An Exclusive Interview with My Grandma

The true vintage inspiration behind The Vintage Vault

Today, I have a special treat for you—an interview with the woman who sparked my love for vintage fashion, my grandma herself!

I’ve been interviewed a few times about my experience on social media and with vintage clothing, but today I got to turn the spotlight on her as the original fashionista of the Jones family. Although she’s camera-shy and prefers to stay behind the scenes, her stories and insights are too precious not to share, so, without further ado, let’s dive into our chat about her beginnings in vintage collecting, some of her favorite pieces, and what she wishes everyone knew about vintage clothing.

So without further ado… Grandma Pat!

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Me: When did you start collecting vintage?

Grandma: Well, I still have my first vintage sweater and skirt… At least I think I still have that skirt? I think I was probably in middle school or junior high… 7th grade probably. But I can remember being attracted to my mom’s old clothes from high school. She had this great red sweater. She and my dad each had one with a deer on them. They were quite popular.

Me: Do you know what they were called?

Grandma: I don’t, I should look for one. They were knitted and quite usually red with white. The deer was done up in white.

Here it is! A totally ugly 1940s/50s Christmas sweater…

Me: What era is your skirt and sweater? Do you remember?

Grandma: The skirt is probably from the 20s. It was a brown wool straight skirt, but quite long, so I wore it as a midi with my high brown vinyl boots that went over the knee! And then the sweater is not cashmere but angora, it’s that lavender one. You know, the lilac one?

Me: Of course! (It’s hanging in my room right now. It’s tiny.) What era?

Grandma: I would say probably from the 1950s.

A recreation of what that outfit might’ve looked like.

Me: What, in particular, drew you to vintage?

Grandma: I think I just liked the look, you know? It wasn’t because I was influenced necessarily by anything. I mean, I probably became influenced by it as I grew older and the whole hippie scene became popular and vintage was very cool. But prior to that, I was very keen on it and I didn’t have any trouble… I never felt odd wearing it.

Me: Do you have a favorite piece in our collection right now?

Grandma: You know what always comes to mind is that dress that we bought in California, the black and white velvet one? I love that dress. It’s so beautiful.

Bought in college at a vintage shop in Orange, CA! Grandma loves the waist detail and rhinestones on the neckline in particular.

Me: I tried to get rid of it and you said “you can’t do that.”

Grandma: (laughing) You don’t have to embrace it as much as I do, you know that. Just wait till I’m gone… also, Stella’s dressing gown, that satin dressing gown is so so beautiful.

Me: What is a piece that you wish you would’ve kept that you actually got rid of?

Grandma: My over-the-knee pink suede boots. They were kind of a mauve-pink and I wore them with my suede outfit. The tan ones you have with the little openings are okay, but… not as fantastic. Then my crocheted mini dress. It was a natural color.

This is Grandma’s suede set by the brand “Bagatelle”. It’s 2 different colors now due to age, but this skirt is one of my most worn pieces.

Me: What is the secret to keeping vintage in good shape and how has it held up after all these years?

Grandma: Wow, I have to say that I have been fortunate that things have stayed in the condition that they are. In many cases, just occasionally addressing them if I thought something needed to be laundered or fixed. You know me, I won’t hesitate to wash it and iron it. And the best thing is to keep it out of a damp basement. Many things ended up down there in bins and they seem to have fared OK, but definitely hanging up the nicer things. They filled up my closets! That’s why I always say I have no closet space. “There's no closets in this house,” I would say. In fact, having this conversation with Grandpa, he bought into it until we started pulling everything out and he was like “we do have closets. They’ve just been full!”

Me: (I can attest to this! Her closets were packed with vintage) How do you feel about what I do online?

Grandma: Oh my goodness, you know that it has made me just so happy to embrace the fact that, you know, in many ways the world is enjoying the same things that I enjoyed. I’ve always been a collector of vintage jewelry and many many things because I enjoy them. They spark joy for me and I love to share that.

Me: Any piece of advice for vintage collectors?

Grandma: My philosophy is about not getting caught up on what you’re going to collect necessarily, but collect what you enjoy. It doesn’t have to be an era. It doesn’t have to be in one lane. If something is affordable to you and you like it, let it be yours. And when it doesn’t serve your purpose anymore, give it to someone else.

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There you have it! If you love something… let it be yours.

I'm thrilled to be able to share her story with all of you. While she might not be making an appearance on camera any time soon, her influence is present in everything I do and I’m so grateful to her for sharing today.

I’m hoping to do more historical deep dives and research on my follower’s pieces, so please SUBMIT HERE for a chance to be featured.

And I also want to welcome my newest founding member, Cris! Thank you for your support!