Ruminations and Party Dresses

The 1950s saw a real blossoming of the grand party dress before the 1960s and 70s swept away so much of the concept of formal dressing. A trend that continues unabated till this very day. Just this weekend the local newspaper had quite the piece on how variable the interpretations of 'black tie' had become for local formal events. We have become adept at dressing down almost any event to the

Catching up is Hard To Do

I have not kept up with featuring our new vintage pieces. I am already finished photographing next month's additions! So here is a small potpourri. The 1930s gloves are really lovely. They are by Perrin and are a soft tone pf pink kid with brown accents and ribs. Very ladylike. As was much of 1930s fashion. 

The dresses? The 1950s aqua blue strapless dress by Emma Domb is the kind

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

New on the Website This April

New to Past Perfect Vintage, and all to be found at The 40s & 50s: 



   1940s Rust and Cream Print Crepe Dress Set NY Creation 

This is a nicely sized rust and cream crepe blouse and skirt set  with a button and loop front and nifty appliqued bands with a zig zag edge.







L. 1950s New Look Black Silk Taffeta Ball Gown  R., Brilliantly Colored 1940s Print Faille At Home Dress  

It's Monday. Eye Candy of the Galanos Variety is Needed

A friend who knows I like this sort of thing, just brought me these San Francisco Examiner clippings. Both of these are 1957, and feature early work from James Galanos. Some time ago, we handled a red chiffon Galanos dress from this era, and I am delighted to note that it had an identical back treatment to the top illustration. These are both glorious dresses, with bouffant skirts and show the

Party, Party!

New to the site, we have 3 Party dresses. 50s? Yes. 60s? Yes, indeed. 70s? Of course. The 1950s butter yellow taffeta party dress is a hard to find larger size with a V waistline, puff sleeves, flared skirt and pouf. The 1960s dress is a lovely quality black silk chiffon with rhinestone and bead encrusted yoke and cuffs. And the 1970s is a gold and black sequin tank style dress has a flared full

Vintage Name Dropping

Name Dropping? I plead guilty. It's been a long slow road paved with good intentions. I remember my early years, when we never mentioned the labels of our clothing - it was considered gauche. Even tacky. But at that time, another rule was to never wear a new purchase right away either. Always wait a few days. ( What was that about?? So when someone asked it it was new, we could say no, I've had

Party Time! In Vintage Fashion, Naturally

It's January, and yes, New Year's and Christmas have passed, but Valentines is on the way. And you could also have an actual birthday party for George Washington and Abraham Lincoln - oh heck, make it two! Actually, my grandmother did bake cherry cakes with white icing for Washington's Birthday, so hey - why not? Then there's spring proms, and weddings, so yes, party dresses know no season. And

Dresses, Dresses, Dresses & Some Are Red

It's time for wool. Even though it was 72 degrees today, as soon as the sun went down, the temps dropped fast and it was very cool. And next week the highs here will be in the low 60s and 50s. I can get out my fall clothes at long last.I must say I am really, truly ready. And I am into wool this year, even though I am allergic to it. Camisoles, T-shirts, turtlenecks - I have vowed I will do

Oscar's Coming - Get Ready!

The attack of the awards shows has been in progress now for a bit. Way too many young women in big gowns have gone by. Many in the same strapless dress fitted to within an inch of their lives and dragging a huge train behind them . My reaction ? I took a cruise through some favorite websites and found these Vintage Fashion alternatives.So if you are invited to an award show party, or better yet -

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,

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

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

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