This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
There was a bit of a break in the action, but a few more pairs of Remix Vintage Shoes popped up on eBay, this time in my favorite color. The Anita heels are size 8, $49.99 starting price, and the Greta wedges are size 6 with a $54.99 starting price.
This post was written by Lindy Dandy.
One of these ties popped into my saved eBay search this morning. I clicked to check out the seller’s other items and POW! These five patterned ties showed up.
Busy patterns and designs can be tricky to wear. Wear it properly and you can look very sharp. Overdo it and you risk looking like a train wreck. For ties like these, your best bet is to pair their patterns with a neutral background. i.e. now is not the time to wear your favorite gingham shirt. Wear a plain, blue or white dress shirt and you’ll do just fine. (Assuming everything fits, of course).
Proceed with caution; these ties would look very bad in the wrong hands. Happy hunting!
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
In a world of random and ironic tee shirts, clearly shirt designers have overlooked the Lindy Hop and vintage jazz community. I do have the token Threadless tee with the Victrola and another that says “I Came to Dance,” but where is my tee shirt with Duke Ellington or Fats Waller plastered on it?
It’s apparently Along Old Harlem Way – this Etsy seller comes to the rescue with two shirts featuring Duke, Fats, Ella, Jelly Roll Morton, Josephine Baker, Louis Armstrong, Frankie Manning, and King Oliver’s Jazz Band. Maybe if we buy more of these shirts, she will make more designs with more amazing jazz musicians and dancers…
Also for sale in this Etsy store are several items of jewelry, hair ornaments, and art prints featuring Louis Armstrong, Josephine Baker, and Louise Brooks.
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
I’m not sure how eBay seller justin711 came into this many pairs of men’s cap toe shoes from the 1920’s through the 1940’s, but he has listed eight pairs of them, all in wearable condition. My favorite pair are the two tone brown and white, with the scuffed up boots coming in a close second. Here are the goods, in sizes ranging from 8 1/2 to 9 1/2 and a $19.99 starting price:
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
I’ve written another guest blog post for Atomic Ballroom, based out of Irvine, California. As you can see, the topic is a timely one. 😉 No clothing references in this particular post, just exploring the old white shoe “rule” as as it relates to swing dancers. Enjoy!
This post was written by Lindy Dandy.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted some tie clips, but here goes. As I’ve mentioned previously, it’s very easy to find tie clips in several themes. This time, we’re looking at forms of transportation.
I just searched for “vintage tie clips” and found these in the first two pages of the search. It’s that easy.
Happy hunting!
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
I happened upon eBay seller luckyvintage in a fit of 1920’s shopping, inspired by my weekend at the Jazz Age Lawn Party. This Seattle-based seller has a small, but carefully selected, collection of clothing and accessories from the 1920’s and 1930’s. The starting prices for these items are very reasonable, considering their age and the detail of the garments. Have a look!
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
It’s always nice to slip into a freshly pressed shirt, but what if that shirt was pressed in 1939?
This week, eBay delivers to the public two men’s dress shirts in white, still in their pre-war paper laundry wrappers, size 16 x 34. One shirt is labeled Carson Pirie Scott Chicago and the other is Tookason 5. Both shirts will have to be laundered again, of course. The auctions note that both shirts appear to have been mended, as it was customary to mend holes rather than replace the entire shirt. There are several other 1930’s/1940’s shirts this particular seller, chesneywold, has listed, all from the same estate in a similar size.
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
This past weekend I was transported to a parallel universe, where the Jazz Age met modern day New York under the boughs of ancient trees on an island that felt so far away from the city it could have been a country estate in the middle of…somewhere fabulous. The weather was perfect, the dance floor shaded, and the eye and ear candy plentiful. While the champagne sorbet and Saint Germaine cocktails flowed, strollers could pick out a cloche or fedora to wear that day, just in case they hadn’t brought their own. Need a parasol? No problem, just pick one up the way to your picnic blanket. While the shopping, eating, and drinking were all delightful, the centerpiece of this event was the people – Michael Arenella’s Dreamland Orchestra serenaded the crowd with 1920’s dance favorites, while the raucous Drew Nugent and the Midnight Society egged the dancers on with their high energy tunes and antics. Dancers were on hand for 1920’s-inspired performances, bathing beauties and hat wearers paraded, and all kinds of people joined in for the tug of war.
I only hope I can come back to one of the Jazz Age Lawn Parties next year. I better get started shopping for my outfits now, as the vintage clothing collectors who attended obviously spent a lot of time scouring vintage sources for the perfect ensemble, from shoes to hat to accessories to picnic blankets.
For more information about the Jazz Age Lawn Party, visit the Dreamland Orchestra’s web site. For more photographs of this lovely event, especially those featuring swing dancers, visit the Yehoodi thread for the August 2010 Jazz Age Lawn Party.
As promised, I scouted out the vendors at the lawn party and managed to take a few pictures of their wares. While you can’t wear anything from the food vendors, two of them are definitely worth mentioning: first, Wine Cellar Sorbet out of Brooklyn, N.Y. had a delicious assortment of flavors, such as sangria, mimosa, pinot noir, and other varietals; second, a cocktail made with St. Germain Elderflower liqueur kept everyone refreshed on a warm summer’s day. I picked up a little cocktail book from the St. Germain table and hope to make use of it soon, as I did not get to try one of these cocktails (but certainly heard a lot about them from others).
My favorite vendor of the weekend was The Village Scandal, which had a delightful array of jazz era millinery for men and women. Boaters and straw fedora style hats were popular, and I saw a number of gals sporting their straw cloches and a beautiful fascinator made of lightweight straw material and feathers curled into a divine confection. My friend Rachel Hundley models her fascinator, pictured to the right. The Village Scandal has a retail location in New York at 19 E. 7th Street, but I understand from the shopkeepers that the website is being revamped and will be more friendly to shoppers soon. These were truly wonderful hats and the cloches are to die for.
There were some odds and ends vendors, selling less expensive goods like these parasols. If you weren’t in the shade, you definitely needed one of these!
Finally, Odd Twin out of Brooklyn, NY was on hand with vintage clothing and accessories. While most of the clothing at their tent was not of the Jazz Age, they had tables spread out with some solid older accessories, like purses and ties, and some fun bloomers on the racks.
In all a wonderful weekend – if you’ve been on the fence about going, I’m here to say solidly that the grass is greener on Governor’s Island!
Lindy Shopper 