~ Raleigh Vintage ~: vintage accessories

Showing posts with label vintage accessories. Show all posts

Adieu 2012

As we prepare to say good bye to 2012, I thought it might be fun (for me at least) to take a quick look at some of the highlights...

We're so thankful for all of the milestones and successes we've had this year!

Best of all were all of the many new friends and customers we met!

We hit over 2000 sales on Etsy and over 2600 Facebook fans.

We made the Top 10 list for Lulu's Vintage 2012 People's Choice Award for best online vintage store and Racked's Vintage 38 list of top online vintage sites.

Many of our items made their way into the wardrobe departments of movie and tv studios.

CBS's Vegas

Bomb Girls

Grace of Monaco (starring Nicole Kidman)

Showtime's Masters of Sex

among others.

And, we were honored to have Taylor Swift appear on Fifi & Jules in one of our dresses.

Photo courtesy of http://fearlessandfashionable.tumblr.com/

I also wanted to share with you some of my favorite pieces that found new homes in 2012, but it was so so hard to pick just a few. So, here is a not-so-short sampling of a few of favorites.

Dresses, dresses, and more dresses (we went a bit dress crazy in 2012)...

1930s rayon knit dress

1930s chiffon dress with bakelite buckle

Early 1940s plaid suit

1950s floral sundress

1950s red holiday party dress

1950s floral cotton dress

1950s black and white graphic sundress

1950s crepe and pink peek-a-boo party dress

1950s bombshell wiggle dress

1950s floral halter sundress and jacket

1950s navy party dress

And the coats and jackets of 2012...

1960s MOD winter coat

1930s blue wool and sheared beaver coat

1940s wasp waist jacket

Early 1950s princess coat

1940s Asian style jacket

And the purses...

1960s HUGE John Romain basket purse

1930s Meeker tooled leather clutch

1930s crocheted bag with lucite handles

1960s Aigner oxblood leather purse

And the shoes...

1940s green pumps

1940s swing dance shoes

1940s peep toe oxfords with embroidered spiders

We had such a great year in 2012 thanks to all of you! Isaac and I are really looking forward to 2013 and sharing more memories, milestones, and vintage with all of you.

A while back, Isaac was lucky enough to find an old box FILLED with men's neckties. We finally started going through them and getting them ready for the shop. We were pleasantly surprised to find that they all appear to be deadstock ties dating to the mid- to late-1930s.

Here is your sneak peek...Don't worry, we'll have them in the shop in time for holiday shopping!

We're not exactly sure what "the story" is with the box of ties.
There are many different labels, but there is one customer's name on the box.
Perhaps the department store was preparing for them to be either shipped or picked-up by this loyal customer?
Or was the box being re-used for ties that didn't sell?

Here is a sampling of less than half the box.

So many different colors and patterns.

Some of the labels are really interesting.

This label for Cheney Cravats is definitely my favorite label. How often do you see a camel on a vintage label?

My three favorite ties from those we've already sorted.
Left: late 1930s silk "bubble" tie in greens, teals, and blues.
Middle: late 1930s silk tie with striped umbrellas and...well...I'm just not sure what the other image is.
Right: late 1930s silk tie with turtles on lily pads.

Let it Rain! 1940s Umbrellas

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.