Vintage ABCs, Part 3

G is for Galanos
 

 



H is for Hattie Carnegie



 



I is for Irene

Be Green While Wearing White

 



There's been a lot of coverage of designer wedding dresses lately. It is may, so that is to be expected. Lots of satin, lots of lace, still lots of strapless neckline, although there is a positive trend toward actual necklines, and even sleeves thank to a Royal Wedding. But  there is unexplored territory for the bride out there: Vintage. And not just actual vintage wedding dresses, but lots

A November Potpourri

We certainly added a lot of new inventory to both Past Perfect Vintage and Past Perfect, the Etsy Division this month. I already featured the Victorian through 1930s pieces here, so now it's time for a potpourri showing. Can we see a theme here? Let's try. 
 L., Grey 1950 Bernhard Altmann Cashmere Pullover, R. 1950s Striped Wool Suit by Irene
 L. Morris Moskowitz Purple Silk Evening Purse, R

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.

One Woman's Wardrobe

 
The dream buy for a vintage clothing dealer usually involves one woman’s wonderful wardrobe of clothing spanning the better part of her adult life. If she was a woman of means who was interested in clothing - even better. If she was stylish - better yet. And if she was bigger than a size 4 - well, that’s a huge bonus.
I suspect most people, if they thought about it, and very few do, would

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

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

The Suits of September

It has finally(!) cooled off here after a record high in the 90s on the first day of autumn. I can look at vintage wool and think about wearing it at long, long last. This summer was good, but it was very hot and it went on a very long time. And I feel so much more season appropriate with my vintage inventory update posts now that the weather has cooled. So today it's Vintage Suits in September

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

2 Designers, 2 Dresses

Two very different dresses, yes? The first, a custom original by Howard Greer, who had a distinguished career in film costume design before a long career in fashion design. In this c. 1959 - 1960 superbly made dress, he combined red silk chiffon and red silk faille with bugle beads in rows and in pave bands. The chiffon over blouse is scooped to reveal a heart shaped interior bodice edged with a

Designer Additions to Past Perfect Vintage

We have added several vintage designer/better label pieces to Past Perfect Vintage Clothing this March. I already featured the Bill Blass and Phillipe Tournaye sets and the Carolyn Schnurer dress here on the blog, so let's wrap it up today with a little sampler pack. First, a great and classic 1980s Pauline Trigere Navy Suit in imported wool from Henry Harris in Cincinnati. The seaming and

Oh, that Bill

That Bill Blass. He kept turning the work out for a long, long time. Day dresses, suits, sportswear, evening gowns. Some of it great, some of it over the top - the 80s were mighty colorful and big, weren't they? And yes, there were the lower end labels, but that's what it takes to stay in business these days. None the less, a truly American designer.I was happy to find this earlier sample of his

THE Hat

This is the hat that will henceforth be known as THE Hat, (post Edwardian Division ) at Chez Past Perfect. I have consulted Mr. Past Perfect, and we are in agreement. We have had larger hats pass through our stock. We have seen hats with more astounding fripperies and doodads. But this is the largest brim we have had that wasn't from the Edwardian era. And it certainly beats most other hats for

Absolutely,Definitely,Without a Doubt: 1987

Oh yeah. 1987. Victor Costa.Check out the cover of As Seen in Vogue by Daniel Delis Hill.I love it when these things happen. I know - mass produced and only 23 years old. But still. Pretty cool. And it's a nifty 1980s dress with the sensibilty and style of the era, but classy in a way that was often lacking in the 80s. Trust me on this. I was there. The deep black velvet bodice is just strong

Thierry Mugler

Thierry Mugler seems to be awfully hot right now in Vintage Fashion. The resukt of a nostaglia for the 1980s, I suppose. It's usually the cocktail dresses and sexy gowns I see in the big auction house catalogues. You can imagine my surprise when I found this wool pantsuit locally. Kentucky is hardly fashion forward, and certainly not too many French designers stop by to say hey. If you find a

A First Lady A Day: Nancy

Well. Certainly a gal who loved her clothes. She generally dressed well for her figure, although more Hollywood than most First Ladies or political figures’ wives, that is for sure. She did love her red and her white.That said - let’s do The Dresses. Okay, she went for the white beaded column look both times. Both dresses are by James Galanos. She didn’t pay for the first one - it was a ‘loaner’

A First Lady A Day : Barbara Bush, 1989

You will have noticed I am not doing mini bios on the more recent First Ladies. You know who they are. You may well remember what they wore.I must say that Barbara Bush successfully presented herself as a soft, grandmotherly figure. I suspect there is a lot more steel in there than my grandmothers had, but hey. She was smart not to try to glamorize her look. The white hair, the fuller figure, the