Sweet Lorain (formerly Suite Lorain, now under new ownership) is one of those rare places where there are entire racks devoted to 1930’s and 1940’s clothing, rather than being relegated to a few rare items on the wall or stuck in the middle of a mound of polyester. In fact, Sweet Lorain skirts the issue by focusing exclusively on “Deco to 1960’s.” It’s a huge store, with tons of furniture, housewares, knick-knacks, clothing and accessories, and maybe some random items from a past era you’ve never even thought about. The dresses, evening gowns, coats, and other swing era garments are comparably plentiful and in an array of sizes. There were so many things to see that my partner in crime, Elizabeth Tietgen, and I spent several hours there, long enough for the store owner to offer us each a bottle of water!
We were told that the store had been hoarding swing era items for the ABW participants and people were dropping off things to sell to the ABW’ers the morning of the day we went to Sweet Lorain, namely a pair of 1940’s low heeled sandals that Elizabeth took home and a green 1930’s raincoat that came home with me.
I have heard stories about Sweet Lorain for years from my vintage tailor/couturier, Laura Boyes, who grew up in Cleveland. She and her daughter have had great luck in this store during their visits and Laura has even seen buyers from Anthropologie using their corporate card to purchase items from Sweet Lorain to copy or as inspiration for their designs. Understandably, I’ve been eagerly anticipating this visit to Sweet Lorain and it did not disappoint.
Did I think to take photos of what we bought? No, of course not, but Elizabeth left with a bevy of blue and white items, including a 1950’s sundress, a 1930’s day dress with matching bolero, black 1940’s shoes, tap shoes, and an aqua velvet 1930’s gown, and I left with a gray 1920’s dress, a seersucker romper of unknown decade, the 1930’s raincoat, a tie for the Boy, and a Bakelite bangle. Quite possibly the best trip to a vintage store EVER. Did I mention the prices here are amazing? This store will be a must-do for all subsequent ABWs.
Here are some of the other goodies I found at Sweet Lorain (I apologize for posting photos from my phone, I forgot my real camera):
Read the signs, ladies - this is the place!A wall of slips, with cheerful bloomers hanging above the dressing room areaWonderful coral crepe print dressNavy and red crepe dress Purses under glassThe 1940's shoes we found for ElizabethTie clips galore, including one from the 1933 World's FairTies!A selection of men's hatsOh, the bakelite!
The presence of vendors seems to be growing at larger Lindy Hop and Balboa events, presenting sellers with a unique opportunity to reach a targeted (and sometimes captive) audience. It can be difficult to fly into an event and not have the time to experience local vintage stores, or order online without trying something on, or maybe your dance shoes choose that weekend to fall apart. When the vendors come to you, the event becomes even more accommodating, convenient, and special.
As far as vendor lineups go, All Balboa Weekend this year has had the most vendors I have seen at any single event. Does this surprise the swing dance community at large, with Balboa dancers having a reputation for dressing up? Probably not. 🙂 There were three shoe vendors (four if you count the vintage store that brought some choice 1940’s pumps), a ton of dresses, hair accessories, bloomers, and a smattering of vintage goodies. Here’s a list of the vendors, in the order in which you would approach them entering the hallway of the event:
The My Heinies shoe spread
MY HEINIES
I’ve been singing Carol Fraser’s praises for months, but she has seriously outdone herself again. I don’t think I’ve seen that many bloomers in one place, with dozens of patterns in the My Heinies signature styles. Carol’s exclusive line of footwear from Worldtone, developed for swing dancers, is even more developed at this point and it was apparent that the styles available at ABW are targeted to be good colors and styles for dancers. I found the new shoes VERY appealing and was pleased to see that some of the focus group shoes had made the final cut. She also carried a number of one-of-a-kind styles – featuring more colors, patterns, and detailing – that were just breathtaking. I also noticed a number of follows sporting fancy hosiery from this vendor, both on the social dance floor and in competitions. Top it all off with one of the lovely hair flowers Carol sells and you’ve got a winner.
Now available in pink and blue!
REMIX VINTAGE SHOES
What can I say? Remix Vintage Shoes makes the most drool-worthy reproduction shoes out there, with dance-friendly heel heights and soft leather galore. There are always a few new models and colors, as well as some shoes that may not be made anymore (i.e. Remix is looking for a new manufacturer for the Balboa t-strap, so if you’ve been on the fence get them NOW because we don’t know when they will be available again!). I had the high honor of having my vintage two-tone oxfords photographed by Philip Heath, the owner of Remix – perhaps there will be a reproduction made and named after Lindy Shopper? *swoon*
Just add Shannon, feathers, and a little sparkle from Vegas 😉
BOMBSHELL BAUBLES
Shannon Sheldon is the mastermind behind both the execution of a flawless 1930’s fashion show and the line of adorable hair flowers known as Bombshell Baubles. Shannon personally tests each flower to make sure that, no matter how much your head shakes, the flower will not fall out. As someone who has abandoned flowers mid-dance because they simply could not stay in place, I salute you! Etsy store coming soon…
Oh, the cuteness!
FLAPPERFLY
Flapperfly makes cute, crafty, and recycled items, such as earrings, hair accessories, fabric bags, charm necklaces, and has some vintage finds worthy of the cuteness of this vendor. I only wish I had seen Flapperfly’s wares out more often at the event, I feel that I am lacking in accurate commentary. Please check out her Etsy site for goodies, especially the sequin sparrow barrette, which is my favorite.
This print caught my eye as particularly vintage looking
LOCO LINDO
Loco Lindo saw some heavy traffic at ABW, and for good reason – their line of dresses and skirts are flirty and practical, made from an infinite number of crepe prints, both modern and vintage reminiscent. The best parts about this kind of crepe are the nod to vintage crepe fabrics (common in swing era clothing), the comfort and wearability of the fabric, and the washability – no dry cleaning necessary, just throw it in the washer and hang it up to dry. The crepe travels well, being somewhat wrinkle-resistant, which is good news for traveling swing dancers. I would also file these dresses under dance and work-appropriate, so there’s double duty potential. I picked up a lovely gray and white polka dot dress with smocking detail at the shoulders – it is so rare to find dresses with smocking – superb!
A wall of shoe boxes from Dancestore
DANCESTORE
The staple of almost every swing dancer’s wardrobe, Dancestore‘s shoes are always well received at dance events and tend to be the anchor vendor with their vast inventory. I think I spent most of the weekend in their white mesh oxford. They were not at ABW the entire time, so I am afraid I am remiss of additional tidbits relating to the event or new products. I will use this opportunity to reiterate Teni Lopez-Cardenas‘ plea to make the trumpet skirt available in more colors (and sizes) – please! I’ve been waiting for years for the black trumpet skirt to be in stock in my size.
Lisa and her lovelies
FOLLOW FASHIONS
More hair accessory cuteness, this time from Follow Fashions‘ Ohio based designer, Lisa Curry. As you can see from the photo, there are wonderful flowers and feather fascinators, in lots of color options, shapes, and sizes. I am particularly grateful to see the smaller flower options, for short haired follows, for embellishing up-do’s, and perhaps for use as a boutonniere. Special thanks to Follow Fashions for outfitting some of our 1930’s fashion show participants with hair accessories!
The shopping here was so good! I hope Valerie and Heidi (pictured) got something awesome.
FLOWER CHILD
The token actual vintage vendor at ABW was Flower Child, who looked like they had been hoarding swing era goodies for us for a while, as there were some really choice items available for purchase. Things that stuck out in my mind were some great 1940’s cocktail dresses, pumps and wedges, bakelite jewelry at not outrageous prices, vintage sewing notions, a fairly substantial menswear and accessories section, gorgeous hats, and the 6 yards of 1930’s printed cotton the ladies brought for me to look at after I told them about some of my dresses being handmade. These ladies were diligent and stuck it out all weekend, into the wee hours of the nightly dances. Special thanks also goes out to Flower Child for letting the 1930’s fashion show borrow some of their accessories – such lovely things!
And those are the vendors! Stayed tuned for more possible future ABW-related blog posts.
This is less of a field trip and more of a weekly lunch break ritual, usually on Fridays, to a destination two blocks from my office in downtown Durham, North Carolina – to Dolly’s Vintage, a confectionery of a vintage store that is more like a trip to Candy Land than a trip back in time. And, like the board game, Dolly’s is timeless, adorable, and nostalgic at the same time.
You can’t help but smile when you walk by the store, with its vintage bathtub flower bed and cheerful wooden sign welcoming you in. In fact, much of Dolly’s business is foot traffic now that the store has moved from a small space in Brightleaf Square to its expansive new location on Main Street. The store is like a magnet, drawing both men and women into its cheerful interior, with owner Jennifer Donner ready to welcome everyone with a smile and delightful conversation.
What’s inside Dolly’s Vintage? An array of vintage clothing and accessories, mostly ranging from the 1940’s to the 1970’s. The men’s section has a great selection of ties, sport coats, dress and casual button up shirts, tees, and some miscellaneous accessories, like tie clips and cufflinks. The women’s section is a rainbow of awesome dresses, slips, aprons, bathing suits, rompers, skirts, and tops – no losers here, even the 70’s stuff is adorable. A vintage dress will set you back $20-30, which makes it easy to feed the addiction. 😉
Dolly’s carries custom items, like crinolines and ruffled bloomers that Jennifer orders especially for the store, as well as adorable gift items (Hello Kitty, Pucca, Demeter fragrances, and a ton of cool stuff you’ll want to take home with you) and a candy table worthy of Wonka’s chocolate factory.
Jennifer also works with local tailors and seamstresses to mend and repurpose vintage items with flaws to sell in the store.
Location:
905 West Main St # 20G
Durham, NC 27701
(919) 682-1471 ‎
Open Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Take a look inside!
The view from the front door - ahhh...Looking up at the wheel-o-crinolines suspended from the ceilingThe glorious purple velvet couch, with the women's section in the backgroundMassive tie rackI've mentioned 70's does 30's before and here is a good example - yes, the fabric is synthetic, but it's gauzy enough to look like a chiffon, and the shawl collar is so 30'sThis one came home with me 🙂I died a little when this dress with an adorable purple bird print and purple trim wouldn't zip up my rib cageA closeup of the bird printA rack of vintage slips...loveLive your Pretty in Pink fantasy with these 1950's prom dressesSportcoats!Ruffled bloomersGet your costume wigs here!Nibble on some candy while you shop
ATTENTION: This post formerly advertised a sale where if you wear it out of the store, it’s yours for free. I went to Beggars and Choosers today and they were very embarrassed that their printer and local media had mis-advertised the sale – the free sale was only for Thursday and only for clearance items from the basement. So sorry for the confusion! That said, there were still tons of great vintage items on sale for 50% off – my friend George Knott left with a $7 sportcoat and I left with a $15 1930’s hat.
Here are the contents of the old post:
File this under local news for Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill: Beggars and Choosers in Pittsboro, NC is having a sale this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday where if you find an outfit at the store and wear it out of the store, you get the outfit for free! This is the only vintage store conceivably near the Triangle that has actual swing era vintage clothing and a great section of menswear as well – definitely worth the trip to come get a free outfit!
Every season, snow or sun, it appears that designers have forgotten how to make cute dresses with sleeves. There are notable exceptions, but the majority of the festive holiday dresses I have found this season are without sleeves, or even straps for that matter. I don’t like being cold and, when the thermometer reaches below freezing, I don’t feel right stepping out of the house without something on my shoulders, even to a dance, but I hate covering up my dress with a sweater or jacket.
Perhaps the solution lies somewhere between a bolero and a shrug – this adorable ruffled jacket, by Etsy seller dominiqueansari, covers the shoulders, leaves enough dress showing, and even enhances the loveliness of your ensemble. It reminds me of some 1930’s dress tops I’ve seen, with lovely, flattering draped ruffles over the sleeves, only you can add this jacket to any dress for the desired effect. The large sleeve openings make this jacket danceable and comfortable, with a modern nod to vintage. The Ruffled Jacket comes in 7 colors and will only set you back $39.98, plus shipping.
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
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!
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!
By way of Lindy Dandy, today’s featured retailer is the J. Peterman Company. Although I can’t help thinking of Seinfeld when I see this name, the J. Peterman Company is anything but a parody, offering “high-quality men’s, women’s, home and one-of-a-kind merchandise,” “traveling the world to find uncommonly good stuff.” Sounds like a fantastic job, right? Where does Lindy Shopper sign up?
There are definitely a lot of items with a nod to vintage in the catalog, made to look even more so with the help of the catalog’s hand-drawn illustrations of the clothing (which, themselves, look like a nod to vintage pattern drawings in the way that they are shaded). I’m trying to decide if the hand-drawn illustrations of the clothes are helpful or not. Generally, clothes are modeled by someone who is tall and rail thin, so it’s hard to tell how it will fit in that instance as well. In any case, the clothes are beautifully sketched and it is a novel way to present them.
I am particularly in love with the 1947 plaid dress and the seersucker sailor pants for women and their men’s pants and striped shirts.
It is unclear to me whether or not the real Bettie Page endorses this website or does anything other than inspire the fashion, but, intellectual property issues aside, the Bettie Page Clothing website is full of vintage inspired clothing of the Bettie era. The site offers two lines of clothing – the original Bettie Page line, with 1950’s reproductions and inspired fashions, or the Violated line, which offers “edgier, more contemporary dresses.” Either way, the results are adorable and a little spunky, kind of like Miss Page herself.
Here are some of my picks from the site:
Embroidery, buttons, cinched waist, and pockets! 50's dress with skulls - this makes me smileAdorable sailor playsuitBlouse with bow printYou know I love ginghamRed jumper
This dress is super foxyAhoy! This dress comes in pencil and full skirt
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 entranceOh, the sport coats!1940's dead stock dress1930's/40's flowered dress with belt - better in person!Navy blue 1940's designer dressDetail on the neckline of a lovely navy dress
In the next few weeks I’ll be posting about 1920’s fashion in anticipation, preparation, and education for the RDU Rent Party: Gatsby Edition, July 7, in Durham, NC, featuring Glenn Crytzer and his Syncopators. As co-coordinator of this dance, I am truly excited about this event and hope that my excitement will be infectious. However, I can already sense (and have already heard, in some cases) the anxiety and drag about having a 1920’s themed event and dressing up during the summer. I’m here to tell you, Raleigh/Durham, that you can do this (if you really want to) and it won’t break the bank (although if you go all out for this you could possibly break some banks). First things first, let’s get some misconceptions out of the way:
1. Like payment, attendance at Rent Party is on a do-what-you-can basis. If you don’t feel like dressing up, don’t do it.
2. All eras are welcome, not just 1920’s.
3. This is not a formal dance, but if you would like to go all out for this, I would personally love to see everyone looking swell.
4. Most men don’t own proper summer suiting and asking you to wear a three season wool suit would be asking too much in July – wear what you are comfortable wearing.
Jason Sager, my co-coordinator, said it best this morning: “If you’re not normally a dress up type, this is a great event to dip your toes in that water if you feel so inclined; if you’re already a dress up type, it’s a chance to expand your collection, or just show off what you’ve already got.”
Let’s also remember that people were dancing in the south and dressing up for years and years prior to the advent of AC. We will have AC, fans, and chilled beverages, of course.
If you are interested in dressing up in the 1920’s style, you don’t have to go out and purchase something vintage or expensive. You may already have what you need in your closet or a relative’s closet. Some of my best pieces and borrowed items to complete an outfit came from an attic or the back of my mom’s, grandmother’s, and even my grandmother’s friend’s closet.
What pieces do you need? I always look to photographs for inspiration, so let’s break down the outfits of the couple in this photo:
GENTS: You start with a suit and pare it down from there. You could wear any combination of pants and jacket, vest, or suspenders, all of the above, or some of the above, preferably in lightweight summer fabrics (See Lindy Dandy’s post on summer suiting). This guy is wearing a regular tie, but you could also wear a bow tie. He is not wearing a hat, but you could always add a nice straw boater, lightweight newsboy cap, or some other hat of your choice.
LADIES: Look for a drop waist dress or create the illusion of a dropped waist. Here, the woman in the photograph has paired a striped top with a knee length skirt. Off the top of my head I know my mom has both of these pieces in her closet. 😉 Hemlines in the 20’s ranged from knee length at the height of the flapper era, but were more calf length for most of the decade. You could find a skirt to fit the decade’s hemlines and a long-ish top to create an illusion of a dropped waist, and maybe add a straw cloche or long strand of beads, if you so desire.
Shoes are easy – wear your dance shoes!
Some of the best shopping is not about spending money, but about using the resources available to you and rediscovering old favorites or items that have been neglected. If you are missing pieces, a trip to your local thrift store may get you across the goal line. If all else fails – keep reading! I’ll be posting more 1920’s goodies soon.
For more information on the RDU Rent Party dances, visit the Facebook page.
Lindy Dandy always does a great job posting sales on this blog, so I thought I’d pass a sale along to you. I always find good things at Forever 21, no matter what day I check in. I can recall a time in my life when I was checking their site daily and they actually do post new items daily during the work week. Here are some items to put in your shopping basket today:
Love chevrons!Peach wrap dress with flutter sleeves - wrap dresses are so helpful with leg movement and weight fluctations!Forever 21 even styled this as a flapper dress, adding the quintessential long strand of beads.This dress looks like it would be really comfy for dancing - comes in four colors.Classic shirtdress in lightweight denim with shiny button detail.Silk tie front top in green and purple - only $12.00!This is cute, but I'd add a belt to give the bottom a peplum effect.Heart petals hair clipsFeather headband - just the right amount of feathers.
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.
When Mod Cloth was discovered online by one of my friends, news of the web site spread like wildfire in my circle of friends because we were starved for a place to get modern retro-inspired clothing at a reasonable price. Variety is the spice of life and Mod Cloth takes this to heart by offering clothing from many different sources, including Trashy Diva, Stop Staring!, and Tulle, thus, giving you maximum exposure to brands offering what you want to wear. The really great clothing items sell out quickly, but I find that if they include the brand or maker in the item description, that the item that is out of stock on Mod Cloth may be in stock at the source web site.
“Founded by high school sweethearts, Eric Koger and Susan Gregg Koger, and built on a foundation of love for vintage and retro clothing, ModCloth.com is an online clothing, accessories, and decor retailer that aims to provide a fun and engaging shopping atmosphere for you, our customer. We do this by interacting with you via social network sites like Twitter and Facebook, requesting your feedback through the ModLife Blog and product reviews, and asking you to vote on potential inventory with the Be the Buyer program, all with the intention of running a fashion business in a democratic style. Supplying you with the opportunities to have your voice heard is what keeps our company fresh, relevant, and growing by leaps and bounds. This is what allows us to continually accommodate your pioneering passion for modern trends. We invite you to comb through our clever product descriptions, flip through our stylebooks, shop our vast assortment of indie designs, find some unique one of a kinds, and get in touch with one of our friendly customer care representatives if you have any questions. We want to be the fashion company you’re friends with!”
Lindy Shopper 