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Vintage Gift Idea: Books!

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:42:03 +0000

Books are the best gift in my opinion. There are so many amazing books out there that you would probably never buy for yourself, but you would love if you got as a gift. When it comes to vintage, there are so many types of books that can be inspiring, educational, and fun. Here are some of my favorites for this holiday season:

V&A Pattern, (V&A Publications) - This set of books that are filled with patterns from the Victoria & Albert Museum's extensive collection of textiles, wallpaper, clothing. One of the books even focuses on only 1950s designs alone.

Jacques Fath, (Assouline) In the 1950s, Jacques Fath was as important a designer as Dior, Givenchey, and Balmain; but you may not know much about him. This inexpensive little book will let you know exactly what this designer was about with lots of vintage ads and editorials.

Style A to Zoe: The Art of Fashion, Beauty, & Everything Glamour (Grand Central Publishing) - This may seem like stretch, but the fact is, Rachel Zoe is a vintage fanatic. Granted, most could never afford her taste in vintage, but you can still learn a lot from her expertise.

Irving Penn: Small Trades (Getty Publications) - Irving Penn was one of the most influential and infamous fashion photographers of all time, but Small Trades is not about fashion. All of the images, taken between 1950 and 1951, are of everyday people. This book is a beautiful historic record of what people were really wearing.

Vintage Gift Idea: Books! originally appeared on About.com Vintage Clothing on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 00:42:03.

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Do You Want to Smell Like Vintage?

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:19:59 +0000

When I think about what "vintage" smells like, the most pleasant things don't really come to mind; moth balls, mildew, and sweat to name a few. Kate Moss however, has a different take on what vintage smells like, and she's put it into her new perfume of that name.

Unlike real vintage, Kate Moss' Vintage smells like pink pepper, freesia, mandarin, heliotrope, jasmine,vanilla and musk. The fragrance meant to invoke a feeling of history more so than the actual smell of vintage. The bottle design adds the effect; it's art deco influences include an uncanny resemblance to an Asscher cut gem. The color of the bottle is even vintage, lifted from Kate's favorite vintage ring.

Vintage was just released in the UK, but Yankees will have to wait for early 2010 to get their hands on the fragrance stateside. If Kate's first two fragrances (Kate Moss and Velvet Hour) are any indication, Vintage should prove to be sexy, feminine, and mysterious. I can't wait to smell for myself!

To see more of Kate's vintage style, check out her MVP Gallery!

Do You Want to Smell Like Vintage? originally appeared on About.com Vintage Clothing on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 13:19:59.

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Great Movie Costumes on the Horizon!

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:47:54 +0000

It's one of my favorite times of year again, Oscar season! I go to the movies much more often in the fall because that is when the best movies of the year come out, and a lot of the time, they are period movies with insane vintage costuming.

The 2009 season gave us perfectly costumes movies like Milk (70s & 80s) and The Changeling (30s). This year there's Amelia (20s & 30s) , Coco Before Chanel (most of the 20th century), The Lovely Bones (70s), and Pirate Radio (60s). Nothing quite as epic as lasy year, but plenty of opportunity for style inspiration. Is anyone else suddenly dying to get their hands of the perfect pilot's bomber jacket?

Great Movie Costumes on the Horizon! originally appeared on About.com Vintage Clothing on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 17:47:54.

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Your Vintage Wishlist; Now Easy to Share

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:50:03 +0000

You know those new Microsoft commercials where the person expains how Windows 7 was their idea? I feel exactly the same way about Wishpot! This online service makes it possible to put anything in the world on a wishlist...literally, anything. Any item for sale on the internet can be added to your wishlist with just the click of a button. All you have to do is install the Wishpot button on your browser's tool bar and click it when your find something you want to wish for. Oh and did I mention that all of this is free?

Before now, you could never really make a wishlist for vintage items because private sites don't offer them, vintage pieces are one of a kind so you have to keep checking to see if it was sold, and with the infinite shops online it would be impossible to keep track everything. With Wishpot, you don't have to do anything nearly as much work. Not only does the service keep everything in a nice list for you, but you can set it to alert you when the price of an item goes down.

You can send your lists to friends and family so that they can buy you the items as gifts, or even contribute a portion of the price of a gift. Wishpot has so many possible uses beyond just wishlists, you can make holiday shopping lists, registries for weddings or baby showers, or set up a joint gift. I 've started my lists and can't wait to see how they play out. In addition to getting more gifts that I actually want, I have a feeling I will also be getting a lot of people hooked on Wishpot too.

Your Vintage Wishlist; Now Easy to Share originally appeared on About.com Vintage Clothing on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 11:50:03.

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Shop For Vintage Even When Quarentined With H1N1!

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:24:10 +0000

A giant leap for vintage kind has been made; Goodwill Industries has an online auction site! Shopgoodwill.com has all of the good stuff you would spend hours digging around for in one of their stores, but with the advantage of shopping Goodwills all over the country at once!

You can find anything from shoes, to fur coats, even fun grab bags of items on Shopgoodwill. There's even a "Retro/Vintage" category for searching. Just like eBay, all items are for same by auction, so you have to compete for the really good stuff. This makes the prices go higher than they would in an actual Goodwill store. Unlike eBay, the money goes to a non profit (Note: although the profits go to the charity, they are not tax deductable).

So if you get stuck home with a cold, the flu, or the dreaded H1N1 this winter; remember you can still shop for vintage things you love without ever leaving your cozy bed!

Shop For Vintage Even When Quarentined With H1N1! originally appeared on About.com Vintage Clothing on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 14:24:10.

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Brooks Brothers "Mad Men Edition"

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:44:59 +0000

When asked about plans for designing a clothing line, Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant has been very coy. But now one cat is out of the bag and on shelves. Janie teamed up with the iconic Brooks Brothers label to create a "Mad Men Edition" of their Fitzgerald 1818 suit.

The gray sharkskin suit is based on suit designs for Don Draper and Roger Sterling from the show. With 60s vintage details like narrow lapels, hacking pockets, high armholes, and a 2 button closure; it's hard to tell this replica from a real Brooks Brothers suit from the 60s.

Interested in dressing the part? It will cost you just under a grand, but it will definitely get you looks. Time to step up your game gentlemen and rock a skinny suit. Look at all the ladies Don Draper gets, I don't see how you can go wrong.

Brooks Brothers "Mad Men Edition" originally appeared on About.com Vintage Clothing on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 21:44:59.

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Another Major Retailer Selling Vintage on eBay: American Apparel

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:17:11 +0000

Attention hipsters: American Apparel sells vintage on eBay! That's right, the �ber retro retailer that's already know for selling vintage dead stock accessories like eyeware, set up a shop on eBay called California Select

California Select is similar to Urban Outfitter's now closed eBay shop Urban Renewal. AA's eBay store sells one of a kind vintage pieces, but the really cool thing about California Select is that all of the pieces are dry cleaned AND repaired before they are put up for bidding! This is a pretty rare luxury when it comes to vintage clothing retailers. With a perk like that, it's definitely worth checking out.

Another Major Retailer Selling Vintage on eBay: American Apparel originally appeared on About.com Vintage Clothing on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 10:17:11.

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Hand in Glove: New Fall Trend?

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:16:20 +0000

I was watching Mad Men the other night, I was suddenly struck by the beauty of gestures when a woman's hands were in gloves. Gloves were such a vital part of women's (and even men's) fashion for over 200 years, which it got me wondering, what ever happened to gloves?

Living in an age where every mom carries tiny bottles of hand sanitizer around, and women get diamonds glued to their nails, wouldn't it just be easier to wear a cute pair of gloves? There are so many options, gloves can be dantiy and feminine, or assert power. They would certainly be a super stylish way to help stop the spread of colds and H1N1 this winter.

Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, Luella, and Rodarte have all shown gloves on the runway this year, which gives me hope that this trend will catch on. The trend didn't stick when it came back in the 1980s, but that trend was more of a novelty. There is an abundance of vintage gloves to be had, but unfortunately, the are pretty impossible for modern women to wear because they are so small. My fingers are crossed for the day that I can wear a sweet little pair of gloves, even if it means taking them off every time I want to send a text.

Hand in Glove: New Fall Trend? originally appeared on About.com Vintage Clothing on Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 23:16:20.

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Shoulders Are Back

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:36:54 +0000

Yet another 1980s trend has been finessed into a comeback; there was leggings, neon, blazers, and booties, and now exaggerated shoulders.

Photos: Andrew H. Walker/Getty

The extreme shoulder look isn't just 80s, it was first made popular in the 1940s, and in this century, the trend is a mixed between the avant garde 80's version and the classy, tailored 40s version.

The 2009 version of the shoulder trend isn't just a flimsy old shoulder pad tossed into any and every garment. There is a thoughtfulness in this current trend that I don't think has been see before. You can thank Balmain for setting off this trend that's been seen on Rihanna, Beyonce, Madonna, Blake Lively, Victoria Beckham, and Gweneth Paltrow.

To me, this trend is a lot more thoughtful than most, especially since the "power shoulder" has feminist overtones. On top of that, those big wide shoulders help to take the emphasis off of other lady parts that might be, um, wide as well. I'm also glad this trend is back because it is so easy to find amazing vintage pieces from the 80s that have insane shoulders. Just be mindful of your vintage choices, because there are also so really scary 80s pieces out there. As long as you think sophisticated, classic, and modern, you should be able to rock the shoulder trend with confidence and ease.

Shoulders Are Back originally appeared on About.com Vintage Clothing on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 at 23:36:54.

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Wedding Bells For Deschanel

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:19:17 +0000

MVP Zooey Deschanel isn't Ms. Deschanel anymore...now you can call her Mrs. Gibbard!

Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty

The vintage darling married Death Cab for Cutie front man Ben Gibbard this weekend in a super secret Seattle ceremony. Not many details have been released, but I have never had more anticipation for a wedding dress photo. Congratulations to the happy couple!

Wedding Bells For Deschanel originally appeared on About.com Vintage Clothing on Monday, September 21st, 2009 at 23:19:17.

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