A Trio of Hats

I bring you a Trio of Hats in Black and Cream with a theme of three. Three decades,three materials, three silhouettes. Its a bit of a no brainer, but the best I can do with the post-Christmas cold. First up, a Teens Mourning Bonnet in black silk crepe with jet trim and ostrich tips. Not a cheerful hat, but a stylish one. Second, a 1950s cream wide-brimmed summer straw with navy velvet ribbon

It's All About Wool and Cashmere

I am one those those tragically unlucky souls who is allergic to wool. Even cashmere can be a no go. It's a loss, I must tell you. Wool is warm. It tailors beautifully. It wears like iron. It cleans well. It can be handwashed, and even vintage wool garments will tolerate dry-cleaning far later in their lifespan than any other fiber.Every winter, I cast longing eyes at vintage wool sweaters and

Are You Ready for New Shoes?

Are you ready for some new shoes? Even if you aren't, these are mighty fine shoe eye candy. We were lucky enough to acquire 9 pair of great shoes form one estate. And please , please believe me, these were the tip of the iceberg. I have never seen so many pairs of shoes at an estate auction in the 20 years I have been purchasing for sale. This lady was the Imelda Marcos of Northern Kentucky. I

Jacques Fath & Norman Norell are Here!

They are here! Well, I guess it's better to say they are there! In other words, the Jacques Fath and the Norman Norell dresses are up at Past Perfect Vintage. These are from the same source, and my, wouldn't we all like to see what else was in that closet? Oh yes, we would.Now I have mentioned Norman Norell quite a bit lately. He and Fath make quite a contrast. Norell was as American as they

Norell - Dressing the First Lady All These Years Later

Just last week I was waxing on about Norman Norell. What can I say? I was one week ahead of the times. It's not often you can actually count the days you are ahead of the trend. And since I am usually a least a few, well I won't use time measurements, let's just say I am not often in this position. And this black lace dress the First Lady is wearing is one of the prettiest Norell lace dresses

At Long Last:: Tres Parisien, Part 4

At long last, but worth waiting for, I bring you part 4 of the Tres Parisien pochoirs. Don't worry, they have only gotten a little older and they are still adorable. I treasure an unrealistic vision of all these framed up some day. I have only had this vision since 1990. Like world peace, a really good pizza with low calories, and the ability to sing, it will have to be another dream currently

Norells We Have Known

I must admit that I have a soft spot for Norman Norell ( aka Norman Levinson) simply because he was from Indiana. And for a Noblesville, IN boy to make it in American fashion is a pretty neat thing. The more I read on his work, the better I like it, too. The first works I noticed were his wonderful sequin mermaid dresses - amazing gowns that still bring the big bucks on the rare occasion they do

There's A New Newsletter in Vintage Town

I am happy to put the word out that the Vintage Fashion Guild, a fine organization if I may say so, and just made available it's first newsletter to the general public. It's produced by members of the VFG, of which I am one. A member, I mean, not one of the dedicated souls who put the newsletter together. Anyway: Go. Take my keys. Read. Enjoy. There's great stuff on Zipper History, a fab

Vintage Couture and Accessories Auction in Chicago

For those of you in the Midwest area, a real treat is coming soon. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will be holding their Vintage Couture and Accessories Auction Dec. 16, 2010. These are really fine auctions with extensive, well lit previews, glossy photo catalogs and a wide range of holdings. This session contains a huge lot from a ' Lady New York City, New York', with tons of Bill Blass, Oscar de