S10 Ep23 VALENTINE VINTAGE: Bella Long, vintage dealer turned fashion archivist - on how to work in a fashion archive, and documenting a workwear collection for the Smithsonian.

Can you talk a little bit about, you know, the perspective of selling vintage and what you brought from that world into archival work? Like maybe what was a useful skill to know, and then, I don't know, maybe some things that you had to, like, unlearn about being someone who was selling, you know, vintage pieces versus things that don't apply to the archival world.

Yeah.

I would say, I mean, I think my ability to find things.

Mm-hmm.

Like selling vintage, I w- I'm not...

And that's not even to say that that's maybe, like, how museums get their pieces necessarily, but, like, being able to kind of just do that, like, base object finding, like research, that, like, was really-

There is a lot of, like, vin- like research and following things down a strange path that happens in the vintage world that feels a lot like a research role.

Yeah.

And, like, I think, and, and research, a lot of people don't like that part of vintage selling or don't like that part of museum work, but I love it.

And that I feel like translates directly from doing those rabbit holes before I was even in grad school.

So, like, I def- I definitely would say that, like, that kind of love and s- like interest in it translated over from when I was selling vintage.

Um, having just, like, a kind of creative eye maybe I would say.

Like having, you know, seeing how things are connected or timelines is very useful in selling vintage.

And, like, then applying that to when you're doing, like, exhibition or, you know, like research or something like, you know, like or putting, like putting, grouping things together in, like, a, like archiving kind of vision or whatever.

But, like, I...

So I would say that is something that kind of I can say translated over.

I will say, I got a lot s- from, like, my schooling and this work that influenced selling vintage, just from, like, you know, general knowledge.

Um, something that I had to kind of learn, unlearn is, well one, the biggest thing, you can't wear the clothes.

You can't try them on.

That's, like, [laughs] probably the biggest thing is, like, that was, like, rule number one in undergrad.

I remember, like, going into the study collection and it was like you cannot put anything on.

Like, where, you know, that's a freedom that you have when you're, you have your own personal, like, shop or collection or whatever.

You know, like you wanna try on that coat, you wanna try on that hat, you wanna put on those gloves, like you can do that.

Um, that is just absolutely no, not at all acceptable, uh, in a collection or archive.

That's a big thing.

Can you talk a little bit about, you know, the perspective of selling vintage and what you brought from that world into archival work? Like maybe what was a useful skill to know, and then, I don't know, maybe some things that you had to, like, unlearn about being someone who was selling, you know, vintage pieces versus things that don't apply to the archival world.

Yeah.

I would say, I mean, I think my ability to find things.

Mm-hmm.

Like selling vintage, I w- I'm not...

And that's not even to say that that's maybe, like, how museums get their pieces necessarily, but, like, being able to kind of just do that, like, base object finding, like research, that, like, was really-

There is a lot of, like, vin- like research and following things down a strange path that happens in the vintage world that feels a lot like a research role.

Yeah.

And, like, I think, and, and research, a lot of people don't like that part of vintage selling or don't like that part of museum work, but I love it.

And that I feel like translates directly from doing those rabbit holes before I was even in grad school.

So, like, I def- I definitely would say that, like, that kind of love and s- like interest in it translated over from when I was selling vintage.

Um, having just, like, a kind of creative eye maybe I would say.

Like having, you know, seeing how things are connected or timelines is very useful in selling vintage.

And, like, then applying that to when you're doing, like, exhibition or, you know, like research or something like, you know, like or putting, like putting, grouping things together in, like, a, like archiving kind of vision or whatever.

But, like, I...

So I would say that is something that kind of I can say translated over.

I will say, I got a lot s- from, like, my schooling and this work that influenced selling vintage, just from, like, you know, general knowledge.

Um, something that I had to kind of learn, unlearn is, well one, the biggest thing, you can't wear the clothes.

You can't try them on.

That's, like, [laughs] probably the biggest thing is, like, that was, like, rule number one in undergrad.

I remember, like, going into the study collection and it was like you cannot put anything on.

Like, where, you know, that's a freedom that you have when you're, you have your own personal, like, shop or collection or whatever.

You know, like you wanna try on that coat, you wanna try on that hat, you wanna put on those gloves, like you can do that.

Um, that is just absolutely no, not at all acceptable, uh, in a collection or archive.

That's a big thing.