Dusty Buttons Vintage Shop

While Daughterlypoo and I were wandering the tree-lined streets of the East Village in NYC last weekend (previous post here), we discovered Dusty Buttons, the most beautiful vintage shop!  This gorgeous window drew us into the shop:

 

(Photo courtesy Dusty Buttons)

 

I just had to slip on the black polka dot and yellow roses dress...

 

 

Eek!  I fell in love and bought it!

 

Dusty Buttons has a fabulous selection of authentic, vintage dresses, and some new, retro options too.  And sprinkled throughout the shop are other vintage collectibles...

 

 

...and amazing retro-inspired shoes:

 

(Photo courtesy Dusty Buttons)

 

Amanda, the beautiful shop owner, is absolutely delightful!

 

 

Please visit her shop in person if you can or online here.  And please check out her Facebook page and become a fan ~ you're sure to fall in love with her like we did!

The Ultimate Shower Cap

Do you ever get the urge to make something outrageous?

 

Wildly whimsical?

 

Fantastically fanciful?

I just had to after I saw this vintage ad on Google:

 

 

I meticulously stitched over 50 flowers onto one of my Retro Revival shower caps so that it's totally functional and will keep your hair dry and frizz-free while bathing.  Back view:

The flowers are beautifully like-like:

 

 

Hoping someone will love this as much as I do, either for showering or maybe to use as a photo prop!  Listing it in my Etsy shop if you'd like a closer look.

 

Have a great day!

Modern Styling With Vintage Hats

Inspired by Carrie Bradshaw, my daughter Natalie and I have been on a mission to find ourselves vintage fur hats.

When we get together (she's in Philadelphia and we're in Florida), we scour vintage shops and flea markets in search of discarded hats needing new homes.  Natalie's brown fur hat find:

I love this picture of her ~ so chic!

When we visisted her and our son-in-law, Daniel, recently, we stumbled into "vintage hat nirvana" in an old dress shop.  No, I didn't buy the hat I was modeling ~ a bit too Phyllis Diller for my taste ~ but I did get the one in my hands:

These are the ones we bought:

So fun!  The hunt, and of course, getting to spend the weekend with two of our favorite people.

Natalie also has a Carrie-inspired skirt:

I love this!  Think I'm going to have to dedicate an entire future blog post to this skirt!

Pajamas in Public {Vintage Bed Jacket}

Every once in a while I'll see someone sporting pjs out in public and I shake my head.

(Google image)

And then I found this!



It's a vintage bed jacket.  From what I understand, bed jackets came into vogue in the 1930's and were popular through the early 1960's.  They were typically worn over a nightgown or negligee while sitting up in bed, reading, drinking tea, and I'd imagine, elegantly receiving guests.


(Google image)

(Were these the genesis of the Snuggie?  Ha!)

Apparently, I've had a thing for bed jackets since I was young.  This is a picture of my cousin Tammy and me (on the left), circa 1966?:


(Check out my glamorous slippers!)

So while I don't greet visitors in bed, or even read in bed for that matter, I think this bed jacket is way too gorgeous to only wear at home.  Last week I wore it out in public.

It was like my own public pajama party!



The roses, the color, the ruffles on the sleeves and collar!  It makes me swoon!







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Drawing is June 30th ~ good luck!

Crinolines Making a Comeback?

Ooooh, how I WISH they were!  Nothing looks more feminine than a very full skirt and the illusion of a teeny, tiny waist!

I happened to mention to my friend Kim (she makes the luverly vintage reproduction dresses) over at Time Machine Vintage that I was on the lookout for a crinoline to use on my dress forms - I was thinking that a crinoline would be nice in showing off my aprons.  While at a flea market in Maine, Kim came across this absolutely gorgeous, vintage crinoline and snapped it up for me!  Wasn't that so sweet of her?!

I was dressing for a recent meeting with one of my retail clients and couldn't resist slipping on the crinoline.

Check out the before and after (sorry that the pictures are a bit fuzzy):

A little nervously I decided to head off to meet my client with the crinoline under my frock.  My client commented on my "puffy" dress and said she liked it.  Several other people in the salon stopped me to compliment my dress.  Hmmmm?  As I walked down the sidewalk to my car after the meeting I got a few looks which left me wondering, were those compliments genuine?  No mind because I LOVE the look.  I think the crinoline gives a fresh look to my modern dress...

...and offers me a little surprise underneath - ha!

"Fall" Into Retro Fashion

Have you been watching Project Runway?  I think it's the best season yet.  Gorgeous and hideous creations alike, constructive guest hosts and lots of drama!  I was shocked that Tim Gunn called out the elite team for their bad behavior and for following Gretchen's lead.  And by the way, is anyone else irritated by Ivy?!

Anyway, between watching this ridiculous (in a good way!) show, flipping through my issues of In Style and Elle magazines and cruising the Internet I've been thrilled to discover that vintage/retro is still all the rage for many designers this fall and winter!

I suppose as soon as past styles and materials become outdated, they remain a deep reservoir of recyclable ideas.  When you think about it, how many new "trends" are really new?  Yep, what's old is new again - yay!

Many designers have dipped back into the vintage and retro pool, including Prada.  Prada's dress (on the left) reminds me a bit of this 1953 picture of Eva Marie Saint...

Louis Vuitton is certainly in the retro mood...

...OMG, I am seriously in LOVE with this - everything about it!  And the gloves are gorg!

Vuitton's also designed vintage inspired purses for their collection this year:

Nina Ricci's sunglasses are clearly inspired from the 50's:

This picture, from British Vogue, captures the retro stylings of Lucinda Chambers (the model is wearing a Rochas knit sweater and cotton print skirt by Betty Jackson)...

Her teased hair is perfect with this outfit, don't you think?!

Looks like the Fall 2010 fashions are grounded firmly in the classics, with modern twists like chunky jewelry and these platform shoes (with "bobby" socks):

Are the socks a little goofy?  I'm kinda digging them - ha!

I'm happy to see a nod to 1950's retro and vintage this fashion season.  I wonder what the designers have planned for next year - gawd, I really hope they don't look back to the 1970's for inspiration!

September's flying by so don't forget to leave a comment here for a chance to win my blog giveaway!  Drawing is September 30th.