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, $34.99Tracy Feith dress, $39.99Richard Chai dress, $39.99Erin Fetherston chiffon dress, $39.99Thakoon dress, $39.99Zac Posen dress, $39.99Proenza Schouler dress, $39.99Luella Bartley dres, $39.99Libertine crepe dress, $42.99Libertine 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
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?!
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.
ATTENTION: This post formerly advertised a sale where if you wear it out of the store, it’s yours for free. I went to Beggars and Choosers today and they were very embarrassed that their printer and local media had mis-advertised the sale – the free sale was only for Thursday and only for clearance items from the basement. So sorry for the confusion! That said, there were still tons of great vintage items on sale for 50% off – my friend George Knott left with a $7 sportcoat and I left with a $15 1930’s hat.
Here are the contents of the old post:
File this under local news for Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill: Beggars and Choosers in Pittsboro, NC is having a sale this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday where if you find an outfit at the store and wear it out of the store, you get the outfit for free! This is the only vintage store conceivably near the Triangle that has actual swing era vintage clothing and a great section of menswear as well – definitely worth the trip to come get a free outfit!
This Invizo black bow tie caught my eye on eBay today, not only because it looked sharp, but also because of its packaging – I love it when things come in their original boxes. It’s like opening a time capsule – without the box, it might look period or old, but with the box you’re looking at how it came to its original owner, a nice bonus for vintage shoppers.
This particular bow tie has some nice features, such as the lovely silk faille fabric, it’s “hand tied” yet adjustable, and I love that it points on the ends, giving a backdrop to the bow. The serial number dates this tie to 1936 and the auction says it is in excellent condition, possibly never worn. Adjustable to sizes 14 3/4″ to 14 1/2″. Perhaps the best part – buy it now for $14.99!
I was going to stop there, but the seller, hpainting4u2, has two other bow ties from the 1940’s made by Arrow, made of satin, with the pointed ends, size M, also for $14.99. Click here and here.
Last month I put out the call for a shopping challenge, asking Lindy Shopper readers to send me on a mission for your heart’s desire, the garment you have been unable to find and add to your wardrobe. My first response was from Rich Werden, a fellow dancer and vintage clothing enthusiast who I met last year at All Balboa Weekend. One of his challenges (email subject line: “You want a challenge!?!?”) was to find a Norfolk jacket, or as Rich more aptly put it:
“The Coup de grace is a belt-back sport jacket that would actually fit me. The naming of this style is difficult: sometimes these jackets are called Action-Backs, Norfolk, or Bi-Swing jackets. The style was popular in heavy wools n’ tweed as an outdoorsman thing for going sport shooting in England, but of course, being a dancer, I wouldn’t want anything so heavy. Really, Nick Williams has an excellent white one that I have been jealous of for years! I can’t even find a place that would do one bespoke!”
Out of my element and, perhaps, out of my league, I set forth my online quest for this belt-back jacket. My first stop was eBay, to look for the right key words for my eBay searches, as the plan was to look online, but also have searches sent to me daily using the key words Rich gave me for this particular jacket. The term “Norfolk jacket” yielded the most results, almost all of them in tweed.
One of the jackets caught my eye, as it was in a lighter color and sans tweed, so I clicked through to view the auction description. The auction was for a vintage 1970’s Norfolk jacket, offered for sale by Bookster, a British company that sells vintage menswear, but also has their own retail web site for custom menswear – “Home of The Bookster Range, Craft Tailored in England from the Finest British Tweed, Wool and Linen Cloths at Accessible Prices.”
A promising start. I honed in on the word “linen” – yes, here’s a dancer-friendly fabric!
I messaged Rich with the link, hoping that this was even close to what he wanted. Rich agreed that the linens would be the way to go. 🙂
The price is where things get squirrely. Everything is so customized and “bespoke,” down to the number of buttons, vents, regular v. comfort waistline, sleeve length, back length, pockets, shoulder pleats, yowza…I did a sample order, pretending to order a linen Norfolk jacket for my husband and the cost came out at around $550 U.S. This seems like a lot, but if this is THE piece you are missing and you will wear it until you are old and gray, I’d say it would be worth the investment. We do want to invest in some quality pieces, even though Lindy Shopper is always looking for a bargain. Or you could always settle for the disco-era Norfolk jacket they listed on eBay for $65.00.
As a side note, you can also order knickers from Bookster as part of your tweed or linen suit.
Matt Deckard's Action-Back
Rich upped the ante and found another website, Matt Deckard Apparel based in Los Angeles, offering several versions of the action-back jacket from this side of the pond. The photographs on this site give you an excellent idea of how the pieces will look in an ensemble – such classy gents! Prices range from $800 to $1,500 for a bespoke suit, so maybe the Bookster jacket isn’t looking so bad as an investment.
I’d like to thank Rich for this wonderful foray into menswear – I hope this information will help some of you in your searches as well!
This is another rare skirt and top set from the 1940’s, this time with a clever mixing of two patterns – a cheerful plaid and a clustered polka dot pattern. I adore this set for the peplum effect of the top, the gathering around the neckline, the contrast hem and sleeves, the simple pattern made so interesting by the mix of fabrics, and arm holes big enough to allow for unconfined movement. This would be perfect for a spring dance or the battle of the bands at DCLX (Excited!).
Perhaps the best part of this two piece set? You’ll never have to worry about your shirt coming untucked, but you’ll still look tidy with that great peplum.
I’m having palpitations because several dresses I have been eyeballing, as well has hundreds of other items, are now 70% off at Mod Cloth’s Cabin Fever Sale. As I am placing things into my shopping cart they are flying off the website – literally! One dress in my cart went out of stock before I could check out. Here are some of my favorites from the sale:
Gala Life Dress, now $72.99 (was $244.99)Fiery Personality Frock for $20.99Releve Dress for $22.99That's Amore Dress for $21.99Beach Picnic Dress for $29.99Know-how Romper in Grace for $14.99
One of my favorite retailers, Leluxe Clothing Co., has listed some sample dresses on eBay, lovely reproductions of 1920’s dresses that were produced once. Will they become part of the Leluxe lineup of dazzling dresses? I don’t have the answer to that, but I do know they are lovely and you can have first, and perhaps only, dibs on wearing these gilded models for 2011.
Honeycomb dressAnother variation on the honeycombEgyptian-inspired dress
My Valentine’s Day debacle could be your new treasure – I bought this great reproduction vest on eBay for my husband, but when I gave it to him on Valentine’s Day it turned out to be too small. I was so disappointed because I had searched a long time to find the perfect vest – something that could be paired with grays, blacks, and any color tie; something that had a subdued pattern; and something that either was vintage or looked vintage that could withstand the wear and tear my husband would put it through (i.e. Lindy Shopper carefully hangs and launders her vintage, while the Boy leaves his clothes in a mound on the floor, which doubles as a cat bed). THIS was that vest.
If this all sounds like your life and fulfills your needs, consider placing a bid on my eBay auction. I love the tiny dot pattern, all the wonderful buttons, and the shape of the front of the vest. This fabric is durable and new, but looks like it could have stepped out of another decade. Estimated at a size 40 chest by the previous seller, and confirmed by the 2 inch gap in the front when the Boy tried it on.
Etsy seller Raleigh Vintage has an adorable matching plaid skirt and vest set from the 1940’s. While I’ve been pining for spring, let’s be realistic – it’s going to be cold for at least another month, which should give you plenty of time to get in a couple of wearings of this adorable set. I love the rhinestone-studded buttons, the pleats in the skirt, and the scoop neck on the vest. Pair with a pretty blouse and some wedges and you’re set for the dance!
A couple of pre-owned Remix shoes popped up on eBay at a good price. First, a solid wedge, the Open Toe Spectator in black on black, with only two bids and current bidding at $41.00. Second, my absolute favorite pair of arrival sandals (due to their supreme comfort for after the dance), the Dara, in a smashing shade of red, with the bidding at $31.00.
Either technology or eBay is being uncooperative today, so the only photo I can share with you is of a pair of new red Dara shoes from the Remix website…but you should still check out the auctions if you are a size 9!
One of the few Etsy shops I revisit regularly is Flapper Flock, an Etsy store focused solely on 1920’s and 1930’s clothing, accessories, and other odds and ends from the jazz era. Flapper Flock is a division of the seller’s brick-and-mortar store in Redlands, California called Hobo’s Vintage. While her selection is usually small, there are always one or two really choice items to fall in love with.
Couple of distinct things about Flapper Flock 1) all prices include the cost of shipping, so what you see is the total cost you will pay for that item and 2) the seller will sometimes include “throwback” items, like a 1960’s does 1920’s drop waist dress. Other sellers try to do this and fail miserably, but with the items I have seen her post in this fashion it really is hard to tell, at least from the photos. I don’t see any throwback items listed right now.
Right now, Flapper Flock has some most excellent vintage shoes and some other odds and ends:
Navy 1930's dead stock shoes, size 6.5 Glorious pair of 1920's dead stock oxfords, size 6.5White perforated leather dead stock 1930's oxfords, size 6.51920's beaded drawstring purse1930's black camisole - in my opinion, older slips are almost always more beautiful than the ones you find being made today
My friend and fellow dancer Matthew Glassman forwarded me the link to this silk sportcoat on the Jos A. Bank website, on sale for $69.00, and I thought it was good enough to repost. Much like your wardrobe’s MVP, the blue sportcoat, you can add one of these lovely silk jackets to jeans or slacks if you aren’t in the market for an entire suit and want a more versatile piece…or maybe you just like sportcoats. 🙂
The jacket is 100% silk fabric in a great check pattern – subtle, yet interesting. Available in two colors, light olive and black/tan, with a center vent in the back. This coat retailed at $350.00, so at $69.00 this is an amazing deal.
Lindy Shopper 