A First Lady A Day: Jackie

Well I had to do this one sooner or later. It very hard to even have an original thought, much less express anything new, about someone whose style has been discussed, written about, photographed, and analyzed to the nth degree for 48 years. She is a Fashion Icon. A real one, not one of those people who did a popular clothing ad once, or wore a costume designer’s cute clothes on a television show

A First Lady a Day : Pat

You know, I have respect for Pat Nixon. The Nixon years are ones I lived through and frankly, don’t feel any nostalgia for. Waaaay too much trauma. But she was a hard worker. Went to Vietnam and flew into a combat zone. Held it together in tough circumstances, played the hand she was dealt. She knew what it was to have to work for living and to pay her own way. A classy lady. Bio: http://

A First Lady a Day: 1861, 1865

This may be the most difficult installment of this series. Mary Todd Lincoln. Talk about a Complex Personality. On the plus side: Bright, well educated, polished, supportive of her husband’s career, believed in Lincoln when few others did. Deeply loved her husband and children. On the minus: high strung and high maintenance, jealous, given to occasional inappropriate outbursts. A compulsive

A Commercial Interruption

We interrupt our continuing series, A First Lady a Day, with this commercial message from our sponsor: 1930s Poiret Prize Print Party Dress 1970s Mollie Parnis Dress and Coat SetBoth are now available at our Etsy shop, www.pastperfectvintage.etsy.com/We will now return to our series.........

First Lady a Day: 1965

Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson, best known as Lady Bird. Today, she would be called an environmentalist. She was active - big supporter of Head Start and Vista. Lady Bird was made of sturdy stuff. To be married to LBJ, and survive with personality intact, one would have had to be. I always though she got a bum rap. Being First Lady after Jacqueline Kennedy was a tough act to follow under the best of

A First Lady a Day - Helen in 1909

Christmas break is over and we come back with Helen. Yes, we are still in the 20th C. That’s Helen Taft. A woman who wanted the job if ever there was one. She had been First Lady of the Philippines while her husband William Howard Taft was the Governor. Apparently she liked the job, and had ambitions for more. Even her official White House bio ( and these are always kind) refers to her

A First Lady a Day: Caroline, or 1889

You are wondering - who’s Caroline? Carrie Harrison. Lovely woman, well dressed. Elegant, yet fun loving. I have seen some of her clothes at the President Benjamin Harrison Home in Indianapolis. Very, very nice. And the house is great too - right downtown, easy to get to. Go if you have a chance. They had a spiffy display on the third floor when we were there - Death in the White House. She was

A First Lady A Day: 1977

Rosalynn, Rosalynn. I do admire Rosalynn Carter’s contributions, her sense of self and the work she has done. I even admired the goal of taking the First Family back into the realm of average folks and losing some of the Imperial Presidency trappings. And she was pushing us to take a First Lady seriously with her political work and missions abroad. She is due a great deal of recognition for that.

A First Lady a Day: Grace

Ahhh. Grace. By all accounts, Grace Coolidge was a lovely woman and aptly named. I have never read a single negative thing about her. She was charming. Popular and warm. Loved animals. Worked with the deaf. Was the engaging, social, friendly one in the Coolidge marriage. As frugal and, well, reserved as Calvin was, he loved her to be stylish and well-dressed. She was 5'-5" , had black hair, was

A First Lady A Day - 1953/1957

That means it’s Mamie Day!I have to say it. She reminds me of my grandmother. Something I think I actually said in my grandmother's hearing once. Only once. Mamie was 10 years older after all. So - she was well liked. She was considered stylish, and with the whole pink thing, she owned the 50s. She wore designer dresses. But I always had the nagging suspicion that under that 1950s , vivacious,

A First Lady a Day

Let’s start with Eleanor Roosevelt. A great lady, generally acclaimed as of the greats of the 20th Century. Way ahead of her time and proven right on so many issues. It is far beyond my poor ability to assess her place in history.But we are talking fashion here. This is superficial. I grant you, she was not considered a stylish gal. Certainly not the prettiest First Lady. She really did have more

Inaugural Glamour Doesn't Get Better Than This

Ah. Serendipity. Look what I found while I was searching for something else. I was searching for Inaugural dresses, prepping for a blog post on First Ladies' style and how it has held up. I will post that later. And what did I see? Babe Paley in 1953 at the Eisenhower Inaugural Ball. OMG. Is that a Charles James?? It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what color it was. It doesn't matter what

Past Perfect Opens an Etsy Store

Yes indeed! We have done it. We have opened a store: http://www.pastperfectvintage.etsy.com/. Why? It's place we will be selling accessories, hats, shoes and newer, more affordable vintage clothing from the 1950s - 1980s. We might even be brave and sell menswear. We like the format, we like the people, and we like the hearts! The price range there will generally be under a $100 and it will be a

Pucci, Oscar, Starr & more @PastPerfectVintage.com

Now we have some fine goodies for December. It's not easy finding wonderful things for our website. Truth be told, the last few shopping trips have not been as successful as we like. But still fun to get out and hunt. The stars seem to have to line up just right to find quality vintage in good condition these days. So when you find something you like - whether it's at our shop or another one -

What's Your Bag?

I carry a normal purse every day. A nice sturdy brown leather Coach shoulder bag. It looks like a Civil War ammunition pouch. It's great, it was a gift. I get out a black leather Ferragamo shoulder bag when the good coat comes out. Also a gift. However, I do vintage with the coat: 1950s black eyelash wool with sheared beaver collar from an Indiana farm estate auction.But when it comes to really

If Ony It Fit Me #4

1920's Silk Crepe B. Altman Kimono Jacket Made in Japan Lined in gold silk. Bust 40 inches Length 38 inches. Available @ www.listitcafe.com $450.00The title is a bit of a misnomer this time. This would go on me, but would actually be a bit too big. But since I haven't made any progress on that lifestyle transplant, I will step aside and let other, better living gals have a chance. Grab this

Christmas Party Red

I don't have a single Christmas Party invite. Oh my, that goes on the to do list. The Christmas season has finally burst upon me and my mind has drifted off to red party dresses - it's a happy place. So much better than LBDs. This is one issue I agree with Mr. Bill Blass upon: " When in doubt, wear Red". So to herald the Chrismas party season, and encourage the wearing of Christmas Red instead of

If Only it Fit Me: #3

1940's Black velvet & red tulle dress @www.poshgirlvintage.com This is to die for.I don't know what else to say. I am wordless. Virtually without words. So I will quietly go back to restoring a sequin 20s dress that I might actually be able to wear.

The Thrift Store Blues

The day before Thanksgiving, I went out on a thrift store hunt. I used to really enjoy these, although most of the enjoyment came from finding treasures, not the ambience. Clean and not smelly is good. I hit 5 big stores - a Goodwill, a Salvation Army, a Unique, American Council of the Blind, a locally owned one, and two smaller stores. Maybe they have already had the Christmas shoppers attack,

If Only It Fit Me, #2

This is beautiful and totally, completely unrealistic. Not only would I need to be, oh, 5" taller, but the hips? Let's not go there. And then I would have to have a lifestyle transplant, which could be even more difficult.Nonetheless, this Oscar de la Renta gown from www.retrodress.com makes me think, maybe...........platform shoes? a bazillion trips to the gym? liposuction? and, and, and......

Elizabeth’s Timeless Attire Grand Re-Opening

damage after the accident & the new interiorI am happy to say one of the best brick and mortar vintage clothing shops in the Midwest has reopened after a 3 month layoff. I have been shopping at Elizabeth’s Timeless Attire for almost 30 years - that’s a lot of time spent in a little bit of vintage heaven. The store has been renovated after a car accident in July. Yes, the car was inside the store

Decade du Jour: The 1860s

The 1860s remain enormously popular with collectors and enthusiaists. It's partly the re-enacting thing and the crinoline thing. And partly the 'romance' of the American Civil War. Trust me , there was nothing, and I mean Nothing, romantic about it. Visit the national cemetaries sometime. But this blog isn't devoted to military history, it's about Clothing! Fashion! Shoes!Now that I have that out

If It Only Fit Me: #1

There is so much vintage clothing I would love to buy if it only fit.Part 1 of a long, long series.I am a believer in vintage wool suits. This of course from a woman who is allergic to wool ( one of the tragedies of my otherwise happy life) and who admittedly doessn't wear suits when working at the keyboard.But it is a tenet of my fashion beliefs that Suits are Great. Suits are Stylish. Suits are

Coats On Parade

It's finally turning colder here in the Upper South/Lower Midwest/wherever it is we are. Vintage coats have always been one of the things I wear as soon as the temps drop. Why?They fit. They are interesting. And the quality and craftmanship beat modern coats for the money every time. I have 3 coats and jackets I wear now. One black with fur collar, one gold and black herringbone, and one cream

pssst...you heard it here first: new vintage arrivals at Past Perfect Vintage

New arrivals at Past Perfect Vintage! We don't add tons of inventory every month. Because we ( that's Monty and I) want to really love each piece we find. Or if not love, at least feel a profound liking. Although the third member of our team, Truman the Cat, gets no vote. He has no taste except for fur toys, and those must be black or white to be chic.We added an eclectic assortment for a variety

Designer du Jour: Jo Copeland

Now when I was a pure collector of vintage clothing, I never bought anything later than the 1930s. As a result, I was hopelessly out of the loop on American designers. I was also pretty silly and shortsighted, because there are so many wonderfully designed 20th Century garments out there. And they are generally in much better condition than the Victorian and 20s I was exclusively looking at.

Contemporary Studio Jewelry: Ann Jenkins

In addition to vintage clothing, I do love contemporary jewelry. And I find it’s often a good combination. Contemporary design takes the ‘costume’ edge off vintage when worn together. And there’s neat tension when the two looks interact. And when you invest in studio made works, you invest in an artist.So let me introduce you to the fine work of Ann Jenkins, jeweler. You can find her detailed

A New Blog Arises!

Jonathan Walford, aka Kickshaw Produtions, also my friend and cohort at the Vintage Fashion Guild, has started a new blog. And it's a winner - superb photos, fascinating topics and a wealth of costume and fashion history information. It's new, but already a must read. See it here: http://kickshawproductions.com/blog/And this gives me the perfect opportunity to say he has a new book out: Forties

Pirates of Penzance

Forgive me for the non vintage fashion topic. I may have mentioned that in my other life, I am a theatrical costume designer. My latest project has been the costume designs for The Pirates of Penzance for the Kentucky Opera Association in Louisville, KY. The show opened last week and my time has been pretty totally absorbed for the last 3-4 weeks. Hence this post about costumes rather than

Designer du Jour: Helena Barbieri

Now Helena Barbieri is not a one of the big name designers. You won’t find much on her online or even in design texts. She didn’t pioneer a new silhouette or change the direction of fashion. Like many talented designers, she seems to have been successful in a lower key way, but not ever really celebrated by the media. Indeed, all that is readily available out there online is her obit in the NY

Oh So Stylish 1940s Millinery

1940s Hats were inspired. Maybe it was the war time restrictions on the amount of fabric in the clothing itself and the effect that had on garment design that put the emphasis on hats. Maybe it was the shift toward very tailored suits. Maybe it was the need to express femininity. Or even the need for a bit of gaiety and escape in time of war. Or maybe it was just a golden era of exuberant

Vintage Shopping Exhaustion!

What a run it’s been. I feel like it is all Vintage Clothing, all the time. First catching up from 3 months doing theatre work and vintage simultaneously. Then prepping the summer sale - photos, measures, writing; the whole nine yards. Then the sale itself, which was great. And now packing and shipping. Plus a big local sale last Sunday - an hour and half in line and a drive home in hurricane

My Mother's Dresses: the 1949 - 1954 Edition

What I find so appealing about this group of my mother’s dresses is that they date from a time I do not remember. These are all from either before she married or right after. So these were worn by a young woman I never knew. One who went to dances and had a more hourglass figure than I ever saw. And the taste is different, too. She definitely went toward patterns and color from the 1970s on. No

Third Annual Past Perfect Vintage Sale!

We have been busy! The Third Annual Past Perfect Vintage Sale has commenced!And it's a grand one. Go To: Annual Ebay SaleWe have loads to come - new items every day for the next 5 days. There will be about 80 auctions with garments and accessories from the 1850s - 198os. I do belive this is all new to ebay, with many items from a private collection and a selection from http://

Those Fancy Victorian Hair Combs

I have collected these little treats for years. Truth be told, I am not sure what got me started. Maybe it was that they had rhinestones. That could have been all it took. The range of colors and styles in the celluloid combs is certainly such to encourage the collector. And then there’s all the materials: tortoise shell, ivory, horn, metal, well, almost anything including rubber has been used in

The Sublime 1920s Cloche, Part Deux

In part one, I showed off eye candy of mostly wide brimmed cloches. Part Deux features more of the truly sleek brimless cloches. These are the real skullcap/helmet types that require short hair. These hats looked great with the really tubular, linear dresses of the later 1920s. And it's a style that still works for modern short hair and the long, lean modern line.1920s Blue Straw Cloche available

A Tribute to The Sublime 1920s Cloche Hat

What is it about the 1920s Cloche? It's a simple silhouette for hat. Just a very deep crown, rounded or seamed, occasionally square in profile, with 3 brim variations: none, small or an oval wide one. No Philip Treacy theatrics, no fireworks or streamers. And it has even been ridiculed as a helmet rather than a hat.Yet the simple lines and available space lent themselves to surface ornamentation

Decade du Jour: The 1920s

I know I skipped 1900 - 1910, but I’ll come back another day. I’m in a 1920s mood.It’s not a look for everyone. The straight line from bust to hips does nothing for the hourglass girl or even the busty gal with narrow hips. You will notice when it gets revived, this look is almost always more fitted in the waist than it was originally.But the look as a whole - simple shift/chemise dresses with

My Grandmother’s Shoes

She was stylish. She was not a typical sweet little old lady. In the days when no one went on cruises, she went on many, all over the world. She played in golf tournaments, had dinner at country and private clubs. She went to shows in New York in the 1950s, saw Billy Rose revues, heard Paul Robeson sing and Horowitz play at Carnegie Hall. She smoked and drank martinis. She baked Pennsylvania

Tuesday Night Vintage Round Up!

Git along lil’ vintage doggies!The 1960s have been on my mind. It’s a decade I lived through and mainly remember for the turmoil. And clothing I coudn't wear well. As a result I have avoided it all for awhile, but I must admit, in retrospect, it’s growing on me. Sleek stuff some of this, with great details. Plus fun accessories.Let's subtitle this post: Clothes I Wish I Had Gotten to Wear in The

Rainy Days and Wednesdays

It was a rainy Wednesday here yesterday. Grey, humid and rainy.Couldn’t weed the flower beds.Couldn’t plant garden seeds.Couldn’t take a walk.So I chose to do a Vulcan mind meld with my alternate identity of Victorian Laundress and tackled washing and ironing this 1902 Wedding Dress. The washing wasn’t too bad. I hand washed it in a screen and laid it flat to dry. And being lace and batiste, it

Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes!

I sure do. Need new shoes that is. Because this blog started out as an Ode to my Favorite Shoes and when I got these three pair out and not one pair is newer than , oh, 1987. I gotta get with the 21st Century here. Favorite Pair of Vintage Shoes, Division I: Early 1930s Salvatore Ferragamos. Wonderful two tone leather with gold piping. Also winner of The Best Pair of Shoes from an Indiana Farm

A Long Day on the Vintage Highway

I am tired. Really tired. Just in from a long day on the Old Vintage Highway. And it was 95 degrees everywhere we got out of the car. KY and IN in the summer. Woof. But it was a good day roaming town to town. 6 dresses, a hat and a pair of 1960s Go-Go boots. Plus a basket of fresh peaches, a jar of locally produced honey and gas at under $4 a gallon. The disappointment of the day? The wine silk

Decade du Jour: The 1910s

It’s time for a Decade du Jour again. Let’s do the 1910s this time. An appealing decade, this one with loads of Edwardian detail and fine construction fabrics, but so much lighter and easier to wear than many of the previous fashions. Very fluid, very graceful, but with some odd asymmetric lines that keep it all a bit off balance. And then of course, the Great War comes and life and fashion have

Madame Irene

Irene Lentz Gibbons, better know simply as Irene, was a wonderful American designer. And as one of the few costume designers to really make a name for herself in fashion, she has a special place in my heart. I wrote a piece about her for the Vintage Fashion Guild several years ago - you check it out here at http://www.vintagefashionguild.org/.Irene is rightly known for her tailoring, her use of

Norell on 5th of July

Yesterday was the 4th of July. Firework show set to music, 25 cent ice cream and a big town get together here. Yet the most charming thing about the day was that people spontaneously stopped all around the town to watch the fireworks in parking lots, closed business driveways and highway shoulders.So today, who came to mind, but that most American of designers, Norman Norell. It’s not just that

The Appeal of Tailoring

After continuing introspection, I find one of the appealing things about tailored menswear is the numerous statements than can be made within the limited confines of acceptable men’s styles. Yes, yes, all suits have collars, lapels, and pockets. Trousers are pretty basic. And yet the range of effect and statement possible within the standard lines is amazing. From choice of fabric and fiber -

A Sharp Dressed Man

I have no idea why I like vintage menswear as much as I do. Maybe it‘s because I have done a little tailoring in my time and respect the workmanship. Maybe it‘s the wonderful period woolens that just don’t seem to be out there anymore. Maybe it’s the class of a sharp dressed man. And maybe that’s all the introspection I am up to today.Now I do have a special place in my heart for a brilliant

Decade du Jour - 1890s

In my current workplace incarnation , I am designing opera costumes for a Gilbert and Sullivan production. As we have set in in the 1890s, and I have been living with the designs since Feb, and will be until the end of the summer, I am feeling rather submersed in leg o‘ mutton sleeves, melon puffs, and tulip and bell skirts. Note to self: see how many names for styles are food related ………..

An Ode to Local Stores in the Key of C Minor

I was out shopping a couple days ago. Hunting, really. I went to a local antique mall - a good spot. I have shopped there for years. I happened upon a 1930s evening coat. Too flawed to purchase, but a local store label. I do love finding those.And so an Ode to Local Stores in the Key of Coats Minor. There was Byck’s. Byck’s was fantastic classy ladies clothing store. They were downtown in a fine

Dear Mr. Galanos

If you have looked at my profile, you know I live in a small town. In semi rural KY. A nice town, good people. Lots of well behaved wildlife that doesn‘t eat our vegetable garden or get in our garbage can. Now, these good people know their Carhardt and their Levis, and they have message T’s Down. I mean Seriously Down. But please believe me when I tell you I am pretty sure I am the only person in

A Bustle Fiesta, part deux

The fiesta continues. I had to save the 1880s bustles gown for a second post, because my mother told me too many sweet things would ruin my appetite. After the frothy wedding cakes of yesterday's post, I had to cleanse my palate with a day of non-vintage endeavours.Before I wander off to the mango and peach salsa, I leave you with a few quick pointers for telling 1870s and 1880 big bustles apart

A Bustle Fiesta, part one

Yes. Another blog begins. Another blog devoted mainly to vintage fashion. But with a difference. I promise no models with sunglasses and pigeon toes. Cute, but you can see those anywhere. To begin at the beginning. I will let you in on a Deep Dark, Secret. I am a vintage collector and dealer without a Favorite Period. Truly I am. No favorites, but admittedly a few I can live without, primarily a