She’s collected over 500 pieces of vintage clothes, including cheongsams: ‘Fashion is cyclical, your taste is not’

Sewing, vintage clothing and cheongsams – these are Lin Tong’s favourite things. Influenced by her mum, the 32-year-old public servant started sewing a decade ago.

“My mum taught me to sew, I think that enabled me to explore and go further in terms of the costume and design and the vintage collecting, because that lets me work with a lot more pieces,” she reflected.

While sewing is a hobby, she does the occasional commission job too. “A lot of my designs and construction methods are inspired by the vintage pieces I collect, especially mid-century construction styles.”

Her favourite materials to work with are silk charmeuse and silk organza as well as hand-drawn batik on cotton fine weave. Lin also pitches in to her godmother’s tailoring business, Golden Scissor Cheongsam.

Her collection of vintage pieces now numbers over 500 pieces and her investment has exceeded S$20,000. Most of her pieces are purchased online and she likes brands like Jonathan Logan and R and K Originals. She describes her collection as “colourful, cheongsam-centric and quite high maintenance.”

Aside from cheongsams, she favours mid-century styles, especially those from the 1950s and 1960s. She said, “Fashion is cyclical, but your taste is not. You should keep the clothes as long as you feel that you enjoy them, and you have a good purpose for them.”

A PIECE FROM THE PAST

Lin values the craftsmanship and construction of vintage clothing. She defines vintage fashion as clothing dated from the 1980s or older, highlighting that while vintage is usually second-hand, it is not always “thrift” as the rarity and quality of construction often drives higher prices for certain genres.

She believes that vintage has a place in the modern world for two reasons – firstly, sustainability when the lifetime of the piece is extended and secondly, heritage, for the interesting story behind the piece.

Her first vintage piece was a 1980s pleated skirt in a 1950s style which she found in the New2U Thrift Shop when she was a student involved in theatre and looking for pieces for projects.

“What attracted me to that piece was there is a genre called the circle skirt, which is a 360-degree circumference of skirt. Someone went to the effort to give you that flair, that flow when you spin. It really spun in a full circle. And there was a lot of thought put into the lining, the lace, of how it was put together.”

Lin calls herself a “wearable collector”. “Some people choose to protect or not touch the pieces that they collect. Because I wear them, there's an ongoing inflow and outflow of pieces and I have no end-goal in terms of the collection. I am just enjoying the process.”

However, she doesn’t acquire anything that won’t survive the relocation from their home climate to tropical Singapore, for example, fur, as the drastic change in environment accelerates deterioration.

When Lin’s grandmother realised her passion for vintage, she gave her pieces that have stayed within the family, such as a 1970s light purple crochet dress which she had made for herself. “This makes you feel quite loved to have these pieces from them. It's quite a privilege. And it does add on to how unique or special your collection is.” She has also worn her grandmother’s orange and blue cheongsam to her graduation ceremony.

THE CHARM OF A CHEONGSAM

“It’s deeply personal but also political – a canvas for identity and narrative making that also requires a lot of construction expertise,” Lin stated, explaining how the cheongsam started out as a male garment that was borrowed by educated women looking to differentiate themselves from homebound ladies but has evolved over the decades, reflecting the patterns and influences that were key to Singapore’s place in Southeast Asia.

The cheongsam makes up around 20 per cent of Lin’s collection and she feels that it is an ideal symbol of her history as a Singaporean-Chinese. “I'm drawn to the cheongsam because I think it reflects my personal heritage and the geographical context that we grew up in.”

Her first cheongsam was a store-bought modern piece for Chinese New Year but as she got more involved in vintage fashion, she began collecting pre-loved pieces. To check if a cheongsam is properly tailored, she advises looking at the hem to see if it’s hand-stitched. She also points out that the centre back zip is more likely to be found in cheongsams that were made from the 1980s and onwards, whereas those made in older periods would have a side closure or snap buttons.

“I love wearing the cheongsam because for me, it conveys a kind of elegance and it also is a symbol of feminism for me in terms of the history of how it's constructed....” Not only does she wear the cheongsam to special events, she has even worn it to have supper at a roti prata stall.

“People often say that they can't wear cheongsam and they can't tolerate it because it's not comfortable, but the reason why the collar is cut though is exactly what makes it elegant because it forces you to sit up straight,” she quipped.

HEALING THE WOUNDED BIRDS

Lin has a soft spot for what the vintage community calls “wounded birds”. These are pieces that have flaws or imperfections that require mending. “Because I have a sewing background, I am not intimidated by the fact that something might be damaged if it's a fixable flaw. I also sometimes think about its potential rather than its current reality in terms of the vintage piece.”

Some of these include a split seam or a tear seam. “You look inside the fabric if there's extra that you can let out or cover the hole. If there's not enough allowance in the side, you might not be able to fix it. If there is, you could move it, you could take it in to fit,” she explained and adds that she spends a lot of time in the evenings remaking hems.

Issues like stains require a bit of guesswork. “Usually something that looks like it's been there for a very long time might not be able to come out. Oxygen bleach and white vinegar generally does the trick for most things,” she said and also suggests the same to remove stale, musky odour. As many pieces from the 1950s also have cigarette stains, she advises embroidering over them or to put an iron-on applique to cover it.

KEEPING MOTHS AT BAY

Maintaining the collection requires shielding it from direct sunlight and running the air conditioner and dehumidifier. “Moths are my mortal enemy,” Lin declared. Keeping the temperature consistent and avoiding large fluctuations is key. “I quarantine and launder new acquisitions to avoid moth eggs, keep the room as dry and cool as possible and kill every moth that dares try fly into my place.”

For precious pieces, she puts them in old pillowcases to protect them from rubbing against other pieces or being snagged and to protect them from direct sunlight.

“My general rule of thumb is that if it's older than me, I handwash it. If it's younger than me, I look at the condition,” she said. Silk or rayon pieces are handwashed while polyester goes in with the modern fabrics in a soft mesh bag. With cotton pieces, she washes them on a very low spin under 400 rpm. She regularly goes through her collection and sells pieces that no longer fit. “The idea is to find them a home that will love them for what remaining lifespan they have,” she explained.

Lin says that she will continue to collect because she enjoys it. “It's not about reaching an end-goal of a complete collection. It's the journey. It's more of a lifestyle rather than just a hobby because you spend a lot of time maintaining and taking care of the piece that you bring back,” she said. As for what will she intends to do with her collection, she mused, “Whatever outlives me, is to be given away by my friends to make some people with waists 24 to 28 inches very happy.” 

LEARNING VINTAGE

Lin sheds some light:

• Key parameters for dating vintage pieces: Zipper, seams, level of hand finishing, the fabric, labels. 
• Date a vintage piece by looking at the tag. If there is an American Union tag, the piece was made probably 1940s or earlier.

• Pieces made in the 1950s or earlier must be treated carefully, especially in our humid climate as they are often reaching their natural lifespan due to fibre age.
• If you find a metal zipper, the odds are it was from the 1960s or older.
• Constant fixing and mending is needed for your collection/item to go the extra mile.
• Practise delicate wearing – avoid brusque, sudden rough movements that can hurt seams. 
• Look out for hand-done hems or endings because it shows how old and how much better quality the item is.
• Vintage pieces tend to be more structured compared to pieces that were made more recently.

Senior editor: Serene Seow; creative director: Chern Ling; senior producer: Lindsay Jialin; photography: Kelvin Chia; hair: Jenny Lee; makeup: Ginger Lynette using Nars.