Savannah, GA -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/24/2013 -- While preparing for my wedding in 2010 (disclaimer: that did not end well but I still looked pretty!) I took an interest in vintage fashion. I designed an Audrey Hepburn look, collecting truly authentic pieces, and researching hair and make-up styles, that I hoped would do my ensemble, and Audrey, justice. I think I succeeded, and I guess I did - I was even featured in an online wedding magazine: (link to: http://www.weddingdresses.com/real-wedding-style/2011/04/a-vintage-inspired-wedding/#.Ua9IwUDCaSo). I thought what I was doing was different and fresh! Little did I know that everything old is new again, sometime – and I was at the beginning of the trend bringing back old-timey looks!

Fast forward to 2013, where vintage fashion is everywhere - from the streets of New York to Los Angeles, and everywhere in between, including my new home, Savannah, GA. Apparently I was on to something three years ago. An emerging trend. And this got me thinking about trends, and how they start and catch on. When I studied in Rome in 1997, and returned to the States four months later, I was shocked at how long it took for the US to catch up with the hottest trends in Europe which at the time included cell phones and big chunky heels.). It took about 6 months! The internet DID exist (wow, I’m dating myself) but it was not so intrinsically woven into our daily lives. At my Rome campus we had to sign up for half hour shifts to use “the email”, and that was satisfactory because most of our families and friends weren’t really online. Now students travel to that campus and access its free WiFi on all of their own personal devices, 24 hours a day.

The internet, and the interconnected marketing that it supports, has forever changed the way trends and ideas spread around the world. It allows them to catch on like wild fire and seemingly instantaneously. Just look at Gangnam Style. Whereas in 1997, it may have taken 6 months for the chunky heels popular in Italy to be seen at the malls in the suburbs, today you can see the shoes on the Italian Shoe Feed you follow on Facebook, and order them to arrive within a couple days! Or 24 hours, if you’re willing to pay for it. And this got me thinking – everyone’s walking around these days looking like they fell out of The Great Gatsby, checking their Facebook or posting to Instagram on their iPhone or Pad – what a juxtaposition! Vintage fashion and the latest technology. I wondered what does this say about our culture. As we race for the next hot item from Apple or Google, we also race to find the vintage pieces, or those that look it.

I truly think we all are, myself included, longing for a simpler time. A time when mom stayed home and left notes in our lunch box with a lipstick kiss. A place where we took the time to BE with our families, and not simply Skype with them. That is not to say parents aren’t doing their best: they, are in this ever-changing and demanding world and time we live in. However, as a society, I think we have failed a generation because we were racing to work, grabbing our latte on the go, always late, always rushing – and all just to maintain a standard of living (including every new piece of technology) that only a dual-income family could provide.

A year ago, I would’ve told you I would be a New Yorker for life. Now, after examining my life, where I’ve been and where I want to be and what I TRULY value at my core, I have moved to Savannah, Georgia. I, like so many of you I see sporting suspenders and bowties, or cloche hats, long for a simpler time and place. A time and place where stopping for conversation is an everyday occurrence (and I don’t mean stopping on the side walk to answer a text). Where my hyper-speed New York walk, will slow a few beats. I’m taking my iPhone and my vintage clothes, and making the move. I’m looking forward to it.

As seen in “Women’s Voices Magazine”: http://womensvoicesmagazine.com/

About the author: Rebecca Crowley
Rebecca Crowley is the Founder of RTC Publicity. She can be reached at: rebecca@rtcpublicity.com or 912-777-6965 (office phone). RTC Publicity is active on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/RTCPublicity, linked-in (http://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccacrowley) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/rtc_publicity).

About RTC Publicity
RTC Publicity was founded in July 2004 by Rebecca Crowley. Rebecca’s vision was to offer a PR shop that was an ethical and affordable solution for small companies looking to elevate their profile and perfect their branding. Though Rebecca started her career at Penguin in book publicity, the early years at RTC were spent doing consumer and lifestyle PR, servicing fashion designers, the food services industry and internet start-ups.

In 2010, RTC was re-launched as a one-stop-book-marketing shop merging Rebecca’s love of books with mainstream marketing knowledge. Working with RTC is a unique experience. Clients often come out with more than they could have imagined. Rebecca’s visionary ability coupled with her analytical thinking leaves authors with marketing knowledge and resources they can use for their entire careers.

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