Category: 1930’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.

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.

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.

1920’s/30’s White Dinner Vest

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

I saw several gents at All Balboa Weekend sporting white vests with a colored shirt (sometimes to match their follower’s outfit) and it looked pretty sharp. While this white dinner vest on eBay is sans tuxedo or dinner jacket, it looks good enough to be worn alone and appears to be in great condition. It does need studs, but then you can find some really cool studs for your new vest!

Field Trip: Kitsch-y-Cool Vintage, Charlotte, NC

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

When the Atomic Rhythm All-Stars went on their first mini-tour this past weekend to Greenville, SC and Charlotte, NC, I knew we’d have a few hours to kill in Charlotte before the Saturday night dance, but wasn’t sure what exactly that would entail when traveling with five guys. Fortunately, our esteemed band leader, George Knott, is a vintage hunter and gatherer of things, including old musical instruments, which leads him to some interesting destinations like the Sleepy Poet Antique Mall in Charlotte, NC. He’s driving the bus, so who’s to argue?

A wide view of the shop

I’ll admit, I had low expectations of finding any worthwhile clothing at Kitsch-y-Cool Vintage, as antique mall clothing tends to lean more toward undesirable leftovers from someone’s closet thrown in with their antique furniture and knick-knacks. To my surprise, in the center of this antique mall, an entire store was set up, with racks upon racks of real vintage shoes, clothing, jewelry, and accessories. The area was even decorated well! There was definitely a lot of 60’s and 70’s clothing, but there was enough 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s clothing that I would recommend stopping by if you are in the area. That said, the 60’s clothing was really good and I was tempted to leave with a pair of mod silver heels.

The prices are fantastic, between $30 and $70 for dresses in excellent condition ($70 for the “designer” 1940’s dress I saw), but the real steal were the men’s accessories – $2 for really awesome tie clips, loads of cufflinks, belt buckles, and our saxophone player, Peter Lamb, left with a really shiny pair of sunglasses and a pipe. I was in heaven because the clothing was organized by size and each item had a tag describing the item and the decade. I do love an organized vintage store!

I picked up two adorable 1940’s dresses, one of them dead stock with the original tags still on. The label says “Lindner-Davis.” A quick Google search shows that this was a department store in Cleveland – funny that I’m picking up Cleveland vintage in my home state when I was just there last week…anyway, the price tag says $12.85, marked down from $22.95. How much would this dress cost today? Lindner & Davis merged with another store in 1950, so calculating from 1949, according to an inflation calculator, this dress would be like buying a $210 dress on sale for $118, only I really paid around $30 in today’s dollars for the dress. How’s that for bargain hunting? 😉

Here are pictures of the space and some vintage finds:

The entrance
Oh, the sport coats!
1940's dead stock dress
1930's/40's flowered dress with belt - better in person!
Navy blue 1940's designer dress
Detail on the neckline of a lovely navy dress

Man swag
The record shop next door

1930’s Tuxedo with Tails, Vest, and Pants

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

I can’t resist posting a three piece suit, even if it’s a tux with tails, which I’ve only ever seen on the dance floor on the Killer Dillers or Drew Nugent. Perhaps you’ll be inspired to take your dressing up a notch. With a starting bid on eBay at $24.99, it would be worth a bid just to pick up the vest!

Size is estimated at a 40, but the measurements on the jacket are 18 inches across the shoulder with 24 inch sleeves, and pants at a 38 inch waist and 31 inch inseam.

Hot orange peeptoes

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

Orange is not in my color palette, so I’m not usually drawn to things orange, but there’s something about this pair of shoes that is really attractive and desirable. I love the reptilian texture, the cutouts, the peeptoes, the platforms, and the little flower at the toes. You’ve got to be pretty sassy to wear these shoes – are you up to the challenge? The bidding is at $14.50 on these shoes, size 7.

Femme fatale

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

The little black dress originated in the 1920’s from Coco Chanel‘s revolutionary designs, which took the black dress from a mourning garb to the quintessential cocktail dress. Hollywood costumers of the 1930’s and 1940’s re-envisioned the black dress for the film industry because black showed up well in black and white film. Eventually, the black dress became a staple in closets everywhere, from silver screen to secretary. For me, the little black dresses of the 1940’s lend themselves to two sorts of character interpretations: first, as the femme fatale of film noir fame and, second, as a quintessential big band singer dress, a la Marilyn Maxwell in Swing Fever.

Perhaps there is a tie that binds these two categories, aside from the dress, as both the femme fatale and the big band singer can be irresistible. I think the dress helps. 😉

There was usually nothing little about the dresses themselves, as they may have been outfitted with sequins, embroidery, shoulder pads, cutouts, elegant draping, peplums, or other dress details that give the dress that 1940’s look of elegance with a dash of vamp. eBay has a sampling of these dresses right now, so get them while they’re hot! My picks from eBay:

Lindy Hop on Etsy

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

There are certain things that people associate with Lindy Hop. When you associate Lindy Hop with a garment or object, that term can yield some interesting results.

As I was pilfering through the Etsy listings a few months ago for 1940’s dresses, I happened upon this jumper, which had the words “Lindy Hop” in the item’s title. Something about this jumper does evoke Lindy Hop and the youthfulness of the swing era in the 1940’s, which made me think, “How appropriate to list this particular item with the words ‘Lindy Hop’ in the title!” I’m sure there are other communities that may be looking for 1940’s jumpers for adults, but something about this was just spot on for a Lindy Hopper (or at least this Lindy Hopper) to want and have in her wardrobe. Needless to say, it has been a match made in heaven. 🙂

Can this success be replicated by searching for items listed under “Lindy Hop” on Etsy? For the most part, yes. There are a few irrelevant items, such as some random non-swing era jewelry, a child’s dress, and some Hello Kitty hair clips (arguably dance functional, but not necessarily evoking Lindy Hop specifically); however, there were some really great listings and item associations with the phrase:

Shoe bags! A staple for most swing dancers I know.
Classic wide leg trousers - I can't say enough good things about the comfort and style of a good pair of wide leg trousers.
Wide leg adjustable back denim pants - again with the wide legs, and paired with an adorable blouse FTW!
A fantastic red skirt in wool crepe.
White 1930's peeptoe shoes with cutouts, size 7.5 - LOVE!
There's even some Lindy Hop photography for sale.

Strange Vintage Pairing: Two “Suits”

This post was written by Lindy Dandy.

Believe it or not there are some dance events where you’ll be able to wear these finds.

First, a bathing suit.  I’m probably just strange, but I’ve always been fascinated by men’s vintage bathing suits.  Manufacturers didn’t have access to the man-made fabrics we have today, so they had to make their suits out of natural fibers that could survive sea water.  Many were made out of wool, a material we usually associate with suits and sweaters.  Hmm, this one is actually in my size.

Vintage 20s Bathing Suit, made of wool. I wonder if it's itchy.

There are several exchanges with dances at the beach:

Second, tails.  It’s too often that you can wear clothing this formal to a dance event (or any event for that matter), but I would get tails if only for the New Year’s Eve party at Lindy Focus. Check out the details on the lapels and buttons.

Can you imagine swinging out in tails? I could.

Serious shoes

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

This pair of Remix “Kate” shoes have serious heels and serious platforms. Size 8, buy on eBay for $99.99 or best offer, or the Remix website for $198. Half price!

This is a serious pair of shoes in a different way…seriously granny with some serious detailing on the sides. They look like they’d be nice and broken in for dancing. Black oxfords, size 8 or 9, $14.99 starting price.