A Peacock by any other name.

Chanel is said to have called it the “sincerest form of flattery”. Imitation that is and the world of fashion has been rife with it since…ummm…probably forever. Vintage is no exception, From every era, for every authentic designer piece out there, there are thousands of inspired look alikes.

Vintage costume jewelry is no different. In the 1930s Marcel Boucher became a cutting edge costume jewelry designer and the Boucher look was copied over and again for decades. In later years when Boucher pieces became highly prized as vintage collectibles they were again copied. Most of the time the quality of a knock off is inferior to the real thing even if they are cast from an original piece but sometimes the copy is beautifully executed making it hard to tell. Since the price difference can be astronomical it’s important to be careful before you buy.

Below are two brooches that look very much alike. The one on the left I picked up years ago at a flea market. It is a 1980s copy of the famous Marcel Boucher peacock (on the right). The original was designed in the early 60s and examples in good condition are prized by collectors. At first I thought mine might have been created later from an original mold since the company was sold in the 1970s but there are subtle differences in the design. Can you see them? Look closely they are easy to miss. Mine is not signed but the original is and the pin back is longer on the real Boucher. Both brooches are lovely but the value of mine is under $50 and the original is worth well over $200 and that’s a BIG difference!

Photo of the original brooch, courtesy of Howard Wideman at the Jewelers-Guild

Can you spot the differences? Click on photo to enlarge

Borrowed Splendor - Eastern influence on Western dress

1. 1960s Metallic brocade turban 2. 1960s Paisley mens tie 3. Mid-century paisley makeup purse 4. 1970s India print wrap skirt 5. early 1960s Chinese silk brocade ensemble 6. 1986 Hermes scarf (all items from TangerineBoutique.com)

If you look up the word exotic in the Merriam-Webster dictionary it reads…“not native to the place where found” and “strikingly, excitedly, mysteriously different or unusual” When we describe western fashion with “exotic” elements we use words like bohemian, hippie even ethnic. I find these words to be inadequate considering the rich histories behind the original textiles, especially those from the Eastern regions of the globe. The textile trade in the East is an ancient one. It would require volumes to do these histories justice and this is just a blog but consider this…those iconic block printed cottons from India that we westerners love so much, well their ancestral counterparts were found in Egyptian tombs dating back nearly two millennia.


For centuries the west has been importing textiles from the many near to far east countries and for centuries we have been borrowing style and design sensibilities from the same. Hundreds of regions and cultures each with their own ancient textile histories….India/Pakistan, China, both the Near and Far Middle East, Japan, Indonesia and Southeast Asia, that’s a lot of inspiration to choose from! Luxurious materials like silks, velvets and brocades, some woven with real silver or gold thread. Fabrics with complex hand prints and fine embroideries… sheer linens, fine cottons…. Intricate prints and patterns that mesmerize and those that calm the mind with their balance and simplicity….. The list is endless and I daresay that most of modern western fashion has some eastern influence.

Nearly every twentieth century western designer has looked to the east at some point. From Poiret to Valentino…on the street or amongst the black ties. “Exotic” fashion trends have and will continue to come and go with regularity. In 1940s Hattie Carnegie did a stunning line based on beautiful prints and draped sillhouettes from Malaysia. The mid 60s saw an explosion of eastern influence on fashion. A Donald Brooks velvet ensemble with Salwar trousers was featured in Nov. 1965 Vouge along with a Galanos floor length metalic chiffon kaftan coat and dress set. If you flip through vintage magazines you can find countless examples of East meets West fashion and the love affair continues to this day....
Kimono styles were all the rage in the 1920s

Those Dirty Keds!

I spend a lot of time perusing vintage magazines, for work as well as fun. I find them to be one of the best tools for researching vintage fashion but I also get a huge kick out seeing what was going on in Pop culture at the time. This morning I came across an ad that just tickled me pink , even better it was a true flash from my own past.

Let me start with a little story…

As a girl, in the mid 60s, the beginning of May marked the time for new sneakers. The weather was turning warm and it was time to retire the brown lace up oxfords that had served me well over the school year. Mom would take my sister and me to the shoe store where we would wait our turn in smooth vinyl seats with chrome handles, our stocking feet dangling above the floor. The salesman would soon come over and measure our feet on his trusty “Brannock” being careful to measure twice, once sitting and once standing.


Size determined... off to the back room he went, emerging soon after with two pristine shoe boxes, the word Keds printed in bold letters across each. Then the salesman would loosen up the laces and slip our feet into the brightest, snow white sneakers you ever saw. Deftly, he would tie them up and we were asked to stand... toes were checked to make sure they didn’t touch the end and we were told to walk up and back the aisle. When both Mom and salesman were satisfied that our new sneakers fit properly, back into the boxes they went and the sale was rung up.

The job of buying the sneakers was over but making them presentable was another thing …you see, in the mid 1960s no self respecting girl would allow herself to be seen in a pair of clean-white-right-out-of-the-box sneakers. A humiliation like that could never be lived down. To look cool, sneakers had to be dingy and worn (don‘t ask, there are no answers for these things).


The minute we got home, on went the sneakers, and out the back door went I. Stairs were a nuisance so off the porch I would jump, landing in the bald patch of yard at the edge of our sidewalk. There was a method we kids had for making new sneakers look acceptable … first you had to scuff up the rubber sides which was done by dragging your foot at every possible angle in the dirt and grit. Next came the cloth uppers which got a thorough rub down with same said dirt… laces too.



The final results were never ideal but they would do. You see the perfect look did not happen for a few weeks, after the wear and tear of summer play had worked it’s magic. By July every sneaker in the neighborhood had taken on a lovely gray patina and frayed holes had begun to appear . By August they reached their prime.

I had forgotten about this little ritual until I saw the above Keds ad in and old Ladies Home Journal from May 1968. Click and enlarge the picture at the top of this blog. You need to read the text, it’s the best part. Like they said “A clean pair of white Keds? Ridiculous!”





....'till next time take care and Peace to all.


Melody

A Slipper for Every Gal

Slippers for Sale! Mongomery Ward Catalog Fall 1956

...They were given names like Nymph, Tulip and Tea for Two. They were made from lovely materials... peau de soie, quilted brocades, wool felt and kidskin leather. Some had decorative details like beadwork,tassels, ruffles and even feathers. Others were simple, in a cozy comforting way. In an era where the flip flop reigns, it's hard for us to imagine a time when the indoor footwear market offered as many style choices as regular shoes.


House shoes or slippers have been around for a long time. I pulled
this quote from the website Graceful Step


..."the earliest record of the word slipper was recorded in English in 1478, deriving from the verb to slip, describing a type of footwear one slips into. The traditional British slipper of the Victorian era is the Albert slipper, named after Price Albert, of course, and is a velvet slipper with plain leather sole and quilted silk lining. It was worn about the house, particularly with black tie at the time but in modern or fashionable use is worn sometimes outside in informal settings." and...slippers had been part of Far and Near Eastern cultures for far longer than that.


For a good part of the 20th century the slipper business was a thriving industry. One of the most long lived companies (still going today) is Daniel Green. On the history page of their website they talk about how in the early 1800s a young shoe sales man, Daniel Green, was impressed by the felt shoes worn by factory workers to keep their feet warm. When he learned they were made from bits of piano felt he contracted with the felt manufacturer to produce a line of slippers for him. He had such faith in his new venture that he asked the owner to promise him "sole agency" to the product. In 1882 Daniel and his brother William sold 600 pair of these felt slippers and by 1884 they had sold 24,000 pair! New styles were added and popularity grew. Daniel Green died in 1891 but his company went on to design some of the most beautifully styled slippers you have ever seen. Beautiful enough to be worn as dress shoes.

Vintage Magazine ads for slippers

Daniel Green is probably the most recognizable name in vintage slippers but there were countless other manufacturers over the decades. In my Montgomery Ward catalog from Fall 1956 there is an entire page devoted to dozens of different slipper styles (pictured at top of blog). My MOST favorite vintage slippers is a 1953 pair of Oomphies called Turkish Toes shown in the collage below. At the time of this writing they are being offered for sale on my website.


Vintage slippers that are or have been on my website

Vintage house slippers are practical and fun. Often times they are so well made you can easily wear them in lieu of regular shoes. There is a style for every taste from sexy peep toe mules to toasty fleece lined moccasins. Check out your favorite vintage websites or shops and see what they have. You may need to be wait a while for the right ones to come along but it will be worth it, I guarantee!

'Til next time, Peace to you all

Melody

Measurements and Body Proportion

Shopping for vintage on the web can be daunting, especially when it comes to determining size. You need to know both your own measurements and how to compare them to the ones pertaining to the garment of interest. Online dealers usually give a number of measurements, the most common being Bust - Waist - Hip. Some are more thorough and will include sleeve and hem lengths as well as shoulder width but there is one fitting issue that very few dealers think to address and that is proportion.

Proportions vary from person to person and they also change as we age even if our measurements stay the same. Some of the common proportion issues that vintage shoppers run into are longer or shorter waists, lower or higher bust lines, longer or shorter limbs and the rise or crotch line for pants. Age changes our proportions. Girls in their teens and early twenties often have higher, smaller bust lines, smaller rib cages and more narrow waists. As we age our necks and upper arms can become thicker and some people actually loose height in their torsos, shortening their waist length. Manufacturers have been creating clothing with age specific proportions for decades so it helps to know if a vintage garment was cut for a Junior or a Misses market.
To make things even more complicated, each era had it's own proportion aesthetics. Pants from the 1950s and 60s have a really long rise which puts the waist up much higher than we are used to in modern clothing. Dresses from the same era have high bust lines as opposed to the 1930s when the bust point was quite low. The 1970s tended towards narrow shoulders and we all know about the exaggerated 80s shoulder line. I cover a lot of this in my book The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping but to start you off here are a few tips to help you with two of the most common proportion issues.

1950s Junior proportion dress with small, high bust and shorter waist

The most common issue I have noticed is waist placement on dresses with a defined waistline, especially from the 1950s and 60s. Even if all of your basic measurements match that of the dress it's important that the waist sit properly and not ride too high or low. The best thing to do if you are concerned is to e-mail the dealer and ask if she might give you the back length from neck to waist (pictured below). This measurement is taken from the base of the neck (around c5) to just a smidge below the SMALLEST part of the waist. This number should not be any shorter than yours. If it is the waist will ride up. If the number is longer, by more than a little, the dress will bunch up, although you can sometimes cover this with a belt.

Example of a high neckline

The second issue I often see is too tight armholes, sleeves and necklines. If you feel this may be a problem, again, ask the dealer for measurements. If the upper arm sleeve measurement is roomy enough (allow for at least 1" ease, 2" is better) then the armhole should fit. For sleeveless garments you will need the number for the opening of the armhole to compare to your own measurement (from the top of the shoulder, down the front of the shoulder, under the arm pit, and up the back of the shoulder). If a neckline is high and you worry it might be too small (cheongsams are notorious for this) measure your neck at the base and ask for the neck opening number to compare. Again, allow for ease.


How to measure diagram


Make a note of sleeve and hem lengths, sometimes customers overlook this. If the item does not include these numbers then ask.

Always feel free to ask as many questions as you need to help determine fit. Vintage merchants are eager to help, our ultimate goal is to make online vintage shopping as easy and successful as possible :)

Until next time, best to you all

Melody

Wide Wild n' Wonderful! 1940s Vintage Ties

It's the holidays season and we all know what THAT means. Time to find the perfect gifts for our family and friends even if we have no idea what that might be.

Guys can be the hardest to buy for. Unless you can afford a Porsche or Ferrari they aren't usually very impressed. Don't get me wrong they are grateful for the shirts, sweaters, socks and boxers.... but impressed? Not so much.

I was leafing through a Dec. issue 1948 Esquire Magazine the other day, checking out their gift ideas and this fabulous necktie ad caught my eye.



Esquire Magazine December 1948

It got me to thinking about how wild and wonderful ties were from that era and how out of character that was for the "ideal-male image" of the day. Men were supposed to be serious and stoic and tough as nails. They wore stiff suits and dress shirts or rugged work clothes all week and plaid shirts on the weekend. Why then, were neckties being designed with surreal forest themes, giant polka dots n' paisleys and crazy abstracts? Why indeed.

The first half of the 1940s were a VERY somber time. WW11 overshadowed every aspect of life and most able bodied men had served in the armed services, many for the duration. At home, war time restrictions did not allow for frivolities, life was tempered. When the war ended people were filled with relief and looked forward to a more care free life. Women's fashion celebrated with an explosion of ultra feminine style with an emphasis on luxury. Men's fashion, (I'm talking mainstream mens fashion), remained fairly conservative. Sure lapels and pant widths changed and plaids may have gotten a bit brighter but not a lot else....EXCEPT of course, neck ties. Holy Cow did neck ties ever change. Artists were commissioned to design ever more creative motifs and ties got wider, I'm sure to accommodate the bold new prints. It was a chance for men to get a little silly without raising eyebrows.



Post War 1940s Neck Ties. Look for them soon in Men's accessories on my website

I love the ties from this era... so much so, I find ways to wear them myself from time to time. So now, when you can't think of the perfect gift for that special guy (or creative gal) perhaps you should consider a wide, wild n' wonderful 1940s neck tie!

Til next time, Happy Holidays and Best Wishes to all!

Melody

Those Crazy 80s!

Pile of pictures from 1980s Elle magazines

It's official (has been for a while)...80s fashions are now considered vintage. Love it or hate it, it's a fact and it's time to embrace the carnival. The 80s represented SO many different styles and a lot of it was over the top. Colors and patterns out did themselves, it was a cartoon world...Crayola and neon...animal prints... optical effects... bold graphics.

Classics turned surreal with exaggerated bows and nautical collars, miniature top hats and monstrous ruffles. Even the "back to the country" looks of Ralph Lauren and Laura Ashley were sometimes more costume than fashion (I mean that in a good way, I think...). There were spikes and corsets from the punk movement. Killer high heels accompanied school girl skirts and avant guard layers, swathed the arty crowd.

For evening...beads, embroidery and sequins galore, women wore mini cocktail dresses to black tie events and sometimes even modified menswear. Oh yeah.... androgynous was totally hip. The power suit with it's ever dramatic shoulder pads are now considered iconic...designers like Thierry Mugler and Claude Montana did tailored with a twist.

...and accessories, if you can believe it were even more wild and wonderful, especially costume jewelry. Earrings were huge and so were necklaces, plasic was often the material of choice. Wild patchwork handbags were the rage.

Patchwork PLEATHER handbag

The 80s had a viral love affair with vintage and designers looked to just about every era for inspiration from sweet Victorian to ultra Mod. With such strong interest in vintage, hats made a comeback which made me a very happy camper (that's when I did my millinery training).

80s fashions aren't everyones cup of tea but you must admit they are fun and certainly interesting and mind you it's not all ugly prom dresses and giant shoulders. Like any other era there are some real gems, keep an open mind and apply the "little goes a long way" rule you might be surprised :)

Til next time, best to all

Melody