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.
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
Dapper Man hair pomade is made the way pomade used to be made, from a 1930’s formula of natural waxes and oils, and is free of petroleum products. I don’t know how many of you have experimented with pomades, but if you are like me, the thought of selecting a hair product, much less one that would achieve the desired effect, is a daunting task. Perhaps your barber has set you straight on a suitable pomade, but for those men embarking on a quest for vintage hair, perhaps this would be a good place to start.
“The Gentleman’s Pomade” was conceived and created by one of our own, Steve Cochrum – a California swing dancer and vintage clothing enthusiast, who was dissatisfied with the petroleum-based products available on the market and began experimenting with a formula from his father’s 1930’s book about how to “be a fit man and how to keep yourself looking your best.” From there, he made samples, distributed them at dances and vintage venues, and a brand was born.
So why is the old pomade superior to new pomade? Some older products – I’m thinking ladies make-up made with what we now consider toxic ingredients – are not necessarily better for us and the same desired vintage effect can be achieved with modern products. However, Dapper Man makes some very compelling arguments as to why going to the source product is better:
“The more I respected this hobby I realized that something was missing with the way society dresses today, not to mention the loss of interest in men’s grooming, so I set quest for a men’s hair pomade that could give the look of the 1930’s style. As we would make our rounds to many events, I began to ask the young men that liked wearing their hair in that fashion, what they were using and if they were happy with it. The comments I got were mostly negative, that it was difficult to find a product with the right consistency they needed, without being too sticky, for the right hairstyle and “not to greasy” something easy to wash out of hair and off of hands. Also men complained of their hair goo getting left behind on what ever lovely ladies pillow they had “visited” with the night before! The problem that I found with all the other products on the market was that the ingredients used, usually had a petroleum base, which can be dangerous and may cause hair loss-wow! I knew there had to be something better, more consistent and much more natural.”
Ultimately, the benefits of Dapper Man pomade are simple: “You will love the way your hair behaves – great hold and restyle as you desire. It should not stain your clothes, furniture, your sheets and pillows, etc. It even helps to soften your hat band in vintage hats and helps prevent ‘hat hair.'”
If any of you gents have experience with this product, feel free to chime in with a comment.
What time is it? While it’s not Lindy Focus time for a long while, it is nice to know what time it is during a dance or to make sure you’re not late for one. For men, getting the vintage look is all in the details, and a watch is can be a stylish and useful item to add to your look, for both dances and every day.
There are tons of watches on eBay, but I’m going to give a special shout out to Bulova, who not only makes great watches, but also sold their watches in these amazing Art Deco watch boxes during the Art Deco period. I have a 1930’s Bulova watch with one of these crazy cases and I leave it out on the dresser because it is the coolest thing in the room – it was worth the $20 for the watch just to get the case. 🙂
Here are some of my favorite watches for men on eBay right now:
Check out this Bulova case!1930's Marmon WatchElgin Art Deco WatchBulova watch with hinged caseElgin hexagonal watchTavannes Art Deco Watch
I hear a lot of positive remarks about my vintage clothing, but there’s always a BUT when people who don’t own vintage clothing talk about buying it for themselves – “I’d love to have vintage clothing, but…” there’s always something stopping them. I’d like to address some of the myths and concerns that people have because there is a world of wonderful, one of a kind clothing out there and you can own a part of it.
The most common myth I have heard is that vintage clothing only comes in tiny sizes or that people were smaller back then and I can’t find anything to fit me. Yes, a lot of people were smaller back then, didn’t get enough calcium in their bones, and many people didn’t grow to some of the larger proportions we have today; however, that doesn’t mean that people in the 1920’s, 1930’s and 1940’s came in one size: small. Just like today, there were people of all sizes, including YOUR size.
I’ve looked at photographs of my great-grandmother and great-grandfather from the 1930’s and she is bigger than he is. She certainly had clothing to wear every day of her life. While I don’t have any of her clothes, I am certain that she would be considered around a size 14 or 16 by today’s standards. These clothes existed!
So where do you find these not-25-inch-waist sizes? You just have to look for them and be patient. Your average vintage clothing store may not even carry 1930’s and 1940’s, much less 1920’s, clothing; if they do, they will probably only have a few garments or a very small section. They may only have one garment in your size or they may not have any. Out of the many vintage stores I visit every year I may only come up with 2 or 3 garments. If you live near a vintage store, make friends with the owner, tell him/her what you are looking for and give him/her your measurements. If you are traveling to an area with a vintage store you want to check out, call ahead – I’d rather not waste my time if they don’t carry clothes from the swing era or don’t have anything that would come close to fitting me.
As a side note to men: Men wear their clothing out. This is true back then, perhaps even more so than it is today. An exception is formal wear, which I seem to find in abundance. I wish you the best of luck, as it is generally harder for you to find garments than it is for the ladies.
This is a labor of love, if you are looking the old fashioned way; but this is the internet age. Ladies and gentlemen, the secret is eBay.
With eBay, the key to success is knowing your measurements. Items in your size are out there! For the ladies, know your bust, waist, and hip measurements, and maybe rib cage, shoulder, and arm circumference. For gents, the same, plus inseam for pants and chest, maybe a few other measurements depending on the garment (feel free to weigh in, fellow shoppers). Knowing your measurements is power with vintage shopping, as many garments come without size labels or were handmade. Even if they did come with a size label, those sizes are different than the sizes we have today. The tape measure never lies. If the seller does not have the measurements listed on an item you like, simply message the seller for the measurements you need. If you are concerned about not being able to try on the garment, I repeat, the tape measure does not lie. Get more measurements from the seller and ask questions if you have concerns.
Once you know your measurements, start looking for clothing that you like. Some sellers will try to label things with S, M, L, XL, etc., but these are never accurate – I have purchased dresses labeled M to XXL, so there is no universal set of measurements for these seller labels. Ignore them. They only make you feel bad about yourself. Even if the dress looks too small or too large, click on it. You never know what size the model/mannequin is or if the garment has been pinned to appear fitted.
Once you find an item you like, compare its measurements to yours. If even one of the item’s measurements is smaller than yours, it’s not going to work. A bad idea is trying to squeeze yourself into something vintage – there is no lycra or spandex in these garments. If the item’s measurements are the same or a couple of inches larger than yours (or for ladies if the skirt is full, it won’t matter) then it should work. If the one or some of the measurements are more than a couple of inches larger, you may be able to have a trusted tailor work on the garment to tailor it to your body, or it may arrive and you like the way it fits. I have fallen in love with dresses that were a bit too large and a tuck here and there or a belt made all the difference. Also, some sellers measure circumference and others lay the garment flat to measure it – if the garment is measured flat, make sure to double the flat measurement to compare with your measurements.
This is all fine and dandy, but where are the clothes? I find dresses every day on eBay that are in my size and larger than my size. To give you some perspective, I have a 30 inch waist, which translates to a modern size 8 or 10. I actually think buying vintage clothing is easier than buying modern clothing because with supposedly (but not actually) homogenized sizes, who knows how the garment is going to be cut in the hips, waist, or bust? Measurements take a lot of the guesswork out of fitting clothing. But I digress. I know people get sensitive about sizes being labeled large or plus sized, so I’m treading lightly here, but with the myth the bar is already set so high…if vintage clothing is only for tiny people (modern size 0, 2, or 4 for women, or for men, any chest size 38 or below? Sorry gents, I’m not sure), then any sizes above tiny will bust the myth, right? Let’s go with that. Here are some mythbusting items from eBay:
Blue 1930's Dress1930's three piece tuxedo1940's rayon dress with peplumThis 1950's suit is rad1940's dress - check out the detail at the necklineHow sharp is this 1930's tuxedo?1940's rayon dress
I am intrigued by this vest. Most of the vintage menswear I find is in shades of gray and brown, so when something green (my favorite color) popped up, it got my attention. EBay seller johnsartifactorium is offering this rare dark green 1930’s vest with the original store tags still attached! It looks black in the photo, but the seller states that the photos are dark and the vest is a lovely hunter green. The seller has the vest listed as small, and the tags say 37, so I’d ask the seller for more specific measurements if you are interested in this item.
There is wonderful shopping in downtown Asheville, NC, including three distinct vintage stores. Unfortunately, I only made it to two of them, but I’ll still give a shout out to Ragtime Vintage Clothing from my past experiences with them – a great place to find 1930’s and 40’s ties.
My partners in crime for this excursion were fellow Lindy Focus dancers Hilary Mercer, Neil Mercer, and Leslie Faircloth. After a delicious lunch at Mayfel’s Restaurant, we headed to Hip Replacements, a vintage inspired boutique that carries vintage clothing, reproductions, and re-designed vintage clothing. The store has a sort of punky, rockabilly feel to it and the clothes go from outlandish to classic. I fell in love with a green coat and a reproduction day dress. Of note for the gents, there was a large rack of sport coats and a decent selection of vests.
We then headed a few doors down to Vintage Moon, which is my favorite of the Asheville vintage stores, as they have a larger selection of older vintage clothing and the walls and shelves are filled with gorgeous vintage items – old hats, shawls, Victrolas, phones, jewels, feathers, gloves….ahhhhh! My velvet addiction kicked in and I drooled over a pale green burnout velvet 1930’s gown and a purple velvet cape, as well as some adorable day dresses and hats. For the gents, tophats and tails abound, as well as some interesting evening wear and footwear. Definitely worth your time to browse in this lovely store.
Here are some photos of the finds of the day:
Love these socks at Hip Replacements - paging Mark Muthersbaugh...Vests at Hip ReplacementsThe green coat at Hip ReplacementsWindow display at Hip ReplacementsChinoiserie at Vintage MoonMen's hats at Vintage MoonPurple velvet cape at Vintage MoonDinner jacket with zebra detail - classier than it sounds1940's dress with interesting embroidered detailWhite tuxedo with tails and silver sequin trim - it will take a very special person to pull this one off - I wonder where it came from...
I love magazines that do the “real” v. “steal” spreads – taking designer and runway ensembles and translating them into more affordable pieces to create the same or a similar looking ensemble. I’ve been wanting to do this on Lindy Shopper, but instead of designer, take looks from iconic Lindy Hop photographs or videos and create an ensemble using modern pieces of clothing. I love doing this for Halloween costumes, but it does take patience to find each piece.
So here we go! For the first ensemble in this series, I’m looking to A Day at the Races, the classic Marx Brothers film from 1937 featuring Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers. For the most part, the dancers appear in street clothing, but there are two follows wearing bias cut plaid skirts that really pop on the silver screen, the bold pattern contrasting with the more solid colors on the extras in the background. It’s no secret that I love plaid and this is a great use of plaid to draw attention to these two follows.
For the most part, the two outfits are the same: bias cut plaid skirt, white socks, dark shoes, and a collared blouse/sweater. The first plaid skirted follow has a low heeled t-strap shoe and a wing collared short sleeve sweater, while the second has a low heeled oxford and a collared blouse, which may or may not be under some sort of short sleeved sweater. The white socks also help draw attention to the follower’s footwork, especially with the t-straps.
It’s always interesting to see exactly what pieces come together to make up an ensemble. Sometimes it’s more simple (or more complicated) than you think. I had no trouble finding the skirt or the shoes, but the tops were quite difficult and I’m still empty handed on the lace trim collared shirt. Here’s what I was able to dig up to help achieve this look:
This plaid skirt from JC Penney is a bit long, but then so are the skirts in the movie...comes in 3 different plaidsThis belted plaid skirt, also from JC Penney, hits at knee length for a more modern translationI couldn't locate a lace collared shirt, so a plain button-up by American Apparel will have to do.While not lace, this Peter Pan collared shirt would be a more feminine optionLayer the shirts with this short sleeve crew neck fine gauge cotton sweater by Port AuthorityWing collared sweater from JC Penney - because no one else seems to have anyWhite bobby socks for both looksRemix's Bauhaus for the low-heeled t-strapAris Allen's black heeled oxford completes the second look
You could be dressed up like a million dollar trooper this holiday season in this fantastic 1930’s tuxedo, available on eBay from seller catalpa1961 with a starting bid of only $9.99! I do wish the seller had pressed the tuxedo and shirt before taking the photos, but you’ll have to imagine it after a pressing. Even with wrinkles, it’s easy to see that this tuxedo has some wonderful detailing, like the satin lapels, satin stripe down the leg, double breasted coat and vest, and, my favorite detail, checkerboard satin covered buttons on the coat and vest. This tuxedo has the rare added bonus of a period Arrow tuxedo shirt in good condition. Just add socks, shoes, studs, and cufflinks and a bow tie and you’re fit for any fête.
My Baby Jo has a little bit of everything to help you embrace your inner pin-up girl, and some essential menswear clothing and accessories for the swing era gent. My Baby Jo has a retail store in Los Angeles, CA, but thankfully they also offer their excellent 1940’s and 1950’s-inspired clothing, shoes, and accessories online.
The website has a great selection of women’s dresses, swimwear, undergarments, hair flowers, jewelry, shoes, handbags, cosmetics and men’s jackets, shirts, pants, shoes, hats, pomade, ties, and vintage watches. The vintage men’s watches are especially good, with watches from the 1920’s through the 1950’s that look like they are in sturdy, wearable condition. Their swimwear selections feature the best of Esther Williams’ swimwear line. The site also offers some fun pieces that may fill gaps in your wardrobe or Halloween costume (like that Rosie the Riveter jumpsuit – where else do you find that?). They also have an extensive selection of men’s hats and hat-care items, including brushes and felt cleaner.
There’s so much goodness here, I’ll try to narrow down my favorites:
Mrs. Moore Day Dress, comes in 5 colorsV-cut Plaid Jacket - lots more of these on the site in different fabricsAlika dress, also comes in red and in a pencil skirt styleMotorcycle sweaterMarilyn eyelet tie top, also in blueLeading man two pocket shirt with topstitchingRiveting jumpsuit, also in blue stripes and blackMelton captoe by Johnston & MurphyHow cute is this sailor outfit?Tailored double pleated trouser - available in 13 different fabricsSo many hair flowers, but the orchids are my favoriteThere are tons of hats in traditional colors, but this green fedora was my favoriteLove the face on this 1937 watch
After a weekend at EBC I noticed a lot of vests, but would love to see some different vests, besides the default black. Here are two great vintage options from the 1930’s from eBay to spruce up your vest options:
Caramel tweed herringbone vestTattersall vest in brown, blue and green plaid
EBC attendees are likely in various states of recovery after the immense fun of this past weekend, as am I on this Monday of Mondays. My big contribution to the weekend’s festivities was organizing a vintage trunk sale through my friend Andi Shelton of The Vintage Collective, who set up their wares in the hallway of the hotel from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday. The ladies of The Vintage Collective set up a truly impressive and beautiful display of jewelry, hats, purses, shoes, and three garment racks of clothing for men and women from the 1920’s through the 1950’s. In between classes, competitions, and the dance that night, EBC-goers browsed the racks, tried things on, and there were many successes.
I’ve mentioned this before, but there is no better vintage experience for me than shopping with other Lindy Hoppers (or in this case, Balboa dancers for the weekend) who share a passion for vintage clothing, or even just dressing well for dancing. It took Kate Hedin about two seconds to find the perfect dress, a 1930’s/40’s navy dress with a swing skirt and white embroidery. Stephanie Simpson found an amazing purple 1940’s dress with a fauxlero and studded detailing. Heidi Rosenau, one of my favorite vintage ladies, left with my favorite dress of the day, a chartreuse 1930’s/40’s day dress with a tropical flower print. I spotted some ladies even wearing their purchases from the day at the Saturday night dance. Lindy Shopper did not leave empty handed, coming away from the sale with a pair of two-tone brown and cream perforated leather heeled oxfords, which Heidi referred to as “The Holy Grail.” After dancing in them in prelims, I can confirm that they are, indeed, magical shoes.
The best part of the sale was having an edited selection of swing era garments and accessories brought to an audience who really appreciates them. Not having to wade through polyester = maximum convenience!
Where are the photographs? I was too stressed out to remember to take any, so my apologies. This should serve as a reminder to me that I need to cut out something next year – being at work at 8 a.m. the Friday of the event instead of taking the day off, DJ’ing, competing, organizing, and singing in the band on Friday night was just a bit much.
Thanks again to Andi Shelton, Claire Villa, and Laura Churchill Pemberton for all their hard work and for making an appearance at EBC as The Vintage Collective!
It’s been a while since anything gentlemanly crossed my path for the blog, but here’s a wonderful double breasted navy suit from the jazz era, listed on eBay by seller privatescreening. From a “high quality prominent Seattle estate,” this suit has wonderful details, like pants cuffs, peaked lapels, a matching 6 button vest, button fly, and lots of pockets. A great investment for your wardrobe, as any of these pieces could be worn separately or together. The price is a bit up there, but comparably much less than the other three piece vintage suits popping up on eBay as of late.
I’m writing about the Eastern Balboa Championships early in the week because I’m not sure how much time I’ll have to write later on, living in the host scene for this event and organizing certain tangential events that occur this week; also, the event starts on Thursday and once I am sucked into the vortex of madness that is EBC, I may not return until Monday. 😉
Last year at EBC I organized a vintage shopping trip to a couple of local vintage stores in and around downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. The main conquest was a giant warehouse of a vintage store called Get Dressed. Unfortunately, this past May, Get Dressed closed its doors for good, leaving Raleigh without a source for vintage clothing of the swing era. The remaining store, Father & Son Antiques, has an impressive collection of mid-century furniture, but lacks in the clothing department. I still wanted to have a vintage shopping experience for the EBC attendees, after the success of last year’s shopping outing – 20 people signed up in advance and even more carpooled over to Get Dressed the day of the outing.
I have been in touch with one of the vintage collectors from Get Dressed, Andi Shelton, who also runs an Etsy store called Raleigh Vintage. Andi has been keeping the dream alive of Raleigh having a vintage clothing retail store, looking for a location to have a less sprawling store with a carefully selected stock of good vintage clothing. It seems that North Carolina may need the assistance of The Rent is Too Damn High Party so Andi can find some reasonable retail space; until then, Andi and several other vintage collectors operate under the name The Vintage Collective, making appearances at various local events and offering their wares for sale.
I have arranged for the Vintage Collective to appear at EBC, during the day and into the evening on Saturday – specifically, 12:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Brownstone, the hotel hosting EBC. Andi wrote this about The Vintage Collective:
“The Vintage Collective is collaborative of three vintage clothing enthusiasts who have a passion for collecting and sharing special pieces. Just for the EBC, we’ll be sharing our collections of 1920s-late 1950s clothing for men and women, as well as accessories to complete the look. Offerings include dresses, tops, sweaters, skirts, lingerie, pants, suits, vests, hats, gloves, jewelry, ties, and shoes….a little bit of everything!
We’ll be accepting cash and paypal (if wi-fi is available in the hotel lobby).”
I know the ladies of The Vintage Collective have been saving up their good stuff for EBC, so I’m very excited to see what they will bring. Actual location in the hotel is TBA, until I can get over there and work with Chris & Holly Owens, the organizers of EBC, on the best location for the Collective to set up.
I’m looking forward to some vintage shopping without leaving the venue! I am also looking forward to seeing what Andi pulls out of the vault…we all know they keep the good stuff in the back. 😉 If you are planning on attending EBC and have any questions about the vintage shopping, please post your questions as a comment to this blog entry. Thanks!
This 1930’s/40’s crepe dress from eBay seller 7shops is a standout in several ways. The dress shape and draping are classically elegant, but there are some wonderful and eclectic elements to this dress, specifically the slit cutouts below the neck, the pleated gathering at the bust, and the fabric itself. If you look closely at the fabric, the green and yellow shapes are trees and the background is a sort of zebra stripe wood grain in black and white. Someone with a 28 inch waist please buy this dress! Starting price is $9.99.
Lindy Shopper 