Publication Date: Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Everything old becomes new again
Everything old becomes new again
(February 09, 2005) Vintage gowns offer style, step back in time
Vintage gowns offer style, step back in time
(February 09, 2005) by Molly Tanenbaum
Sometimes, the perfect wedding gown can be somebody else's. At Ages Ahead, brides-to-be can find their ideal dress; one-of-a-kind, classy and with a sense of history.
The small bridal boutique in downtown Palo Alto features a few hundred vintage wedding gowns as well as new gowns by lesser-known designers.
"One-of-a-kind is very popular because in this mass, crowded, busy world, we're just looking for a niche," said Katherine Manzini, owner of Ages Ahead for over 30 years.
A bride's desire for a singular gown reflects the nature of today's educated class, Manzini said. "Educated and well-traveled people want to be more individualistic and don't want to follow the crowd," she said. "They don't want to just look in a magazine and look like someone else. They want to look like themselves."
A vintage gown is distinctive and brings with it a romantic past that sparks the imagination. Customers at Ages Ahead can speculate as to how the previous owner felt while she wore the gown back in the 20s or 30s.
"If a dress is beautiful, it just emanates the happiness of the moment of the person who wore it," Manzini said.
Sandra Learned Perry of Napa Valley told her husband that the two should renew their wedding vows so she could buy a vintage wedding gown at Ages Ahead.
A vintage gown appeals to Perry because of the "history that comes with it that we don't necessarily know, but you can kind of feel it with the dress, the romance of it," she said.
Vintage gowns also reflect the trends of today.
"It's Hollywood that affects taste. It's 'Sex and the City,' 'The Notebook,' 'The Majestic' -- all darling 50s dresses. It all affects people's tastes," Manzini said. "During the Titanic movie, everyone wanted an early teens ragtime dress."
When Caroline Bisset wore a simple 1930s sheath at her wedding, Manzini saw a boom in sales of 30s sheath dresses. But right now, the 40s and 50s are hot, mainly because of Sarah Jessica Parker's style, Manzini said.
Ages Ahead occasionally sells to the famous, not just to those trying to emulate them.
"We sold Betsey Johnson her wedding dress a few years ago. Very 50s, very Grace Kelly, very frothy," said Manzini, describing a William Cahill gown. Cahill dresses are very popular. Manzini has sold almost every one she's stocked.
A vintage gown offers a high quality of workmanship that does not exist today. A dress from the 30s may hold up better than a dress bought new off the rack, Manzini said. "We've gotten into such a throw-away society. You can't pass (a modern gown) on to someone because you're lucky if you can wear it two or three times."
Manzini scours estate sales and antique shows across the United States to supply her store with gowns. "I try to restore them and recycle. It's good for everybody," she said. "Don't let it rot in a closet. Let someone enjoy it."
In search of a vintage gown, Peggy Nutsch of Santa Clara came to Ages Ahead. She has observed the individuality of today's bride.
"I know a lot of people that I've worked with who've gotten married in the past five years or so and they're more into individual-type shopping, not, 'Oh, I'm going to go wherever everybody goes.' People are kind of branching off and trying to put their individuality into their weddings. It's like, how different can you be?," Nutsch said.
Nutsch would rather pay for a high quality vintage gown than a new dress. Gowns at Ages Ahead range from $500 to $2,000.
"They're very pricey but to me they're worth it. You can pay the same price for a new one but they're just not the same," she said.
One catch is that vintage gowns tend to be available in small sizes only. A size eight in the 50s is a size four today, and many women are larger than the original owners of the gowns. Families will donate or sell their too-small heirloom gowns and hold onto larger sizes, according to Manzini.
But Ages Ahead can alter and re-size dresses.
"We've learned to open them up and size them up. So if somebody loves a dress, you don't give up," she said.
Ages Ahead also sells new, one-of-a-kind gowns with a retro look, for those with their hearts set on the classic look of a vintage gown. A new gown can be ordered in any size.
"We deal with small designers. They do their own things. They're very detailed, not mass-produced," Manzini said.
Ages Ahead is located at 524 Bryant Street at University Ave. in Palo Alto. The boutique is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; appointments are necessary on Saturday. Call (650) 327-4480 or visit www.agesahead.com for more information.
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