After seeing so many amazing on-line vintage shops based in Portland, I was so excited to actually hit the streets and see what the city had to offer "in person". And, I wasn't disappointed!
(Please forgive the photo-quality. We opted to leave the huge camera at home and used the iphone instead.)
Our first stop was
Decades Vintage since it was just around the corner from our hotel. The shop was small but packed with mostly pre-1970s vintage for men and women...and it was SO organized. The young man working behind the counter was really helpful without being pushy or getting annoyed that I kept asking to see things, but ultimately didn't find that perfect piece to take home. So many things to drool over...
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| The first thing that caught my eye was this 1930s red velvet tilt hat. |
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| Vintage jewelry at Decades Vintage...love! |
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| Lots of beautiful bakelite! |
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The shoes were well curated and in amazing condition!
There was a pair of 1940s purple platforms that would have gone home with me if they'd only been a 1/4" wider. Sigh. |
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| See...so organized. Everything was clearly marked with a date and size. |
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Isaac was really impressed with the men's suit collection.
A 1940s blue-gray chalk-stripe suit caught his eye (maybe for Christmas Isaac!). |
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| This 1920s cloche hat and Art Deco peach mesh compact purse were amazing! |
The next stop was one of my favorite stops...
LuLu's Vintage. I've been following LuLu's (aka Anne)
blog Shop Vintage Portland and her shop blog for a while, so I was really excited to meet Ann and check out her shop. Lulu's is such an inviting shop with lots of eye-candy! And Anne was so sweet and helpful with pointing out some fun things for us to do and see while in Portland. If you're in Portland, you MUST stop by. Lulu's is located just down from Powell's, so it is really easy to find.
Our first vintage purchase of the trip was made here. Isaac found a fab plaid newsboy cap.
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| Window shopping at Lulu's Vintage |
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| I LOVE the vintage hankies Anne framed to make lovely wall art. Inspiration for my own studio! |
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Anne and I chatting about the differences between the East coast and West coast vintage cultures.
(There were a lot; we'll talk about these more in a later post.) |
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| Gorgeous pink dresses at Lulu's. |
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I loved that Anne also stocked some locally-made pretties along with vintage and hand-made postcards.
Isaac and I both picked up some lovely locally-made postcards for parents and friends back home. |
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| Beautiful gold mesh purses. |
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| The sweet and lovely Anne of Lulu's vintage. Give her a hug from me if you stop by! |
If you're heading to Portland, definitely check out Shop Vintage Portland for maps and suggestions about places to shop, eat, sleep, etc.
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
