a crew neck purchased on a family trip in middle school.
Seeing these people in-person, usually in their bedrooms or living spaces, made me realize the trust and intimacy embedded into this project. Documentary photographers tend to receive access to spaces and environments an average person does not usually get to enter. During the two month period of photographing and interviewing my subjects, I had multiple conversations regarding safety and COVID-19 with each individual prior to meeting inperson. I was getting COVID tests multiple times a week, wore my mask at all times, and was happy to photograph the subjects wherever they were most comfortable. In addition, my choice to use film photography parallels the finite, authentic nature of old clothing. Using my Pentax MX, I shot one roll of 35mm film for each subject and digitally scanned all negatives. Luckily, I was able to receive access to the University of Michigan's sole functioning darkroom to develop my own color film photos. I viewed shooting in film as an anachronism in today’s digital world. In addition, I learned to appreciate the flawed images that were double exposed or flared because they align with the flawed, yet authentic nature of old clothing. I hope the insights from the reflections that follow will prompt you to consider--or reconsider--your own relationship with clothing.
Purchased Clothing These reflections showcase articles of clothing that have been thrifted or purchased first-hand.
08 Sophie S
10 Sophie L
14 Valerie L
18 Margaret S
22 Sophia L
26 Katie C
30 Nick F
34 Emma D
36 Sophie H
40 Ryan L
Gifted Clothing These reflections showcase articles of clothing that have been passed down or gifted to each individual.
44 Shimonti S
48 Ben D
50 Jacob W
52 Rachel I
56 Lily C
58 Abby M
62 Alex A
64 Evan P
Sophie S, 17 “I chose this vintage satin prom dress because I have never seen anything quite like it." "The color reminds me of the sky on a bright, clear day. I believe the dress was made in the early 2000s, and I was born in 2003, but I would love to visit the 2000s as my current teenage self to experience the zany, Paris Hilton-inspired fashion of that time. I thrifted this dress for $8, and after a bit of researching, came to find that it was originally around $200. I am not the original owner, which is why I love it. I can imagine someone having a crazy fun prom night, dancing the night away. My soul sister must have owned it before me because it fits me like a glove. Although I haven’t worn it out yet, I know that I will create memories in it which will instill sentimental value into the
dress. I thrift at least twice per month, mainly to scour for new inventory to post on my preloved clothing account @sophiies.shoppe on Instagram. My shop serves as a hand-picked, digital thrift store that eliminates the time and energy it takes to sift through hundreds of articles of clothing. I actually opened my shop because of the negative stigma around thrifting in my community. I realized that if I put in the hard work to find and clean thrifted pieces, people were much more willing to shop second-hand. However, TikTok and the push for sustainable fashion alternatives has undoubtedly made thrifting ‘cool’ again, so I’m glad to see my peers starting to venture out of their shopping comfort zone.”
“TikTok and the push for sustainable fashion alternatives has undoubtedly made thrifting ‘cool’ again.”
Sophie L, 21 “The piece of clothing that I picked are these tan corduroy pants." "I think I got these at the Salvation Army in Ann Arbor last year, and I wear them all the time. They’re probably one of the comfier, nicer pairs of pants that I’ve owned, which is really fun. These are high waisted, they come all the way up, which is just a more flattering look for me. I really like the mid-thigh length or the 'mom' short look, that’s the most comfortable. And I know that corduroy is coming back into style now. It just seemed like they were kind of calling me. You know when you go through the racks, and you’re just looking for something. Then you find something and you’re like, ‘yes,’ you have that feeling. And so once I got them, I wear them all the time, like with most things.”
“I thrift most of my clothes at this point. There are some things that I'll go to the store for, like staple pieces or maybe something trendy once in a while if I really like a certain style. But I thrift jeans. Most of my jean shorts actually are jeans that I've cut into shorts because I find that they fit much better than jeans or jean shorts that you just buy at a store. Sometimes I’ll draw on them with Sharpie or use bleach to make cool patterns on the fabric. I’m not really good at sewing, so most of the alterations are just done with scissors, and I deal with the outcome.”
"Then you find something and you’re like, ‘yes,’ you have that feeling. And so once I got them, I wear them all the time, like with most things.”
Valerie L, 21
“I picked these vintage Carpenter pants I got at a thrift store in Port Huron, Michigan." "I was shopping with my girlfriend, and
I think this was close to Thanksgiving. We just had some time to kill. I wanted some cool, baggy, skater pants. It’s really hard to find clothes that fit me, so I found these in the boys' section, which is hype. But I definitely shop for pants in the boys' section just because they fit me better. Pants are always really long on me, so these are the solution. I got these pants for maybe, like,
four bucks, and I’ve literally seen the exact same pants and the same size for, like, 50 dollars on Depop. Honestly, they just make me feel cooler when I wear them. Definitely more trendy, you know, with baggy pants coming back in, skinny jeans are out. I feel more creative and artistic. I feel like it’s a placebo efect, because I feel like when I skate in these, I feel slightly better and more confident.”
"I feel like it’s a placebo efect, because I feel like when I skate in these, I feel slightly better and more confident.”
Margaret S, 22 “I picked out this pink Petoskey sweatshirt." "I got it when I was in middle school when we went on a family trip to Petoskey. It is still such a staple in my closet. I still wear it, I still love it, and I like how it’s kind of vintage. I mean, not really, but that’s okay. It’s soft and worn-in now. It’s bright pink, and it just brings a pop of color. Even if I stopped wearing it, I don’t know if I would get rid of it.”
“It’s been with me through many parts of my life. Some of my family members have even commented like, ‘I think you got that when you were in middle school.’ I definitely did. I wish I had a million sweatshirts in the same softness and the same font in all diferent words; it doesn’t have to say Petoskey. I think over the years, I thought I was supposed to have a certain style. But I’ve come to realize that my style is what I want it to be; it doesn’t have to have a name, it doesn’t have to have a genre. And I think that pretty much summarizes my closet: it’s a mixture of many things ranging from comfy clothes like this, and sweatpants, and joggers. I also love to dress up, so I have dresses and skirts.”
Sophia L, 21 “I picked this blue dress that I thrifted." "It ties in the middle, and it's just really flowy and beautiful. In some ways, you could wear and it could look like a sack, like a rice sack, or flour sack, or whatever. But when you tie it, it can actually make it more feminine and shaped to your body, which I like about it. The leg slit makes me feel sexier. There was a time when I wouldn't wear long dresses because I thought it was too mature. But I think as I've grown older, I've been more comfortable wearing longer things. I think I
tend to wear it when it’s sunny. The specific memories associated with this now kind of transcended into my object. I guess I associate light and sunlight and movement a lot with it. I wore it to one Easter when I was getting to know another side of my family more. It was Spring 2019, and my mom and my brother came to town. I think it was kind of one of those warmer days in the spring where it would be okay to wear a dress and little jacket and you could go outside."
“I didn’t really realize that they were part of my family and so close. As I become more mature, I’ve been more aware of my family network. I got to go there for the first time and learn more about them. What I was wearing sticks in my mind with becoming more aware of my family and the intricacies of the social things but also the traditions and the memories I shared with them.”
“What I was wearing sticks in my mind with becoming more aware of my family and the intricacies of the social things but also the traditions and the memories I shared with them."
Katie C, 21 “I picked out a pair of pants with a plaid pattern." "I feel like I'm being hugged because they're very tight, but also confident. They're flare leg pants I got in Nashville a couple years ago. It's funny, my friends and I were actually going camping, then we got really cold. So we decided to take a little detour to Nashville and went thrifting there. I think the pattern stuck out to me a lot. I love a good pair of funky pants, and these are definitely funky. The pattern kind of reminds me of like a 70s couch or something. It would be interesting to see what life was like back then and to see what other people were wearing. It was really interesting to see all the diferent like pieces in Nashville compared to New York or Ann Arbor thrift stores because they had a ton of like country looking pieces--a lot of cowboy hats and cowboy boots, which is awesome. I am definitely interested in using thrifting as a way to mitigate or minimize our environmental impact and to get away from fast fashion.”
"I am definitely interested in using thrifting as a way to mitigate or minimize our environmental impact and to get away from fast fashion.”
Nick F, 22 “The piece of clothing that I picked is a pair of Girbaud jeans." "I bought [them] in Chicago from a thrift store at Wicker Park. The design of the
jeans totally embodies what my style is as a whole--I would describe them as like my perfect pair of pants. Girbaud jeans were super popular in the 90s. I just feel like wearing the jeans is a sentiment of that era. I feel like the vibes would just fit me really well if I was in the 90s, I already wear very oversized clothing.
"I feel like fashion and style as a whole always draws from inspirations from the past."
“I'm a big fan of hip hop music [and] I'm really getting into 90s R&B music right now. That's when fashion started really being incorporated in a lot of street wear. I feel like fashion and style as a whole always draws from inspirations from the past. I think reimagining past styles into whatever your current style is--or re-wearing the way that is diferent than originally intended--[is] still uplifting the old style; I think it is the basis of what fashion is. I traditionally shop at a lot of second-hand stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army. I think [thrifting has] been a big part in my little sister's and [my] relationship. I think it’s something that we bonded on. Whenever I go home now it’s like, ‘oh, let’s go thrift shopping,’ so I think it’s definitely a way that I’ve grown closer to, like, the people around me. I feel like it’s like an event almost in its own way.”
Emma D, 21 “I was super stoked when I found this little purple corset. "I was at Goodwill with my friends, and we were just sort of perusing. I always like to check out the lingerie section because you can find some cool grandma stuf in there. I saw it, and I was immediately shocked that someone had given this up because I definitely think it’s worth some money. I saw it, and I was like ‘this is for me, this is made for my body.’ It makes me feel super confident when I wear it. I’m in love with it-it looks like something that you would buy at Urban Outfitters. This has this little skull on the label, so I think it might be from old Hot Topic..”
“It brings me back to the earlier 2000s when being scene was cool and MySpace was the thing. I think emo scene clothing, like corsets, is sort of making a comeback right now. I think I identify with it, because--I mean-I’m thinking of, like, 2007, 2008, 2009, I was really young. I was, like, 7, 8, 9 in that era. I remember looking on the Internet and seeing these girls, their edgy clothing, and their lace, and their fishnets. My parents would never let me [wear] that. I think especially as an adult, I’ve sort of been drawn back to that because I didn’t get to express that part of myself as a kid. And so I think when I find something like this, it sort of makes me feel like I have a chance to go back and relive what I didn’t get to do before. And so in that way, it definitely means something to me, because I longed to be able to express myself. My parents were more conservative with me as a kid. Obviously, now I have blue hair, I’m doing it all. It brought me back to this place that I have always wanted to go to. “
Sophie H, 20
“I picked this green, plaid peacoat from a vintage store downtown called The Getup." "When I went to The Getup that day, I ended up leaving with three pea coats. I love getting coats because I feel like you can have a good coat, and it makes your whole outfit. It’s like the staple piece. So I saw it, and I was like, ‘I love the pattern of it’ because it was green and had this kind of aqua-like, plaid pattern
woven into it. I was like, ‘that is the most unique coat I’ve ever seen.’ A lot of random people would ask, ‘where did you get that?’ I would be on my moped and I would hear, ‘where did you get that coat?” which was so fun because it’s just a random thing, and I ended up talking to people about it.”
“It’s so cool how female fashion back then was so bold because the colors are so bright.”
“It was also from the sixties which I thought was cool. It’s so cool how female fashion back then was so bold because the colors are so bright--it was a lot of one base color, and the whole outfit would be based on that color. I wonder if maybe this coat was paired with a pair of green pants or something. I would love to go back and see what the original outfit was.”
Ryan L, 22
“I picked this nice, light blue, cotton, denim-looking jacket." "It’s kind of oversized, but I think it pushes my style in a certain way that I think looks fresh. I thought it was my mom’s old jacket she gave me, but then I showed it to her, and she’s like, ‘no, that definitely didn’t come from me.’ So I know I must have gotten it thrifting. I used to go thrifting with an ex-girlfriend a lot. I wore it to Outside Lands, so I guess it’s kind of like an older memory of mine. I’ve had it for at least four years. It might be from the early 2000s. But it says Intel on it, that’s very early 2000s. It has to be post-dot-com boom. I most likely got it at this place called Thrift Town, which is in the Bay Area. It’s in this place called El Sobrante, which is, like, 20 minutes from where I live. Thrifting culture in the Bay Area is pretty similar to what I’ve seen, like, at The University of Michigan. I feel like only cool people do it now; it’s still kind of like a hipster thing to do. It’s definitely on the come up."
“I feel I find myself saying, ‘let’s go thrifting,’ to people a ton, but I never do it. And I kind of wish I went more because every time I go, I find something cool. I don’t know, I just don’t have the motivation for some reason. I’m always trying to look for cool stuf from the 80s. I really like jackets from the 80s and stuf that looks kind of dorky but kind of cool, because [that era had] good colors and good designs.”
Shimonti S, 21 “I picked this dupatta, this scarf that my friend Shivanni got for me from India." "She went to India our freshman year of college and was like, ‘I saw it in the market, and I thought of you.’ I like this because it’s something that isn’t a formal piece of Indian clothing; It’s an Indian thing that I can wear with non-Indian clothes. I’m wearing pants I got at Macy’s and this. There’s a lot of blending in Indian fashion, for sure. I don’t see Indian clothes as much, so then when I do see them, I’m like, ‘whoa, that’s really cool.’ The last time I wore Indian clothes, it was [at] my brother’s wedding.”
L A K
E
p L A
C
I D
USA
“It feels special when I wear Indian clothes. It feels like I’m doing it for something--I think I'm a lot more connected to my heritage. It’s more rare now that I get to wear Indian clothes, or listen to music, or dance, stuf like that. That was what I did a lot [of] in high school, and I haven’t since then, and so it means a lot. I think everything that makes me think of India has sentimental value Clothing is, like, another way to connect with it. I really value cultural touchstones because it was always a part of who I was growing up, even if I didn’t outright realize it. I think I always kind of was aware of it in the back of my head. And so now as an adult owning it, and embracing it as who I am, I really like it.”
“I really value cultural touchstones because it was always a part of who I was growing up, even if I didn’t outright realize it.”
Ben D, 19 “I got this sailor jacket from my sister’s friend’s mom, Mrs. Carroll."
"I’m not sure what the brand is. I can look at the tag. Oh, it’s Verona knits, sounds Italian. [Mrs. Carroll] used to collect vintage clothing when she was younger. So she got this at an estate sale in Detroit. It was like a mansion. She spent, like, four hours just looking through the rooms and everything. [Mrs. Carroll is] kind of a hoarder; she has, like, a bunch of vintage clothing and would collect men’s vintage clothing. She has girls and
then she has this one boy, and he’s really buf and everything--none of them can fit into it like her. When I came over, she was like, ‘This is perfect, we’re gonna have so much fun.’ And we did a day where I just went to her house and tried on a bunch of her clothing. It was just so fun. So then she pulled this out of the closet. I was like ‘perfect,’ and it fit and everything. But yeah, I’m really happy that she did that.”
“I think now modern clothes are so boring, especially men’s wear. I think it’s just kind of watered down nowadays. Some people are fine with just wearing jeans and modern clothes, like a T-shirt, but back then, the clothes were influenced by more music, and I’m so influenced by music. You know, like the high-rise pants, that’s what everyone wore at the club and everything, and people would dress up. So I think, yes, I like wearing clothes from an older time, just because I just really like vintage things.”
Jacob W, 20 “The piece of clothing [I picked] is this shirt that I’m wearing." "This is definitely from the 1980s when my dad originally owned it. He’s a jazz pianist, keyboardist, and organist. Anything from church gigs, to bars, restaurants, festivals, subbing-ins, or specific bands [that] ask him to play. He’s in the Jazz scene in Kansas city, and back then, he was in Portland too. He’s always had this, and he wore it to gigs, and then I got a hold of it. I’ve had [the shirt] since junior year of high school. My brother had it before he went of to college, but he left a ton of his old clothes in bags. As I was moving into his old room, I was taking out the bags and opened them up to see what I could find, and this was one of the first things that I found. I was like, ‘oh my god, it’s here. I can wear this now?’ And then my dad was like, ‘it looks better on you than it does on me, so keep it.’ So I’ve always worn it. Because, I would run out of clothes, I’d go into my parents’ closets [as well]. It became like a sport for me. I would sometimes even ask my mom, like, ‘can I wear this?’ And she’d be like, ‘yeah, I guess.’"
“It would have been a lot harder for me to exist in the time that this shirt was made. If I’m correct in saying it’s from the 80s, it was very hard for not only black people, but gay people as well. [With] the AIDS pandemic, and it was just a lot of grieving and loss and kind of traumatic, similar to what we’re going through now. I definitely wouldn’t want to put myself in that situation, especially when the country wasn’t super accepting; it was still very conservative like Reagan-era America.”
Rachel I, 20 “The piece of clothing I picked is this sweater from the 1950s." "It’s from a shop in downtown Ann Arbor called Dear Golden. It reminds me of an ice-skating sweater. I don’t think that it has sentimental value yet in the way that we think about clothes being sentimental. We’re like, ‘oh, like, I’ve worn this through a bunch of memories. Someone kissed me in this sweater,’ or ‘I wore it when I went to this one party.’ But I think it does hold sentimental value in the sense that it has sentimentality knowing that someone else had their own memories in it. It holds its own stories. When I thrift I think more about who maybe had it before me, and why did they get rid of it, what else do they like to wear, who were they?'"
Ti
o
..
“I think for me, this piece represents the mystery sometimes behind getting secondhand clothing. Obviously, only some places that are very curated know the actual decade that something is from. But no matter what you buy, whether it’s from Goodwill, or, like, a really fancy place that specializes in [vintage clothes], you’re getting a piece of clothing that has a past life and existed with one or more people before you--[it] existed through memories and diferent years, possibly before you were alive. And I think that’s really interesting when you buy those clothes. It’s almost the same energy when you pass people on the street. It’s like, ‘oh my God, this piece of clothing has its own story that I have no awareness of.’”
Lily C, 21 “My grandma gave me this jacket about two years ago at the end of the summer [when] I went and visited my grandparents." "She always had the most amazing wardrobe. She had this very amazing style, and she took such good care of her clothing. I always really admired that and appreciated the way that she took care of her clothes. This was a jacket that she didn't wear much anymore, and she ofered it to me. I've been wearing it since then and hope to have it for a long time. I feel super empowered when I wear it. I think that it makes me think of a diferent time."
"I put it on, and I think of where she might have worn it or how she felt when she wore it. I love the old time feel of clothes. I think it would be amazing to time travel back to the past. I think the 60s is the time era I would love to go back to just because it was a very diferent time. There was the hippie movement going on and seemed like a very free decade. I’d love to go back and also see what my parents experienced growing up, what life was like, what my grandparents experienced.”
Abby M, 21
“I picked my mom’s old Liz Claiborne sportswear ski sweater." "It’s really cozy, and I like to wear it a lot. I think it’s a piece of clothing that my mom and I both really like. My mom is trying to reinvent her wardrobe, and that means she had a lot to clear out. So before she gets rid of anything, she is always like, ‘oh, Abby, do you want this? If you don’t want it, give it to Natalie.’ And it’s also been passed around by my friends; when I was studying at St. Andrews, I went to Copenhagen for a little while with some friends. And because our airline didn’t allow baggage, we all decided to share clothes. So not only have I worn this, but a lot of my friends wore this when we were doing Copenhagen, if you will. And then almost immediately after that we all got sent home, so I really cherish those memories with them.”
allery
"Not only have I worn this, but a lot of my friends wore this when we were doing Copenhagen, if you will."
Alex A, 21 “I picked these jewelry pieces that I made out of old beads from my great grandmother." "I picked these because I think they have sentimental value to me, not only because they are familiar, but also because I wear them a lot. My great grandmother gave them to [my mom] when she was younger. My grandmother died when my mom was nine; I think my mom was very afected by that loss in her family. So any ties that she has to her family are nice to keep around, even if it’s in the form of jewelry. To have something that kind of reminds me of her, especially when I'm at school, is really nice.”
“To have something that kind of reminds me of her, especially when I'm at school, is really nice” “I’m really, really close to my mom. I think I was 15 when I started getting into jewelry making. I was like, ‘Mom, do you have any old jewelry? Like any beads that I can use?’ She [was] like, ‘you know, I've been holding on to these for a while.’ Because my mom was into art too, she was like, ‘I was thinking about using them, but I know that I'm not going to get to it. So you can have them.’ And so she just gave them to me and let me use them for my crafts.“
Evan P, 22 “This is my mom's old ski sweater." "I think this was her sweater she got when she was college-aged. She went on an impromptu trip with her friends out West. I don't know where she got it, but I know she wore it when she went to Colorado. I've seen all these old photos of her in the sweater. I think it embodies a good energy-an interesting time in her life that's very youthful. It's peak mom, I guess. I’m assuming it’s from the 80s when Nordic ski print fashion was a thing. I picture this being like, ‘oh, yeah, we gotta hit the slopes! If we don’t win the big race, they’re gonna turn down the youth center!’ That kind of ski aesthetic.”
“I’ve had it since high school. We used to have way too much stuf in our home when we were younger. I wouldn't say we were hoarders, but living in an apartment in New York City with limited space, stuf just accumulates over the years. There was so much clothing we were going through, and she found it, and said, ‘you’d look sick in this,’ and I said, ‘yeah, I totally would.’ It’s, like, one of my favorite things to wear in the winter, it’s toasty as hell. I feel really cozy. The fact that it was more about my mom for so many years too definitely makes me feel closer with her to a certain degree. I think I just feel more grounded at home. I feel mentally and physically cozier, and hygge.”
Acknowledgments Thank you Mom and Dad for your unconditional support. You two passing down your old jewelry and oversized sweaters to me was probably why I started this project in the first place. Thank you to all of the members of SHEI Magazine--namely the Print Editors--for inspiring me and making me laugh. The enthusiastic, humorous, and inclusive environment we fostered this year is something I’ll always cherish. Thank you Isaac Wingfield for preserving film photography at The University of Michigan and allowing me to creatively explore the medium during my last year here. Thank you Jennifer Metsker for always assisting me with my writing efforts over the years. You have always empowered me to dream big. Finally, I want to express my gratitude to each member of Gen Z who participated in this book. I appreciate your generosity and flexibility for helping me work on this project amidst a pandemic.