If you enter the words, "Hattie Carnegie" in the search engineat eBay,you are likely to get hundreds of peicesbof jewelry, yet very few clothes. Hattie Carnegies couturier was and is treasured by those lucky enough to own articles of her clothing, and these garments don't change hands very often. Zippered throughout the back and fully lined, this lovely Hattie Canegie suit dress flares so at the hips from a nipped 30" waist creates the illusion of an hour glass figure for women like myself who don't have one!
This garment has but two notable flaws: two tiny flea bites, one to the back of the left sleeve and one two the front of the skirt. I am unable to discern either of them. I wouldn't give a second thought about the flea bites, but the seller reports there is an area of the bodice showing wear. This is a very respectable seller who is probably going the extra yard of full disclosure, still, I might ask for a photo of that area before committing to money changing hands.
Offered by Maria92001 for the Buy It Now price of $399.00, provided the area of "wear"on the boddice of this dress can be assured a quality garment which will be the certain source of pleasure and pride for years to come, if not for decades.
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I never list a garment without seeing a seller's other goods. This allows me to know if I am dealing with a non-professional who got lucky, or if I have been fortunate enoughto stumble upon a seller who truly has "the eye". Marie92001 has been on my saved sellers list for quite some time, and I'm never surprised to find that zi've fallen for a garment of hers, nor do I ever hesitate to go to her for source material if my blog is lacking for merchandise.
Today when I checked her other items for sale, there were the usual great party dresses to fall in love with. The superbly cut suits, and my-oh-my an opera coat from the 20's that simply took my breath away!
Oh my! Look at it! Aren't those lines heavenly! Made of a heavy rich black velvet (the heavy is my contribution. It's important you know Marie did not say that! But look how this beauty hangs. That velvet must be heavy!), this coat is fully lined and the seller does report some stains to the lining. I can't imagine caring if, after almost 100 years, the lining is still pristine, but if you are one of those that do, well, this is not your coat.
This coat is kind of ananachronism. Clothing in the 20's had a tendency to hide a woman's curves. In fact, it may well be the only time in history where being small chested was a desirable thing. Yet this coat clings to and celebrates the curves of the feminine silhouette. I won't try to figure out why it was an exception (maybe the woman who ordered it had a bombshell body?). I shall just appreciate it for the garment it is.
Available for a stunning $278.00 or best offer, this amazing coat is waiting to hang in your size medim closet.
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This lovely, and especially feminine necklace and earring set was made by Coro probably in the mid to late 50's. It features cotton candy pink aurora borealis beads with clear crystal spacer beads in between. The perfect thing to tone down a red dress, to add some color to a white outfit, or to wear with that pink tweed Chanel suit of the same vintage, these lovely beads can be found at Etsy from Zephyrvintage, a seller with whom I have had the pleasure of doing business and in whom I would not hesitate to place the utmost faith. One can hardly afford not to buy these lovelies as they are on sale for an amazing $19.00, probably less than they cost when new! They are assured of growing in value, and their beauty is self evident. Run, do not walk to Etsy to order these lovely beads for your neck. Do it quickly because I'm thinking I may have to have these myself.
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The lovely cocktail / party dress above is a triumph of design by Ceil Chapman, Elizabeth Taylor's favorite designer. Ms. Chapman's grasp on how to make fabric do exactly what she wanted, and her talent to wish it to do the right things is almost unparalleled. The dress is weighted in the bodice and has boning around the bust-line. It is made of a deep midnight blue satin crepe and is in fabulous condition. Ceil Chapman gowns in this condition don't just come along every day. Mostly, such gowns are kept within a very small community in Hollywood who keeps the best vintage garments for the stars.
The shape of the bodice is formed by a deep "V" created by twisting the fabric over at the waist. The result is stunning:
This trick also creates a lovely swag of material on the left hip. The resulting asymmetric profile of the dress makes for a stunning garment with tremendous presence. Measuring 36" at the bust and a mere 23" at the waist, be sure you are right for the dress before hitting that "Buy-It-Now" button. Seller, Retrochicvintage is justifiably asking $899.99 for the dress. Even at that price, I don't expect to see it on the market long.
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The stunning dress shown above is a 50's bombshell from a designer I'm not familiar with: Jonathan Logan. Familiar or not, it's obvious the man can make a dress. I just adore this simple presentation of the Basic Little Black Dress, and with the right accessories, this dress could be a man killer. The dress features double spaghetti straps on each shoulder (which I suspect could be tucked in if you wished to go "strapless"), has a two layer skirt (though you should note that it is shown, and should be worn with an additional, not included, crinoline), and the dress secures with a metal zipper up the back. It is as lovely in profile as it is straight on:
The seller, Etsy's Aiseirigh, reports the dress to be in excellent vintage condition. It is a size small, with a 36" bust and a 26" waist.
If you're looking for a place to do some one stop shopping, you could do no better than Aiseirigh. This is one seller who definitely has "the eye", and you're bound to find tons of things that catch your fancy.
As with anything black and low cut, what you wear at your neck is crucial. You can go a lot of directions. A simple ribbon with a cameo or a flower pinned to it would be lovely. Pearls are always a good choice. The better the pearls, the better the choice. If you have pockets deep enough, you could chose these Chanel pearls with their incredibly mother of pearl camellia pendant.
Cut and presented with all the perfection one would expect from the house of Chanel, this lovely necklace is certain to make all eyes centered on you! The pearls themselves are enormous, each measuring around 7/8" x 5/8". The necklace closes with a small line of smaller pearls, and an extra is included in the box.
The Camellia is a work of art, a true mark of the house of Chanel. It can be worn with this chain or pearls, or on a chain, as shown below, or even on a simple black ribbon.
Even on the simplest of gold chains, it's stunning, isn't it? Offered for sale on eBay by ilovemygirls3 for the Buy-It-Now-Price of $1,500.00. Of course, this isn't a simple piece of jewelry. This is an investment, a stake as it were, in the history, the glamour, the chic, that is Chanel.
And now kittens, if you'll forgive me for a short post, I am recovering from surgery. And while I've had little to do but lie about and look at lovely things for you, it does take a bit of energy to tell you about them.
I promise to bring you more soon. Until then...
Happy Shopping!
Second Hand Roze
Deep in the Heart of Uncertain Texas
