This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
Given the number of people searching for “saddle shoe sneakers” on Google (which get directed to my post about said sneaks from last year), I had to post the Keds verson of saddle sneakers I ran across today at ModCloth.com. The are slightly different, with the classic, slimmer Keds shape and scalloped detailing that’s a nod to brogueing. Nice!
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
I’ve been sorely disappointed with Anthropologie’s spring and summer offerings, but they have finally returned to greatness with an eye toward fall in their latest catalog. Here are some highlights:
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.
When we buy vintage clothing we are supporting sustainable fashion, but there are other ways to be an eco conscious fashionista – in addition to vintage clothing, bolts fabric made in past eras to create clothing exist unused and potentially wasted, until someone like Dig For Victory scoops up these glorious bolts and gives them a new life.
From her Etsy page: “Dig For Victory! is a sustainable fashion label that creates limited edition and one-off pieces from vintage fabric. From elegant harlequin dresses and classic prom frocks to cartoon print playsuits, Dig For Victory! celebrates the history of fashion to be found in a wealth of vintage textiles.”
Celebration is an accurate description of her clothes, and I was immediately drawn to one of her dresses in an Etsy collection for its vibrant colors, and was delighted when I saw that her shop was full of joyfully colored garments.
The best part? You can get a vintage patterned garment made from vintage fabric like new for you. Sustainable and more durable! Here are some of my favorites from the Etsy store:
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.
You don’t have to be on a boat to enjoy these nautical-inspired dresses and skirts from Shabby Apple‘s latest collection. Gingham, seersucker, cotton…all the summer fabrics are here! Just add a Dixie cup and set sail…here are some of my favorites:
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
Embrace your inner southern gentleman by purchasing one of Jos. A. Bank’s deeply discounted seersucker suits in blue, tan, or taupe – only $129.00 if you buy it today, marked down from $395.00. That’s right, you’d save $266.00. 🙂 Where would you wear it? Where wouldn’t you wear it! Seersucker is a lightweight cotton fabric, perfect for summer dances, outdoor events, weddings, and courthouses. I love, love, love that they have it in tan and taupe – one of the most beautiful color combinations I have seen is a tan seersucker suit with a coral shirt, brightly printed tie in coral and blue, and leather and linen oxfords. You can do this, gentlemen!
To get the $129.00 price, you have to purchase via Brad’s Deals, so use this link: http://www.bradsdeals.com/deals/jos-a-bank-seersucker-suit-129-p72957.html#instructions
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
One of the biggest challenges for me this year has been finding costumes for The Carolina Fascinators, an all-girl jazz performance troupe that I organize. When I started thinking about costumes I contacted Casey Schneider of Sister Kate to find out where they had been finding costumes, because the Sister Kate girls always look so put together – and by that I mean, from head to toe, each girl looks like she is in a professional costume with a well-thought-out thematic that goes with the routine and the music. Casey agreed that this was not an easy task and that the Sister Kate girls were lucky to have some really creative and talented seamstresses in their ranks.
I’m no great seamstress, but I was determined to find costumes that would evoke the swing era and not fall prey to the “sexy” Halloween costumes or gaudy modern “jazz” costumes. Where do I find that Busby Berkeley-inspired costume today and not pay an arm and a leg for a custom costume?
I later ran into Kristen Minsky, of the Minsky Sisters, at an event she organized in Durham for her cabaret, Chifferobe. For one of her performances she wore a fully sequined dance costume that was very 1920’s and looked like it was custom made for her. In a way it was, and it wasn’t – she ordered it from Sequin Queen, an online retailer of sequin dresses and costumes, who have samples you can choose from, but then everything else, from the fit to the sequin color, is customized for your needs. If this looks like drag queen garb, that’s because it is (even RuPaul gave this place a nod on her show, Drag Race) – but if you push aside the Suzanne Sugarbaker pieces, you can find some gems here. The prices are amazing for custom, sequin dresses and some of the samples are made with a stretch base, to allow for less-restrictive movement. I’d love to see more sparkle in swing dance performances and I think some of these costumes would work well for performance teams as well as solo jazz and Charleston.
Here are some of my faves from Sequin Queen:
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 noticed yesterday that the My Heinies website has officially expanded their line of dancewear to include the shoes, hosiery, and hair flowers I mentioned in my previous post on My Heinies and their creator, New York dancer and instructor Carol Fraser. This certainly calls for another post highlighting these goodies, because now we have pictures. 🙂
Before we get to the goods, I want to point out that Carol does her homework. At week one of the Balboa Experiment, Carol brought in samples of everything and held a focus group to talk about what Balboa dancers look for in a shoe – heel shape, heel height, colors, styles, straps, where the shoe falls on the top of your foot, suede v. hard leather, and everything in between. The shoes now available on the My Heinies website represent the results of this group discussion, most of which Carol had overnighted to the Experiment house so that we could try them on in person, give further feedback, and have the option to purchase. The sample shoes remained at the Experiment house for weeks 2 and 3 to try out as well, and I’m sure she’s solicited feedback from a number of other dancers. Another great thing about using the Experiment as a testing ground was that it gave Carol an international perspective on what dancers would want to wear, not just dancers in the U.S.
Here’s what I love from My Heinies’ new selections of shoes, hosiery, and hair flowers (and don’t forget to check out the bloomers, I think Carol’s ordering a new batch very soon):
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
This week has, for one reason or another, been full of undergarment ideas. I’ll start with the tip I got from Micki Schultz, who was sporting a pair of Maidenform boyshorts as bloomers at the TSDS dance on Saturday with Acme Swing Mfg. Co. With just a touch of lace to give a nod to vintage slips or tap pants, they didn’t look out of place under her wonderful vintage 1940’s suit.
These might also be a good option if you’d like some additional help with smoothing things out under your dress. According to the Maidenform website, these boyshorts
– Provide everyday control
– Smoothe and shape your body
– Eliminate bulges
– Looks great layered with ready to wear (not sure what this means, but OK)
– Can be worn under all types of outfits
– Soft and silky against the skin
– Lace adds femininity (indeed)
They come in the basic wardrobe colors of black and nude. Also of note, the waistband is high enough to smooth over your muffin top and the bottom is full coverage to keep everything snug.
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
Aerosoles, often associated with comfortable and practical footwear, has stepped into the swing realm. I spotted Aerosoles on Laura Keat at The Experiment and on Nelle Cherry at DCLX, and wondered how they were dancing in these rubber soled shoes. The secret, according to Nelle, is to get the soles dusty and the rubber becomes the perfect consistency of slippery and sticky when you need it. Who knew? I wear Aerosoles to work for comfort, but I never thought about taking them out on the dance floor. This is great news for the people who dance in flats or heels or both – there’s a little something for everyone.
There are several things that make Aerosoles comfortable, but dancers specifically will notice the highly flexible sole, the cushioned footbed, and the soft leather interiors of the shoes. There are also some nice vintage-inspired shoes in their lineup.
Here’s what I like from the Aerosoles site:
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
There have been a lot of great photos coming out of DCLX and, in general, the swing dance community is blessed with excellent amateur and professional photographers alike. I overhear technical jargon about the cameras, the lighting, the accessories, but how many of you would put all that down and attempt to use something like…a Kodak Brownie? I know it would be a lot of effort and the conditions less than ideal, but I think it would be cool experiment.
If you like this idea, but would like more information, there is a website devoted to all things Brownie called The Brownie Camera Page. The site features lists and descriptions of models, technical information, where to get film and parts, a gallery, and even tutorials on how to upgrade your Brownie.
Here are some inexpensive Brownies on eBay:
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
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!
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
Recent events have me thinking about male leads and sweating, specifically how leads deal with keeping themselves dry during dances so their partner doesn’t have to get into closed position with Swamp Thing. I see several methods in play: changing tee shirts multiple times during the night, athletic shirts that are supposed to wick the sweat away from your skin, and men dressing in layers with an undershirt, dress shirt, and sport coat. Of these three methods, the most effective that I have noticed is the man wearing layers. The sport shirts always feel damp even though they aren’t wet and the tee shirts, depending on the wearer, can have a pretty short life span before the lead is drenched again. Every lead I’ve danced with wearing a sportcoat feels dry, at least from the outside. And I thank them for that.
I found an article called “Why You Should Wear an Undershirt at All Times.” It certainly made for an interesting read and I wonder how many of you employ an undershirt as a tactic for dryness. There’s even an entire website devoted to undershirts, The Undershirt Guy, with reviews of undershirt brands and debates on comfort and dryness.
This is less of an informative post and more of a musing – I’d like to hear your thoughts on this topic, as what works for one may not work for others. How do you stay dry? I might know some leads that need your help…
Lindy Shopper 
