This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Independence Day Weekend, which is a great time to sport some colorful and patriotic vintage for picnics, cookouts, and outdoor festivals. This red and white 1940’s dress, with bow applique detail and stripes above the hemline, would be perfect for this weekend – if this dress were in my size, I’d be sporting it on the 4th to something outdoor and festive, with a wide brimmed straw hat. So adorable!
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
Continuing with the nautical theme, I thought I’d post some straw boaters, so the gents can order them in time for Independence Day festivities. According to Wikipedia:
“Boaters were popular as summer headgear in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and were supposedly worn by FBI agents as a sort of unofficial uniform in the pre-war years…Being made of straw, the boater was and is generally regarded as a warm-weather hat. In the days when men all wore hats when out of doors, “Straw Hat Day”, the day when men switched from wearing their winter hats to their summer hats, was seen as a sign of the beginning of summer. The exact date of Straw Hat Day might vary slightly from place to place. For example, in Philadelphia, it was May 15; at the University of Pennsylvania, it was the second Saturday in May.”
I have heard that boater hats were generally considered disposable, a hat that someone purchased new every year – now, a vintage boater and new boaters will set you back a pretty penny ($100+), but some deals can be had if you dig for a bit. Here are some boater hats for sale in the more reasonable range:
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
I found two dresses on eBay today with a sort of…aquatic theme. The first is this hilarious yet fetching off-white dress with lobster detailing, a cut out midriff, and a matching lobster hat. I’m with the seller on this one, if it would fit I might consider picking this up for a 4th of July gig. The other dress is a wonderful blues-and-greens cocktail dress in a scale patterned rayon. I love that the skirt has two layers and the fabric is just gorgeous!
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
There’s been a small influx of Remix shoes on eBay this week in or about a size 9. Take a look!
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
Emerald City Vintage on eBay has done it again, this time offering this fantastic 1940’s rayon dress with a print of ladies in gowns in silhouette, with a background of fans. How girly is this? The scene depicted in the fabric sort of screams gossip in the powder room, with the ladies checking their hair and bustles. I think it’s a really interesting piece because of this unique fabric and the way it is used on the bodice and at the hem. Pockets are also helpful and I like the way the skirt pleats come down from the pockets.
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
I know this item is a bit tangential, but I wanted to post these 1920’s tap shoes from eBay for several reasons. First, how many pairs of dance shoes do we come across that are this old? Regular shoes are already hard to come by, but shoes made specifically for dancing are even rarer, given the amount of wear and tear on any pair of dance shoes. You can see that this pair was definitely worn.
I also love that they are silver, which leads me to believe these were performance shoes and not practice shoes. Who would have worn these and what kind of fantastic, shiny show were they in? Or if they weren’t in a show, that they had silver practice shoes is pretty awesome, no?
Finally, I love the holes for the ribbons to tie the shoes on. When I was a little girl taking tap lessons my tap shoes had these ribbon holes and I thought having the bows on my feet were lovely. Think of the ribbon possibilities…any color!
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
After posting these shoes I thought long and hard about what you might wear with them – a solid dress, separates with those colors, but I never thought I’d come across a vintage dress with this same color wave. I was pleasantly surprised to discover this late 1930’s/early 1940’s dress on eBay with those lovely blues detailing the neckline. Finding matching pieces in vintage is already difficult, if not impossible. So disappointed that this is also not in my size. Surely there is someone out there to fit into this 28 inch waist dress AND wear a size 6.5/7 slightly narrow shoe!
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
I’m heading up to DCLX this weekend, but before I abandon the blog for another dance weekend (you understand, right?) I’ll leave you with these two dresses. Red with green, green with red, but the real detail here is the contrast – most dresses try to match buttons, but I love these solid dresses with contrasting buttons. It really makes the buttons pop and becomes even more of a decorative detail than a functional necessity. This is definitely something I’d like to see more of (paging ModCloth, Anthropologie, Trashy Diva…).
Further, check out the neck detail on the green dress – it’s two dresses in one, with a keyhole neckline or a v-neckline. So in love…I was definitely one of the losing bidders on this auction.
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
I’m still looking for the perfect compact and keep coming across ones I like from the swing era World’s Fairs. The World’s Fair is a series of large expos held in different countries, the highlight of which were the national pavilions, created by participating countries. According to Wikipedia, the early expos, starting in the early 1800’s and, until the late 1930’s, were focused on trade and “were the platform where the state of the art in science and technology from around the world was brought together.” After that, the World’s Fair focused more on cultural exchange. Key expos of the swing era held in the United States were Chicago in 1933 and New York in 1939 (the 1939 World’s Fair also featured performances from Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers). The merchandising opportunities for these expos were in abundance and you saw everything stamped with a world’s fair logo, from silk scarves to money clips to parasols.
Here are a few fun World’s Fair items on eBay:
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
I am in love with two dresses on eBay this week, made in vastly different sizes, but both equals in adorable-ness and wearable-ness – both are cotton and look sturdy enough to withstand the dance floor. I am itching for spring – these dresses would be perfect for an upcoming dance in warmer weather!
The first dress is a late 1930’s/early 1940’s cotton dress in a green and white print, with lovely puff sleeves, carved buttons, and this fantastic smocking/stitching detail on the shoulder. The bust/waist/hip measurement on this dress is 48/38/52. It is missing the belt, but it looks like there’s enough fabric in the hem to fashion one, or add a green or white ribbon to finish the outfit.
The next dress is another recurring theme in my wardrobe, candy stripes, this time in seersucker cotton in this lovely 1930’s dress. Within this dress there are three stripe directions – horizontal on the buttons and neckline, vertical on the torso, and chevron stripes on the skirt. The slit pockets are perpendicular to the chevron stripes. The bust/waist/hip on this is 34/26/35. The puff sleeves, a bow sash, and giant buttons – how cute is this?!
Someone please buy these dresses!
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
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.
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
This is another rare skirt and top set from the 1940’s, this time with a clever mixing of two patterns – a cheerful plaid and a clustered polka dot pattern. I adore this set for the peplum effect of the top, the gathering around the neckline, the contrast hem and sleeves, the simple pattern made so interesting by the mix of fabrics, and arm holes big enough to allow for unconfined movement. This would be perfect for a spring dance or the battle of the bands at DCLX (Excited!).
Perhaps the best part of this two piece set? You’ll never have to worry about your shirt coming untucked, but you’ll still look tidy with that great peplum.
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
My Valentine’s Day debacle could be your new treasure – I bought this great reproduction vest on eBay for my husband, but when I gave it to him on Valentine’s Day it turned out to be too small. I was so disappointed because I had searched a long time to find the perfect vest – something that could be paired with grays, blacks, and any color tie; something that had a subdued pattern; and something that either was vintage or looked vintage that could withstand the wear and tear my husband would put it through (i.e. Lindy Shopper carefully hangs and launders her vintage, while the Boy leaves his clothes in a mound on the floor, which doubles as a cat bed). THIS was that vest.
If this all sounds like your life and fulfills your needs, consider placing a bid on my eBay auction. I love the tiny dot pattern, all the wonderful buttons, and the shape of the front of the vest. This fabric is durable and new, but looks like it could have stepped out of another decade. Estimated at a size 40 chest by the previous seller, and confirmed by the 2 inch gap in the front when the Boy tried it on.
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
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:
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
There’s been a small flood of Remix Vintage Shoes on eBay over the past couple of days. Here are the spoils:
Lindy Shopper 