Vintage Feats by retroiscooler Episode 4
feat – an extraordinary act or achievement, usually displaying boldness and skill.
It’s that time of the year again so we wanted to make this fourth episode somewhat special – not that the others are lacking uniqueness in any way – by giving it an Eastern European touch. Also, even if we believe that all our clothes can be worn by anyone and everyone alike, we want to dedicate this session to all ladies out there who share our love for vintage clothes and retro streetwear. But enough with our long introduction. Let’s dive right into the stories of the four items we have put together for this episode of Vintage Feats by retroiscooler.
We want to make it clear from the very beginning.
No, we don’t like communism. Yes, we think it was the worst period in Romania’s recent history.
But it did happen and as we cannot simply go back in time and erase it from our past, the next best thing is to talk about it and understand it correctly. Romania was under communist rule for around 45 years until December ‘89 and the regime was a full-on dictatorship that entered all parts of life of everyone living in the country.
The propaganda started early from the kindergarten years and progressed with age with the aim of brainwashing all Romanians with fake news about how brilliant communism was. Reality was – of course – totally opposite to the picture the party leaders were trying to portray, but that is a different story. Now let’s get back to our blue jacket and its story.
By the end of the 1980s, things were starting to become dire in the country, and the same applied to Romania’s relations with other states, especially the Soviets. Thus, communists made it compulsory for women to fulfil military obligations just like men – the only difference being the period which was shorter for the ladies. Thus, before becoming Patriotic Guards, they needed to join the youth wing of this group which was called Preparing the Youth to Guard the Country (Pregătirea Tineretului Pentru Apărarea Patriei) or PTAP.
As PTAP members, girls – as portrayed in the image above – had to wear a uniform, part of which was this blue jacket with golden buttons and a patch of the Communist Romanian flag stitched on the right arm. Our jacket here is an excellent vintage example that has stood the test of time to be today’s silent witness of those days. And it’s still very much wearable even if it’s carried such a heavy load for 4 decades.
We remain behind the Iron Curtain for these next items and do a first in our series by putting two items together under the same number. We do that despite the fact that on our website we sell the Adidas jacket and track pants separately and mainly because – after extensive research – we believe they could be two parts of the same tracksuit.
They were both made in Yugoslavia where Adidas had a factory (just like it had in most then-communist countries) in the mid-to-late 70s. How do we know that? Well, they are definitely post 1971 simply because that was the year when the brand’s trefoil logo was launched, and both these items sport it proudly on them.
With the launch of the brand’s trefoil logo came a diversified line of apparel focused on both the utilitarian and fashionable aspects of the collection which included t-shirts, shorts, and another Adidas invention – the tracksuit. In the late 60s, Adi Dassler, the creator of Adidas, partnered with German football star Franz Beckenbauer and named one of the brand’s tracksuits after him, helping increase its popularity amongst other athletes and – most importantly – the general public.
Adding to our belief that these two pieces were made 50 years ago are some vintage 1970s adds we came across when surfing the web to document this episode’s stories. These ads show items if not exact like ours – very similar to them in design and details. Of course, we could be wrong, and they could be from the 80s. If that is the case, we’d be more than happy to learn something new about them and rectify, so if you have proof to support that, please drop us a line in the comments section. Until then, we’re sticking to our guns. Or Wangs.
Our little play on words at the end of the previous section helps us introduce the last item on our list today. And you are right – these sneakers are not vintage. However, we think they’ll age well, and their current retro vibes are simply extraordinary. Plus, they really blend in with the rest of today’s items. Part of the first capsule of his collaboration with the German brand, New York designer Alexander Wang did a great job designing this pair, creating a timeless shoe that works with everything.
These sneakers stand out through their sheer simplicity and sophisticated aesthetics. Details like the perforated Adidas trefoil logo or the branding on the tips of the shoelaces, the multi-coloured midsole, or the electric blue are all examples of a well-though-through process and brilliant mind. And you’ll look brilliant in them, too.
Images courtesy of adidas.com, ziarulnational.ro and ebay user southpaw 1016
