As a follow-up to yesterday’s post, which featured pairs of Mary Jane flats in a rainbow of colors, I am posting another pair of Mary Jane flats, only this pair is vintage. Etsy seller kittyvonpurr has posted a lovely pair of red 1940’s/1950’s flats, size 11. The seller says it best: “Topstitched in black, rounded toecap, asymetrical front opening, double adjustable strap, faille piped collar and a short chunky heel. A DARLING pair of vintage shoes…super cute, in a rare size and red!” Darling, indeed.
Shag Shoe - my bronze pair on the far right, pictured with their other metallics, black, and dark red
I came across Tic-Tac-Toes dance shoes in the early 2000’s when I decided that I wanted a pair of bronze Mary Janes to dance in. Finding cute dance flats was already a giant chore, but somewhere in my internet searches I stumbled on the Tic-Tac-Toes website. I ended up with a pair of their “Shag” shoes (presumably Carolina Shag) in bronze and was a very happy camper – the shoes are lightweight, with leather soles, and come in 38 colors. That’s right – THIRTY-EIGHT COLORS.
Thus, if you are looking for a very specific color of dance shoe, Tic-Tac-Toes may be the very place to look. They have a number of styles they have designated for Lindy Hop, such as saddle shoes, two-tone t-strap wingtips, and t-strap heels, but really any of their dance shoes could work. If you are worried about heels, all of the Tic-Tac-Toes shoes have a wide heel and there’s nothing on this website over 2 inches.
The shoes are made in Gloversville, New York for men and women, and come in narrow, regular, and wide widths. The soles and upper parts of the shoes are leather. According to the Tic-Tac-Toes website, “We proudly use only domestic finished leather in our dance shoes. Because we do not use backers between our leather upper and our soft foam and tricot linings, our leather will stretch and mold to the shape of your foot thereby adding to the comfort of the shoe. In addition, our leather has a durable top coating of urethane which allows for easy cleaning and less scuffing.”
Here are my picks from the Tic-Tac-Toes website:
Lana T-strapBenny Saddle ShoeBridget T-StrapGoldie T-strap (I do love a good t-strap)Kailey Mary Jane Heel - these remind me of the Mary Jane Dancestore wedges, but with heels, of courseStormy Shoe
At the last RDU Rent Party dance I had at least 3 people tell me I had lipstick on my teeth. On each occasion, I would look toward the one bathroom for the studio and it was always occupied and there was no other mirror in sight. Rather than give up red lips altogether, I decided it was time to invest in a compact.
I immediately went to eBay and, rather than my usual bargains, I was blown away at most of the prices (or at least the prices for the vintage compacts I wanted). I did find a few less expensive gems, that I will post below.
Kyle Designs Art Deco Compact
A quick Google search for “art deco compact” yielded a hit for Kyle Designs, which has a custom Art Deco-inspired compact for $25.00. Customization includes selecting the metal, the color plate, and for a few dollars more you can have the compact engraved. I think this would make a great gift for the ladies, gents. *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*
I also browsed through Etsy and found ByMIMI, who embellishes her compacts with bits of filligree, vintage jewelry, and some whimsy. Finally, dnacreations on Etsy offered a number of pin-up girl compacts at the low price of $4.00. I’ve posted some samples from these two sellers below, as well.
Now, to decide which compact I want the most…
1930's checkerboard compact on eBay1940's blue enamel compact on eBay1940's Dorset Fifth Avenue compact on eBayArt Deco compact on eBay1934 Deakin and Frances compact on eBayBetty Boop compact ByMIMIUnicorn compact ByMIMIBlack rose compact ByMIMIPinup girl compact by dnacreationsPinup girl compact by dnacreations
Not one, but two pairs of Remix Picasso wedges popped up on eBay this week. First, a lovely pair in red, new in box, size 9. Second, a pair in basic black, worn twice, in a size 10 with a starting price of $39.99. ¡Amo el zapato de picasso!
I can’t resist posting a tuxedo on here, even though most of you will probably never be seen in a tuxedo at a dance; however, in the off-chance you are feeling dapper and festive, here’s a lovely tuxedo that popped up on eBay from 1932. It looks pristine. The tag on this tux reads “Kennedy’s” and is dated October 10, 1932. I wonder who was buying a tuxedo in the middle of the Great Depression…
Check the measurements for sizing, but the seller is posting this is approximately a 33 inch waist on the pant and a 36 jacket. Note that the seller will not re-list the item if not sold. With two days left on the auction, no bidders, and a $49.99 start price, this could be a fantastic deal!
Trashy Diva goes back to basics for fall, with a collection of basic black dresses in a poly/rayon/spandex that has “the look of vintage wool jersey without the scratch.” With added spandex, these dresses should be extra danceable. My favorite is the Jenny dress, which comes in short sleeves and long sleeves, and has these amazing darts at the waist that look like they will give you a lovely hour-glass, wasp waisted shape.
Another recent collection features two fabrics dotted with the fleur-de-lis, a symbol of New Orleans, which is the home base of Trashy Diva. The more graphic of the two prints is featured on their 1950’s and 1960’s inspired dresses and the smaller print is on their classic 1940’s and 1930’s pattern dresses.
If you missed out on earlier Trashy Diva goodness, check out my last blog entry on this obsession-worthy clothing company.
Up for grabs on eBay is this great tweed vest and pair of pants in a lovely tweed with hints of orange, green, and rust. The vest has four pockets and the pants have buttons for suspenders and a high waist. The seller, timeless, has not guessed at a size, so check the measurements carefully for fit. To give you a hint as to size, the seller believes this set was made for someone “tall and lanky.”
A pair of my favorite shoes, green two tone Remix Balboa shoes, have made an appearance on eBay in a size 6, new without box. With a $19.99 starting price, this could be a steal!
If you are on the fence about the color, I’ll add that I hesitated for a long time to get these shoes, even though green is my favorite color, because I wasn’t certain they would go with anything in my closet; however, once I finally stopped admiring them from afar and got them near my closet, I discovered that they go with a surprising number of garments in various shades and amounts of green. The low heel and flexible sole on these shoes are Balboa and Lindy friendly.
I am definitely a sucker for a sailor suit and most things nautical (a casualty of growing up at the beach), so this 1940’s dress from eBay seller Emerald City Vintage was a must-post. The striped fabric, the red piping, the pocket details, the sailor collar…can you smell that salty air? Ahhhh…
Unlike the highly anticipated Zac Posen collection for Target, I had never heard of Tucker by Gaby Basora, so I was not planning on showing up at Target at 8:00 a.m. the day the collection debuted to get first dibs on the goods. However, after I saw an ad in VOGUE for the Tucker collection featuring an Art Deco print dress paired with a wide brim hat and flapper stockings, I changed my mind and set my alarm for 7:40 a.m. this morning to go check it out.
Target was blissfully empty at 8:00 this morning and I had a fantastic time rummaging through this fall collection that has a little something for everyone and some great pieces for work, fun, dancing, and evening. Some of my favorites from the collection are a burnout velvet dress, an orange polka dot blouse, an orange herringbone skirt, a sparkly boucle cocktail dress, several floral dresses, and a pair of herringbone shorts. The fabrics are obviously not the designer’s usual silks, but the fabrics chosen for the collection didn’t feel or look cheap, they draped well, and are much more washable and wearable from this dancer’s practical perspective.
The clothing from the collection is shown in “looks,” but I was more inspired looking at Tucker’s official web site. The intro video was delightful eye candy, with vintage-inspired looks featuring Tucker’s fall collection with vintage jewelry, hairstyles that ranged from Gibson Girl to Marie Antoinette, crocheted gloves, flapper headbands, red lips, hair flowers, and dessert. 🙂
Here are some potentially dance-worthy pieces:
I bought this whole look, work appropriate and danceable - the fit was fantasticI'm wishing this burnout velvet dress had fit me better...or, better yet, that the collection had a 1920's-inspired dress in this fabricBlack boucle dressThis dress looks painfully short on the Target model, but was not terribly short and would be comfortable for dancingThese shorts are awesome - I'd pair them with suspenders and a newsboy cap or a girly blouse
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.
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.
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:
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!
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!
Beaded flapper dress with capeRust chiffon beaded 1920's dressGold lame and salmon 1920's dressBlack beaded 1920's dressPurple 1920's cloche
Lindy Shopper 