Tweed Bow Tie from Urban Outfitters

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

I’ll probably catch some flack from my fellow bloggers, but I couldn’t resist posting this tweed bow tie from Urban Outfitters that I ran across while looking for Christmas presents on the UO website. This is tie great because it could essentially go with anything and is sort of an everyman’s bow tie – it provides an unassuming upgrade to your outfit in neutral color that works with both patterned shirts (as pictured) and plain shirts. The tweed could be dressed up or dressed down – wear it with a three piece suit or a simple button-up. It was also in the gift section for under $20, which makes it a deal whether or not you buy it for yourself or for someone else. 🙂

Mod Cloth Sale

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

Well…everyone is having a sale today, but I’ve been particularly smitten with Mod Cloth‘s recent offerings, especially their holiday dresses. That’s one of the beautiful things about swing dancing, is that there’s always a dance party to attend, with a little sparkle added during the holidays.

Mod Cloth also has some great gift ideas for guys and gals – I found some great things to stash under my Christmas tree for friends and family.

Here are some goodies to make your Black Friday bright and cheerful:

Classic Beauty Dress
City of Lights Dress
Dream a Little Gleam Dress
Blumengarten Dress
Peppermint Pansies Dress
Cocoa Cozy Dress
Proscenium Dress
Under the Dark Sky Dress
Oberek Romper
All Aboard Heels - actually a pair of divine Remix shoes, on sale for $100, size 9.5 - last pair!

My Baby Jo

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

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 colors
V-cut Plaid Jacket - lots more of these on the site in different fabrics
Alika dress, also comes in red and in a pencil skirt style
Motorcycle sweater
Marilyn eyelet tie top, also in blue
Leading man two pocket shirt with topstitching
Riveting jumpsuit, also in blue stripes and black
Melton captoe by Johnston & Murphy
How cute is this sailor outfit?
Tailored double pleated trouser - available in 13 different fabrics
So many hair flowers, but the orchids are my favorite
There are tons of hats in traditional colors, but this green fedora was my favorite
Love the face on this 1937 watch

Groupon for American Apparel

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

The Groupon for Raleigh/Durham today (and for the next three days) is $50 worth of American Apparel goods for $25. The best part? It’s for online sales only, so technically you could live anywhere and use this 50% discount. Huzzah!

(Edited to add that the link takes you to the main Raleigh/Durham Groupon page for the day, but on the right side of the screen there’s a box that says “More Great Deals Nearby” and the American Apparel Groupon link is at the bottom of that box)

Time to stock up on the basics. Here are a few of my faves from the site:

Shirt Dress
Classic stripe sweater
Wrap dress
Striped socks
Round collar shirt

Remix News Flash

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

If you’re on the Remix Vintage Shoes email list, this probably isn’t news because you saw this in your inbox this morning – but for the rest of the world, Remix has introduced some new styles and a new color in an existing style. Three danceable pairs for the ladies and a new pair of oxfords for the gents. Excited! Here’s the lineup:

Boardwalk

“BOARDWALK – Sporty ladies oxford style lace-up in two tone combinations of Grey/Black, Brown/Cafe and Brown/Sand. Smart perforated details make this new style a stand-out! All leather construction with a polished stacked leather heel. Whole and half sizes 5.5 to 11. 1 7/8″ heel height.” This shoe is double hot in the black and gray combo…*drools*

Strider

“STRIDER – Smart vintage “replica” oxford in “croco” embossed leather with grosgraine trim detail. Picture yourself striding down the lane in this 1940’s “peep toe” lace-up with it’s rich, polished stacked leather heel. Comes in Cognac or Olive color embossed “croco” with all leather uppers and leather soles.
1 7/8 inch heel. Sizes 5.5 to 11.” These shoes look classy and efficient and, as the email points out, the green almost has a military look.

Cassandre

“CASSANDRE, now available in a two tone black combination. A 1920’s – ’30’s style with faux buttons and slip on construction. Also comes in navy or ivory.” This shoe has been in Remix’s catalog for a while, but the addition of the two tone black (with gray?) is a welcome one. I have these in the navy combo and love them…maybe Santa will bring me a pair of the black ones for Christmas. I’ve been really good this year, right?

Cap Toe Oxford

“CAP TOE OXFORD. A style that originated in the 1920’s and still remains a men’s classic, the Re-mix CAP TOE comes in white Nubuck with black leather trim, white Nubuck with brown leather trim and all white Nubuck. All have a polished leather sole and all leather construction. Sizes 7 1/2 to 13. Good for the “Avenue” and great for the dance floor!” Gentlemen, this is a good looking shoe. Feel free to invest in looking spectacular.

Now I have something to spend my Christmas money on after Christmas…as if that was ever a problem. 😉 I do love the new additions to the Remix shoe collection and can’t wait to see them on the dance floor. If you acquire any of these shoes, feel free to post a review of them in the comments section.

Holiday Dance Dress

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

There’s something about this red 1940’s dress, listed on eBay by seller redwineandfriends, that says it’s ripe for the holidays. Obviously the color is festive, but there are other details that make this dress extra-special and holiday dance-worthy, like the pleating on the bodice, the bow on the front of the dress, the little white buttons down the front, the wonderful goring of the skirt, and, on top of the goring, the back of the skirt has an inset for additional swishy-ness. As the seller says in the auction, “Holiday perfect – fur muff and ice skates optional!”

Please welcome our newest shopper – KnickerRocker!

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

I am pleased and proud to welcome one of my longtime Lindy friends and fellow vintage enthusiast KnickerRocker as the latest contributor to the Lindy Shopper blog! On top of having an extensive collection of vintage and reproduction menswear and accessories, KnickerRocker actually works in menswear and has extensive knowledge of fit, cut, fabrics, styles, you name it, he probably knows what it is (and who would look good in it). I’m looking forward to his first post!

EBC Vendors: The Vintage Collective

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

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!