Ewwwww...it's Vintage

I have a beef. Since the explosion of vintage clothing on the mainstream fashion scene, there are tons of sellers out there taking advantage of second hand clothing.

While I of course encourage the wearing of vintage and second hand clothing, I do not however encourage the selling of un-washed and un-pressed clothing at premium prices.

Have a look. This dress is offered on an online store (of which I won't name). Although very pretty and I love the color, it is incredibly wrinkled. Which makes me think, "is it washed?". And for a $112 price tag, it better be.

I take great care in handwashing, dry cleaning, pressing, hanging and folding of my precious vintage clothes. I just cannot imagine selling a dress in a wrinkled, un-pressed and unwashed state. Eeewwwwww.

Would you buy such a product? And then pay shipping on top of it? And then have to have it cleaned yourself? I should hope not.

Dear readers, while this photo is artistic, appealing to the senses and sharp - look closer. (And always read the fine print.) Nowhere in the listing does it say it is cleaned. It looks like it was just pulled out of the plastic shopping bag from the store it was bought from.

This pretty dress is $410, very wrinkled. Is this how the buyer will receive it?

$388. A beautiful gown.....but the buyer should definitely ask questions about how, when and if this is washed.

Don't be fooled by pretty pictures. That's just called marketing. As an old friend who is an ex-marketing guru once said, "it's just chicken - but it's how you arrange it on the plate that matters". Caveat emptor, and do your research.

Or buy one of these:

My New Favorite 50s Dress

My new favorite. A Creative Vintage item, this 50s dress has been repaired and updated so it can be loved all over again! Don't you love the pop of navy blue on the robin's egg blue? I'm a huge fan of layering in the same tones - two cool colors that just make me want to jump into a pool. (Please, not with your dress on!)

Now available $165.

Favorite Fridays!

Blue is my absolute favorite color - always has been, ever since a child. So today's Friday Favorite is a deep navy blue linen swing dress from the 1950s.With little peach floral appliqueés and embroidery, it is the lining that is my favorite part of the dress. The acetate lining is a deep cranberry color and actually plays an important role in the color of this dress. Creating a unique glow under the semi-sheerness of the blue linen fabric, this makes my heart warm! Now available for $86.50.

 

SILENT AUCTION - 1970s Blue Halter Dress and Jacket

I've found a great auction website that will host my little silent auctions all in the name of charity! In case some of you don't know, 10% of all my sales (website, ebay, etsy) are donated to local women's shelters here in Toronto. So 10% of the results of these auctions will also be donated to charity.

Using 32auctions.com, I will list the item up for bidding on this blog and provide everyone with the link and password needed to view the auction and/or participate. Participants can view the auction anonymously, or if they have a 32auctions account, they can join the auction. In order to bid you need an account, but it's FREE! I will still accept private bids if left as comments here on the blog or sent to bids@somelikeitvintage.com

This I hope will help keep this auction straightforward, honest, clear and easy to access. It is more intimate than the ebay behemoth!  Detailed photos below.

Auction Link HERE

Auction ID: 1970s
Auction Password: vintage

This weeks auction:

Vintage Dress, 1970s Blue Halter and Jacket

 Vintage dress, c. 1970s of blue crepe georgette fabric with crescent moon gold threaded motif. Short style jacket with button cuffs, tie front, button front and unlined. The dress is fully lined. Custom made and in excellent condition with a few loose gold threads here and there and very slight yellowing on inside lining of dress.

Dress

Back zipper, two fabric covered buttons at back of neck, empire waist and fully lined. A-line shape.

Length 62"

Bust 34-36"

Waist 32"

Hips to 40"

All of our garments are cleaned and ready to wear.

 

 

Living in the 50s

The 1950s Look: Recreating the Fashions of the Fifties'

Every fashionista with her finger on the pulse knows that the Fifties are experiencing another style revival. Michelle Obama, already touted as a style icon to rival Jackie Kennedy, is just one of the high-profile personalities to take on the trend, wearing a high-waisted, full-skirted dress on her first day in the White House. Fifties aficionado Mike Brown’s book, The 1950s Look: Recreating the Fashions of the Fifties' is a timely guide to the trends and signature styles of the era - and how to translate them in 2009.

It’s not only the ‘First Lady of Fashion’ who’s channelling 1950s chic: Britney Spears dresses as a sexy fifties housewife in her video for ‘If You Seek Amy’, whilst Wonderbra have commissioned vintage-style icon Dita Von Teese to design an underwear range. And Kate Winslet's wardrobe in 'Revolutionary Road’, set in 1955, has received as many favourable reviews as the award-winning film itself.

The look, with its emphasis on curves, celebrates the female form. It is a perfect antidote to ‘size zero’ culture, replacing stick thin supermodels with the ample size-sixteen figures of Marilyn Monroe and Diana Dors.

For men the more informal fifties fashions are still widely seen. This was the decade that denim jeans arrived in the UK from the USA, and teaming jeans with a tee shirt or a leather motor-cycle jacket, as worn by Marlon Brando in the ‘Wild One’, will never go out of style.

Mike Brown deconstructs the key elements of iconic 50s fashions - from Audrey Hepburn chic to high school prom queen – and explains the origins of many items of clothing now taken for granted on today’s high street.

Over 144 pages, with more than 300 full colour photographs and pictures, readers can learn about the Trapeze dress and the Teddy Boys' quiff, pedal pushers and drain pipe trousers, and how women achieved that desirable hourglass shape. “Fifties fashion was feminine, flattering and - unlike the size zero silhouhette – actually achievable” Mike Brown says. “You may not have had the figure of Brigitte Bardot, but you could copy her look using corsets to cinch in your waist, full, layered skirts, and padded bras. There were even inflatable bras, which had an alarming habit of exploding in a clinch, or of taking on slow punctures, accompanied by strange noises! Thankfully, underwear technology has moved on, and the look can now be achieved less painfully.” 



Essential reading for a 50s fashionista! Available at most book stores now.

I've Got The Blues

I think everyone's favorite first color is blue. As a kid, colors are pretty basic. Blue, pink, red, green...I went through a navy blue period in my teens, (unfortunately mixing it with black...I was still learning).

Blue is still my favorite color, and as an adult I appreciate all the different hues. You can't go wrong with blue.

Blue & Silver Shift Dress from Proper Vintage $40

Navy Blue Lilli Ann Suit at Vintageous $315

Navy Blue Chiffon with Sequined Bodice at Some Like it Vintage

1950s Suzy Perette Balloon Skirt Dress at Artizania $124

Electric Blue Raw Silk Mermaid Dress at Vintage Virtuosa $450

1950s Blue Chiffon Full Skirt Dress at Couture Allure