Whoo's Got a New Dress

Recently, eShakti invited me to pick out a dress to review.  It was so much fun looking through all the wonderful retro style dresses they offer and so many of them I loved, so it was hard to narrow my choice down.

After much deliberation, I selected this adorable owl dress -- prefect for a Michigan fall.

What drew me to this dress, other than the ridiculously cute embroidered owl on the skirt, was the classic a line shape.  When I'm not wearing actual vintage, I tend to stick with classic silhouettes.  And there's pockets too!   

The other fabulous service eShakti offers is dress customization, such as hem length, sleeve style, and different necklines on most dresses.  I opted for a simple scoop neck and the below knee hem.  I will admit, it was a bit scary ordering without seeing the changes on the dress, but I couldn't be happier with the dress.  Having a brand new dress is a rarity around these parts, so it was truly a treat to receive this dress!

From now until December 6th Livin' Vintage readers can save 10% off their next purchase with the code: livinvintage. Offer only good towards new purchases and may be used as many times as you'd like over the sale period. Please enter it in the promotion code box.

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Wiggling in my LBD

During my move, I discovered lots of things I had completely forgotten about.  One of those things happened to be a giant tub full of vintage dresses I had put aside at the chance that they'd one day fit.  

It was like Christmas morning going through all the dresses, many of which are no longer my style and are heading to the shop!  However, this 50s black lace wiggle dress is staying with me.  It's hard to tell in the photo, but it has a satin ribbon along the under bust that wraps around the back.  I love the silhouette that detail creates.  I think my search for the perfect LBD has finally ended.  

The Dollar Dress

When I was little and just getting into sewing, my grandma used to tell me the story of her collection of dollar dresses she sewed during the 1950s.  At the time, you could get three yards of fabric for $1 -- just the right amount for a simple day dress.  Not only were these dresses practical, but they also allowed for the frugal housewife to add to her wardrobe without breaking the bank.

| my grandma in 1955 wearing one of her dollar dresses |

Although I didn't know it at the time, my grandma was teaching me an important life lesson when it comes to the value of a dollar and how to make it stretch.  And, while I would be hard pressed to make a dress for today's equivalent of $8.89 to 1955's $1.00, I definitely have adapted this concept to 2014 living.

| 1950s sundress, thrifted for $5 |

It never occurred to me, until a few weeks ago, that all my thrifted dresses were kind of the modern equivalent.  For the most part, you can walk into any thrift store and find many dresses marked $8.99 or below.  Even if I were to walk up one morning and decide that I was done with wearing vintage clothing, I still would be a regular thrift store shopper.  I always find it so thrilling to see how far I can stretch the $20 bill in my wallet and what amazing treasures await me.  So Grandma, wherever you are, thank you for sharing the gift of spending wisely on fashion.  I know you'd be proud.  :)

New Horizons

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 Lots of changes over here since the last time I checked in.  Long story short, I had to pass on my dream apartment and I am still on the look for a new place to call home.  I know it was for the best, but apartment hunting is hard!!  

Here I am shopping in The Get Up's tent at the Ann Arbor Art Fair

Meanwhile, I have been burring the candle at both ends packing up my house, moving the business to a new location, and keeping the shop filled with lots of pretty vintage dresses!  I hope to be back here soon to start sharing the backlog of photos that have piled up while I was away.  

Wrap Dress Glamour

| Fleur Wrap Dress | Sugar Flats | 80s does 60s Cat-eye Sunglasses |

This past Saturday marked the beginning of flea market season here in the Mitten -- truly one of my favorite times of year!  I don't normally take the 2 hour trek to Midland in June (I like that their September show is right after the DIY, so I have some extra spending money), but it was just so beautiful out!  And after one of the worst Michigan winters on record, I've been taking any chance I get to enjoy this pleasant weather we've been having. 

It's been great to be able to wear all my summertime dresses.  I just got this Fleur Wrap Dress and I was itching to wear it out to see how it compares to my original Swirl dresses.  I am happy to report that it was just a easy to wear as my Swirls and I could hardly tell the difference.  My only complaint is that the pockets on this dress are too high up and not nearly enough wide, making it hard to use them.  However, I love having a black wrap dress in my rotation now, since it is my go to color lately.

I didn't score much this trip for myself, but the shop has some real beauties coming soon.  The one small purchase I did made for myself was this 1957 Fredericks of Hollywood catalog.  My vintage catalog collection has been long over due for a Fredericks catalog.  Now I'm hooked!

My Journey Back to Vintage Vol. 2

It's been a little over two months since I shared my desire to get back into my vintage closet again.  I am happy to report that I am a third of the way to my final goal and slowly being able to wear all my fabulous dresses again.  It's all still a work in progress, but I feel so much better than I did just a few months ago.  And, it's been a lot more fun getting dressed these days!

| 50s dress: Oh La La Group; 60s chunky heels: gift; belt: gift; bakelite: estate sales, eBay |

For the first time in a very long time, I am actually really excited for summer!  

Fall for Cotton Finished Dress

September just flew by!  I had grand intentions of sewing a new dress for myself from a vintage pattern with vintage fabric for the Fall for Cotton Sewalong, but with doing two shows this month, it just wasn't going to happen.

I did, however, whip up another swirl dress at the beginning of this month and never got around to sharing it.  It's made of 100% cotton, was made in September, and of a vintage/retro design so I think it fits the bill.   ;)

I was lusting after this fabric in the clearance section at Joanns and stopped in during their Labor Day sale and scored 4 yards for half off!  I feel like it looks a bit retro and with it being a new fabric I won't worry so much about washing and wearing the heck out of it!

The dress went together much better this time around.  I attribute that to having a better idea of how much room to leave while cutting out and just doing a better job cutting out the dress in general.  Next step is to trace the pattern pieces with the correct seam allowances.  And make more dresses!

Fabric: Clearance Quilting Cotton for Joann's, $12

Pattern: Original Swirl Design

Hours to Complete: 9

Total Cost: $15

This was such a fun sewalong to be apart of!  Thanks to Tasha and Lucille for coming up with and hosting this!

Making a Swirl Wrap Dress and a Brief History

As many long time readers will know, I love Swirl wrap dresses.  I started collecting them about three or four years ago and have amassed an embarrassing amount since.  I wear them year round -- even in the snow -- and they really are my favorite type of vintage dress.

The Swirl dress, originally called Neat 'n Tidy, was created in the early 40s by the L. Nachman and Sons Company.  First conceived and marked as an apron, by the 1950s, the Swirl was being sold as  a quick and easy dress for the busy homemaker to slip into.  Ethel on I Love Lucy was famous for wearing several different incarnations of the Swirl dress and undoubtedly inspired many other homemakers to do the same.  Into the 60s and 70s, the Swirl label added different styles to their line (like zip front dresses) and by the late 90s was on the decline, finally closing up some in 1999.

As with all popular trends, knock offs were made and even home sewing patterns were created for the skilled housewife to stitch up her own.  Last summer, I unearthed a severely tattered Swirl in the basement of a Detroit home and couldn't leave it behind.  At first, I was going to try and rework the hem to make it wearable, but it became clear that wasn't a viable fix.

Instead, I decided to take the dress apart, making my own pattern, and recreate it.  The dress fit perfect and would allow me to make several others.  It went together extremely easy -- the hardest part was figuring out the neckline since I didn't have a Swirl in my collection with a similar neckline to look at how they put it together.

I decided to sew in the label from the roached dress (since this is for me and I have no intentions of selling it or trying to pass it off as a factory produced Swirl).  I used a pocket pattern from a vintage apron and ric rac to jazz up the neckline and pockets.  I -LOVE- the final outcome and plan on making many more!

Fabric: Joann's Clearance, $3.50/yard

Pattern: Original Swirl Dress Design

Hours to Complete: 12-14 

Total Cost: $13

I've already bought some more fabric for another dress and am working on drafting a different style top!

**********

Like the Swirl, but can't sew?  Here's a few on etsy, including one from my personal collection!

 1  | 2  |  3

And here's some patterns for all you seamstresses!

 1  | 2  |  3

Date Night Outfit

Sweater & Tights: Target | 50s Dress: Mother Fletchers | Shoes: JC Penny

Every so often, the bf and I go into the city for a fancy dinner and drinks.  There is this cute Japanese restaurant that we both really love and that's usually our desired destination.  A lot of people give Detroit a bad rep, and while there is some truth to that, there are a lot of hip little places to gab a drink or eat a good meal.  I really enjoy seeing what's left of the old buildings and imagining what it must have been like in the 30s or 40s to have a dinner out in the city.

Milwaukee

A few weeks ago I had to go to Milwaukee, WI for a film conference where I presented my work on Dana Andrews.  In between listening to panels, I checked out as many vintage shops as possible.  Right in the heart of the city is a giant antique mall in a converted factory building.  Antiques on 2nd boasts three whole floors jam packed with at least a hundred or more vendors.  Jesse and I spent a few hours strolling the aisles and both came away with several stellar finds.

One of which is this dress, found in From Regal to Retro's booth.  I was too excited to wait to wear it, so I wore it our last day to a Brewers game.  Right adjacent to the ball park was this tranquil stream, perfect for some quick blog pictures.

I'll be back later with a few of my finds.   

Pumpkin Pickin'

70s Dress: Regeneration / Boots: Target / 40s Bracelet: eBay

This past weekend, the boyfriend, my brother, and I ventured out to the pumpkin patch to select some pumpkins.  One of the perks of living in the Midwest is plenty of orchards that allow you to pick your own berries, apples, and pumpkins.  I try to check out a different orchard each year, however, I was very pleased with the one we went to this year and might have to patron it again. 

The orchard provided wagons to cart around your selections.  This was especially nice since it was top priority to find a pumpkin large enough to do this:

Pumpkin in a pumpkin!  I've been pining to do this since we named our puppy Pumpkin.  Well it only took nearly four years to do so, but I am glad that I finally did it.  I am biased, but I think it came out pretty cute!

DIY Wrap Up

Nearly four weeks ago was the Ferndale DIY (boy am I behind!).  This was my second year participating as a vendor and it was a very successful weekend!  I met a lot of other vintage sellers/lovers and many of my items went onto new homes.  On the third and final day, I was in much need of some comfy digs and pulled out this newly thrifted vintage jumpsuit.    

Last year was definitely a learning curve, as was this year.  I think after doing two of these shows I have finally figured out what works best in the space allotted and what facilitates the most business.  I am really excited for next year!

  

Playing Catch-Up

I can't believe it's September already!  Where has the time gone!?

Now that I am no longer a student, I find myself really missing back to school time. In order to remedy this situation, the purchase of a vintage globe is in order to make my home office feel more like a classroom. 

The one thing that is reminding me of fall and all the related activities is the Ferndale DIY Street Fair, which I am currently preparing for. It will be my second year being a vendor and I couldn't be more excited!

This dress is what I wore nearly two months ago on the 4th of July. It's a DeWeese and I scored it for the small sum of $5 a few summers ago. Since then, it's become a summer staple. And, if Michigan keeps up this hot and sticky weather, I will be pulling it out a few more times until the lovely cool fall weather arrives. 

Emily

60s DeWeese: Royal Oak Garage Sale

Butterfly Flip Flops: Kohls

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50s Southwest Dress

So I know blogger changed while I was on my studying hiatus, but can I just say that I am not a big fan?  Hopefully soon I will get the hang of it.  I must be getting old; I really dislike when websites change the way they operate.

I love this dress.  I found it mislisted on eBay and as such, won it for a real steal.  Love when that happens!!

Emily


50s Dress and 50s Wedges: eBay
Belt: Hand-me-down
50s Yellow Beaded Sweater: Regeneration

Trying Something New

Ever since going red, I have gotten the courage to try new things with my hair. When it was time for a trim, I decided to just get a cut instead. I was going for a "modern" Louise Brooks look. I didn't want to commit to the very short bob that Brooks is known for; instead I went for something slightly longer, but with the similar shape. I'm quite pleased!!

In other news, Metro Detroit has been experiencing quite the spring-like weather that makes dress-wearing much easier. I only hope it will last longer!

Emily

40s Slip (worn as dress): Mother Fletchers

70s Wrap Top: Value World

50s Shoes: eBay

Last Outfit of 2011

I can't believe how fast 2011 went by for me. I guess it's true that time seems to pass faster the older we get. 2011 was full of both ups and downs, but much joy and happiness. I am really looking forward to 2012, mostly because it is my final year as a student and I will be organizing an area for an academic film conference in September.... something I am SO excited for!

I found this dress at the Salvation Army and it has been one of my go-to outfits ever since. I am guessing it's from the late 70s and I just love it. One of my goals for 2012 is to purchase less new items and to wear more vintage everyday. This dress helps me accomplish both. Plus, I love how it pairs with my hair, although this photo doesn't really show it. It was taken before I re-dyed my hair.

Does everyone have fabulous NYE plans? Jesse and I are seeing a concert then celebrating with friends at a cool little vintage-esque lounge bar in Detroit. Whatever you all are doing, have a wonderful time! And Happy New Year!!

Emily

Vintage Dress: Salvation Army

Shoes: JC Penny

Holiday Wrap Up

Thanks for all the Christmas wishes! I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday! It was nice to take a break and spend sometime with family. On Christmas Eve, I joined my family for church and had the chance to wear my "new" 50s cashmere coat, which is pictured above. It was already dark out by the time I took these pictures, so I didn't get a good shot of the coat, but I am sure I will be wearing it again soon. The coat was originally destined to the shop, but once I tried it on, I just had to keep it!

If you follow my facebook page then you might have already seen my "Kitchmas" wreath. I bought the wreath and glittery bow at Target and then jazzed it up with a vintage elf that was in my Grandma's stash of Christmas stuff and a few small ornaments. I am pretty pleased with how it turned out and will enjoy it for years to come!

Under my coat, I wore this 40s red suit, which has TONS of buttons on the front. I wish the camera would have picked up the detail better. I paired the suit with some faux leopard peep toe heels. I just love red and leopard print together.

My tree was my Grandma's then my mom's and now mine. Its from the 60s and requires each branch to be put in separately. It's pretty fragile, so I'm not sure how long it will last, but I did enjoy having it up this year -- my first tree! I decided to use these lights, since they had a vintage feel to them and they were plastic bulbs rather than glass. For the last few years, I have been collecting vintage ornaments to trim my tree with and two years ago, found my sweet vintage glass tree topper at the Ann Arbor Flea Market. I had the hardest time tracking down some tinsel, so hopefully next year I will be able to find some. Then my tree will be complete.

Hope everyone is keeping warm!

Emily

50s Cashmere Coat, Vintage Rhinestone Earrings: Salvation Army

40s Red Suit: eBay

Pin: Grandma's

Faux Leopard Print Heels: Target

Changes

Can you all believe that Christmas is creeping up so quickly? I have so much I need to do before the weekend, including a lot of baking and gift wrapping. These are two things I really enjoy, so I am looking forward to the next few days filled with these activities.

I have been experimenting again with my "look." When I found this dress at the Salvation Army, I just knew I HAD to have it, even though it is not my usual 40s-60s look. Lately, I have been really drawn to 70s fashion and this terry cloth dress fit the bill. I like how the blue looks with my red hair (which I have been wearing in pigtails a lot lately!) and just the overall "fun" nature of this outfit. Sometimes changes and trying out new things are good.

I might be sparse until after the New Year, but while I am away, I will be overhauling the blog and my etsy. I am really excited about my new endeavorers selling vintage and cannot wait to share it all with you!

Don't forget about my facebook giveaway. Contest ends tomorrow at 11 p.m. Winner will be announced on my facebook page on Thursday morning.

Happy Holidays!!

Emily

70s Dress: Salvation Army

Silver Tights: Target

Boots: UGGS

Baby its Cold Outside

Is it feeling like winter by you? It sure is here!!

I wanted to answer some questions about my faux fireplace and logs from my last post. The logs are electric and are a separate piece from the fireplace itself. This will allow me to take them with me if and when I move. And, although they are pretty, they do not offer up any heat. They do, however, mock a real fire by "crackling" and slightly changing colors as the wheel turns. If you like mine and want your own, check out this listing on eBay.

Moving on, isn't this dress great? I got it for $1 at an estate sale. It was a total surprise find. I had seen the listing for the sale online, but it didn't really look too promising. But, since the sale was only a few blocks from my house, I decided to go anyway.... and boy am I glad that I did! I came away with several bags full of vintage goodies, this dress being among them. It's super warm and comfy -- the perfect winter dress.

Emily

P.S. In case you are wondering, that wonderful vintage slate tile lines the entry into my house. Just love it!

40s Dress: Estate Sale

Bakelite Bracelet: Adams Antique Mall, PA

40s Heels: Garage Sale