What helps make Lawrence, Kansas a “top ten college town?”—Massachusetts Street for one ….or “Mass Street” as they call it. On a recent college tour for our youngest son, we started off on Mass street to have a little lunch and pop into a recommended vintage store. We were familiar with the Vintage Mall but not a new store called Wild Man Vintage where our middle son has purchased items for theme parties.

Is it ironic that I have three sons and they’ve all inherited my passion for vintage fashion? Nurture or nature? It doesn’t matter! We share this bond and our vintage collection makes our closets full of fashion history.

My teenager was excited to discover “slacks” as my hubby and I call them. “People wore yellow pants??”, he asked. My husband found this humorous since many of the patterned slacks John looked at were identical to ones my husband, his brother and their father had. As John tried on some treasures, I admired the vintage hats.The hats got me thinking about “millinery”—the art of hat making and all the history that comes with that. How a hat tops off an outfit or look! We’ve gotten away from that and it’s too bad. I love my vintage hats and I often take them out of town to wear them with no second thought. My son found this fabulous jumpsuit. I added some aviators to it and voila!- he was TOP GUN!I thought he should wear it to his college tour and it happened to be a very unusually cold day for early April. He laughed off this suggestion and decided to keep it traditional for his first impression. I have a feeling this jumpsuit will make its appearance in the near future.I simply love these hats and how they are displayed against the vibrant background. Wild Man Vintage had many fabulous sunglasses to choose from, too. Some great purses and clutches adorned the wall….and the window display definitely represented the vibe inside.Put it on your list for next time you’re in Lawrence, Kansas! Take a walk on the wild side!

©Gina Michalopulos Kingsley

photos by Gina