[ALKARUS Fashion Blogger]

Dany Dos Santos is a blogger who created the blog Alkarus (www.alkarus.com). He is currently a student finishing up his master’s degree in management control.

What is your definition of vintage, in relation to fashion and society?

Born in 1990, vintage is for me, in the truest sense of the word, given to objects that are from a time period I never knew.

In relation to fashion and in particular to ready-to-wear, vintage reminds me of the beginning of the big designers like Yves Saint Laurent. But more so, it reminds me of the authenticity and the simplicity of the clothes from this time period.

This vintage movement appears to benefit my generation, because we live in a time in which ready-to-wear is in constant evolution, created from products deprived of history. I don’t take part in the movement that adopts everything vintage; however, it definitely inspires my outfits.

But it also appears to be a way of life, a particular philosophy. In other words, it acts not only as a consumption of products labeled “old”: there is the person who buys a 1980’s jacket to be part of the current vintage movement, but there is also this person who listens naturally to his records.

In relation to our current society, I would say, therefore, that it is a way of healthier and simpler living, with a value placed on objects from specific eras.

What is your most personal vintage object or memory?

My young age makes it so that I do not own many vintage objects. Nevertheless, I often enjoy rummaging through the closet of my dad in order to find old items that I can regularly use. I recently found an old record turn-table that is now occupying a small space in my apartment. The clear authenticity that is displayed by such objects is quite fascinating to me and will never cease to inspire me.

If you were…

A vintage person…

I would say Martin Luther King, for his moral integrity, his pacifism and his remarkable courage.

A vintage film…

I would choose the T.V. show, The Little House on the Prairie, a classic that everyone knows. Their way of life with great simplicity, exemplary characters such as our famous Charles Ingalls, the endearing decor and of course, the clothing which was a good representation of vintage style.

The show reminds me of the beautiful days that I spent alongside my grandmother, watching each episode at noon in front of her old cathode TV.

A vintage place or decoration…

It would have to be a personal place in my hometown: my grandparent’s agricultural garden. They put their heart and souls into this unique garden in order to support their children, which they continued to work on until well into their older years.

I still remember when I was small and was always delighted by a phrase my dad said: “today, we are going to granny and grandpa’s garden”. It was a small corner of paradise where peace and serenity reigned. A spot where we gathered together with joy and a good mood so that we could continue to maintain what my courageous grandparents had constructed.