Trashy Diva

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

First things first – there’s nothing trashy about Trashy Diva. This New Orleans-based outfit carries classy goods for ladies, from shoes to clothes to accessories. I know I already mentioned Trashy Diva in my blog entry for Atomic Ballroom, but I want to shout it from the hills how amazing their dresses are now that I own one!

One of my favorite concepts is for retailers to take vintage patterns and make them into current clothing (this will definitely be a recurrent theme on lindyshopper.com). This solves two problems:

1) My need to look like a vintage doll at swing dances; and

2) My need for durable, danceable clothing that doesn’t inhibit movement and won’t disintegrate if I sweat in it.

My mother, who grew up sewing her own clothes with the clean lines of 1960’s clothing, has made me a few dresses from vintage patterns, but after seeing her worry about messing them up and fretting over the tucks and gathering (they came out beautifully, Mom!), I have been able to give her a bit of a break, thanks to retailers and dressmakers like Trashy Diva. I should also mention that finding suitable fabric to make these clothes is very difficult, if not impossible in North Carolina. That Trashy Diva is able to find such wonderful fabrics for these dresses is truly amazing to someone who doesn’t live near Mood or some other purveyor of fine fabrics.

The fit on these dresses is impeccable. I know my measurements and Trashy Diva delivered to my doorstep a comfortable dress that required no alteration. I purchased one of their rayon dresses and the pattern on the fabric and texture were spot on. My only complaint is that the garment must be dry cleaned, which may not be required for some of their other fabrics.

The Trashy Diva website mimics the real life Trashy Diva store, which I have heard (but not actually witnessed – one day!) are actually three stores in New Orleans, one carrying dresses, one with lingerie, and another with shoes, accessories, etc. You should take your time and explore this website, as there are wonderful surprises at every click.

Unfortunately, the website is set up to where I can’t link you to individual items, but here are some of my favorites, if you’d like a scavenger hunt:

Get your mint julep and head to the porch…

…and sink into a wicker chair in this lovely 1930’s flowered day dress on eBay. I love everything about this dress – the cut, the draping, the flutter sleeves, the sweet print, and with the starting price at $9.99 this could be a pretty sweet deal!

Green flapper dress

This dress is bright green. BRIGHT GREEN. I think it’s awesome, but then I love anything green. 🙂 I love the bead work that goes into these dresses, and that the detail on the under-slip is so complimentary to the dress (and meant to be seen, but not seen). Perhaps you are looking for a dress to wear to the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor’s Island or a dress to wear on New Year’s Eve at Lindy Focus? The bidding is only at $36 right now, but if you get this dress for under $100 it will be a steal!

Anthropologie cherries dress

Oh, this dress! It is a truly exquisite piece from Anthropologie – the little cherries are made with wonderful embroidery techniques, the skirt is twirly with an additional layer of flounce at the green gingham on the bottom, it is made of a wonderful lightweight cotton, there is elastic smocking in the back for a more custom fit, the gingham has green piping, and there is a wonderful fabric covered button front and center on the chest.

I purchased this dress in 2002 from eBay, after pining over it in the Anthropologie catalog, and wore it for years until it no longer fit. There are so many happy memories of the ECU Swing Dance Club and dances at the Durham Armory in this dress! Once it was time to say goodbye, I listed it on eBay and it promptly sold for more than I had paid for it – not only is it gorgeous, it’s a sound clothing investment.

I am showing a picture of me wearing this dress, circa 2003, because the dress form in the eBay auction picture doesn’t really fill out the dress and it’s always better to see it on real person. If I hadn’t sworn off halter dresses, I’d keep this auction to myself. 😉

Urban Outfitters, May 2010 Catalog

I got the Urban Outfitters catalog in the mail yesterday and was pleasantly surprised at the offerings. Lately I felt like Urban had gone astray, focusing on clothing items that look like something I could find at Goodwill and would never wear (as opposed to items I could find at Goodwill and would definitely wear) or it was just more of the same hipster garb I already had in my closet. However, they appear to be coming out of this sort of ratty, gross phase and are offering some really interesting pieces, including clothing and shoes that appear to be dance-worthy. I began dog-earring the pages of my catalog immediately and, upon closer inspection of the website there are even more pretty things for guys and gals, more than I am posting here. Here’s what I liked:

17810813_001_b — The catalog showed these shoes in black, with black fishnets and painted toes - very hot! They come in a hot pink, too. 😉

17314527_052_b — Chiffon lady dress - maybe to go with those pink t-straps? Also comes in blue and gray.

18004556_040_b — Loving all this chiffon - this one comes in a berry stripe, too!

18237115_011_b — Nice detailing on the puff sleeve - comes in several prints.

17728510_016_a — For the guys, I liked these sneakers with a sort of cross-hatch fabric.

17899063_010_a — An interesting take on the saddle shoe, for men.

18037184_001_a — Classic Bass saddle shoe

17213794_004_a — Stripey socks! They also have argyle and plaid.

14711824_013_a — Straw fedora, comes in four colors.

This week’s lovelies from eBay

Another bevy of beautiful garments, courtesy of my favorite shopping website:

_451135624_large_8148 — Let's start things off with this lovely red and white striped 1940's blouse.

_156002179_large_1190 — This yellow sleeveless 1940's dress is perfect for spring and, from the looks of it, that skirt has some twirl potential.

!BscTwZgCWk~$(KGrHqQH-CoEvEWnjeLFBL31pII4u!~~_12 — This confection in pale pink crepe not only has a peplum, brooch, and matching belt and buckle, but also comes with a blue jacket and matching pink stockings. This auction is loaded with goodies!

268638248_o — I am intrigued by this dress, as it somehow manages to be both girly and intimidating. Black + ruffles/rickrack = sinister pinup?

!BsmgiN!EWk~$(KGrHqIH-CgEvC1QzRZrBL4hfs8GDQ~~_12 — I love this 1940's coral color and the beading on the bodice of this dress is gorgeous.

370835466_o — A sweet 1930's linen dress.

!Bsourq!BWk~$(KGrHqQH-EYEvEzTzBREBL4t7qQUYQ~~_12 — I can't resist a gingham dress with pockets!

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…

Miss Selfridge

From the UK purveyor of youthful fashion comes these lovely, danceable dresses, rompers, and accessories, available online through the Miss Selfridge website.

34D10EMUL_large — This cream tiered dress nods to the 1920's.

12Y07EWHT_large — This striped dress sort of reminds me of vintage beachwear.

26D03FGRY_large — Gray and black polka dot dress with sweetheart neckline, belt optional.

15D42EBLK_large — Navy bow dress with an adorable collar.

15D36EMUL_large — Purple print dress with floaty sleeves and wrap dress detailing.

12U03DBLK_large — Bodysuit - shirt and bloomers in one?

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!

DSCF0109 — The center of the store is this magnificent dress!

DSCF0106 — There was a whole shelf of dead stock men's shirts.

DSCF0111 — Lovely brown evening gown with gold detail on the neck and pockets - yup, pockets in an evening gown! Awesome!

DSCF0112 — A straw cloche for a very small head.

DSCF0113 — These red shoes were adorable.

DSCF0123 — There was a whole box of these little men's accessories bits and pieces, brand new in box.

DSCF0124 — Some of the bits had initials on them...

DSCF0125 — ...and other bits had 1950's men's names on them. 🙂

DSCF0126 — Most of those white/cream jackets are dinner jackets.

DSCF0131 — Adorable flowered dress with peplum...too small for me, but maybe not for you?

DSCF0133 — Who doesn't want a Mr. Tap 'n' Go?

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!

Green gingham dress!

When the perfect article of clothing for me comes along I get this feeling in my gut and I know it’s right and I should own this piece of clothing – I got that feeling when I looked at this green gingham dress this morning from the Raleigh Vintage Etsy store. I’m trying to contain myself in describing how perfectly cute it is and how awesome I think it would look on me…if only it were in my size. 😦 😦 😦

Someone please buy this dress so I can enjoy it on someone I know or may encounter at a dance event – you would have my infinite admiration and adoration!

Lindy looks from Forever 21

Forever 21 has some of the best bargains I’ve found for clothes, but I usually shy away from their retail stores because of the sheer volume of chaos involved in going to the store. The Forever 21 website is a streamlined way to get through all those racks of clothes in a more organized and stress-free fashion.

Here are some dresses from Forever 21’s website that are sort of a nod to things swing:

Meridian Silk Dress

Picnic Party Dress

Whispy flower silk dress

Whispy feather knit dress

Pretty frocks to cure your case of the Mondays

On Mondays the eBay sellers get back to work with fresh vintage auctions for the week. Here’s what today’s listing had to offer:

Coral beaded flapper dress

Adorable blue gingham dress with bows on the shoulders and buttons up the side.

Colorful feedsack print dress.

Citrus striped sundress.

Aqua patterned 40’s day dress with puffed sleeves and rickrack.

Chevron striped sundress.

Black crepe cocktail dress with beading detail.

Art deco-inspired earrings.

Zac Posen for Target

I have been in love with Zac Posen‘s clothing since Natalie Portman wore his Empire Dress to the Star Wars Episode I premiere (Pictured here – I still love this dress!). I have followed his work over the years, but lack a movie star budget, so I have admired his work from afar…until today.

Target‘s GO! Designer series has done an excellent job of bringing edgy, creative, and up-and-coming designers to the masses. In the past I’ve picked up a few things to wear to dances from this clothing line at Target, including a black Anna Sui flapper dress, an off-white Libertine 20’s-inspired slip dress, and a blouse and vest by Alice Temperley.

I went to Target this morning to check out the collection, which was surprisingly not picked over yet. The collection was youthful, colorful, and a bit more luxurious and detailed than some previous GO! collections I have seen. I’ll add that Zac Posen knows how to make a lady look good and, where the fit in previous collections has been sub-par, everything I tried on from this collection had an excellent fit. Here are some of my favorite looks from the collection that have swing dance potential: