~ Raleigh Vintage ~

Ralph Lauren Fall 2012 - Tweed!

2012-02-19T11:23:00.000-05:00

Many of you know how much I love a good tweed, so you can imagine how excited I was to see Ralph Lauren's Fall 2012 collection...tweed, argyle, and herringbone abound.
Mixing plaids, tweeds, and fair isle intarsias keeps the looks from being stale, while ocelot prints update the classic silhouettes.

The influence of the British country gentleman is strong!

The evening wear collection is coming up next.
If you don't see the Downton Abby influence here, you'll definitely see it there!

Love is on my mind!

2012-02-14T08:10:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

We fall in love...

Never to say goodbye...

To be as one...

Forever after...

1920s Souvenirs from Egypt

2012-02-12T18:36:00.002-05:00

There are a few things in life that seem to represent a tangible manifestation of my life's passions (vintage clothing, history, travel, and archaeology) - this amazing coat is one of those. It is a 1920s silk cocoon-style coat with lavish embroidery and shisha-style inset mirrors. While the coat in and of itself is utterly stunning, it is the history of the coat that truly endears it to my heart. It was purchased in Luxor, Egypt as a tourist's souvenir. In the late 19th century, the Pohoomull Bros. (originally from India) set up shops in major tourist sites around the Mediterranean. From these shops, they'd sell their wares imported from India. Although the items they sold had a distinctly Indian style, they still satisfied the western tourists' desire for "Oriental" mementos from their world tours.

Does it get any better? Why yes it does! The coat also came with a matching drawstring bag.

The Old Winter Palace
The Luxor Winter Palace, where this coat and purse were purchased, was luxury hotel built in 1886 on the banks on the Nile, near the Luxor Temple. The 5-star hotel catered to western tourists and was the perfect location for the Prohoomull Bros. shop.

Howard Carter's discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922 fueled the already thriving tourist business in Egypt. I love imagining a young woman traveling the Mediterranean and, while touring the ancient Egyptian sites, stopped to buy herself an exotic new coat and purse (that eventually made its way to me).

1920s tourists on the Giza Plateau

This is me doing my own tour of Egypt (ignore the squishy face; the sun is very bright there).

Tweed Ride via Etsy

2012-02-09T09:16:00.000-05:00

I have less than a month to plan my outfit for Triangle Tweed Ride - YIKES!
So far, this classic late 1960s blue and tan plaid vest is my only definite piece. I'm turning to my friends on Etsy for help.

My plaid vest above paired with....

JeanJeanVintage
I love the handlebar mustache!

So...what do you think?

Let it Rain! Vintage Umbrellas

2012-02-06T09:32:00.000-05:00

Inspired by the recent rainy weather!
Sometimes I feel like I collect just about everything (and I think Isaac might concur), but one of my most favorite fledging collections is a small, but growing, cache of vintage umbrellas. I feel like I can justify collecting these since I actually use most of them and they don't take up too much room in a house already overflowing with vintage.

These older portable-canopies were valued not just for their functionality, but also as a fashion accessory. As such, they were crafted with amazing details in stunning colors and patterns. There are just a few of my favorite ones from early 1940s.

You can survive any cloudy day with this amazing umbrella! I love how the classic brown plaid contrasts with the whimsical celadon green, heart-shaped/sunflower carved handle.

This one has the most amazing floral-print rayon canopy; I have a feeling that is was at one time part of a set either with a matching dress or with other matching accessories. The handle is an etched lucite.

This is currently the only one I have with a true bakelite handle and I'm thrilled that it's lime green!

from the Spring/Summer 1941 Sears Catalog

Tweed Ride Inspiration #1

2012-01-29T09:35:00.000-05:00

My lovely friend, Heather, and I met yesterday to discuss tweed fashion (Raleigh Vintage is helping with the first - and hopefully annual - Triangle Tweed Ride) and decided to make a few "modern" inspiration boards for the occasion. This was my first Polyvore venture and I do believe it might just be addictive! Now I just need to do this with my vintage goodies.

Sneak Preview: 1930s 1940s Shoes

2012-01-28T10:21:00.000-05:00

Probably like most of you, I have a serious "issue" (addiction, lust - call it whatever you want) with shoes...mine just seems to focus on beauties from the 1930s/1940s - oh the lines, the detailing, the superb construction (most are still very wearable - and danceable - even though they're 70+ years old!). And, like a proud parent, I wanted to show off a couple of pairs that are new to my ever growing shoe family.

An amazing pair of 1930s Art Deco pumps. The upturned/squared toe on these almost makes me cry with joy. I have such a "shoe crush" on these that I carried them around with everywhere I went for a couple of days after I got them (yes, I know...strange).

A striking pair of late 1930s/early 1940s fire engine red peep toes. While a fairly common style, the color and the beaded detailing make these special.

I haven't yet decided if these lovelies will go into the shop or into the vault of 1920s-1940s goodies collected for our booth at this year's Eastern Balboa Championships event.

The Flapper Era House Dress - a rare bird indeed

2012-01-26T20:50:00.000-05:00

I was so excited when this late 1920s/early 1930s beauty unexpectedly came into our collection. These house dresses (or, more technically, Hoover Aprons) are extremely rare - most were worn into rags. Many, such as this one, came with a stamped design ready to be embroidered.

If you look closely, you can see the faint blue line of the embroidery guide.

The last two images are from the Fall & Winter 1920/1930 M.W. Savage Company

Bakelite Baubles

2012-01-23T21:00:00.000-05:00

The more I learn about bakelite, the more it seems it seems to come into our collection.

Here are a few of our recent finds...

Top: Brown brooch (coming soon)

Left: Butterscotch earrings (may go straight to my personal collection)

Right: Rose brooch (in the shop now)

Bottom: Amazing orange bakelite and nut bracelet (coming soon)

Left: Deeply carved dress clip (coming soon)

Right: Gorgeous "end of day" hoops (coming soon)

Bottom: huge pendant (any suggestions on how to best utilize this?)

For some great information and a generally good read, check out Temperamental Broad

Vogue 1938: Fall Color Palette

2012-01-20T11:36:00.000-05:00

Such gorgeous jewel tones! I love the mustard/grey and mustard/teal combo and - oh my - the plums...all my current favorite colors and all so very "now".

1. For your dress, bold pink stripes on Crestwood's black jersey of DuPont Rayon; Altman. For your coat, a beautiful black Botany wool with a gentle nub and subtle stripe. 2. The new colour "teal" for your coat in a Hockanum wool with a flat nub; cCutcheon. Combine it with a dress of mustard DuPont Rayon jersey; Altman. 3. Deep wine and pale blue - an enchanting colour team. The wins is Forstmann's virgin wool coating, "Neelepoint"; Altman; Marshall Field. The blue is a Celanese dress crepe.

4. Elephant-grey and mustard - another new colour twosome. The grey is Forstmann's virgin wool crepe; Lord and Taylor. The mustard is Botany wool in suit or coat weight. 5. Autumn will see lavender and purple tones. Juillaiard made the lavender wool crepe. The purple is a Celanese twill. 6. Deeply crinkled crepes return. The black is an American Enka fabric. Arnold's blue silk twill; Lord and Taylor.

1. Here's an effective trio of colours for an autumn scheme. For your top-coat, Stroock's blue-and-white wool; Altman. Under it wine Hockanum wool (Lord and Taylor), combined with a blue mossy crepe of Crown-Tested Rayon. 2. Another attractive colour threesome. A Fieldcrest plaid of the MacLeod clan for the jacket; Bloomingdale. Its colours repeated in the blouse of red DuPont Rayon jersey (Altman), with a skirt in green Hockannum wool; John Wanamaker.

3. Olive, beige, and plum - a distinguished trio not many will think of. Forstmann's green virgin wool coating; McCutcheon; J.W. Robinson. Stroock's chiffon-sheer wool in beige; Altman. Duplan's Crown-Tested Rayon in plum. 4. For your coat, Forstmann's superb brown virgin wool. Make the dress of the beige Crown-Tested Rayon woven with large dots (Lord and Taylor), with a gilet or blouse of rust-coloured Cohma rebbed fabric; from Macy's.

Vogue August 15, 1938

Fashions for College - Furs - Fabrics

2012-01-19T18:37:00.000-05:00

In the bag...

One of our vintage fairies (you know, those wonderful people who are always bringing you vintage goodies simply because they know you'll appreciate it) dropped of a "bag of sewing scraps". Much to my delight, it was filled with gorgeous lace collars from the 1910s/20s, vintage hankies, and yards of amazing lace trim. I've always had a passion for lace, so I can't wait to get these beauties cleaned up and ready for wear.

If you have vintage clothing to sell...

2010-08-01T23:42:00.002-04:00

Contact us if you have vintage clothing, jewelry, or accessories to sell!

We'll gladly come to you and help you create a little space in your closet.

We're always looking for 1960s and older, good condition clothing and accessories.

Vintage, Italian Style

2010-04-04T18:24:00.021-04:00

On a recent business trip to Milan, I took a little time to check out a couple of vintage stores (most were closed since my free day was Sunday) and a great monthly
market (Il Naviglio Grande).

SUPERFLY VINTAGE

I did ask where to find the vintage Pucci, Gucci, etc. and was told that it is all long gone. Too bad! But I did bring home a lovely vintage 1960s dress and a pair of shoes for Andi.

Isaac

Sea of 60s MOD

2010-03-07T15:34:00.002-05:00

ATTENTION LOVERS of 60s MOD!
A sampling of the cache of late 1960s MOD shoes that we'll be listing over the next few weeks. All are unused and still in the box!

The Creative Bubble

2010-03-01T21:08:00.003-05:00

I love my job and I love where I live (Raleigh...or Raleighwood to those of us who reside here). I'm in a creative bubble within a creative bubble! At work, I'm surrounded not only by gorgeous vintage clothing and jewelry, but also by the most amazing handcrafted jewelry and clothing from artists and designers from right in my backyard. One of my favs:

Good Girls Studio. I first met Johanna last year while working a local fashion show. It was love at first sight...with her jewelry! You know that feeling when you see something and you instantly crave it? Well, that was me with her jewelry. I HAD to have it in Get Dressed (the vintage store that is my day job) and, after several months, she finally agreed. I now get to play dress-up everyday with her goodies, the few I can resist taking home with me that is.

Some of my favorite pieces from her Etsy shop (gotta thang for the big ones, what can I say?):

Also, congrats to Johanna for being featured in Etsy's storque a few months ago!

Dress Up

2010-02-21T08:07:00.016-05:00

We all want to play dress up! Just the other day our friends Maria and Tori stopped by Get Dressed (the vintage store where I - Andi - work) and wanted to have fun with some of the clothes while Isaac tried his hand at being a photographer. They looked fabulous!

1950s/60s Shirt Waist Dress, Raleigh Vintage
Hat, Raleigh Vintage
Purse, Get Dressed
Shoes, Maria's personal stash

1950s/60s Gold Damask Party Dress, Raleigh Vintage
1940s Hat, Raleigh Vintage
1960s Lillie Ann Dress Coat, Get Dressed

1960s Red Party Dress, Get Dressed
1940s Red Hat, Raleigh Vintage
Gloves and Shoes, Raleigh Vintage

1940s Lingerie, Get Dressed
1960s MOD Hat, Raleigh Vintage
1960s Tweed Dress Coat, Get Dressed
Vintage Lizard-skin Bag, Get Dressed

1960s MOD Mini Dress, Raleigh Vintage
1980s Belt, Get Dressed
1960s Purse, Get Dressed

1960s MOD Mini Dress, Raleigh Vintage
1960s Go-Go Boots, Get Dressed

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

2010-01-14T22:39:00.008-05:00

I don't think I've actually drooled on my computer before, but this site brought me to it.

The Frock

These are some of the most amazing dresses I've even seen.

Now I just have to figure out how to sell $3,500 worth of vintage on etsy so I can have this one for my very own.

More, more, more...

WHAT'S IN THE 1955 SPIEGEL CATALOG?

2010-01-13T22:51:00.010-05:00

We were just doing a bit of research for some of new 1950s and 60s clothing we'll be posting on etsy soon and ran across a great resource from Wishbook on flickr: the 1955 Spiegel Christmas Catalog. We found tons of gorgeous mid-century vintage clothes (want them all!), but found some interesting surprises including a lamp that's in our living room (lamp 3).

So, just what could one order from the 1955 Spiegel catalog along with lovely frocks?
Riffles
Pistols
Shotguns
Billy Graham's "Peace with God" book
Betty Crocker's Cookbook
...and what Christmas would be complete without exotic animals under the tree?
that's right...
along with ponies and burros, you could order monkeys and parrots!

Who knew!

THE HUGE CLOSET

2010-01-11T07:30:00.012-05:00

What does one do while photographing and processing clothes for etsy? Well, for us, this weekend it was having The Mary Tyler Moore Show continually running in the background. I grew up watching reruns of the show, but Isaac had never really watched it...he's hooked now.

Oh those early 1970s fashions! And The Mary Tyler Moore Show is a wonderful glimpse into what 30-somethings in the Mid West might have been wearing - not too trendy, not too upscale, but not your grandmother's clothes either. We found ourselves frequently point at the computer (watching on Hulu) and saying "Hey, we have something almost exactly like that" or "OMG, I WANT that!". And Mary's closet...that HUGE closet that we always see, never get to go into. What treasures lay behind that door?

Evan-Picone! The treasures are an entire wardrobe of early 1970s Evan-Picone clothes. If you watch a lot of episodes back-to-back, you'll begin to notice that what Mary's wardrobe is essentially mix-and-match separates that she wears multiple times throughout a season. Being one of the largest manufacturers of woman's sportsware and separates at that time, Evan-Picone made sense for the character of Mary Tyler Moore. Most "real" Midwestern career girls were probably also wearing the label.

Need more? A great article about outfitting the entire cast of TMTMS.

http://jyanet.com/mtm/010321.shtml

THE MINI

2010-01-06T21:29:00.009-05:00

Just a glimpse of the goodies we've been listing on etsy lately shows I've recently become almost obsessed with late 1960s MOD fashion. And what is more iconic of the MOD period than the mini skirt? So, I decided to investigate the origins of this radical fashion phenomenon.

It all started with one woman: Mary Quant. OK, it didn't actually "start" with her, but she is usually credited with making the mini skirt a rising and raging fashion style. Beginning in 1955, Mary Quant owned a boutique called Bazaar in Chelsea, on King's Road, London. Not happy with the fashions people were bringing her to sell, she create her own looks, the most popular of which was the miniskirt. The sleek lines and shortened hems became known as the "Chelsea look".

Interestingly, this British MOD designer and boutique owner was enrolled by J.C Penney to create a line of modern clothing for their stores and catalogs. This brought MOD fashion to the masses and fashion has never looked back...or I should say it hasn't stopped looking back.

Mary Quant and her models

Just what is the proper length of a mini skirt?
In the US it was normally 4-5 inches above the knee.
In the UK, it was a shocking 7-8 inches or shorter.

See it all in action:

Video thanks to Eukryptos: Footage of Mary Quant's studio.
Music: Jacques Dutronc - Mini Mini Mini

And so it begins

2010-01-06T09:08:00.004-05:00

So...how did it come to this? A blog, an etsy store?

Although Isaac and I both have day jobs (he's a green engineer and I work at a vintage consignment store and am a graduate student), we just can't seem to help ourselves from spending all our free time in the world of vintage. It's true, we're addicted! This addiction, fortunately or unfortunately, has left us with a house overflowing with some amazing vintage finds for which we decided to find loving homes...and the Raleigh Vintage Etsy store was born. I guess through both our predilection for research, we also found ourselves with more information about individual pieces and periods than we could fit into a simple etsy listing...and here we are...the Raleigh Vintage blog. The main purpose of this blog will be to share, in one spot, all of the great information and resources we've had to look long and hard for. And, as is the nature of blogging, there might be a few digressions into a few of our other favorite things.

All comments, suggestions, additional information, and questions are HIGHLY encouraged!

We're looking forward to sharing our love of vintage with you!

Cheers
Andi and Isaac
Raleigh Vintage