Vintage ABCs, Part 3

G is for Galanos
 

 



H is for Hattie Carnegie



 



I is for Irene

A Vintage Memorial Day

 



Over the years, I have actually handled a few military uniforms.Most have no names in them, but a few do. And when they do, I like to research them.



I saved these photos, you will see why. We attended a small estate auction on 2008 in Southern Indiana. The listing mentioned clothing, and that there was a WW2 uniform. I didn't expect it to be a woman's. But it was, and it was all there,

1940s and 50s, and Meandering Thoughts Therein

 



I am hearing a rumor that people aren't buying 1950s vintage right now. Different periods of vintage clothing come in and out of fashion. But I have found there is almost always a market for any given period. There are niche buyers who want only 1920s, the steam punk people, the rockabillys, the Victorian collectors. I really believe the defining quality that makes a period piece sellable

Designers,Designers

 



How do you feel about designer labels?  I must admit when I started collecting vintage clothing, I specialized in fashions of the 1920s and back, so designer labels weren't a factor for me. The labeled clothing of the those early eras is rather sparse here in the Upper South, and I didn't run into names like Worth, Vignon, Poiret, or Doucet. I did find an 1880s Worth right after I had

In Praise of 1940s and 50s Tailored Suits

 



  It baffles me just a bit that womenswear has walked away from the tailored suit for everyday wear. It's all part of the continuing move ( slide?) to more a more casual dressing. I understand that. But we may well lose something valuable in that change. Suits can be tailored or lady like, business or cocktail. Even summery. It a wonderful way of dressing. Accessories really play a role,

Eleanor Beard of Hardinsburg

 


Eleanor Beard

Few people associate the Kentucky countryside with  fashion production. Oh yes, there are  Fruit of the Loom mills in the state and a fine thing they are ,  but that is another story. Yet Helen Bond Carruthers in Versailles with her cardigans,  Maud Hundley in Anchorage with her needlepoint purses, and Eleanor Beard in Hardinsburg with lingerie and quilting were among many who

Now Let's Look at Some 20s and 30s

 
I promised a post on our new 1920s and 30s  dresses two posts ago. I have been remiss and I apologize. I am behind enough that three of the December additions have already sold. But do not be sad - there are more to come in January. But today, let's look at one of the prettiest and most complex 1920s/30s chiffon dresses yet.    Glorious 1920s Print Silk Chiffon Dress in Pink, Black and Ivory 

New at Past Perfect Vintage in August, the 1940s Edition

The new additions, all 19 of them, are live at the website, so here's a taste of the 1940s selection.We recently acquired a number of 1940s dresses in good sizes from an Ohio estate, and will be adding the rest of them next month. Up first is a New York Creation label dress in black crepe, nicely done with a beaded and studded bodice.  These New York dresses are always interesting, and

Spring & Summer Flowers can take Many,Many Forms

The many varieties of vintage florals. They came out in the Spring and last all Summer, which is the ideal for a blooming plant in my garden. My fondness for these may date to the huge rose print draperies in the guest bedroom at my grandmother's house, a pre-Civil War structure, probably the overseer's home on the old farm. If memory serves, the room was probably 'done' in the 1940s, and it was

New Vintage Dresses - yes, I know that's a contradiction...........

Oh yes, I feel the contradiction every time I mention 'new' vintage clothing. But what else can I say? we have new items up in our Past Perfect Vintage Etsy shop. And they are vintage. So there you have it. The proverbial contradiction in terms. The classic oxymoron. But I will soldier on and show you the goodies:First, a beautiful cream crepe gown c. 1938 - 40 with a zipper front, gold studs

Coming Soon to a Vintage Website Near You

It has been the season of catch up here at Past Perfect Vintage. We have spent Volumes of time getting the fall leaves up and building a new porch. A few more studs and some siding, and it would have been another room on the house. All worthwhile endeavors, but they eat up the time. Preparing wonderful vintage clothes for the website has actually felt like playing hooky! When a trip to the

August Additions: The Last Fling of Summer

It has been a summer of record heat. Fortunately, no drought as of yet, but my goodness, the heat and humidity. And in the Ohio River Valley, it takes a lot of humidity for us to even notice it. August is the time to start showing the Fall and Winter woolens, which we did - more on those tomorrow- but with this heat I decided I had to add these summer pieces. There's still time to wear them here

My Second New Vintage Jacket - 1940s Gab!

I am losing weight. A lot of weight. And on purpose. I have sent so much clothing to consignment and thrifts, my closet and dresser are almost empty.So as I redo my personal wardrobe, the goal is to go Vintage and Green. The plan is to stick to vintage when I can, then consignment, then thrift. Then for new clothes, locally owned shops, of which there are still a few. The mall is the last resort,

Sports Shorts, 1942

Just a bit of war propaganda for the youth, 1942 version, put out by Stewart's Dry Goods. Mixed with a chaser of baseball news and trivia, Hollywood special effects trivia, Glenn Miller bio, contest, and, I kid you not, How to Tango. Plus fashion news. Some things do not change: baseball, trivia, the fascination with movie making, but some things definitely do. All I can say is that if a 13 year

Two Very Disparate 1940s Prints

I racked my brain trying to see what these two garments might have in common. Womenswear? 1940s? Check. Print? Check. Floral? Check. And that is as far as I could get. It's like that some days. The brain won't go as far down a road as one might wish. The dress:Late 1940s rayon with shoulder pads and over skirt in a autumn toned tropical print. Very much a good dress to wear with hat, gloves, big