Winter? What Winter?!

I think I'm in complete denial now. In order to make it through another 2 months (8 weeks, 60 days, 1440 hours, 86 400 minutes...you get the idea) of winter, I must imagine Spring is here...NOW.

Here is some inspiration found on ebay.

Aqua Vintage Dress with White Piping

ISAAC MIZRAHI Animal Print Leather Slingbacks

Vintage 70s Hand Embroidered Floral Purse

1960s PUCCI Floral Palazzo Tunic Set

Psychedelic Paisley 60's Dress

Guest Pick: Gorgeous Vintage From Every Decade

Queens of Vintage Part 2

1960s - Averarado Bessi Silk Jersey Dress

Averarado Bessi was a former designer for Emilio Pucci, hence the familiar pattern on this dress. The later 60s also had the influence of the hippie style and this couture dress incorporates boho flavors while keeping the dress very elegant. Probably worn by a well-heeled lady, I was immediately taken with the soft, buttery fabric and silk lining. This must feel incredible on the skin!

1970s - Bohemian Crystal Pendant Necklace

This necklace is made from Bohemian crystals and it was the size of the pendant that struck me. 7 cm in diameter, this large style pendant was becoming very popular in the 70s. Simple but striking, the shades of the crystals are very typical of the 70s. I can see this on a fabulous gown.

1980s - Retro Charles Glueck Of New York Sequined Top

The early 80s was defined by shiny workout wear and gym enthusiasts. I love this top as it seems to bring in the 80s covered in sequins, but maintains the simpler lines that are required for ease of movement. This top has yet to be disturbed by the latter part of the 80s and the big power suits with door crashing shoulder pads.

Guest Pick: Gorgeous Vintage From Every Decade

Lena over at Queens of Vintage.com asked for my favorite picks and wrote a little blurb for me. Here is Part 1.

Veronica Cizmar, owner of the amazing online vintage shop ‘Some Like it Vintage’, has exclusively picked out one item for each decade from the 1930s to the 1980s. Queens of Vintage loves her choices from tailored coat tails à la Marlene Dietrich to sparkling sequins - oh, and it all just happens to be in fashion right now!

1930s - Vintage Black Wool Coat Tails, C. 1938

I have a huge affinity for men’s tailored clothing, particularly suits. This tuxedo top coat is from 1938 and is so well made it would be considered couture today. But in the 30s, even your neighborhood tailor was extremely skilled. The label in the coat reads: Dec 29/1938 for Jim Nightingale by Warren Cook Clothing Company. I love when something comes with such exact provenance! The cut of the waist would easily compliment a woman’s figure and wouldn’t she look fantastic?


1940s - Satin Bedjacket

Ladies certainly knew how to relax and lounge in the 40s. Despite the war years, a lady was still well-dressed even when just preparing for bed-time. I can easily see wearing this in bed while reading a classic novel such as Anna Karenina.

1950s - Joy Frock, Velvet Flocked Chiffon Swing Dress

The 50s had two distinct dress styles: the New Look introduced by Dior with full skirts and crinolines, and the curve hugging wiggle dresses favored by Marilyn Monroe. This chiffon dress is inspired by the New Look. I love the refreshing and feminine change from the dark, lean looks of the war years. The exact thing a woman needed after the war effort; which is why this look was so popular.

Vintage 1 Mass Production 0

Apparently consumer complaints are on the rise. According to London's Consumer Complaints Department, there are alot of angry women out there. Now in the top ten list of complaints behind cell-phone contracts and used cars, badly made women's fashions are proving that a vintage garment is far superior to mass produced items.

Clothing manufacturers are faced with alot of competition these days. In an effort to streamline costs and make more money, they outsource their garments from other countries and inevitably cut corners. It's difficult to keep track of a dress being made in say, China, when you are in Canada. A defective product is now common and consumers are getting tired of it.


On the basis of a survey of 3,500 women, Global Cool, a climate change charity in Britain, estimated that in 2008 British women spent more than half of their fashion budget on clothes, shoes and accessories that were never worn – a.k.a. landfill.

That's something to think about.

D'Avila 1970s Blouse

Jaeger who?

So when was the last time someone mentioned Jaeger to you?.......that's what I thought. Me too. But Jaeger is poised to become the newest revived fashion line that somewhere in its 125 year history, lost its way.

Burberry did it. The once dull and dowdy fashion line became chic. Jaeger used to be the old ladie's brand in the 50s and 60s. It was the British county set and 'good quality'. It really was good quality, it was just dull.

Until the 1970s, the Jaeger label was less expensive than Paris couture, but sought after for its sophistication and style. They were 'adult' clothes; well tailored, practical and reflecting the fashions of the day but not over-the-top.

Jaeger 125 is a new book detailing the company's history. In 1880, the German hypochondriac Dr Gustav Jaeger published a book promoting perfect health by wearing wool next to the skin. This gave birth to a craze for wool-jersey long johns and thus the British firm called Dr Jaeger’s Sanitary Woollen System Co Ltd began. Their supply of long johns to war troops was a mainstay, but in the 1920s they tried fashion emphasizing wools: cashmere, angora, alpaca, camel hair. That camel-hair coat you have (or always wanted) was a Jaeger invention.

The 1930s saw its first store opening on Regent Street specifically tailored to the middle class who could not afford to travel to Paris for their couture. Jaeger was the next best thing to a Savile Row suit. When Jean Muir joined the company in 1956 the label started to attract a younger clientele. However, somewhere along the way those loyal customers did not stay with the Jaeger brand and they found themselves with a warehouse of double knits.

However, today within the throes of a real recession, the Jaeger label is again showing its smart and intellectual style. For the consumer who wants to spend wisely and not have a throwaway wardrobe, Jaeger can easily become the new Burberry. Their latest catwalk show garnered rave reviews.

Our vintage 1960s Jaeger skirt.

Items now available at jaeger.co.uk

My Dad's Better Than Your Dad....

Just kidding, but I think all dad's were cool in the 60s. The lounge jackets available at the time were colorful, unique and made of new fabrics or fabrics that would never have been thought for clothing. ie: upholstery like fabric or drapery like fabric

Remember the old 'car seat cover' joke? Well, you would have to be my age to remember it, but it goes something like this:

"There's a car out there somewhere without it's car seat covers, oh no, it's your jacket."

Sometimes the look was a little over-the-top, but you cannot beat the refreshing change from a grey, black or navy blue dinner jacket.

Mom & Dad, c. 1960s

Vintage Blue Paisley Lounge Jacket, c. 1960s

Afred Shaheen - Aloha to an Innovator

Alfred Shaheen passed away just before Christmas. A textile manufacturer based in Honolulu, he raised the bar on the sometimes tacky tropical Hawaiian print. Elvis Presley wore a Shaheen-designed red aloha shirt on the album cover for "Blue Hawaii".

Linda Arthur, a professor of textiles and clothing at Washington State University who has written extensively about the Hawaiian fashion industry, said that "before Shaheen came along, there was no Hawaii garment industry."

Shaheen was born into the textile business in New Jersey. His family moved to Hawaii in 1938 where his parents operated a custom dress shop. In 1948 he opened Shaheen's of Honolulu with four seamstresses. Using equipment he built himself, Shaheen started a silk-screen printing plant 1952 where he hired local artists to design patterns inspired by Polynesian and Asian cultures.

Shaheen did not like bright or garish colors. Most of the patterns feature only three to five colors. "Artists in the Shaheen studio had more than 1,000 dye colors to choose from, including innovative metallic shades, and they consulted rare books, libraries and museum collections. Sometimes Shaheen sent the designers on field trips to Tahiti and other exotic locales to soak up the culture for future work. By 1959, according to company history, Shaheen employed 400 workers and grossed more than $4 million annually, dominating the local industry. The Hawaii garment industry overall had grown to roughly $15 million in sales from less than $1 million in 1947, according to the Honolulu Advertiser."

Shaheen retired in 1988 and shut down the factory. Vintage Shaheen shirts can sell for $1,000 or more and as Linda Arthur explained, a Shaheen garment "is like a piece of moving art."

Vintage Leather

If you have decided to begin shopping around for leather coats and leather jackets you may have found yourself suffering from sticker shock. Indeed, in many instances, the price tags that can be found on leather coats and leather jackets can be rather high, particularly when compared with other clothing and apparel items. If you do want to find some leather coats and leather jackets that are not going to cost you an arm and a leg, you might want to consider making the purchase of pre-owned leather coats and leather jackets.

You need to keep in mind that when it comes to leather coats and leather jackets, these types of coats and jackets never really go out of style. Of course, there have been some more passing designs when it comes to leather coats and leather jackets, for the most part leather coats and leather jackets are styled in such a manner that they always remain in vogue. Therefore, in your search for reasonably priced, pre-owned leather coats and leather jackets, you will want to take the time to search for shops and Internet venues that specialize in selling vintage apparel, including vintage leather coats and leather jackets. Truly, by shopping for vintage leather coats and leather jackets, you very well will end up with something so wonderful that you will turn heads whenever you go out and about in your "new" vintage coat or jacket.

As with so many other different products and services in this day and age, you will want to use the Internet and World Wide Web as a resource for pre-owned and even vintage leather coats and leather jackets. You will find that there are some websites that actually trade specifically in selling pre-owned or vintage leather coats and leather jackets. Of course, you will want to make certain that you deal only with a well established, experienced, reputable and reliable website merchants that trades in this type of apparel.

In addition to specialty sites on the Net, auction sites can also be useful when you are looking for pre-owned leather coats and leather jackets (or vintage leather coats and leather jackets). Check out these auction sites from time to time to see what is available when it comes to pre-owned and vintage leather coats and leather jackets. You are very likely to be able to find exactly what you are looking for in regard to these types of coats and jackets.

Author Sam Laziz : http://www.steelhorseleather.com/

Suede Coat with Fur Collar, c. 1970s Vintage Grey Suede & Leather Car Coat, c. 1970s

Vintage Brown Leather Car Coat, c. 1970s