Actual Blog Post: February 11, 2011

Oh my goodness! Oh my soul! We have so very much to do! So much to talk about! Pour yourself a cup of coffee, grab your cigarettes (if you're of a mind to), and sit down. There's not a moment to spare. Darlings, we have things to do!

I can't think of a better place to begin that these fabulous Miu Miu shoes! These adorable Miu Miu embroidered clogs from 2005 can hardly be called vintage, though they are second hand. I don't care if they're not technically vintage. I love them. It's my blog, so in they go.

The inside of the shoe part seems to be covered in something warm and fuzzy, but Vintage Couture, the seller, doesn't say what, so I am only left to guess. Is it sheepskin? Some new micro fleece stuff? Whatever it is, isn't it inviting? 

The back of the shoes show some wear, but to me this just adds to their charm. Their former owner drives in her shoes the same way I drive in my own! (One of these days I will keep an old pair of slides in the car just for this purpose) As time goes by and that wood gets more and more marks, it will just be like a well loved teddy bear getting it's fur a wee bit matted. It's all the better for it. And the workmanship that's gone into these shoes!

Just having that much beauty near your feet is a luxury. I do beading and work with rhinestones, and while I don't embroider (this is crewel embroidery) I do know how to needlepoint, and let me tell you: these are some labor intensive shoes. Available for the unbelievable bargain price of $120.00, these shoes are waiting to be scooped up by the right fashionista with a size 36 foot (I think that's a size 7 American, but don't quote me on that, look it up for yourself to be sure). Is that you ? If so, pounce, baby pounce!

This fabulous "Sinatra" style men's fedora is waiting for the right head at Art Fire. A size 7, this vintage greenish brown felt fedora is in mint condition.  Sporting a center indentation and a great wide black hat band, the hat is just begging to sit in smoky rooms playing poker, or escorting a lady to the hot spot of the hour. The insides is lined with some sort of fabric I don't understand whose purpose it is to prevent soiling. Whatever this stuff is, it must work, because the hat is as fresh as the day it came off the rack. Brought to us by Bette's Bargains, Bette notes that this was a difficult color to capture faithfully, and that the reality is more brown and less green than the photos would suggest.  Yours for a mere $45.00, gentlemen, this is a bargain.

And while we're playing the classics, oh my goodness! Let me catch my breath! For I was quite struck breathless by the jacket dress shown above. This must be the jacket dress to end all jacket dresses! Found on Etsy, this 1950's Don Loper Couture Gown with Jacket would go seamlessly from the board room (where it would grace the Chairwoman of the Board, no doubt) to the Opera (for Wagner, of course) without skipping a beat. All one need do is adjust the jewelry and perhaps put on a hat for the evening festivities. 

Loper's clientele included most of the leading ladies of Hollywood, and he even once appeared on an episode of I Love Lucy playing himself! Naturally, his clothing is highly sought after, and after viewing this gown, can there be any wonder? 

This dress is made of a midnight blue silk faille. The jacket has an exaggerated shawl collar with a double breasted presentation. The buttons do not appear to be cloth covered, but appear to be an astonishingly well matched plastic. The bracelet length sleeves feature cuffed sleeves, though I am unable to determine from this angle if those cuffs are buttoned or not. 

Offered by Xtabayvintage, the seller has responsibly pointed out that the one flaw in the garment is that the faille has begun to rub through under the arms exposing the black underneath. This garment has been extensively and thoroughly photographed for us by Xtabayvintage, and though I studied these photographs with great care, I was unable to detect any defect in the appearance of the suit. The seller does mention that this flaw is hidden in normal use of the dress by the presence of the arm in the normal position, and I can only conclude that this camouflage of the flaw is complete.    

Once the jacket is removed, this stunning strapless gown with the perfectly modest geometric folds is revealed. This is such an amazing gown that one wonders that he went to the trouble to make a jacket to accompany it. Even by itself, this dress is a work of art! 

Alas, as is usual with a garment of this age, the original belt has been mislaid.  Xtabayvintage has done a splendid job of substituting another which is precisely the right shade of blue, and they will be happy to include this belt with your purchase.  

The suit has been sized at 4 - 6, but I implore you to read the full disclosure of dimensions before breaking out the Visa card, as the bust for this dress is only 34". For once, I am actually celebrating my small bustline!  

The presentation of this gown is a triumph within itself. Xtabayvitage has provided just the right jewelry and fluffed the gown just where it should be fluffed and smoothed it just where it should be smoothed to show it to its best advantage. I am quite impressed. I actually went to their shop with the intention of blogging another gown (which alas, will have to now wait for another blog), but I was waylaid on my journey by this show-stopper! I think you will agree with me that the gown is more than reasonably priced at $225.00. It is unlikely that the purchaser will also purchase the jewelry shown on the gown. I do beg that the lucky woman who takes up this suit also wears appropriately significant jewelry with it, for this is one gown for which the simple string of pearls - no matter how elegant - simply will not do. Then again, shopping for the right jewelry to accompany such a gown will be half the fun!

The lovely black beaded shirtwaist from 1875 was part of a museum collection until that museum, the Fashion Group International of Florida, deaccessioned the item and put it up for auction on eBay. The garment still retains the museums acquisition number and donor information.   The photo above is truly awful and out of focus. The only other photo which shows the entire garment is that of it's profile below:

This lovely blouse is made of silk faille.  The garment has extensive beading along the shoulders, bodice and hem, and no less than 18 (18!) cloth covered buttons are provided for securing the lovely blouse.

It's hard for me to image such a garment except in a tin type.  What an incredible find. Offered by the Sarah Elizabeth Gallery or Sarah0727.  This particular shirtwaist may be had for the Buy-It-Now price of $149.00. They have several garments of this quality and era, and I encourage anyone with a special interest in garments that old to be sure and view their inventory.  Of particular interest to me was the coat of a Massachusettes Militiaman's frock coat.  

This gentlemen's overcoat is a find from Shop Housing Works, my favorite charitable vintage shop. It is a size 40R and is in great vintage condition.  I think it's a most striking coat. Made by Quatro, it has a lovely notched collar, three button closure, and two slit pockets.  Each cuff closes with three buttons as well. The left collar has a buttonhole for boutonnières.

The write up says there are slit pockets at the cuffs.  At the cuffs?  Is this usual for men's coats?  And how does it work?  I've included this close up, and I've looked at it every way I could possibly imagine, but I don't see pockets there.  (Pockets!  Indeed!)

Do you see them?  Do you usually see them?

And then finally,  a shot from the back:

This fabulous overcoat can be yours for $40.00. The nice people at Shop Housing Works will help you arrange shipment with federal express.

The positively funkulous Ray Ban sunglasses are at Etsy waiting to find the right home. The white parts are a pearlescent sort of marble, and the black lines are just groovy. The glasses are in the classic cat-eye style with blackish green lenses. The lenses are in perfect, unscratched condition! There is a little gold oval at each temple, and the ear pieces are black. Offered by Pinkyagogo who has so much cool stuff, that choosing the item to write about was excruciating. The fabulous fifties sunglasses can be resting on your nose for a mere $125.00.

Like the item before this, this lovely damask evening coat from eBay is part of a retail collection so rich in vintage treasures that choosing one to write about was truly a challenge. And if you don't check out the entire inventory of VintageAlaModeSF, you will be cheating yourself out of one of life's true pleasures for any vintage hound, reviewing the treasures of a master collector.  

This lovely coat has a well defined waist. It is double breasted, features a notched collar, and has fully long sleeve (not bracelet length). It is made of a rich cream ivory damask and has two side seam pockets. The fabric is gathered at the hips for fullness, and the buttons are actually snaps. It's length is 55", so it is not for a particularly tall woman. The sellers have sized this as a medium, but I'm going to suggest that we leave this to a size small woman. Without the right figure, it could make you look thick through the middle.  

The entire garment is lined in a luscious pale pink acetate.

It's from the 1960's, and is decidedly an evening coat. Wear it while the sun shines, and I will strip it from off your back!   

This lovely coat may be yours for a Buy-It-Now Price of $169, or the merchant is accepting offers.

I have what can only be called a "strange" obsession with lighting.  Nothing drives me crazier than an ugly light fixture, and - similarly - few things please me as much as a good one.  This, incredibly good, light fixture - in all it's lucite glory - was found on 1st Dibs. Designed by Verner Panton for Louis Poulsen in Denmark in 1971. I think it is the penultimate display of mod. I'm unsure, from the wording of the seller, if this is one of a kind, or merely the only one they have to sell. I would suspect the latter. And though they describe it as "in very good" condition, I can detect a few tell-tale chips along the rim of the outer fixture.  Still, it is a magnificent piece.  And it comes apart into two ascetically pleasing parts for the changing of a bulb:

Part of the offerings of "R" Gallery, whose selections it is truly a pleasure to peruse.  This particular light fixture may be yours for $12,000.00. And while many of us may expect locomotion for an expenditure of this magnitude, I find it to be a quite reasonable price.

This breath taking Nina Ricci gown was found at Couture Allure. It dates from 1971 (ah!  It and the lighting above are classmates!) and is part of her haute boutique line. The sleeve closures and bodice are made of a rich black velvet.  The full waist and sleeves are made of silk chiffon. 

The illusion that the "vest" is a separate piece, is just that, an illusion. It's all one lovely garment. A fine gold braid edges the sleeves and "vest" including the center of the bodice, where the "vest" appears to button up. The dress is secured by a hand stitched nylon zipper up the center back. The bodice is lined in black silky rayon.

As I've written before Couture Allure is one of the few vintage clothiers who will see to it that you get a garment freshly dry cleaned. I think this should be an industry standard, but alas, they seem to be alone in extending this service to their clientele.

The dress is priced at $275.00

This incredibly modlicious and funky vest and cap are made entirely out of the pull tabs from old pop cans (aside from the leather thongs used to fasten the vest, of course). I think it's so cool I can hardly stand it, and at the same time, I can't help but think how uncomfortable such garments would be. Found on eBay (of course!), it's seller had the audacity to claim it was born of a paradigm shift of American culture!  While I think that may be laying it on a wee bit thick, it is an incredible work of art, born entirely of the pop art movement and its success in getting its viewers to see everyday objects in a different manner. Warhol would have been thrilled.  He also would have taken credit!

Here's the view from the backside:

Isn't it magnificent? Offered to us by KimVintage, who is no stranger to this blog, this lovely pair may be yours for $210.00. I think it's worthy of being a museum piece. If I were in a position to be making acquisitions for the sake of investment, I wouldn't hesitate to break open my wallet for this one.

I don't often think of "Hawaiian" and "mod" in the same category, but this dress - magnificently - manages to bridge the gap. Found at Midnight Sparkle Vintage Clothing, the garment is not dated but my instincts say late 60's, early 70's, though I won't disavow the possibility that this of recent vintage.) The tag reads, "Lauhala" (not a maker listed in the resources of the Vintage Fashion Guild). The dress is tiny with a 32" bustline and a 24" waist. It is made of cotton and has a pattern of rich green and black.

Richly and well photographed for your viewing pleasure, this dress sells for $65.00. I think it's a steal.

These fabulous Stuart Weitzman shoes were quite the find at Etsy. Made of a beautiful snake skin that is cream and cocoa, we may have found the perfect neutral shoe. I love the peak-a-boo toes and the cut of the sides.  

The back of the shoes show as well as the front with no driving damage to those lovely hourglass heels. I love that the snake skin forms an almost herringbone pattern. The shoes are a size six (naturally!) and have new heel caps. The inside of the shoes are in immaculate condition. So much so that if I hadn't seen the bottom of the shoes (which show wear, but are in no way in disrepair), I'd be wondering if these shoes had been worn at all.   

Offered by Viapapeo8 for $25.00. Viapapeo8 has some really lovely vintage items, including a maybe not-vintage grey mini that could have stepped out of a recent issue of Vogue. It's very mini, so if you're young enough to show that much leg, don't miss this opportunity to do it!

I grew up in Texas surrounded by cow hide, and even I am swooning over this fabulous 1960's cowhide swing jacket from eBay. The coat is cut with a slit on each side to add to it's swing quality, and is in wonderful vintage condition "outside of a couple of spots" (I have no idea what that means!). I think it's cool as cool can get. Offered by koko1954, this closes soon, so if you've a fancy for it, get a move on! They are asking the very reasonable Buy-It-Now price of $599.00

Blogger is starting to put my pictures in sideways, so I'm going to close this entry for now. I hope to write another substantive post soon!

Good night and good shopping!

Second Hand Roze