Back to Work at Long Last

It's been a busy autumn at Past Perfect Vintage. We had a great a shopping run through the Northeast, then came home to a time intensive costume project in opera. It was great, it was successful and now it's done. So the break is over, and we have added a lot of new inventory to Past Perfect Vintage this week. Let's look at some of the older fashions up now.  



First, a lovely,

Colonials, Victorians, Edwardians and Flappers, Oh My

 



I haven't written up a 'New at Past Past Vintage' post in weeks. But it was worth waiting for. We are offering a 1770s Silk Open Robe, and separately a 1770s skirt, both shown here, a large size 1900 Black Silk Tea Gown in the Grand Style, a stunning 1904 Wedding Dress and another larger size 1910s White Linen Walking Suit with fine cutwork and embroidery.



 



 

Past Perfect

Mary Brooks Picken

  
Not too long ago, Lizzie at The Vintage Traveler wrote up a post on prolific author Mary Brooks Picken. Picken wrote many, many texts on sewing techinques and fashion from the Teens into the 1950s. My favorites are her texts on style. She was adamant about colors one could and could not wear, and she was quite strict on proper dress for the occasion. The charts are amazing. Sort of a What to

Vintage Clothing Does Come in Larger Sizes

One of the misconceptions about vintage clothing is that, without exception, It Is Tiny. Clothing for modern sz 0 -2. Granted, much is too small for the average American woman, who is taller than her predecessors, and correspondingly wider in the shoulders. And yes, the average size today is much larger than the average size of women in the 1930s - 60s, much less the Victorian and

A few Thoughts and new Vintage Fashions

 





Sometimes in the Vintage Fashion business, we can get too caught up in designer pieces and their labels. There are those who feel important designers of the 20th Century are the only thing worth buying. Now if you are buying investment grade only, then a case for that approach could be made. But of the vintage fashions I have personally acquired over the years, it wasn't the designer

Madame Glover, Dressmaker

 
Many of our readers are already familiar with my obsession with local dressmaker and manufacturer labels and stores. In a recent large acquisition there were two examples of a well known local dressmaker, so I was thrilled. Here's a bit about Madame Glover.  
Madame Annie Glover 
    Annie Casey Glover (1861- 1947)was a very well known dressmaker in Louisville in her day.  Born in Ireland, she

The First of The Collection comes to Past Perfect

 
We have recently been so pleased to be asked to handle a partial de-accession of a private collection. Like many long time collectors, our client is weeding through and focusing in on certain areas.After all, many of us start out acquiring randomly, pretty much anything that is pretty or for those vintage collectors who wear their pieces - anything that fits! I've done it myself, and not that

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

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