Another bevy of beautiful garments, courtesy of my favorite shopping website:
This week’s lovelies from eBay
Author: Lindy Shopper
Vintage jazz dancer, DJ, songbird, blogger
Anna Sui Deco Tree dress
Is there something about this dress, upon closer inspection…is that…is that a peplum? I believe it is. Anna Sui’s Deco Tree dress sports a retro print and a serious peplum that originates in the front in two pieces and continues to the back, cascading all the way to the hem. At $186, on sale at that, it’s out of the price range I like to post, but I couldn’t resist showing a modern peplum dress on the blog. My guess is the Forever 21 knockoff isn’t far behind…
Aris Allen black and silver oxford, size 11
Lindy Shopper Classified Ad – For sale by owner: A pair of lovely Aris Allen black and silver 1930’s style oxford heels, size 11, barely used, $50 or best offer. According to the seller, Julia Seymour, there are “two tiny scratches (from the heels hitting together) on the right shoe and a small indentation on the same shoe. I don’t know how much shipping would be so let’s say $55 total and I’ll pay the shipping (standard in the US). I can be reached by email to work out the details: juliaseymour.writer@gmail.com.”
Navy and cream oxford heels, size 5/5.5
These navy and cream oxfords with perforated leather and scallop detailing are delicious! The eBay seller says these are a size 4, but my friend Sharon Ferris with a size 4 foot says the measurements are more in line with a 5 or 5.5.
Three piece linen suit, replica 1943 pattern
My heart be still…any man who dons this gorgeous three piece linen suit and asks me to dance will definitely get a spin on the dance floor. At $325 it’s as much as you’d pay for a new suit, but definitely less than this version in Irish linen from Brooks Brothers for $598…
Remix “Dara” shoe
This is my main shoe. If I could wear this shoe every day with a sundress, I would, and it would go with all of them. This shoe kept up with a pair of Chacos on a two week tour of Italy, all terrains and weather, and was just as comfortable as a pair of athletic sandals. You think your Remix heels are comfortable? Let me invite you to enjoy the bedroom slipper of the Remix line…
This pair of Dara shoes in pewter is on eBay for $140 or you can get them at the Remix site for $168. Unlike other Remix shoes, I’ve only seen this pair available on eBay twice, and I bought the first pair. 😉 Yes, this is spendy. No, I didn’t pay that much, I got my pair for an even lower price on eBay. But think about it – a shoe that goes with everything, can be worn under almost any conditions (except maybe hot lava), that is so comfortable, AND is adorable. I challenge you to find a more versatile pair of sandals!
I also found this pair in red in a size 6 for $118 on Amazon.com.
This shoe does not have a leather sole, but don’t discount it for dance purposes yet! For me, it serves as the ever critical arrival and departure shoes – you can’t mess up your suede soles, but you should still show up to the dance in a great pair of shoes! They are extra critical for the departure, as nothing feels better than a pair of cool, comfortable, ventilated flats on your hot, tired feet after a long night of dancing.
Seersucker jacket and three piece suit ending today on eBay, size 40
Snatch these up before the auction ends today – the price is right!
Old Woogies
This one is for the gents – while Old Woogies has some adorable women’s shoes, the focus of the company’s apparel, accessories, and footwear is men. Old Woogies is based out of Italy and sells men’s shoes, pants, suspenders, belts, jumpers (aka short sleeve sweaters), hats, jeans, caps, and other menswear items inspired by the swing era and the 1950’s. There’s much more on the website, but here are some of my faves (which may turn out like your mom dressing you…). 😉
Miss Selfridge
From the UK purveyor of youthful fashion comes these lovely, danceable dresses, rompers, and accessories, available online through the Miss Selfridge website.
1940’s alligator shoes, never worn
This is one classy looking pair of alligator shoes that have never been worn, courtesy of a UK eBay seller who is reluctantly selling this beautiful pair because they do not fit. Oh, I have been there…it’s better to just let them go. 😉 Check your foot measurements, ladies, because this pair is awesome!
Esther Williams swimwear
Before we get too deep into bathing suit season, I thought it important to point out the most flattering bathing suit I have ever owned and will probably continue to own until I am old, gray, and fabulous, a la the designer of these suits. I am talking about Esther Williams, the synchronized swimmer turned movie goddess of the aquamusical, who has her own swimwear line of modern and vintage inspired bathing suits.
I bought her “Classic Sheath” in black last year, resigning myself to the fact that I needed a more practical, full coverage bathing suit that I would not feel self-conscious wearing, regardless of what kind of day I was having. I adored the vintage styling on Esther’s one piece bathing suits and hoped that this would be the solution to all my bathing suit woes. When the suit arrived, it was even better than imagined – not only did the bathing suit look adorable with the old-school ruching and low cut legs, but the bathing suit was well-made with great structure, cups, and durable fabric, it was ultimately flattering in all self-conscious areas, and I felt beautiful wearing it – that’s a first in my years of horrible dressing room experiences with bathing suits!
You can buy this style of bathing suit on other websites, but there’s something special about ordering a suit from Esther herself, as if some of that MGM musical magic will rub off on you when you wear it. Could you wear the bathing suits dancing? If you are planning on attending the Virginia Beach Lindy Exchange, that’s a yes, as the Sunday afternoon dance is on the beach. I also seem to recall status updates from friends about being poolside while attending Camp Hollywood…
Here are my favorite styles from the Esther Williams swimwear line:
Waistcoat
I really like the lines, the lapel, and the placement of the buttons on this men’s wool vest. There’s something a bit formal about it, but you could get away with wearing it with just about anything…except those acid wash jeans the seller has it pictured with…
Liquid gold
I know this dress isn’t danceable, but surely Lindy Hoppers go to formal events sometimes, right? And when they do, I’d like to envision them wearing something like this gorgeous liquid gold dress on eBay…it was too good not to post!
Field trip: Beggars and Choosers, Pittsboro, NC
(WordPress is being uncooperative with my photos and I don’t have time to figure out the problem right now, but I wanted to get this post up in case any locals wanted to go check out the shop, as they are only open this weekend! I’ll work on the pics soon…)
Yesterday was actually the first time I had been to Beggars and Choosers in Pittsboro, NC, even though I have been to Pittsboro many times. People have been telling me to go for years and I can see why – this shop is full of thoughtful and adorable pieces of furniture, antiques, knick-knacks, a second floor full of vintage clothes and accessories at reasonable prices, and a basement full of furniture and clothes at thrift shop prices.
The shop is only open for this coming weekend, after being closed for some time following a robbery at the store. To kick off the store’s limited weekend opening, Beggars and Choosers had a “preview” night on Thursday, April 29 and for $10 admission you get first dibs on the store’s new inventory, hors d’ouvres, and live music while you shop. The store’s owner, Pam Smith, was a delight and danced around the store, meeting and greeting people, new friends and old friends, with a warm welcome.
I hope that Beggars and Choosers will remain open, if not with regular business hours, with these sort of limited open weekends, because there were some really great swing era items and a lovely selection of vintage faux pearl jewelry. My friend Natasha El-Sergany came along and picked up a pearl necklace for her wedding. Notable items included a great selection of men’s footwear, lots of dead stock items for men and women, a pair of black spats, a 1930’s embroidered debutante/wedding gown with matching embroidered shoes, tons of sundresses from the 1950’s through the 1970’s, tons of men’s and women’s hats, at least 6 pairs of 1940’s heels that make me wish my foot was AAAA width, Art Deco era Bulova watches, a wonderful straw cloche, bakelite bangles, lots of pearl jewelry, a lovely brown evening gown that was promptly snatched from the display, some sassy 1940’s dresses with peplums and draping, and the biggest collection of 1950’s rooster ties I’ve ever seen.
If you are local to NC, the store will be open Friday and Saturday (April 30 and May 1) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday, May 2 from 1 to 5 p.m. It’s worth the trip!
More lovely dresses from eBay
They just keeping coming and I feel compelled to post them:
This sheer black 30’s/40’s dress has some lovely detailing on it. Sheer dresses can be tricky, though, because then you have to find a full slip to go underneath it. I’m a big fan of this slip from J.C. Penney because you can simply cut the slip at the different lace points to alter the length of the slip (no hemming!) and the straps are adjustable.
This dead stock 1940’s flowered day dress is new, with tags on! When I find these dead stock dresses it just seems wild – there must be an interesting story on where the garment came from and why it was never worn.
This black 30’s/40’s dress with scalloped sweetheart neckline is adorable, with asymmetrical buttons going up the front (very similar to the white dress from Putting on the Ritz in this post).
Delicious green satin dress (40’s/50’s?) – check out the embroidery! This would be wonderful at Christmas…
Purple striped cotton dress – I’m loving the collar, the sweetheart neckline, and those GIANT pockets!
Lindy Shopper 
