Patullo-Jo Copeland

 


 Jo Copeland
I wrote a short bio for the Vintage Fashion Guild  a few years ago. Since posting up yet another great Patullo-Jo Copland dress, I thought it was time to talk about her work again. 
Jo Copeland, although somewhat unsung today, was a well-known ready-to-wear designer who shared a label with Pattullo. Born in 1899 in New York and a graduate of the Parsons School of Design, she

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

Building a Vintage Wardrobe: Summer Edition!

It is well past time time to add to my vintage wardrobe. I really don't have many summer weight pieces. So I was thrilled to find 2 new summer dresses I liked at Elizabeth's Timeless Attire Summer Sale last week. Here's the first, and I am working out some variations on the theme. 



I believe that mixing periods up is the best way to go with vintage clothing for everyday wear. I

Heat leads to thinking.

It's a hot Sunday here. Too many days in the 100's  to be energetic. So most of the efforts expended lately have been on restoration,i.e., sewing in front of a fan. Photography will not happen here until the high drops down somewhere in the 80s and the photo lamps can come on again. 



So many hours stitching has led to some thoughts on current attitudes toward sewing and altering

Dresses, Dresses, and Oh Look - Another Dress!

The September additions to Past Perfect Vintage are all in. And my goodness, there's a lot of new inventory. There are hats, suits, and hair combs, but today, it's all about dresses. And a jumpsuit. And a blouse and skirt set. But they look like dresses, so that counts. The date range? 1930s - 1970s. For you Victorian, Teens and 1920s fashion lovers, we have some 60 lovely things on the way.

Designer du Jour : Galanos

 
Designer du Jour : Galanos
 
We added this great 1980s red wool dress by Galanos to the website recently. I am so glad it was offered to us. Every time I handle one of his dresses, I remember what was so special about them. James Galanos had a long and successful career. He designed and produced some of the highest quality ready to wear available in the US - as close to couture as clothing can

Designer du Jour: Malcolm Starr

 
Malcolm Starr (1924 - 2008) was a popular American dress manufacturer and head of the ready to wear company  that bore his name at 530 Seventh Avenue. From a March 21, 2008 article in  Women’s Wear Daily: 
“The dress company he operated, Malcolm Starr, was started in the Forties by his father, Frank, a well-known figure in the textile industry. During that period, the family was one of the

Designer du Jour: B.H. Wragge

Designer du Jour: B.H. Wragge

This was a NY ready to wear house, run by Sydney Wragge and active from 1931 to 1971. The clothes are referred to as ‘affordable’, usually the kiss of death when it comes to quality, but every piece I have handled with this label was beautifully made of fine fabric with a lot of hand sewn finishes. This would be a time when 'affordable' clothing did not bring up

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

New in June at Past Perfect Vintage

Our June additions at Past Perfect Vintage included these summer dresses in cotton, linen and rayon from the 1940s to 1960s.  Also new to the site? A lovely 1920s net lace dress, vintage hats from the Teens and 1940s, and four vintage combs we will feature here in the coming days. Plus even more, as usual!    Early 1940s Cream Crepe Dress with Red Print Sash and Hood
1950s New Look Cotton

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

And Now for Something Completely Different: Hawaiiana

Some of my most popular blog posts have been those on Victorian Bustle Dresses. And First Lady Inaugural Gowns. And the numerous posts on 1920s fashions have been a hit, too.And Now for Something Completely Different!It's spring. Yesterday felt like summer. The sun is shining. And I just had to post these today. Vintage Hawaiiana is a bit of a departure for Past Perfect Vintage. The Vintage

And the Name Dropping Continues

More Name Dropping. Sorry - I can't help myself. This first piece - a classy grey wool knit dress and peplum jacket from Bonwit Teller. I am a big fan of the blouson jacket with belted waist and peplum. Where's the name? On the inside of the matching narrow belt: Adele Simpson. There are several 'well bred lady' rules I didn't mention yesterday - and one was some ladies actually removed designer

Leser is More

1960s - 70s Silk Twill Dress by Tina Leser,now available at Past Perfect VintageInspired by a recent acquisition of a Tina Leser piece, I wandered about the web a bit and found these lovelies from my fellow Vintage Fashion Guild Members. I must say, Ms. Leser was not shy when it came to pattern and color, bless her. She liked ethnic patterns and fabrics, she like florals, she likes graphics. And

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

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

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

New Doings at Past Perfect

We have been busy. First, we had a sale at our Etsy store,then a Summer Sale at PastPerfectVintage.com. Then a private 'to the trade' sale, and then a local sale!! Goodness, we have been having inventory clearance. Why all the sales? Because new inventory is coming! Very, very soon. As soon as Mr. Past Perfect finishes a major linking project on the main website. And we do not hurry Mr. Past

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 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