Keli Goff’s Meaningful Fashion: Collecting Clothing with a Story

This article was inspired in part by the original Town & Country feature, “Dress for Success: Keli Goff on Collecting Vintage.”

All historical references and subject matter are inspired by Keli Goff’s collecting journey. Content has been edited and augmented by Journal of Antiques & Collectibles. All rights to the original article remain with the publisher and are used here for educational and cultural reference.

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In this era of disposable fashion and fleeting trends, a meaningful shift is emerging: the thoughtful acquisition of vintage clothing. Not merely garments, vintage pieces are rich vessels of history, culture, and identity. For collectors like writer and producer Keli Goff, who has amassed a remarkable collection of garments designed by trailblazing Black designers, vintage fashion becomes more than a wardrobe choice – it’s an act of cultural preservation.

 

The Personal is Historical

Vintage clothing often begins as a personal passion – a coat that belonged to a grandmother, a dress reminiscent of a film noir heroine, or a thrift store find that is just too well-constructed to ignore. But for some collectors, the journey goes deeper. Keli Goff, who first entered the public eye as a political journalist and commentator, found in vintage fashion a new way to explore identity and representation. Her collection now includes over 150 pieces by designers such as Patrick Kelly, Ann Lowe, and Stephen Burrows – figures whose legacies have often been overlooked in mainstream fashion histories.

 

“Wearing their work is a way to honor them,” Goff said in a recent interview. “It’s like putting on a story that hasn’t been fully told.”

For Goff, collecting became a means to fill the archival gaps in American fashion history. She began by seeking out pieces she admired but couldn’t afford in her youth. As her understanding of the drivers of each design deepened, so did her focus. Her wardrobe evolved into a curated tribute to Black fashion excellence.

 

Going Beyond the Aesthetic

The decision to collect specific work by designers isn’t just about a piece’s aesthetic value. It can be a form of activism, especially when tied to supporting the race, gender, and cultural identity of the artist.

Just as museums reconsider which histories deserve exhibition, private collectors like Goff are reframing which designers deserve preservation.

Take Ann Lowe, for example. Once dismissed as a “colored dressmaker,” Lowe was the designer behind Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress and the gowns of countless American debutantes. Yet her name rarely appeared in society columns. By collecting her work, Goff and others highlight not only Lowe’s talent but also the systemic erasure she faced despite being sought after by the elite society of the day.

Similarly, Stephen Burrows brought disco-era glam to the mainstream, dressing icons like Diana Ross and Grace Jones. Patrick Kelly, known for his joyful and subversive designs, became the first American admitted to the prestigious Chambre Syndicale du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode in Paris. Their contributions are so much more than design statements – they are cultural landmarks.

 

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Hunting and Archiving Precious Pieces

For serious collectors, building a vintage wardrobe means more than scouring thrift shops. It involves auction houses, estate sales, research, and sometimes establishing direct relationships with designers’ families to learn more about the designer’s mission, as well as where some desired pieces can be located. Goff recalls tracking down a rare Patrick Kelly piece on eBay at 3 a.m., thrilled at the opportunity to own a part of fashion history.

 

Like any serious archive, proper storage and documentation are key. Collectors often photograph, label, and catalog each garment, noting materials, provenance, and historical relevance. Some even partner with museums or universities to ensure their collections can one day educate others.

 

For Goff, preserving these items is about legacy. “These designers were creating magic in environments that weren’t built for them to succeed. That they did so anyway is extraordinary.”

 

Styling the Past in the Present

One reason vintage remains relevant is its capacity for reinvention. While some collectors preserve pieces as untouchable artifacts, others, like Goff, wear them, bringing a fresh layer of meaning to garments once tucked away. A 1980s sequined Patrick Kelly blazer isn’t just fashion; it becomes commentary.

 

Modern fashion influencers have embraced this as part of their ethos. Vintage garments offer a uniqueness that mass retail can’t replicate. They invite dialogue. They provoke memories. And they often reflect a more sustainable approach to fashion.

 

Styling vintage also challenges then-contemporary norms about what is newness and worth. It’s a celebration of craftsmanship and history over labels and logos. In wearing a piece designed by someone who had to fight for a place at the fashion table, a collector also honors that struggle.

 

Curating for the Future

The vintage fashion world is rapidly professionalizing. High-end resellers and archivists treat garments with the same reverence once reserved for paintings and sculpture. Exhibits, including 2022’s Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love and Black Fashion Designers presented at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2016 show that clothing is finally being recognized as cultural documentation.

 

This year, Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style at the de Young in San Francisco is the first major presentation of its costume collection in over 35 years, it showcases designs from French couturiers, Japanese avant-garde designers, and other pillars of the fashion industry, including Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, Christopher John Rogers, Comme des Garçons, and Rodarte. The designs on view, many never shown before, reflect San Francisco’s long-standing tradition of self-expression through fashion.

 

For over 30 years, Manhattan Vintage has produced New York’s most expansive vintage experience – an inspiring show where personal style and history converge in a vibrant display. Three times a year, Manhattan Vintage curates and convenes 90+ dealers whose collections span eras, price points, and points of view. Re-thinking vintage clothing and style is making its way into everyone’s closet.

 

Collectors like Goff are bridging the gap between personal passion and public curation. As she continues to grow her collection, she hopes to one day house it in an archive accessible to students, scholars, and fellow fashion lovers.

 

“There are so many stories still waiting to be told,” she says. “And so many told the wrong way. My collection is one small way to shift that.”

Final Threads

Vintage fashion collecting is more than an aesthetic pursuit. It’s a dynamic practice of historical representation, cultural affirmation, and
creative expression.

 

In a world where fast fashion dominates, and our cultural memory often feels fleeting, “vintage” reminds us that style can be slow, deliberate, and powerful. It encourages us to value the past, not discard it. And for collectors like Keli Goff, it’s not just about what you wear – it’s about the legacy you carry forward.

 

P.S. – if you want to see reels of fashion shows from earlier times, visit Glamourdaze at YouTube. Worth the visit!

 

 

 

 

 

July 2025: Vintage Fashion