Eleanor Winans
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Could you tell me a little bit about growing up in Charlottesville?
Charlottesville is a cool place! I originally came to Georgia for college - I went to UGA. I tried moving back to Charlottesville a few years ago, I was there for about three and a half years, and I just couldn't live in my hometown so I came back to Atlanta. I graduated high school in 2002, so, when I was in high school it was very “preppy”. It’s a liberal town but it’s also definitely very Southern. I think it was after I left Charlottesville that I was able to really explore my personal style. I think growing up I was trying to fit in the box of what was around me and it wasn’t until I left for college that I realized I could start expressing myself through clothes.
I know there is a vintage community in Athens now, was that there when you were at UGA?
Yes! Athens is the reason I got into vintage pretty much. I owe that to Athens for sure. My best friend from high school went to UGA, and I went to a school in Virginia but I was visiting her a lot in Athens. I ended up transferring down there because I loved Athens so much. Obviously the music scene, the culture. It was with my friend there that I got into thrifting for the first time. Athens has had a huge impact on my personal style.
What was the process of getting into vintage for you? Was there one piece that you found that started it all?
I have this distinct memory of seeing a girl at summer camp when I was 15 or 16 wearing a skirt like this.
Where did you go to summer camp?
In Virginia, Camp Lachlan!
I went to camp too! I went to Merrie-Woode!
Yeah! Lachlan is really similar!
I had this moment that you as a vintage person will also appreciate - scrolling through eBay and I found a vintage Merrie-Woode sweatshirt and I, no joke, just screamed. I’d been looking for it for years!
That’s amazing! I would scream if I found an old Lachlan sweatshirt. I love old sweatshirts so that’s like my dream. -- I distinctly remember a girl I thought was so cool wearing a skirt like this. I bought this probably in 2002/2003 when I was really young and I never wear it anymore but I can’t get rid of it. It’s one of the intro pieces for me. Just this 70s bright expressive aesthetic is something that really drew me in at first. Just the idea of like, having something that no one else has really drawn me in. I was a pretty shy person growing up and so clothing was kind of my passive way of expressing myself.
I get that completely. Do you remember one of the first times you felt that clothes could be a way to express yourself? Was there an outfit for the first day of school or something that made you feel a certain way?
A memory is coming up for me, when I was at Virginia Tech I had started thrifting and I remember I wore this outfit to class - it was like a green 80s wool skirt and a secretary blouse - stuff that I wouldn’t wear now but, and I remember this cool girl in the class, that I wanted to be friends with, complimented me on the outfit. I know how to express myself now.
It’s a good feeling. And years later you’re still expressing yourself through clothes, it's how you make friends in a new way, it’s so awesome.
The vintage community is amazing!
It’s the nicest group of people! Everyone is so down to earth. Everyone has this love for I think, “semi-strange” things. Like a wrap skirt, I didn’t know someone else could talk about it for hours!
Right! Absolutely! It’s a bunch of nerds and we all just nerd out together! It’s amazing!
So, you live in Atlanta now, do you see Atlanta influencing how you get dressed, or the friends you’ve met here? We can talk about the vintage community!
When I first moved back down here the streetwear scene, the primary vintage scene in Atlanta is streetwear, which was influencing me a little at first. Really since I’ve lived here my interests in vintage have evolved so much and it’s all through the friends that I’ve made here. For instance, my friend Matt Smith, who you know, got me more interested in military clothing, workwear, and denim. I’ve developed a big appreciation for that kind of stuff that I didn’t have before. When I first moved back to Atlanta a few years ago my idea of vintage was still 70s-90s stuff and now I have a much deeper understanding of what “true vintage” is. I started collecting it and now selling it.
If you could be dropped in a time just for the clothes what would you pick?
I’d say the 1910s or 1930s.
Do you know what outfit you’d be wearing?
In the 1910s I’d be a full Gibson Girl. Blousy shirt, tea blouse, and shirt or tea dress. I love anything antique white. In the 30s just the vibrant patterns. I love the dress silhouettes from then, the puffed shoulders. There had never been anything like it up to that point and it influenced everything else since then so to be in the time where that stuff was made would be incredible.
Could you tell me the story behind what you’re wearing today?
This antique nightgown, my best guess is it's 1900-1920. I found it in a bin of linens at a yard sale. These boots, I refuse to get them fixed, they're completely worn out. They’re RM Williams boots that I picked up at a Beacon’s Closet in New York a few years ago. I’ve worn them into the ground but I keep wearing them. This jacket is a weird old denim blazer that Matt found and gave to me. I thought a lot about what I wanted to wear today and I think this combination is very representative of what I like to wear. One thing I really love about this jacket is how boxy it is. I’m really into loose-fitting clothing because it’s just comfortable. In the cooler months, I tend to wear lots of pants, jackets, and tops but in the summer all I wear are these flowy dresses. They just make me feel good!
That’s all that matters!
This 90s babydoll dress I sourced over 10 years ago and I still wear it just because the silhouette is flattering on me and it’s soft and comfortable!
What do you buy “too much” of?
That has evolved so much over time but I’d say big boxy dresses. Ranging from something like this that is an antique piece to 90s linen flax kind of stuff; I’m obsessed with that so I have a lot of that in my closet. I’m trying to pair down!
Which is hard!
I also have a lot of t-shirts.
They’re hard to get rid of!
They’re all old and nostalgic and have some sort of meaning.
Do you have any favorite t-shirts?
I found this at an estate sale only a couple of weeks ago and I had never found t-shirts this old before. It was a huge deal to me to actually find that stuff myself. It’s a Champion running man. This was an investment piece for me. It’s an 81 Tom Petty tee. I got it from one of my Instagram friends. It’s probably my most prized t-shirt because I’m a huge Tom Petty fan. My dad used to play Genesis and Steve Winwood when we were little kids and when I saw this t-shirt I screamed I was so excited! It’s one of those random nerdy things that’s just my thing.
What do you have the most trouble finding when you’re shopping? Is there something you’re always looking for but you can’t find?
Pants in my size! I’m a 14-16 so it’s hard to find pants that fit me. I can show you a couple things I brought!
I loved the pants you had on the other day!
I brought those! Thank you! I’ve been lucky enough to become part of the Instagram seller community. One of the things I feel is really important is supporting one another in this community. I’ve been lucky enough to find two pairs of side zips that fit me.
They’re so good!
These are from my friend Carla, The Frugal Hanger. There is a really funny story behind these pants, they were actually found by one of my business partners Matt, he actually sold them to Carla, and then she sold them to me.
Full circle!
Which I just love about this community, we’re all sort of trading with each other all the time. These are a more recent find, they’re Lee’s, I got them from Sarah Shaeffer, Double Barrell Dry Goods.
She has such great stuff!
These are definitely my two favorite pairs of pants. I love the high-high waist on these. They’re just flattering for my body type!
They’re so good!
The other pants I wear a lot are these Korean War trousers that, again I wasn’t into military stuff until I met Matt. He's been a big influence on me, and these are the most comfortable pants in the world.
I had two, then I bought a pair from Matt, they’re the most comfortable pants ever! They feel like pajamas but you look put together!
The other pair of pants I brought, they’re just like 90s silk Eileen Fisher pants but they were my mom’s. I love anything that gets passed down to me from a family member because I cherish it. These aren’t anything special, they’re just Eileen Fisher pants, but I cherish them so much. I wear them all the time. I love the idea of wearing the sort of brands my mom used to buy. She was very Ralph Lauren, Laura Ashley, I guess it’s known as cottage core now but I see it as sort of classy or classic. She kept this Ralph Lauren shirt forever and she finally let me take it last year!
How would you describe your style?
My style as of now is kind of a mix between antique whites, flowy ethereal true vintage from the 1900-30s mixed with grungy sensibility. I still love 90s clothing. I love 90s floral. I love rayon dresses from the 90s. Also, 90s mom boxed linen, flax. I’m into pretty old 20th-century stuff and pretty modern stuff.
Are there any movies you’ve drawn inspiration from?
The first movie that really affected me was Dazed and Confused.
I re-watched that recently!
I did too! I read a book about it recently, it was interviews with the cast, it was so fascinating. I don’t particularly wear a lot of 70s clothes now but it was my first sort of glimpse into fashion from another era. I love that movie so very much.
The outfits only get better too!
I know right! None of the girls are wearing dresses they're all just wearing like super high-waisted, tight, bell-bottom jeans and peasant tops. The nylon novelty print tops.
You have to watch it this time of year so you can go into summer with that mindset!
Absolutely!
We can talk about some of the pieces you brought!
This is a 1930s dress I got from my friend Kristin Karch, Iron Pony Shop. It’s another one of those things where it’s hard to find really old things that are in my size. I don’t wear this a whole lot but I like to just look at it! It’s so delicate but I’ll wear it to an event! This is a 1940s or 50s farm dress I got from my friend, Audrey Luck, White Hart Vintage Co. Pretty much all the stuff I source myself I bought from friends. That’s something I think is really important! She found this dress like this with these incredible repairs. I just love the big pockets. It’s, again, imagining the history of this dress and the woman that made this and kept repairing it over and over again because she didn’t want to be wasteful. It’s an honor to give it a new life!
Where the repairs are placed, it makes you wonder what she was doing.
Right! I need to do a little bit more work on it, I tend to be lazy when it comes to repairing my own clothes. But when it comes to stuff I sell I’m a total perfectionist.
When friends source things do you tell them what you’re looking for or it is a “we thought of you when we found this”?
I’m part of something called No Surrender Vintage collective. It’s four of us and basically, somebody will have something and I’m like “ I need that.” It’s never really intentional and it’s more that I just shop from my friends a lot! These coveralls were sourced by a friend! I mean what is there to say about them! They’re one of my favorite things. They fit me perfectly. They’ve been hemmed. They’re the perfect coverall for me and I’m so obsessed with them! HBT Red Camel 1950s - I think.
I’m sure that’s such a nice feeling to have too, that everything is coming from a friend.
And other things I buy from Instagram vintage sellers, I consider those people friends too!
This is a not-special cardigan that I just love. It’s something that I got at a yard sale. The color goes with everything. I feel that grunge Kurt Cobain feeling when I wear this; I’ll never get rid of it!
This was my dad's jungle jacket from when he was in Vietnam. I just love it, I wear it as a jacket. I have about 5 or 6 other military olive drab things but this is my favorite by far, it has my name on it too!
This jacket is another thing that I sourced forever ago, sort of in the beginning. I’ll reach for it sometimes, and sometimes I’ll go an entire season without wearing it. It’s just one of those things I’ll never get rid of because it’s too good! And now I have memories attached to it too. I really wanted to bring stuff that’s really special to me today, not so much things that are just cool and trendy!
That’s what I love to talk about! This jacket was one of the first things you remember buying?
It was pretty early, it was when I was in college. It’s not meant to have a button but I cut a hole in it and added a button, which I wish I hadn’t done now. The mistakes of youth!
Do you remember where you found this?
I do! I found it at an antique mall in Augusta, Georgia. The lady was having a clearance sale so I got it for $5 or something like that!
This is an Edwardian tea blouse. It’s another one of those things that’s hard to find in my size so when I do find it I pounce on it. I just bought this from an Instagram seller. It’s so delicate I’m almost afraid to wear it but I also try not to be too precious about my clothing. I think that clothes are meant to be worn and I think that they’re meant to be repaired and reworked, and kept alive.
Do you think you’ve adapted that sense more through finding vintage and seeing how things are worn?
Absolutely, yes. I’ve only more recently become sort of fascinated by things that have been repaired and kept alive for a long period of time. It sort of goes into the whole workwear ethos. These clothes were worn by people who wore them out of practicality and necessity. There is so much imbued in that stuff. It’s a rejection of the fast fashion culture to me as well. I’d much rather have something I love and keep it going than toss it and donate it, and who knows where it’s going? It could be in a landfill somewhere.
Do you have any favorite new brands you think are doing a really great job?
I don’t really stay on top of new stuff, I’m not super knowledgeable about the fashion industry. I’ve always just been a secondhand person, brands don’t really matter that much to me. But there are some I see in my periphery. State The Label in Athens, I love their aesthetic. I want to start buying more investment pieces.
Sometimes these end up being the investment pieces too. You have a different connection to them, especially if you find something you’ve wanted for a really long time it’s more sentimental.
This was the first true vintage sweatshirt I found. I got it in the Goodwill bins up in Virginia. This was a turning piece for me and something I wear all the time. One of my most prized possessions for sure.
Would you say this was one of the pieces that got you into that next stage of vintage?
I would say that! It’s one of them for sure. It was the kind of thing I was seeing a lot of and kind of being like - this is cool, this is interesting. And to actually source something myself felt like “okay, I’m leveling up now.” It’s even better when it’s something you want to keep for yourself.
And you have a tie to it with Charlottesville.
I didn’t go to UVA but I grew up in Charlottesville, and my dad worked at the university so it’s a very personal thing for me. And I think this is from around the time he was in college too which I love!
I love the sleeves!
The cuffs were completely coming off so I just finished the job!
Could you tell me about your rings?
This was my engagement ring. It was actually my grandmother's ring. She had it made for herself out of some other rings back in the 70s. It’s kind of gaudy but I love it. The rest are just sterling rings; I collect vintage sterling stuff. This was made by a friend of mine, Rebecca, Silver Spade Trading. And this is from my friend Stacey, Southern Oak Trading. And this was just something I found. I’m usually wearing 3 per hand!
What Makes You Think You're The One - Fleetwood Mac
Yer So Bad - Tom Petty
Dancing In The Dark - Springsteen
Higher Love - Steve Winwood
Fuckin' Up - Neil Young & Crazy Horse