Mid-Winter Digest

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

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The alternate title for this post is I Have Too Many Things To Write About and No Time To Do It – my hope is that you’d rather have the news as it comes, rather than a comprehensive post about everything, so I’m giving you the tip of the iceberg here and trust that you’ll enjoy all the things at your leisure:

Zoe Vine – glorious dresses (with sleeves!) in lovely colors, based in the UK (because the UK has everything I want right now, right?), machine washable – gimme!

Hepcat Corner – tees, sweatshirts, bags, phone cases, and more, all with the swing dancer in mind. Bonus points for graphic of shag dancing couple (labeled Charleston – could be either!).

August Three – I had hoped to cover this in a Lindy Focus vendor post that may never come to fruition, but I got to see the beauties from this new swing dance shoe company based in Thailand and the quality looks great and I loved the custom color options. Would love to hear from others who have tried them! Jenna Applegarth has endorsed these and she is essentially the international swing dance shoe expert at this point, I’m not sure there’s a swing dance shoe company she hasn’t tried!

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Pretty Retro – In December I discovered that my new favorite go-to clothing website, The House of Foxy, has an offshoot brand called Pretty Retro. I’m not sure what the differences are, it all looks like more glorious, quality vintage-inspired reproduction clothing and I am here for it.

Angelus Lustre Cream and Leather Paint – having trouble color matching leather polish so you can try to restore some life into a tired, scratched pair of dance shoes? Lauren Stowell of Royal Vintage Shoes recommends Angelus Lustre Cream (thanks for posting in the Women’s Swing Dance Shoes Hunt Facebook group!).

il_570xn.1648039152_pyio — Some sunshine for these gloomy winter days, from Swingbird Fashions

Green of Grey – I found another magical trumpet skirt in the wild (which has since sold out, but maybe custom order? That bow, AMIRITE?) and a number of other adorable swing-era-inspired items in this adorable Etsy shop.

Swingbird Fashions – a Denver-based Etsy shop, with trumpet skirts IN STOCK, adorable 30’s style shorts/skort, 30’s blouses, trousers (both wide leg and those pleated/tapered ones that everyone seems to compete in), some gorgeous dresses, really so many quality things!

Groovy Fox – what a fun name for this new swing dance shoe company! Bulgaria jumps in on the dance shoe game and the results are lovely – we so spoiled with all these new shoe companies with lovely colors and styles. Loving the lilac and mint and wanting to build a spring wardrobe around these colors…

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Venice Beach Skirt Reproduction

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

Jitterbugging on Venice Beach, 1938 — The white dress in the center, coming soon…

Last year I wrote about the Venice Beach dress, the garment worn by dancer Genevieve Grazis in the famous Venice Beach Balboa clip that dancers around the world have dissected as dance source material. This dress came into the possession of dancer Jennifer Halsne, who has taken her role of custodian of this dress seriously and written a series of blog posts about the dress and has been working with California-based reproduction dress company Loco Lindo to recreate the dress for those of us dancers who would love to have a skirt with such twirling power.

I’ll let Jennifer’s blog post do the talking, but I wanted all of the Lindy Shopper readers to know that a skirt based on the dress is now available for purchase on the Loco Lindo website and that the dress reproduction is coming soon! Head over to Swing Sleuths to read (and see) more! #trumpetskirts4eva

New Vintage Lady Kickstarter with Rewards for Both Sewers and the Not-So-Thread-Inclined

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

il_570xn-597407563_6fvj — This green 30’s dress…it’s like she channeled my thoughts on the perfect day dress.

As most ladies know and Tim Gunn has spoken out about, the clothing options for women over a certain size range are particularly limited, even though they make up hundreds of thousands of shoppers in the US and beyond and spend significant sums on clothing for themselves. Compound limited selection with a preference for vintage styles and your options are even more limited.

I’ve had my eye on New Vintage Lady’s Etsy site for some time and I did a post on her in 2011, but I’m excited to see that she keeps showing up on my radar and continues to expand her line of vintage patterns, offering fantastic designs that are all the things we love about jazz age and swing era clothing, with all the wonderful details that make them great (and she has a great eye! I love her selections, artwork, and fabric choices). This latest endeavor is via Kickstarter, in an effort to expand her size range to cover bust sizes from 40 inches to 52 inches, as well as improving her existing patterns in terms of graphics and descriptions. Offering a range of sizes is a lot of work – often, you only find one vintage pattern of a certain dress and it comes in the size you found, not a range, and it’s not simply a matter of adding inches around to increase the size, of course it’s MUCH MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT, in that way that all of our bodies are a complicated mix of measurements.

il_570xn-362011664_me18 — I LOVE a sailor collar.

The obvious rewards here are reaping the benefit of the new patterns once the Kickstarter is funded, but if you don’t sew there is an AMAZING reward – the New Vintage Lady will make you a dress, one of HER garments from the Kickstarter! What could be more amazing and more personal and more lovely than that? (I see she also does men’s trousers *ahem* maybe…if you ask nicely?) If you’ve ever wanted a reproduction dress to your specifications with your fabric choices and you haven’t done this for yourself, this is a great opportunity to help not only yourself, but others of a certain size range to gain access to these wonderful patterns.

There’s so much to love, go check out her line and video and consider backing this project!

il_570xn-590933331_i1m3 — There are separates, too!

il_570xn-253663332 — Yes to all of this!

il_570xn-209230005 — There’s even workwear!

Ains & Elke Style Haus on Etsy

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

il_570xN.1010049319_e9n0 — I still need this in my life.

I’ve been on the hunt for elusive vintage and reproduction knitwear and came across Alixis Lupien on the Oooh La La! Vintage Swap and Sell Facebook group, as she was selling the most adorable sweater with parrots on it. At first glance it looked vintage, but then I looked again and she made it! People who knit clothing are magical unicorns in my book, it looks like so much could go wrong, but here was this darling multi-colored knit sweater that I could see instantly enhancing my summer wardrobe.

I followed her progress on Facebook to her Ains & Elke Style Haus Facebook page and then to her Etsy shop, where she posts her incredible novelty knit sweaters and an array of sewn clothing options that you can order custom to your fabric, color, measurement, etc. specifications.

Here are some of my favorites from the shop:

il_570xN.1008338859_rufy — Fishy sweater!

il_570xN.1008436651_o1ty — Heart and Dagger sweater

il_570xN.822346982_9nu4 — Pastel rainbow 50’s style skirt

il_570xN.879469146_ievp — Coretta 40’s style jacket

il_570xN.711535893_jsec — Esther 40’s sarong dress

Trashy Diva Updates: The Obsession Continues

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

There’s been so much going on in Trashy Diva land lately, it’s past time for an update. I’ll try to keep it brief and the drooling to a manageable minimum:

New print: Crimson Clover – a beautiful 1940’s inspired floral along with solid navy coordinates. Seriously, this is just screaming SPRING and I am READY. Available in some classic TD styles and what looks to be a newcomer, the Dolores.
March Madness – you know that thing about how Trashy Diva does limited runs of prints and once the dresses are gone they are gone forever? I can only think of one reissue since I’ve been a customer in the past 7 years, but this time TD is getting democratic about it and there are BRACKETS. Here’s a blog post showing the brackets thus far: http://bit.ly/1Ut6ns0 – we still have 3/4 of the way to go! The only way to vote is on the TD Facebook page, so get to following and check in every day to see which prints are battling it out to be reissued.
Possible new print – the 1930’s are my favorite decade for fashion, so when TD posted on their Facebook wall that the inspiration for their new print was this 1930’s dress I died in my shoes. DYING FROM JOY.
Desperately Seeking Trashy Diva Facebook group – I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this incredible Facebook group devoted to all things TD: discussions on new prints and styles, discussions on old prints and styles, how each style fits in terms of sizing, reselling or trading old TD garments, the classic “desperately seeking” posts (pleas from people looking for garments/prints), photos of group members styling themselves, and one of the most supportive group of women on the Internet. Divas from the store are also on hand to answer questions and the women in this group are devoted, attentive, and full of helpful information.

Heyday’s Christmas Countdown

tn_judy_kitten_crop2_1 — The Judy dress even comes in a holiday-ready tartan.

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

A quick note to note that you should be following Heyday! on their Facebook page because they will be posting a different sale offer every day, from December 1 until Christmas! This advent calendar of sales is great if you’ve been eyeing something in their shop and I can’t resist stocking up on their impeccable wide leg trousers. It’s brilliant, really – it keeps you checking in every day to see what will be on sale! Today’s special: take 10 pounds (roughly $15.00) off their adorable Judy dresses.

ModCloth’s Bugle Joy Skirt

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

While we’re talking about skirts, I’d like to talk about Mod Cloth’s Bugle Joy Skirt, one of the great basics that ModCloth offers that I picked up for work, but then spotted on dancer friends as we all independently discovered the wonders of this skirt. Chicago dancer Lindsay Longstreth sported a plum Bugle Joy at the Knoxville Lindy Exchange and I spotted its signature shape and spin- she learned about the skirt from St. Louis dance instructor Jenny Shirar, who has one in olive. Within the month I spotted one on Philadelphia dancer Caitlin Farthing in the OcTieBer group. After such compelling evidence, it’s safe to say that the Bugle Joy skirt is a success amongst Lindy Hoppers.

Why is this skirt great? Here’s the rundown:

– A full skirt that is a nod to the New Look without being costumey

– It twirls nicely for a full skirt, without too much bloomer exposure

– The polyester fabric drapes nicely and is super durable

– It doubles for work-wear – in fact, I initially purchased one in red as a work skirt.

– It comes in some great basic colors and not-so-basic colors, like black, red, gray, rust, burgundy, olive, teal, and plum

– At $54.99 it’s not too hard on the wallet for a quality skirt

I hope ModCloth continues to carry this skirt or even expand its colors offered – what a great, versatile piece to add to your wardrobe!

Lazy Bones

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

While I was perusing the racks at Bygones Vintage Clothing while attending The Process in Richmond, VA, I happened upon a new-to-me brand of reproduction dresses called Lazy Bones. It appears to be a sort of Australian-based Anthropologie-type shop, with vintage-inspired clothing and home goods. From the website:

“Lazybones takes a fresh and whimsical approach to designing clothing and homewares for modern, relaxed living. Inspired by vintage, Lazybones clothing has become well known for its quirky signature prints, delicate embroidery and jacquard knitwear. Our homewares including bedding, ceramics and wallpaper inspires a fresh and playful approach to creating unique spaces within our homes. Our aim is to continually evolve each season designing products that surprise and delight our customers who have grown to love our brand across the world.”

With a name like Lazy Bones, there’s a great sense of humor here, along with an ease in the clothing that suggests you could still be lazy and look fabulously lazy. A lot of the pieces do remind me of comfy vintage finds, things that I buy to lounge or dance in, because of the fabric choices, prints, and easy shapes. Here are some of my favorites from Lazy Bones:

(Edited to add that there’s a USA website with better shipping options for those of us in the states at http://lazybonesusa.com/ – thanks for the tip, Jenny!)

Alanna Dress in white with blue embroidery; also available in white with red embroidery

That elusive 20's day dress reproduction! The Matilda Dress in indigo; also available in silver. — That elusive 20’s day dress reproduction! The Matilda Dress in indigo; also available in silver.

I love that they offer slips! The Undressed Slip, also available in black, to go under everything!

Verity cardigan, also available in blue and green - I love a patterned cardi! — Verity cardigan, also available in blue and green – I love a patterned cardi!

La Vie en Swing

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

This could be yours! Just add a belt. :) — This could be yours! Just add a belt. 🙂

If you’ve been following the adventures of Agent Carter, you’ll know that she has an impeccable 1940’s wardrobe that is ready for action and adventure – a particular purple dress caught the eye of Balboa dancer and instructor Nelle Cherry and, in her diligence and internet mastery, located a close approximation of said dress at La Vie en Swing. Classic 40’s shape, flattering waist, keyhole neckline, swing skirt, the Berlin dress is all the things I love in a dress and would love to wear on the dance floor. While I’m sure that this purple dress similarity a purely wonderful coincidence, it led me down the rabbit hole to exploring the La Vie En Swing clothing line.

The Berlin dress can also be made with a more full, swishy skirt, more suited for dancing - inquire within! — The Berlin dress can also be made with a more full, swishy skirt, more suited for dancing – inquire within!

La Vie en Swing offers a wonderful 1930’s, 40’s, and 50’s reproduction clothing line, with an obvious bent toward swing dancers, with pieces that offer ease of movement and a swish of the skirt. From the website: “Our patterns are accurate in order to enhance and flatter the femenine silhouette. Some of the designs come from original vintage sewing patterns and some other designs are our own creations inspired in the 30’s, 40’s & 50’s, precious years of the Swing Era.”

I am loving the color palette – pinks, purples, mint, cream, and a pop of orange or red. One of my big complaints with vintage 1940’s clothing is the overall lack of color (I find lots of black, brown, navy) and I think La Vie en Swing has embraced a cheerful color palette (bring on the spring!) without resorting to colors that look out of character or like a caricature of the era. The pieces are carefully selected, with lovely details – a little bow detail on the skirt, keyhole necklines (love, love, love!), high waisted sailor trousers, pockets on dresses, and an adorable take on the shirtwaist dress.

Right now the clothing line is limited to womenswear, but I see that menswear is coming soon!

Here are some of my favorites from the La Vie en Swing clothing line:

I really like the proportions of this shirtwaist - Mia light blue tea Dress, also available in pink, yellow, and two prints. — I really like the proportions of this shirtwaist – light blue Tea Dress

Another sassy keyhole dress, the Amy dress, inspired by a 1950's pattern, also available in soft yellow. — Another sassy keyhole dress, the Amy dress, inspired by a 1950’s pattern, also available in soft yellow.

The Berlin blouse, the white blouse to go with everything, with MORE KEYHOLE and lovely Art Deco seaming at the neck. *swoon!* Also available in a bright orange/coral color.

The Lindy skirt, also available in red and black - the drape looks so nice, I'd love to see this in person! — The Lindy skirt, also available in red and black – the drape looks so nice, I’d love to see this in person!

This candy stripe blouse looks good enough to eat - Willa blouse, also available in a blue/brown stripe. — This candy stripe blouse looks good enough to eat – Willa blouse, also available in a blue/brown stripe.

High waisted sailor pants in denim! Also available in black. Love the pairing with the coral blouse! — High waisted sailor pants in denim! Also available in black. Love the pairing with the coral Berlin blouse!

Chloe Hong Trumpet Skirt Update

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

Because you all need the trumpet skirt play-by-play (because I need the trumpet skirt play-by-play), I’m here with three updates about Chloe Hong:

1. Her website is live, so you can order the flare/trumpet skirts directly through the website, rather than through the FROMChloeHong Facebook page. Click into your shopping cart and GOOOOOOOOO!

2. Three new colors – light green (!!!), light purple, and beige. Two of my favorite colors and a neutral, I approve.

3. Three colors will be discontinued once the current stock is sold out: vintage green, vintage purple, and brown. If one of these colors has been on your wishlist, you know what to do.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled twirling!

Prohibition Clothing Launches Women’s Line

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

The long-awaited women’s line from Prohibition Clothing Company is go – I saw the fruits of their labor at the Jazz Age Lawn Party in August and now you can order these great separates online. Everything – the Parker trouser, the Clara knicker, and the Margaret skirt – is perfect for fall and coordinates with the existing menswear/unisex accessories. The neutral palette will also compliment so many other clothing items and colors for fall. I am particularly excited about having a ready-to-wear option for knickers and the potential for lady dandy dance ensembles and tweed ride awesomeness. Take a gander, folks!

Trashy Diva – Crepe Myrtle and Blue Hawaii

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

A week ago today I walked in to Trashy Diva’s French Quarter dress shop on a mission to buy a dress – I can’t often make this statement because it is so rare that one would actually get to walk into their store, but more often the case is gazing at their dresses through a web browser. The day before my trip, swing dance instructor and Diva Mia Goldsmith posted that the store had, that day, received their new line of spring/summer dresses and I was elated because I knew I would be able to try all of them on in person.

The new collection did not disappoint – I could have walked out of there with all of the pieces from both prints and then died and gone to heaven. There’s a little something for everyone! In the crepe myrtle print, you can have their sweet Ashley dress with sleeves, the Lena sarong dress with a shoulder drape (for drama), a friggin adorable romper, blouse, skirt, halter dress, hottie top, aaaaaaaaah!

Blue Hawaii print offerings include the Lena, halter, and skirt, but also the strappy L’amour dress, a Trixie top, a front tie top, high waisted shorts, two matching headband options (knot or giant bow), and, it’s not on the website, but I swear there was a little bolero jacket in this print, as well. Just immaculate, in that wonderful rayon. I picked up an Ashley and a Lena in the crepe myrtle – as a note, the Lena is smocked with elastic in the back, so there is a good amount of stretch for fit and you may need to go down 1-2 sizes to get a really good fit.

SO HAPPY! Trashy Diva, you have my heart!

FROMChloeHong Pleated Skirt

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

Chloe Hong, she of the superior trumpet skirts, has introduced a new dance-friendly skirt to her clothing line – a skirt with three mirrored parallel pleats, starting in seams at the top, and separating into pleats toward the bottom of the skirt. I would love to see how this spins! Available in 3 juicy colors – teal, red, and purple.

Details from Chloe’s Facebook page (last time I checked her website was still under development – don’t let communication via Facebook deter you from ordering from her! PayPal all your monies to her for fabulous skirts.):

Like the trumpet skirt, the pleated skirt also features a built-in slip that comes to just below your bum.

* Color : dark purple / green / pale red

* Size : S (55) : waist(25.5~26inch/ 65cm), hip (36inch/91cm)
M (66) : waist(27~27.5inch/ 69.5cm), hip (38inch/99cm)
(I don’t see L and XL, but I know she has these sizes in the trumpet skirt, always good to ask)

* Length : 23 inch (59cm)

* Fabric : Polyester, Spandex

* price : $57

Trashy Diva Dots Are Back!

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

Here's the Louise top...now, am I feeling sporty or dressy today... ;) — Here’s the Louise top…now, am I feeling sporty or dressy today… 😉

I’m delighted to report that Trashy Diva’s peppy blue and white polka dots have returned, both in familiar and new incarnations to enhance the adorableness of your wardrobe. I had almost given up hope that TD would give me more rayon prints in 40’s silhouettes, but I don’t know why I ever doubted. Check out their website for the full collection, featuring some of their classic dress designs, but my favorites from the new items are the separates – seriously, an adorable blouse with a peplum to pair with either a swishy skirt or high waisted shorts? YSPLS!

Trumpet Skirts Triumphant! Meet [ From ] Chloe Hong

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

At last...my love has come along...my lonely days are over...and life is like a song...at last! — At last…my love has come along…my lonely days are over…and life is like a song…at last!

After what seemed like an exercise in futility, my trumpet skirt crusade has returned a winner that I hope will take off like gangbusters. Like every good crusade there’s a story and mine begins with a Facebook message from Valerie Salstrom.

Val messaged me in May that she had a great lead on trumpet skirts in Korea, a tailor named Chloe Hong who had a shop called From. She raved about the quality and construction of the skirt and, knowing Val’s extensive knowledge of vintage clothing and construction, I started to get excited. “They have a little more weight and a little more “slip” to them. They move like a dream.” I was sold.

I messaged Chloe about the skirts and after some discussion of sizing I ordered one in brown and one in black. She was so helpful and gracious – she also made arrangements to have a Korean dancer, Jade, bring the skirts to ILHC for me so that I could save on shipping. It was well worth the wait and after I picked them up from Jade (thank you for transporting them!) I ran back up to my hotel room to try them on and twirl in front of the mirror.

Chloe Hong's store in Korea — Chloe Hong’s store in Korea

This is a superior skirt for several reasons:

– The fabric has this wonderful weight to it – it’s 100% polyester, but it almost feels like a soft faille, with the drape of a crepe silk.

– The fabric has a slight stretch, which helps with fit and movement.

– The waistband is substantial enough to stay put and not roll over.

– The cut is superb – flattering to the tummy, hips, and bum, it starts to go out from the waist from the waistband, rather than hugging the hips too tightly and then flaring out (which can create several fit issues and give the illusion of gut or hip bumps). It just lays so nicely!

– The skirt is lined in a way that creates a mini-slip at the top of the skirt, from the waist down to just below your bum. The lining also helps in terms of smoothing things out (like your top that’s tucked in or the elastic line from the top of your bloomers) and helps with the movement of the skirt, so that it doesn’t catch on whatever you have underneath the skirt. Because the lining/slip hits just below your bum, you still get all the benefit of showing off your legs during the twirl, without having to worry as much about what is covering your bum (or what may have shifted).

– Machine washable!

– Travels well – it came from Korea to ILHC to North Carolina, I hung it up for two days, then wore it to work without having to iron it.

The price is a mere $52 for what I would consider to be the best trumpet skirt I have put on my body. If Chloe does not carry your size, a custom skirt would cost $80, which is really not terrible considering the quality of these skirts. Colors available appear to be black, brown, steel gray, mauve, and red.

Giselle Anguizola in the shorter version of the "flare skirt" — Giselle Anguizola in the shorter version of the “flare skirt”

Chloe also has some other great skirts for dancing, including a shorter version of the trumpet skirt and a pencil skirt with a front slit that Laura Keat has been sporting (and rocking out with her dancing) for competitions. Chloe also does custom work, which Val has attested is simply beautiful.

Chloe’s website is set to launch very soon, so you may wait until that occurs, or you may want to go through the Facebook page for her shop, From. I was able to order by waist size – measurements and sizes are available on Facebook. Also, Valerie says that Chloe will be at All Balboa Weekend in 2014 and that she is bringing a bunch of ready made skirts with her from Korea! Looking forward the website launch and seeing more from Chloe Hong. 🙂