The Vintage 'Voice'

A true collector of vintage clothing remembers the circumstances around every find. Where the dress was found, why that was special, the odds against finding anything, funny coincidences, all the odd details. Well, for those of us who moved into selling from collecting, that is still true. And the longer we hunt for these pieces, the more we learn to listen to the inner Voice that says - Go There

The 5th Annual Past Perfect Vintage Summer Sale!

Announcing: The 5th Annual Past Perfect VintageSummer Sale!We have marked down some 60 items at pastperfectvintage.com for our annual inventory clearance. There are great buys on everything from Summer Dresses to Fall and Winter Suits. There are sale prices in all categories, from Victorian to Vintage Designer, and Hats to Fans and Combs. This is a once a year opportunity at Past Perfect Vintage

Signs of the Times: Furniture & Pool Hall

These two sit next to each other on East Market St. What I still think of as the way to Baer's Fabrics, but Baer's is no more. Don't get me started on the loss of Baer's. That's another post. So now it's the way to the Ballet if I am coming from the west.Greene Furniture is an over paint, and it's not the most recent business in that structure by a long shot. I believe this was Riney Bedding

The Annual Past Perfect Vintage at Etsy Summer Sale!

The Annual Past Perfect Vintage Clothing Summer sale starts now on Etsy! 50% off sounds good, doesn't it? Oh yes - we do this every year. And it starts now. First up - all vintage clothing ad accessories at our etsy site are listed at 50% off. Vintage Sewing Pattern markdowns will follow tonight! Here's where the action is:

Vintage Display At Bergdorf's - yes!

Ang of Dorothea's Closet passed this link along through the Vintage Fashion Guild- it's fabulous. The July windows at Bergdorf's contained 6 years worth of collected vintage mannequins and display pieces. It's just fantastic. And makes me wish more retail venues would put effort and design into their displays, rather than the ubiquitous Six Headless Dress Forms in a Straight Row Facing the Front

More 1916 Hats

I have a number of these pages scanned, but think I will just post these 2 more. The variety of styles is fun - width emphasizing wide brim, gaucho style hats with shallow crowns, sheer floppy brimmed summer hats in what I assume is organdy or lace, height emphasizing architectural toques, and tiny brimmed round crown hats that sure look like precursors to the styles of the 1930s. The wide brims

The Vintage Designer Assortment Pack

We have been adding to inventory to Past Perfect Vintage for July. And this is our Vintage Designer Assortment Pack. Three American companies, one French. All designer ready-to-wear. Two 1970s, two 1980s. One day wear set, three cocktail sets. Try to find a common theme. Please try. Comment if you see one. I don't see a theme I can wax on about. Other than all vintage, all well made, all

Signs of the Times: Pianos

This is the sign that piqued my interest. I drove past this every evening on my way home from work on a free lance job downtown. I wondered: Whose Pianos? How many times was this over painted, only to have the original paint come through? And what did P.P.X.L. mean? And how long ago was advertising so simple that just stating the product type was enough? Or that pianos were advertised this way?

Vintage 1916 Louisville Hats

I adore old Fashion catalogs. I want to call the phone number and order every time. This one makes me by want to stop the show room and try a few hats on. I can even find a few things to order in my 1970s Sears catalog, although it's mostly in the housewares section. And that 1923 dress catalog on the bookshelf with the Paris fashions? I die.The flip side it I get frustrated when I go through

Pretty Designer Dresses, 1950s edition

Today's post is eye candy. We have two pretty 1950s cocktail dresses new to Past Perfect Vintage, and it's time to share them here. The first is a striking black silk by the California designer Dorothy O'Hara. The neckline is where this dress shines. It's an unusual cut with nude marquisette yoke to show the shoulder and an inset of backed marquisette to echo the V of the neckline. The back yoke

Signs of the times: Plumbing since 1872

Since 1872!I find several things appealing about this painted sign. First they list so many services, including coal stokers. I like the way the text is placed between the windows. And then: The Hand. With a cuff and cufflink, to boot. And a bonus - this company is still in business after 128 years! This sign has been here quite a while. According to the Schardein website, this store on 6th St.

Vintage Shoes, Pretty Shoes

Vintage Shoes are a fine thing. Pretty toes, lovely heels. No claw feet here. Or 6" heels. Or 3" platforms that will break an ankle. Nope. No fashionable 'angry' shoes here. As a petite, okay, short, adult, I see the advantage of a platform, and indeed wore my share in the 70s. But I must admit,now that I accept my height, even an 1" platform looks like denial on the hoof. Everyone can see it.

Signs of the Times: Coffee and Coca-Cola

Today's sign theme is beverages. First up - a huge cup of coffee on the side of a high rise on Chestnut St. near 4th. The script is sadly illegible, but the appeal of a steaming cup of coffee in a china cup and saucer is still there. Just off to the side you can see the window frames for a sense of scale. Given the location in the central business district, I amazed this hasn't been painted over.

Vintage Patterns - cool stuff

Just a quickie tonight - it's got way late, way fast. Watering plants at 9:45 in the dark will do that. And it's way too late to attempt something clever. The brain just wants a snack and bedtime. So just a quick notice that we have started posting up 26 vintage patterns from the mid 1950s to 1960s, mostly McCall's and Simplicity, with a couple nice Vogues and Advances each. So keep an eye out at

Beat the Heat: Artic Ice Sign

It's a scorcher out there today. I am so glad to be writing from the relative cool of the country. I imagine it's pretty sweltering downtown on the pavements. This sign reminds me of the relief a large walk-in freezer can bring on the kind of sticky, humid day as only the Ohio Valley can provide.This painted sign is not as old as some, but has still been there quite awhile. It was old in the

Jo Copeland and the New Mannequin

We acquired this lovely dress by Patullo-Jo Copeland several months ago. But it just didn't look right on my old Teens dress form. Or the size 34 bust Wolfe dressmaking form. Or the size 32 bust white display form. The age old Vintage Dealer Dilemma: lovely dress, no form to show it off. So she has languished a bit.I finally summed the courage, really energy, and started the hunt to replace Miss

Elevators and Washing Machines

I started taking photos of various signs in downtown Louisville because so many of these older were disappearing. These painted signs on the side and back walls of the brick buildings are very vulnerable. Even more so than the old neon signs, which can be salvaged. And as these commercial and industrial buildings are rehabbed, they are often painted, and the signs are lost. Or worse, as