Month: July 2010

Spanish Fans

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

We are certainly in the throes of summer heat. Attending a dance, even in an air conditioned facility, can sometimes be oppressive if the AC can’t keep up with the heat coming from bodies inside and the temperature outside. It’s always handy to have a fan in your dance bag or shoe bag for just such an occasion.

The best fans I’ve seen are carried by Richard and Katherine Springs, who have gorgeous Spanish wooden fans that are glossy, beautiful, and seem to project the maximum amount of air with each wave. I had the pleasure of using one of these fans on a particularly unbearable day in June at an outdoor wedding and I’m definitely sold on this particular model of fan. Richard and Katherine picked up their fans in Spain, but eBay may come to the rescue! I found a few fans that look like the Spanish fans and are labeled as such. I’m hoping that when my fan arrives from eBay it has the same desired effect…I’ve posted the two offerings the eBay seller I found, AsiaEmporium, which also lists other Spanish fans, but these were the closest to Richard and Katherine’s:

Graphic Plaid 1930’s Dress

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

If you haven’t guessed it by now, I love plaid in its varying forms (hello, gingham!), but it’s really hard to do larger plaids well. I prefer large plaids if they are graphic and are made into a well-tailored garment, just like this plaid dress that I found on eBay today.

The styling on this is adorable – the little hat, the belt, the pixie haircut… I also love the bows down the front, and the subtle detail that the plaids are symmetrical from the back of the dress, both horizontal and on the diagonal (you’ll have to click on the link to see the back, I couldn’t get the photo off the auction page), which makes this dress a really cool piece of clothing.

Knit Lapel Flowers by JandHP

This post was written by Lindy Dandy.

There aren’t too many accessories quite as dapper and dandy as a flower in your lapel buttonhole (a.k.a. boutonnières).  Most guys will never wear them more than a couple times in their lives.

Granted, most guys are not into flowers and probably would not bother buying/wearing something that won’t last more than 24 hours (though you should try).  If you’d like a pop of color that will last, try a knit lapel flower.

There are several places to find them, but today I’ll direct you to JandHP, a second-hand clothing procurer.  (I’m not a huge fan of the jacket they’re using as a backdrop, but it shows off the flowers well enough).

Green & yellow Lapel Flower $8.95
Green & yellow Lapel Flower $8.95
Pink Seersucker $8.95
Pink Seersucker $8.95
Green & Pink Lapel Flower $8.95
Green & Pink Lapel Flower $8.95

Several of their lapel flowers are sold out at the moment, but they’re sure to have more in stock in the future.

The “trick” to wearing boutonnières is to wear them with confidence.  In casual venues, it might also help to hold back on other accessories, lest you look too busy with a tie, pocket square and flower.

Or you could try channeling Cary Grant.

For more on wearing boutonnières, read this excellent Art of Manliness article.

Shabby Apple

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

Special thanks to Julie and Elizabeth for directing me to Shabby Apple, whose dresses are in several categories in my book – vintage-inspired, dance-worthy, clean lines, and work-appropriate. That last category is critical – if I can wear it to work and to dances, I can probably justify paying a bit more for the garment because I’ll get more miles out of it. I can see me getting a lot of miles out of some of these lovely dresses!

Tuileries Dress

That these dresses are work-appropriate is entirely based on the owners’ desire to have stylish dresses that cover enough skin to make them feel comfortable. In their search for these dresses, they discovered that the problem was not that stores were not buying these clothes, but that the designers were not designing these clothes. Necessity is the mother of invention, so Shabby Apple decided to make these dresses that did not seem to exist!

The web site also makes a good point about these dresses – it’s an all in one outfit. You don’t have to buy any camisoles to go underneath or cardigans to go on top, you just have to buy the dress. In these tough economic times, it seems that the dress is the wardrobe saver in more ways than one.

I should also note that I keep running across companies who have great products and a social conscience, and Shabby Apple is no exception. Shabby Apple partners with Unitus, a non-profit organization that “accelerates access to life-changing financial services for those at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Shabby Apple donates 5% of its net dress sales to support work in India (where Shabby Apple Dresses has sourced many of its dresses and the textiles used to manufacture its dresses). In addition, each Shabby Apple Dresses customer has the opportunity to donate an extra five dollars to Unitus every time she buys a dress. Shabby Apple Dresses and Unitus are involved with 10 of India’s most promising microfinance organizations that provide financial services to more than 1.6 million hard-working women and their families. Every $100 donation from Shabby Apple Dresses provides at least 20 women with access to financial services – and the chance to live a life without poverty.”

There are a bevy of dresses to love, so let’s get started:

Sheep Meadow Dress
Bette D. Dress
Ingrid Dress
Lindy Hop Dress
Jitterbug Dress
Frida K. Dress
Circo Dress
Liz and Darcy Dress (in 9 colors!)
Bonheur Dress
La Tour Eiffel Dress
Sutherland Point Bathing Suit

1930’s/40’s Party Dress

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

I am smitten with this red and black party dress posted by Violetville Vintage on eBay. The tucks on the bodice, the short puffed sleeves, the swing skirt, the matching belt, and the shiny applique detail on the bodice and skirt make this dress look perfect for just about any swing dance. It’s fancy, but not TOO fancy, and has just the right amount of detail to make it special.

The dress is pinned to the model, so keep that in mind when you are looking at fit and be sure to note that the garment’s actual measurements are larger than the model.

(Small soapbox) I have hesitated in the past to post about Violetville Vintage because the auctions are all Buy It Now and the base price for their 1930’s and 1940’s starts at $150 and goes way up from there. Admittedly, the dress I posted here is pricey. I do think that they have some beautiful items, but they are not any more remarkable than other eBay stores and auctions I have seen for vintage items. I also notice that many of their items are relisted over and over because no one is buying them (I assume because of the price). Of these items that are relisted, there are several I would purchase if the listing price went down. Surely the cost of relisting these items adds up – wouldn’t it be easier to just list them at a lower price in the first place and let people bid for the items to determine their value? *sigh* I love your clothes, Violetville, but not that much. (Steps off soapbox)

To end on a higher note, Violetville has an extensive inventory and tons of items from more recent decades at very reasonable prices. I would encourage you to peruse their eBay inventory, because it is rather remarkable.

A.J. Machete & Sons Fine Tailoring

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

Based out of Denver, Colorado, A.J. Machete & Sons offers bespoke, tailored menswear items of bygone eras through its Etsy store. While the suits are in the bespoke price range, their Etsy site does offer some more affordable garments and accessories that you may want to add to your existing swing dance wardrobe, such as custom vests, spats, cravats, and a 1930’s sports jacket.

They get a custom fit by using a muslin mock-up – if you’ve ever watched Project Runway or had something custom made before, you may be familiar with this process. Here’s their process for getting the right fit:

“First we get a rough idea of your measurements. You can measure yourself or a suit that you have. We would be glad to help you through this process and to mail you a cloth measuring tape, or, if you are in the Denver area, to measure you in person.
But even the most perfect measurements do not guarantee a good fit. All of our bodies are different shapes and sizes, moreover, we have different postures. A suit made from measurements is no better than a ready-to-wear suit…. it is unlikely to fit every aspect of your body smoothly. To remedy this, we first make the suit from a rough cotton muslin fabric and send it to you for feedback and (digital) pics.

Through examining the way that the muslin wrinkles and pulls, we can get an excellent idea of your figure and posture. At this point, we adjust the pattern based on your feedback and our knowledge and begin to create a suit that fits perfectly.”

Check out A.J. Machete & Sons’ blog, Denver Bespoke, for more examples of their handiwork.

Silk cravat/ascot, shown here in cranberry dupioni silk
Custom spats - not my first choice of fabrics, but if it's custom, I suppose the sky is the limit on fabric choices
Choose a 4 or 6 button vest
Four pocket high collared vest
Peak lapel vest
1930's style sports jacket

Lumina Clothing: Ties and Bow Ties

This post was written by Lindy Dandy.

My apologies for the hiatus (though you might not have realized I was gone since LS does such a great job.  Steady bandwidth is hard to come by on deployment!)  Ok, on to something really exciting (to me, at least).

As has been discussed before, the trick to dressing seasonally is all about wearing seasonally appropriate appropriate fabrics.  Is the thought of wearing a seersucker or madras jacket too intimidating? If so, you can always start with something small, like a bow tie.  Check these out!


Bubblegum Bow Tie, $39
Kaleidoscope Bow Tie, $39
Last Call Bow Tie, $39
Aquatic Life Tie, $59
Carolina Sky Tie, $59

Gingham, seersucker, madras… the gang’s all here.

All of this lovely neckwear comes from Lumina Clothing, based in Raleigh, N.C.  According to their twitter: “Lumina Clothing is a custom tie and bow tie company out of Raleigh, NC. Our products mesh the classic style of the south with the Ivy League style of the 1960s.”  Style of the south plus Ivy League style? I like!

And even cooler: “Our name, Lumina, comes from an old dance pavilion once located on Wrightsville Beach, NC. Opening in 1905, at the time it was the premier social venue in the South, hosting many of the biggest names in entertainment.”

I’ve only posted a couple of their ties and neckties, but they have a very cool collection of fabrics from which to choose.  A huge bonus is that you can get the ties and bow ties at different widths.  Skinny neckties are “in” at the moment, but general idea is to match the width of your jacket’s lapels. (So skinny lapels means skinny ties, etc.) It’s all about balance and proportion (and personal taste).  Prices are reasonable with bow ties for $39 and ties for $59.

I plan to pick up a couple bow ties and ties here, but am pretty sad that I won’t be able to wear them this season.  I’ll be interested to see what they produce for Fall/Winter.

Lumina Clothing:

http://luminaclothing.com/

http://twitter.com/luminaclothing

http://luminaclothing.blogspot.com/

Black 1930’s/40’s Three Piece Suit

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

Another classic three piece suit has popped up on eBay. This one appears to be pretty standard, a few mended places, a few places to be mended, but overall in fine appearance. The seller says the jacket is about a 42 and the pants have a 42 inch waist, but check the measurements in the auction carefully, as the seller’s estimate of size is not always spot on.

City Sneaks at Payless

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

Sometimes cheap shoe makers cut corners that make shoes better for dancing. Case in point, Payless makes a line of shoes called City Sneaks that have a partial rubber, partial slide-friendly material on the sole, mostly in the ball of the foot area where you would need some extra love for spins. The damage is $5.00 and $17.00 for a pair of danceable shoes!

Special thanks to Julie for redirecting me to the product – I blogged about these shoes in my Atomic Ballroom post on shoes, but couldn’t find the shoes online because they don’t really advertise or photograph the sole. Thanks Julie!

Here’s what I like:

Classic black oxfords
Reminiscent of saddle shoes - only $5!
A sort of madras plaid slip-on
Canvas scrunch slip-on
Hot pink sneaks

Update on Beggars and Choosers

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

Beggars and Choosers in Pittsboro, NC will now be open on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.! This delightful vintage and antique store with an extensive clothing inventory had closed its doors following a robbery in the fall, but, by some miracle, the owner has been convinced to open her doors to the public yet again. Let’s hope that one day a week turns into a few more open days…

I’m planning on heading there this Saturday – excited!

Beggars and Choosers Antiques
38 Hillsboro Street
Pittsboro, NC 27312
(919) 542-5884