A Kendal teen is bringing back 19th century fashion.
Leon Jones, 18, of Kendal, has been dressing in fashion from the 1890s to the 1940s since he was just 15 years old.
As well as dressing vintage, his home is also an echo of the 1930s and he regularly attends 1940s events and vintage community meet ups.
He can often be spotted posing for pictures in the town or stopping for tea at the town’s historic Farrer’s Tea & Coffee House.
But it all began after the sixth form student first started watching period dramas.
He said: “I have been in awe of fashion from the 1890s to the 1940s since watching Downton Abbey, Titanic and Upstairs, Downstairs.
“I felt inspired seeing how much effort people put into getting dressed and seeing the beauty of elegance not only in ways of dressing, but also in the way they did things, such as having their tea in china sets and dinner on silverware.
“Everything was done with elegance no matter who you were, you could be from the lower classes or upper classes but everything was done with a certain kind of elegance.
“So it all started as an interest at first, but I slowly started to wear clothes from the vintage era. The first piece I remember quite vividly was a vintage bowler hat from Ebay.
“But now I don’t just dress like I’m from this era, I almost live it. My apartment has furniture from the 1930s and I own things like gramophones.”
Leon has acquired dozens of items of vintage clothing since he first started collecting it in 2023.
He said that wearing vintage clothing makes him feel more confident.
Leon said: “It almost stands you up a bit more, you can walk with confidence and it feels very historical, you’re wearing these beautifully made clothes and who knows who wore them before you.
“It does take some getting used to and it takes a bit of time to get dressed everyday but it’s worth it.
“If you think back to then people had servants and butlers to take care of their clothes. But I am the butler to my clothes, on a Friday evening when I’m preparing my outfit and I change into it, it’s not exactly easy.
“I have to put my collars on and do all the buttons. It is a lost art, there’s so much elegance that has been lost for no reason.”
Leon said he gets lots of positive reactions when he is out and about in the town.
He said: “I get photographed by people and I love that, it’s a great confidence booster. So many people enjoy it, especially older people when I wear my 1940s clothing. I think it’s lovely to show other people that you can be different.
“You may get the odd comment from someone, but it doesn’t matter, it’s just a word.
“You only really get bad responses from teenagers or the younger generations who have sadly grown up in this world not knowing they can be different and just conform to the world’s ways.
“The majority of people, about 99 per cent are good and one per cent are bad. Even the drunk people love it. if I’m out walking through the streets on a Saturday night in Kendal they love it.
“I’ve met a lot of people on the street who’ve said ‘I wish I could dress like that’ and I say to them, you can! Everyone can.”
Leon said he wears his full suits throughout the year, which often prompts questions from passersby.
He added: “I wear my frock coats and top hats in the summer and people say you must be hot but no, what I tell them is suits today are made for occasions.
“They’re not tailored for everyday wear, but clothing back then, it wasn’t dressing up in a top cat and coat, it was normal. It was daywear.
“It was made to keep you cool in the summer but nice and warm in the winter. It can get really hot nowadays with the temperatures, back then in Kendal the highest temperature recorded was 21 degrees in summer of 1910, and now we’re having 25 to 30 degrees.
“But I wear my 1920s boating attire, which is your linen trousers and jackets and people love that and how colourful it is.”
Leon sources most of his clothing second-hand from charity shops, vintage shops or sites like Ebay.
Some of his favourite outfits include his frock coat and his 1940s boating clothing.
He said: “I do wear reproductions, not all of my wardrobe is fully authentic although 90 per cent is. I go to charity shops and pick up nice bits and it’s nice because you’re saving and preserving it and it’s also really good for the environment.
“I also do small repairs on my clothes when I can and it doesn’t cost a fortune. It’s much cheaper than buying modern clothes in fact.
“I remember buying a 1910s frock coat, an original one in beautiful condition properly tailored in my size for £20, compare that to a hoodie today, you’re probably looking at the same price or even more.”
Leon said he’s received a lot of support for his historical dressing from the vintage community online, his guardians and the local community.
He said: “There’s a few people who do it but we’re all over the country and sometimes we meet up altogether.
“I’ve made really good friends online but the vintage community is really lovely and people are always willing to help you out.
“My guardians are also really supportive and I’ve had a lot of support from people in the community too.
“I’ve had people give me clothes that they don’t want to throw away or give to a charity shop, but they know I’d appreciate it.”
He added that he loves local history and enjoys living his life in the slower pace of days gone by.
Leon said: “Sometimes I look at old photos of Kendal and if someone is wearing a certain outfit I’ll take a photo in that location. We have ghost walks in Kendal too and I participate in them too. It’s a lot of fun to do.
“Everything today is so rushed and everyone wants to get things done now. Whereas if you just take that little bit of extra time to do something, it shows. Sitting outside the old tea shop in Kendal spending time having a tea is a bygone activity.
“But I tell people this and it’s very important, we have a saying in the vintage community and it’s called vintage style not vintage values.
“It’s where you dress as a person from the era, but you wouldn’t live in that era because we’ve moved on a hell of a lot since then.
“We have more rights and more freedom, we might listen to old music, watch old movies or drink tea in fine china, but we fully believe we’re in the modern era.”
Leon is aiming to study art and design at Kendal College in the future with a view to do theatre and costume design.
He added he would love to work in tailoring in the future.
