Month: March 2011

Johnson Shoes

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

"A Brogue" oxford in brown and snake

I’ll keep the shoe theme going for another post…I stumbled upon Johnson Shoes in one of those lists of vintage clothing and shoe resources where most of the links are no longer working. Fortunately, the Johnson Shoes link still worked and I discovered a wonderful resource for 1930’s through 1950’s shoes for men and women. Based in the UK, Johnson Shoes has been selling hand crafted shoes since 1983.

From the website: “We always carry black, brown and white dance shoes, but all our ranges come in all colours. Different soles are available according to your needs. Whilst some styles and colours are in stock due to the fact we offer high quality handmade footwear so it can take a number of weeks to produce your shoes. We offer quality not speed.

Whether you want to dance all night or be comfortable all day we make quality footwear that caters for your needs. Whether you choose from one of the many designs you see on our site or design what you want it’s all in with the price.

Johnson shoes are dance orientated. We have jazz, rock and roll, swing, balboa and lindy-hop shoes, ballroom, and latin shoes, 40s jive, ceroc, leroc, salsa and jive shoes.

You can choose from a wide range of materials including, leather, suede, nubuck, patent, pony, non-leather and a choice of soles, leather, eva, suede , crepe and non-leather. We do all the above footwear from size 3 including half sizes to a ladies size 9 in selected styles and up to mens size 13”

You had me at Balboa…

In addition to custom footwear, Johnson Shoes carries some styles in stock, which are sold through the Rock and Roll Products website. The styles available in stock are also the styles you can customize.

Here’s what I’m loving from the site (there are no individual links, for some reason – sorry!):

Penny Loafer in black and white (I remember someone bemoaning Aris Allen discontinuing their white loafers...)
"Telephone" heels in gold and silver - I can't even begin to tell you how much I am in love with this pair of shoes
White bucks to go with your seersucker suit
"Spanish" shoe in purple with teardrop cutouts
Saddle shoe in brown and beige
"Clio" heels in brown croc

Men’s and Women’s Shoes on eBay

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

This is definitely a good shoe week on eBay, so here are a couple of finds for the gents from the 1940’s and some more Remix shoes for the ladies:

Brown and white cap toes with wonderful broguing, $49.99
Brown Nettleton wingtips, size 8D - $24.99
Remix "Balboa" in gold, size 7.5 - $88
Remix "Pleated Toe" wedge, silver, size 11 - $39.99

Remix Deco Heels

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

It’s been a while since I posted any Remix shoes from eBay, so in light of recent online debates about heels v. flats, I’ll post some heels in support of my pro-choice stance. đŸ˜‰ Here, we have a pair of used Remix Deco heels, in brown and a sort of olive green, size 8.5, but the seller says they feel more like an 8. This shoe retails for $194, so with the starting price at $65, it’s worth a bid if you’ve had your eye on this lovely shoe.

More Shabby Apple Madness: Roamin’ Holiday

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

The crew at Shabby Apple are turning out new collections so fast, it’s hard to keep up! Their latest collection is inspired by one of my favorite destinations, Rome, Italy, and features not only some fantastic dresses, but also a sweet red Vespa in the photo shoots – truly a collection after my heart!

Here’s what I’m loving from the new collection – ciao!

Spanish Steps Dress - the skirt on this has wonderful ruching and embroidery. Vespa and Trevi Fountain not included. đŸ˜‰
Primavera Dress - love the shape of this dress, the color, and the shot
Bernini dress - this floral looks like clouds in the sky
Gondola Dress - my absolute favorite, definitely wearing this one for Vespa rides

$10 Threadless Tees – 2 Days Only!

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

While Lindy Shopper and Lindy Dandy love to promote dressing well at dances, we understand that the daily uniform for most people is a tee shirt and jeans. However, there are, in our opinion, some superior tee shirts to be had and both of us are huge fans of Threadless.com for clever, witty tees. Right now, and for the next two days, Threadless is having one of their famous $10 sales – all tee shirts on the website are $10! Their tees normally run between $15 and $22, so this is a good time to stock up on some necessary tees to supplement your collection.

Here are some dancer friendly tees from Threadless:

I Wanna Dance tee
Discography tee
Puppet Ballet tee
In Case of Emergency tee

Golfknickers.com

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

In honor of my trip to visit Knickerrocker this weekend and DJ at his and Bill Speidel‘s monthly dance event, The Southside Stomp, I decided to profile golfknickers.com, purveyors of men’s and women’s short pants, fancy socks and other classic golf attire. Arguably, if these knickers are made for a sport, wouldn’t they also be ideal for dancing? I’d like to think so.

Golfknickers.com has a clear purpose: “We specialize in our full line of men’s plus fours or golf knickers (knickers). To complement the knickers our company has a full line of matching socks, caps and shirts; allowing us to deliver the complete outfit to our customer. Our customers’ include Corporations, Golf Courses (outfitting Staff and Patrons), School Golf Teams, Tournaments and avid golfers around the world. We are committed to growing the game of golf by encouraging players to wear the game the way it was meant to be played.”

The way it was meant to be played. I’m already a fan – promoting dressing well and in a classic way is just what we do on this blog, as well. đŸ™‚

Now for the goods! Just about everything on this site is vintage inspired and could be worn at a dance. Obviously the knickers are the highlight, with the men’s models in 20 colors of microfiber gabardine and cotton/linen, 6 plaids in cotton/linen, 4 plaids in a wool blend, and some models with matching caps. The microfiber knickers are a steal at $69.95. Ladies can choose from 6 colors and 3 plaids (although shouldn’t they be offering some lovely 1920’s-inspired golf dresses and cloches, a la Jordan Baker? *sigh*)

There are socks galore, argyle in just about every color combination you can think of. They also have a nice selection of caps, an inordinate amount of argyle sweater vests, and some nice cotton/linen blend regular length trousers in solids and plaids.

Having trouble deciding? Golfknickers.com anticipated that the unlimited combinations could be overwhelming, so they have collections of ready to go outfits, that include knickers, shirt, sweater vest, socks and cap already expertly matched – just pick a color. If you’d like to create your own look, but aren’t sure how the pieces will look together, the site offers a virtual model where you can try different color combinations.

Microfiber knickers
Argyle socks galore!
Oh, the sweater vests!
I would wear these green knickers in a hot minute
The only thing more awesome than playing golf in these knickers would be playing golf in a kilt

Oh I’m Evil

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day and the wearing ‘o the green, I couldn’t resist posting this amazing green 1950’s party dress from Etsy seller pinupdresses. It’s a bit more expensive than I like to have on Lindy Shopper, but ohmygawd look at it! If Pamela Isley were “disguised” as Suzy homemaker/hostess for a night, would this not be the dress? Paging all villainesses, this dress is for you!

Check out pinupdresses’ store for some other good 1940’s and 1950’s finds, but the real jewels in this store are the 1980’s prom dresses, which are even better than what you’d dig up at your local Salvation Army.

Lindy Hop Necklace

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

The creative talent of both Lindy Hoppers and sellers on Etsy never cease to amaze me – combine the two and you get a seller like MarKhed, who has crafted this wonderful Lindy Hop necklace, hand sawed out of silver.  The silhouette looks like it was taken from a photograph of Kevin St. Laurent and Jo Hoffberg.

Check out the rest of her Etsy store, as there are some really amazing cutouts in her jewelry, especially those of the human form. She even takes custom orders – perhaps your dance silhouette should be memorialized in a piece of jewelry!

World’s Fair

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

Scarf from 1939 World's Fair

I’m still looking for the perfect compact and keep coming across ones I like from the swing era World’s Fairs. The World’s Fair is a series of large expos held in different countries, the highlight of which were the national pavilions, created by participating countries. According to Wikipedia, the early expos, starting in the early 1800’s and, until the late 1930’s, were focused on trade and “were the platform where the state of the art in science and technology from around the world was brought together.” After that, the World’s Fair focused more on cultural exchange. Key expos of the swing era held in the United States were Chicago in 1933 and New York in 1939 (the 1939 World’s Fair also featured performances from Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers). The merchandising opportunities for these expos were in abundance and you saw everything stamped with a world’s fair logo, from silk scarves to money clips to parasols.

Here are a few fun World’s Fair items on eBay:

1933 World's Fair pin - I think it would be hilarious to see this on someone's lapel - "You were there? Really??"
1933 World's Fair walking stick/cane - for that soft shoe routine you've been working on
1933 World's Fair Japanese silk scarf - seller says her mother-in-law kept it in her cedar chest for over 60 years
1939 World's Fair parasol
1939 World's Fair Persian lamb fur muff
1933 World's Fair Japanese silk scarf
1933 World's Fair radio in original box

Don’t Forget to Bid! The Carolina Fascinators’ Silent Auction

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

Just a reminder that we are still conducting a silent auction for this wonderful 1940’s reproduction jumper and cherries print blouse to raise money for The Carolina Fascinators – bidding ends tomorrow at 11:00 p.m. All the auction details and the auction itself are in the LS post from Monday. The bidding is only up to $45.00 – less than the value of just the blouse itself!

Did I mention this outfit is one of a kind? And that, by wearing it, you’ll reach an astronomic level of cuteness?

Target GO! International Designer Collective for Spring 2011

Alice Temperley dress, $34.99

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

I have followed Target’s GO! Designer series over the years, intrigued at the concept of bringing high end designer goods to the masses. While obviously there are some compromises in fabric choice and construction, overall the series has been welcomed with open arms by me and countless others who show up at Target on the day a new designer’s collection is released. This latest collection, to be released online and in stores this Sunday, March 13, 2011, is not tied to one designer, but is a celebration of many of the designers, featuring popular dresses from the individual collections. The collective also marks 5 years of designer collaborations with Target.

This sort of thing is brilliant for the fashion conscious dancer, who needs to save as much money as possible to go to as many events as possible. Also, the fabric choices, while not high end, are much more practical for dancers, so you can feel OK about getting the dresses sweaty and then throwing them in the washing machine.

Here are some of my favorites, but no links, as the collection isn’t out until Sunday:

Tucker dress, $34.99
Tracy Feith dress, $39.99
Richard Chai dress, $39.99
Erin Fetherston chiffon dress, $39.99
Thakoon dress, $39.99
Zac Posen dress, $39.99
Proenza Schouler dress, $39.99
Luella Bartley dres, $39.99
Libertine crepe dress, $42.99
Libertine dress, $29.99 - I used to have this in off-white - it's the perfect combo of cotton sundress and flapper, with a slight drop waist, but enough room in the hips that it's not confining

Red and Green for Spring

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

I am in love with two dresses on eBay this week, made in vastly different sizes, but both equals in adorable-ness and wearable-ness – both are cotton and look sturdy enough to withstand the dance floor. I am itching for spring – these dresses would be perfect for an upcoming dance in warmer weather!

The first dress is a late 1930’s/early 1940’s cotton dress in a green and white print, with lovely puff sleeves, carved buttons, and this fantastic smocking/stitching detail on the shoulder. The bust/waist/hip measurement on this dress is 48/38/52. It is missing the belt, but it looks like there’s enough fabric in the hem to fashion one, or add a green or white ribbon to finish the outfit.

The next dress is another recurring theme in my wardrobe, candy stripes, this time in seersucker cotton in this lovely 1930’s dress. Within this dress there are three stripe directions – horizontal on the buttons and neckline, vertical on the torso, and chevron stripes on the skirt. The slit pockets are perpendicular to the chevron stripes. The bust/waist/hip on this is 34/26/35. The puff sleeves, a bow sash, and giant buttons – how cute is this?!

Someone please buy these dresses!

1940’s Reproduction Jumper and Cherries Blouse – Fundraiser for The Carolina Fascinators!

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

One of my favorite Etsy sellers, Time Machine Vintage, has generously donated this lovely reproduction 1940’s jumper and cherries blouse to The Carolina Fascinators‘ fundraising efforts. I will be conducting a silent auction on this blog for the jumper and blouse set – simply place your bid in the comments section and whoever has the highest bid at 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 12, 2011 will be the winner. The jumper and blouse will be on display at the Triangle Swing Dance Society Dance on March 12 at the Carrboro Century Center and The Carolina Fascinators will be taking bids at the dance as well (with updates posted here during the dance, in case you are not local and want to bid at the end).

The jumper and blouse were made to fit a modern size 6-8. The waist on the skirt is approximately 27 inches, but might fit a 28, as there’s some room to move the fasteners over. The amount of space in the hip area is generous and will drape nicely to fit. The blouse will fit up to a 36C bust and around a 34 bust, with the waist in the blouse being more generous than the skirt. If you have any questions about measurements, please let me know and I’ll be happy to measure the garments. The outfit looks even more adorable in person, I’d bid on it myself if it was my size. I love the contrast collar, the big buttons on the jumper, and that the jumper straps cross in the back. The jumper has 8 gores in the skirt, which means maximum twirly-ness and dreaminess!

Who are The Carolina Fascinators, you ask? TCF are a ladies jazz dance performance troupe based out of Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina, specializing in routines inspired by the vintage dances of the 1920’s, 30’s, and 40’s. We have hit the ground running, but are still a very new organization and need funding for travel, costumes, and practice space. The local dance community has been very generous thus far at our bake sales and we hope that you will help us out in this latest fundraising endeavor!

I’ll add that Time Machine Vintage is also making The Carolina Fascinators’ next costume and she has been so wonderful to work with during the process of costuming five gals.

The fine print: If you are bidding online, we will accept payment only through PayPal. Shipping in the U.S. will be $8.50, please email me for an international shipping quote at caab241@gmail.com. Payment due within two days of the auction ending.