Bustles, and Vests and Hats, Oh My!

 



It's such a treat here to get to handle wonderful antique fashions. I never get tired of beautiful things, whether it's the construction, the fabric or the color. Getting to enjoy the reminders of the past and experience them is what has kept me going in this business for 21 years. I am glad I enjoy this. So many of the sellers I knew when I came into this business are gone now. Much less

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

We Have Brought The Pretty

Our blog posts have thinned down due to an opera project (The Merry Widow for the KY Opera Association, opening Feb. 17!) and will therefore be sparse for just a while longer. But we just updated the Past Perfect Vintage website with some pretty, pretty things and we couldn't postpone showing off  The Pretty, aka the Eye Candy. 
We have a really nice group of Victorian and Edwardian pieces added

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

New Pretties in December? Oh yes.

 
In our largest monthly updates yet, we just added some 31 vintage and antique pieces at Past Perfect Vintage, covering a 140 year span. Not bad, I think. Today let's look at the Victorian and Edwardian pieces. We are showing an 1840s print cotton wrapper/house dress, an 1860s brown silk damask 2 piece dress, an 1870s to early 1880s natural silk 2 piece bustle dress with wonderful buttons and

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

Our July Collection at Past Perfect Vintage

The July collection of additions just went live at Past Perfect Vintage over the weekend. It's a quite a bit, so I am going to spread  it out here on the blog. After all, if you get too much eye candy, you won't want your dinner. We have quite a mix this time with some late summer vintage cottons, 60s and 70s leather jackets, 50s party dresses and two Edwardian Irish Crochet pieces. Talk about a

A Fabulous Foursome

 
These four additions to Past Perfect vintage all come from one estate auction. There were 2 other dresses (we didn't get) and 2 hats (we did).  I love the story they tell. There were 2 young woman's dresses in the same small size from 1907 - 1908 ish, represented here by the one we purchased, a lace insertion dress in pale pink cotton. There was a much larger black beaded and sequinned gown

Edwardian Lovelies

The Edwardian Era has so much appeal. My pet theory is that , while distant to us now in fashion and way of everyday life, we can still relate to it because photography was so popular that many of us have family photos from this era. Depending upon our own ages, these are fashions our grandparents could have worn. Indeed, my own grandmother did. In other words, people I knew well once wore these

New at Past Perfect: 1860s Waist, Teens Beaded Tunic & Brocade Stilettos

We have just posted up 17 new additions to Past Perfect Vintage, and they are selling fast. So take a look quickly while you can! We will feature more in the coming days:beautiful Anne Fogarty and Oleg Cassini dresses, Davidow and Handmacher suits and more shoes. 1950s Eye-catching Brocade De Liso Debs with original box in a sz 9!Glorious c. 1910 Edwardian Beaded Net Tunic or Overdress 1860s

Fresh Edwardian Vintage Fashion

Pretty things have shown up at Past Perfect Vintage this month. First up , we have 3 lovely Edwardian pieces from a Southern Indiana estate. Oh yes, the rare and special Fresh From the Closet Fashions! It was a wonderful shopping day, and we will have so much more to show you this week: 1940s bathing suit, Pucci purse and the first of the winter coats. But these finds made my day.c. 1914 Camel

Fresh off the Victorian Press at Past Perfect Vintage

We are delighted to post these new additions to our Victorian and Edwardian Catgeory:Fantastic late 19th C. Handmade Lace Shawl - wonderful lace!c. 1918 Wedding Dress with Pearl Starburts with Perry County, KY Provenance1906 4 pc. Silk Shantung Wedding Set by Mme Grunder with Louisville, KY Provenance c. 1895 Victorian Gown with Leg-O'-Mutton Sleeves in Cinnamon Faille

Another Day as Victorian Laundress

Why do I do this to myself?  I am no great fan of ironing. I do not love the smell of spray starch in the morning.  I bet it's even carcinogenic. In the 30 years I have collected and later dealt in Vintage Clothing, I have seen hundreds of Victorian and Edwardian whites go by. Dresses, blouses, skirts, the full range of underwear from the 1850s to the 20s. Truth be told, I let  99% of it go right

July is Here & That Means New Vintage at Past Perfect

We are excited. We just added 16 new (to us) items at Past Perfect Vintage Clothing. We will feature more in the coming days, but here's a small preview :Lovely c. 1910 White Cotton Lingerie Dress in a Wearable Size with pintucks, lace insertion, applique and tiny crocheted buttons, @ pastperfectvintage.com/thevictoriansandedwardians.htm Charming 1940s Floral Taffeta Dress with shirred bust in

Leslie Hindman Vintage Clothing Auction

There really aren't that many auctions geared specifically to vintage clothing and fashion, especailly west of the Alleghenies. So if you can, you may want to get to Chicago soon for the Leslie Hindman Vintage Couture and Accessories Auction April 19th. We can't make it this time, but we have attended this in the past. It's well run, with full color catalog, a well lit preview with lots of time

A First Lady a Day - Helen in 1909

Christmas break is over and we come back with Helen. Yes, we are still in the 20th C. That’s Helen Taft. A woman who wanted the job if ever there was one. She had been First Lady of the Philippines while her husband William Howard Taft was the Governor. Apparently she liked the job, and had ambitions for more. Even her official White House bio ( and these are always kind) refers to her

Pucci, Oscar, Starr & more @PastPerfectVintage.com

Now we have some fine goodies for December. It's not easy finding wonderful things for our website. Truth be told, the last few shopping trips have not been as successful as we like. But still fun to get out and hunt. The stars seem to have to line up just right to find quality vintage in good condition these days. So when you find something you like - whether it's at our shop or another one -