Sometimes you come across some vintage finds in abundance that just blow your mind. Lisa over at My Pretty Baby Cried She Was Bird had a killer find a few weeks back here. This is truly one of those mind blowing finds. Dave and I were in the Los Angeles area visiting friends and family earlier this month. We had a few hours to spare before meeting up with Dave's mom and decided to spend that time...you guessed it.....thrifting. We did a search for local shops and found one that was close to us. We walked into the store and did our usual routine. Dave took off towards the men's clothes me towards the women's. We always meet halfway at the home goods later on.
Not even five minutes into our thrifting adventure, Dave scurries over in extreme excitement to share something with me. He whispers to me, as to not lead any of the other shoppers onto his find, that there are at least 25 vintage 1930's to 1940's silk men's ties in the tie section. He shows me the five he already had picked out and said he was headed back to look at them again. I followed him to see these treasures for myself.
Gosh was he right!!! They were all so beautiful. Dave picked out a few more including a NOS tie with sales tag intact. He seemed satisfied with this five but I kept egging him on to buy more. At $1.99 each how could you pass on these??!! I managed to talk him into buying the spiderweb tie and the Christmas Yule tie. I decided that seven were also going home with me (to be sold on etsy in the future). The store clerk said that they were brought in by one donor. Crazy right?! We didn't take them all but made sure we took the cream of the crop. I keep telling Dave we need to go back and buy the rest. I'm sure they are all gone by now. 14 out of 25 ain't bad. Behold their beauty.
The following four pictures are Dave's picks.
I love love love the spiderweb tie (it has a fly caught in the web) and Yule tie! So glad I talked him into getting them. I probably would have purchased them for myself regardless.
Merry Xmas message on the back of the Yule tie.
The following are my picks, excluding the middle green tie. That's Dave's as well.
How could you pass on a tie with lions on it!!!
Aside from my two favorite listed above, these were the obvious three I couldn't leave the store without. The middle tie has a desert theme with cacti, butterfly and peacock are to die for. So lovely.
What have been your best finds to date or recent mind blowing finds??
I'd have to say that my first style
icon growing up was my grandma.I
remember gazing at old photos she had up around the house and always asking
"Do you still have that" (not a dumb question in my family as it
seems hereditary to hold onto everything). I've always been enchanted with film
fashion.My all time favorite film
designer is Edith Head.I can't tell you
how many times I have watched the movie "What A Way To Go" just to
marvel and gaze in wonder at all of the beautiful costumes and dresses throughout
the film.(Thanks to my mom for having
me watch this film).
2. What is your favorite way to get
inspired?
Lately my favorite inspiration for
vintage hair and make up styling is through the plethora of YouTube tutorial
videos.I honestly learned how to use my
hot rollers just a few years back thanks to YouTube! CherryDollFace has some great ones such as the one below.
3. What's your most-used hair tool?
I use my hot rollers for most of my
hair styles.I however don't know what
I'd do without bobby pins!!
4. What's your favorite hair tool?
See response to question 3.
5. Up do, down, or half-and-half?
All three please.I try to rotate out my hair styles
weekly.It also depends on my mood.Usually I'm in a lazy mood if my hair is up
as that's easiest for my crazy frizzy head of hair. Wearing it down with curls
entails some effort and half and half takes some time and patience for sure.
6.Is vintage something you do every
day, on weekends, or for special occasions?
I try to incorporate something vintage
into my outfits on a daily basis.Yesterday it was a vintage sweater, today it's vintage jewelry, etc…I
don't own enough to wear it fully daily and I would be too concerned about
ruining and wearing out the clothes if I wore them too often.Most of my newer clothes do however have a
vintage flair to them.
7. What's your favorite blush and lipstick?
I suppose I’m lucky enough that I blush
very easily therefore not requiring me to wear blush.I usually only put it on when I'm truly doing
up my face up with make up for an important event.My favorite lipstick is Brick-o-la by
MAC.It lasts long, doesn’t completely
dry my lips out, and has a nice neutral red tone.
8. Dress, skirt, or pants? Heels or
flats?
I'd say 80 percent of the time I dress
up; I work in an office.Jeans and other
casual attire are reserved for when I’m home after work or on a day off.I love dresses and own way more than should
be owned by one person.I love flats but
do wear kitten heels on occasion as well.Anything taller than and inch to an inch and a half is too tall for
me.I suppose I can blame that on my bad
balance and acute vertigo issues.
9. Off-the-rack or homemade?
Oh how I wish I knew how to sew an
outfit together.I do well with mending
but I'm completely unknowledgeable otherwise.I do have some patterns I would like made and will likely pay someone to
do so in the future.It's definitely a
dying art and I'm ashamed I didn't take more of an interest in sewing when my
mom attempted to show me.What a
stubborn brat I was…
10. Do you swing dance?
Still working on doing this with
Dave.He just finished this semester of
classes and we have plans to attend a class really soon!My goal is to be able swing dance by our
wedding.
11. Extreme vintage or subtle touches?
See response to number 6.
12. Favorite perfume?
I love DKNY Be Delicious.I get compliments and asked what I'm wearing
all the time.It's a subtle fruity yet
citrus scent and still soft at the same time.I've been wanting to try something new but haven't found anything that
compares to it.
13. Favorite skincare product?
I swear by using Nivea cream.I dab a little under my eyes, forehead, and
crows feet area every morning and have done so for the past 15 years.I swear this is why I don't have nearly as
many wrinkles as I should have in my age.I'm sure that is also due to good genes (thanks dad!).
14. What does your family think of your style?
They have totally embraced it.My
grandmother is my number one fan and has just as much fun helping me add to my
collection.Nothing is more flattering
knowing someone saw something, thought of you, and made a point to share it
with you.
15. Favorite accessory?
Well, number one favorite is my
engagement ring of course.I wear it
everyday and have felt out of sorts on the occasion that I forgot to put it on
before leaving the house for work.Other
than the beautiful ring Dave hand picked for me, I'd say having a cute vintage
purse to complete an outfit is always my icing on the cake.I just recently bought my first Lucite purse
as a gift to myself for completing yet another hectic tax season.
16. Do you find the vintage community
welcoming or snobby?
I think there are definitely some people
who are really, really into vintage but I don't think there is anything wrong
with that personally.Negative people
exist in all social circles.You just have
to kill them with kindness and have a little patience and sympathy for their
plight.I've met a ton of cool and nice
people so far and it's awesome to have made new friends that you can relate
with, especially in loving all things vintage.
17. What drew you to vintage style?
I think it is a mix of being handed
down to me by various relatives and my dad's influences.I love receiving vintage items that have a
story.Especially if they were owned by
someone in the family.My great aunt
Lucille was a huge shopper in her time and left behind tons of treasures.I wish I could have met her as I think she
and I would have a ton to talk about and relate to; being that we are both
shopaholics.
My musical interests and love of film
noir I owe entirely to my dad.He earned
a degree in film directing which means we had a video camera in our faces
pretty much from day one and were introduced to all sorts of classic film at an
early age.His vinyl collection and
obsession with The Beatles has definitely curved my musical interests.I think my favorite record that he played for
me when I was younger was the American Graffiti soundtrack.He would always make me laugh with his dance
to Track one "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and the
Comets.To this day that is all I
picture when I hear that song, followed by an instant smile.
18. Favorite places to shop vintage?
Well thrift stores are number one.I love the thrill of the hunt and finding
something for nothing is always rewarding.If I'm looking for something specific I usually stick to using Etsy or
Ebay.If I want a good deal on vintage I
go to Frock You Vintage which is local here in San Diego.Their bi-monthly sale is killer.
19. What vintage eras are your
favorite?
1920's through 1960's.I love the beaded detailing that was popular
on dresses of the 1920's.The 1930's
brought the lovely silk dress designs in ladies fashion.I love the waterfall designed furniture from
this era as well.The 1940's brought the
incredible hairstyles including victory rolls and bumper bangs.The 1950's brought the mid century and space
age designs in furniture that I'm also a huge fan of.The 1960's brought the sexual revolution that
has been the basis for many of our freedoms available today.We still have a lot to work on but it was a
very exciting time for our country.I
guess I love collecting the tiki items that came from this era.It's pretty darn hard to pass on some of the
tropical flower power dresses I see while thrifting.Just passed up on one recently and have an
inkling of buyers remorse (so silly!!).
20. Most glamorous film stars?
There were and are several!!This is tough to narrow it to a
favorite. Skip please.
21. Favorite vintage object that you own?
Gees….well I have thought of a way to
answer this by creating categories.
Furniture - My 1930's fan back
chair.I purchased this in a mom and pop
thrift store just over a year ago.I'm
sure you have seen it in the background of several of my pictures here on the
blog.I do have plans to get it
professionally upholstered this summer.
Clothing
item - My wooden wedges (era unknown). My
grandmother gave these to me years ago when I was in sixth grade.They were shoes that she found at a church
rummage sale.My sister and I fought for
years over who got to wear them but they eventually ended up in my possession.I don't wear them that often as they have
become more fragile over the years.I
had the bottom pads replace a few years back as the original ones had come
loose.The last time I wore them was
when we went to lounge by the pool at the Viva Las Vegas Weekender.
Purse -
I'd have to say my newest addition (see question 15) is my favorite.
Piece
of Jewelry - My vintage engagement ring from Dave of course.
Knick
Knack - Stockton Islander Tiki mug.It's
one of my most treasured tiki mugs as it belonged to my grandfather on my mom's
side of the family.I believe that he
and my grandma were frequenters of the bar in the 1960's.
A few weeks back I received an exciting e-mail from my grandma (yes my grandma knows how to use e-mail, owns a smart phone, and is the Queen Bee of Facebook). She had exclaimed to me that she was handed down some precious dresses that once belonged to a family friend. They once belonged to my Great Grandma's best friend in fact. The dresses have been stored by her daughter Shirley for the past 60 plus years in a cedar chest. I suppose my grandmother was telling her about my interests in vintage and she thought passing them onto me would ensure that they would be in safe hands. I full heartily assure they will be!
Below is a picture of my Great Grandma Lou and her friend Doris in their "flapper days". My Great Grandma Lou is pictured on the left and Doris is on the right.
Now here's a picture of Edith, the previous owner of these beautiful dresses. I just adore the finger waves!!
I received the dresses from my grandma at a recent family gathering. They are just gorgeous and in superb condition!! These are a few pictures my grandmother took of them before i got to see them in person. The green dress is darker in person and not as aqua as it appears below.
The dresses are in great shape but are still delicate none the less. I knew right off the brown one would not fit and I carefully tried on the green one. It fits! However due to the fragile state of the dress and some loose beads I won't be wearing the dress to any events unless I'm wearing it for a quick photo shoot such as the one below. I need to purchase some good storage for these pieces as I would like to pass them down to my children someday.
Here is a non-flash picture to try and show how dark green the fabric actually is.
I'm truly touched that I have received these and hope I can keep them in good condition for the years that follow.
I'm sorry about my lack of blogs. I have been busy having come off tax season keeping busy with house cleaning, laundry, visiting with friends and family, and moving in with Dave. What a project that has been. Good thing he doesn't have nearly as much stuff as I have; however it has been a mega huge excuse to re-evaluate everything I have in my possession and what is needed and what can be purged.
