American finds

The shop is open again after my Stateside trip and I'm starting to clean up and repair some of the vintage pieces I found over there, including this skirt and dress. It is a little hard to make out in this hastily-snapped picture but the skirt features an amazing print of pink roses and white bulls and the dress has a fantastically unusual collar / cape detail at the back of the bodice. The dress needed some TLC but, since this photo was taken, its zip has been replaced and a few repairs here and there have revived it to its former lovely state!

 I was really pleased to discover that the skirt was made by a designer from Seattle, Pamela Foster. I usually come across pieces made in New York or London and, having spent quite a bit of time in the Pacific Northwest now, it was nice to find a piece from this part of the world. I've been trying to discover more information about the designer but unfortunately I can't find much online. There is however an expired listing for a two-piece set she designed for the Seattle World Fair, which took place in 1962.

 According to this 1990s article, clothing was quite a large feature at the fair, with Vogue putting on four fashion shows a day by a perfumed pool and media concern over how attendees would dress:

"Pained, The Times' Dorothy Neighbors had begged local women who visited the fair not to disgrace the Pacific Northwest with their dowdy clothes and casual hairstyles. She advised them to shorten the hems of their dresses, not mistake high heels for high style, and -- above all! -- to leave their slacks in the closet."

Eesh! I hope that when this skirt is sold, the new owner will wear it however she likes, casual hairstyles and all!!! I'll be sure to post details here when the new pieces are listed in the shop. And in the meantime, look out for a special shop discount code in the coming days. 

Vintage New York

After sharing my West Coast wanderings, I've got some posts planned on vintage-exploring in different places. They'll mostly be quite close to home but I thought I'd continue with the American theme for my first one. I've travelled to New York a few times for work and personal trips and these particular photographs were taken a couple of years ago with some disposable cameras.

Here are some of my favourite vintage shops from my visits:

1. David Owens - The pale silk 50s dress I'm wearing in the first picture was purchased here.The man in the shop was very kind and really funny too. I had short hair at the time and he thought I looked a bit like Shirley Temple. 'But you know what happened to Shirley?', he asked, 'Shirley kissed!'. Ominous pause: 'And her career was never the same again!'. They have really nice pieces and a good selection for men too.

2. Beacon's Closet - I visited both Brooklyn branches of Beacon's Closet. The one in Williamsburg is a bit overwhelming but also where I found the best pickings (it just took determination!). 

3. Fabulous Fanny's - I've saved the best 'til last. Fabulous Fanny's is just brilliant. The people running the shop were really friendly and very knowledgeable about the history of clothing. The women's clothing was fantastic but the room filled with glasses was the most fascinating, more like a museum of optical instruments than a shop. After trying on nearly every pair (with some funny and not always successful results!), I chose some little round, foldable sunglasses in green. They're similar in style to 30s celluloid glasses but from a later period. Perhaps not the most understated glasses but they're pretty great!

Coney Island