Long Overdue Update: Midland Flea Market Finds

So... Over a month ago I went to the biggest flea market in Michigan, the Midland Flea Market. The show is held over three different dates in the summer and I always like to go to the final date, as the dealers are trying to clean out their stock and normally offer some really stellar deals. This year was no exception.

30s-40s Beaded Handbag. The frame might be bakelite, although I haven't tested it yet. $15

Pictured in this post are some of my favorite finds. Since starting to collect vintage seriously, I now find myself purchasing fewer items, but am willing to pay a little bit more. Mostly this is due to having quite a large collection and having most of my most wanted items, but also because I want to buy less stuff.

Swanky Pitcher with glass lid! I have never seen one with a glass lid before, have you? $7.50

Not pictured is my favorite find of the market, a diamond ring from my absolute favorite estate jewelry dealers. Last year I bought a really pretty diamond solitaire pendent dating from around 1890. I promise I'll post a picture of the ring soon. I took it off while helping with the dishes at my beau's house and forgot it there!

Carved Bakelite Bracelet, $5

I was super stoked to find an affordable piece of bakelite at the market. I am still amazed at how expensive bakelite has gotten. I wish I had a larger collection, but I kinda jumped on the bakelite bandwagon a little late in the game. I get excited anytime I find a piece for $10 or less.

Tin Box, possibly held candy. $2

This was one of the first things I bought at the market. I collect these little tin boxes and when the price is right I indulge myself. I think that I need to curb my habit for buying containers. I don't know what it is about jars or tin boxes or the like that fascinate me.

I also bought the most amazing enamel top kitchen table from the 30s. I forgot to take a picture of it before putting it into storage, but trust me, it is pretty great! Instead of being white on the top it is brown and looks like a woodgrain, something I have never seen before. I got the table for a real steal -- $45. Besides my ring, it was the big purchase of the day.

My beau got a lot of cool things two, including a wood carving of John Wayne and a really awesome orange travel record player. I am already starting to save a little bit of money for next year! :)

Emily

Film Fashion Friday: Mr. Lucky (1943)

Sorry I haven't been doing a good job of keeping up with this series and really this blog in general. I have a whole slew of films just waiting to be shared with you all! This film for this week, Mr. Lucky (1942), is a Warner Archive release and one that I was super excited about when I discovered the Warner Archive. Let me just say that what Warner Bros. has been doing with the Archive is really something special. I feel that it is so important that us classic film lovers and vintage enthusiasts that love old films show our support by purchasing dvds from the Warner Archive. I am by no means getting paid or sponsored to say this, but it is my opinion that if we do not help these companies willing to sell classic films on dvd, the sales of all classic film dvds might cease to exist. Anyways, I'll get off my soapbox now.....

The Players

Cary Grant.....Joe Adams

Laraine Day.....Dorothy Bryant

Charles Bickford.....Hard Swede

Gladys Cooper.....Captain Veronica Steadman

Directed by H.C. Potter

Gowns Designed by Renie

Synopsis

Joe Adams (Cary Grant) is a man in the gambling business; but when it comes time that Joe might have to gamble with his own life, he decides to dodge the draft and take his chances. Since receiving his 4-F rating, Joe is free to cook up some new schemes, which include swindling a great deal of money from a female war relief group. In order to do this, Joe must join the group and act as one of the members. Here he meets Dorothy (Laraine Day), one of the leaders of the group. The two eventually fall in love, as to be expected, and Joe must decide whether or not to go through with the job. Will he choose love or money?

Fashion Review

When I first viewed this film, I was immediately stuck by the fabulous hats the female leads and extras were sporting throughout the course of the film. While majority of the women are shown in typical 40s suits, which can sometimes be a bit boring if that's all the women are wearing from scene to scene, the hats in this film really stood out because of the more simplistic attire. I also feel that this film makes an excellent case study for how accessories during WWII were used as a way to spice up outfits and add elements of style to a rather simple look of the suit. I also like to see fashion directors to pay attention to not only their leads, but their extras as well, something this film does a wonderful job with. Sometimes it's the extras that are wearing the more interesting hat!

The only costume credit on this film is Renie for gown design. Towards the end of the film is the charity benefit, which is a formal event, and the gowns definitely do not disappoint. I do wish that there was a credit for who choose/made the hats for this film, as I feel they are an intricate part of the costume design. Renie, or Irene Brouillet Conley as she was known in her private life, had a long career in Hollywood; beginning in the late 30s and ending in the early 80s. She pretty much worked up until the last ten years of her life, which I am assuming was spent in retirement. Some of her fashion sketches belong to the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts, which seems to own quite a bit of Adrian's work as well. I am not sure if these items are always on exhibit, but it definitely has given me something to research!

Fashion Grade: 6/10 (Watch this film mostly for the hats and for the charity dance sequence)

Mr. Lucky is available for purchase through the Warner Archive and to rent through Classicflix.

Vintage Clothing Expo in Michigan!!!

[Image found from Life Magazine]

It's back! This Saturday is the Bloomfield Hills Jewelry and Vintage Apparel Show. I went back in spring and found so many wonderful items at really affordable prices. If you live in Southeastern Michigan make sure you check out this event!! Look for a full report on any and all finds after Saturday.

Emily

***Just as a note, I am not being paid to promote this event. I am simply posting it so other vintage clothing lovers may be aware of it.

Why Hello!

It's that time of year again.... School time, the time in which my life becomes devoted to homework and paper writing. It has been so hard for me to get back in the swing of things and adjust to my new routine. I have really missed blogging these past few weeks and am hoping that I can get this new schedule down so I can get back to blogging.

Way back in September, there was a DIY festival near my beau's home. I was pretty excited since there was going to be a few vintage clothing vendors there and this festival was marketed as an affordable arts and crafts fair. Imagine my excited when I came across these boots:

And these that were sitting right next to them:

Both pairs fit and were priced at $14 each. I seriously could not get the money out fast enough! Then the real surprise came. As I was paying for the boots, the lady informs me that inside each boot is a pair of heels. I was already so ecstatic about finding these boots, in my size, at a great price, and wait.... with two pairs of vintage heels too? It sounded too good to be true.

I waited until we got home to check out the heels because it was getting dark out and I didn't want to have to fiddle with them in the big crowd. I really couldn't believe what I found inside. The pair above was in the brown boots and the pair below were in the black.

My beau thought I was silly for wearing around the shoes all weekend. I was just too thrilled to take them off. Definitely one of the best deals I have ever gotten in my life. I am willing to bet that I got all four pairs for cheaper than it would have cost to by them in the 40s! :)

Emily

Vintage Wedding Website

The other day while searching for an image of a classic film star on google, I came across a photo that lead me to Rock N' Roll Bride, a website devoted to sharing edgy weddings. I don't know about you, but I love weddings and I love reading about them -- especially ones that have a vintage flare to them. Since I fell in love with so many of the photos on the site, I thought I would share the link with everyone to check out. Regardless if you are planning a wedding or not, this site offers up some really great love stories along with some truly beautiful imagery.

Emily

*Photo from RocknRollBride.com

Vintage Twins

Last week I attended an estate sale what was FULL of vintage costume jewelry. The entire front room of the sale was jam packed with boxes and tables of rhinestones and anything that sparkles. I picked up a lot of great pieces, including a pair of yellow bakelite carved hoop earrings for $3. My favorite find would have to be these scatter pins which are an exact match to these earrings from my grandma. I also found a pair of costume earrings that were twins of a pair I bought from Lana Turner's daughter. I left those for someone else to find and treasure, but it was so cool to discover so many vintage twins at this sale. I have occasionally come across the same dress, but that is VERY few and far between. Have you ever found a vintage twin out there to something you already own?

Emily

Swirls and Snoods

I can't believe how fast September has flown by! Life sure has gotten crazy now that I am back in school, teaching, and working all at once. I hardly have had time for estate sales lately, well at least not on the first day that they open. I am super excited for this weekend; there is a HUGE flea market in Midland, MI that is seriously the biggest flea I know of in the state. They hold it three times over the summer and this weekend is their final date for the season. I have gone the last two years and always come back with lots of goodies!!

On another note, Wednesday was the last official day of summer and I wore my newest addition to my Swirl collection. I just had to have this one because of the yellow in it -- my favorite color! I am also still trying to get use to setting my new cut. It didn't really turn out as expected this particular day, so I opted for a snood to remedy the problem. Don't you just love snoods? They are better than a ponytail, in my opinion.

Emily

50s Swirl and Bakelite Earrings: eBay

Bakelite Bracelets: Estate Sale

Shoes: Converse

Film Fashion Friday: Daytime Wife (1939)

Just in time for the back to school season and budding fall weather here in the States, today's Film Fashion Friday selection highlights suits, hats, and accessories all fitting for this time of year for the vintage gal.

The Players

Linda Darnell.....Jane Norton

Tyrone Power.....Ken Norton

Binnie Barnes.....Blanche

Warren William.....Barnard "Barney" Dexter

Directed by George Ratoff

Costumes Designed by Royer

If you like Linda Darnell's hat in the above photo, take a look at these two hats (1 & 2) that I found on etsy that are quite similar.

Synopsis

Jane and Ken Norton are what seems to be the prefect married couple. The night of the Norton's second wedding anniversary, Jane has stages a fabulous surprise celebration for Ken, but Ken does not show up. What he does succeed in doing is forgetting the couple's anniversary, spurring Blanche, Jane's close friend, to concluded that Ken is running around with another woman, his secretary none less! Jane becomes intrigued with secretarial life and how they factor into their boss's life. Jane decides the only way to figure out what's going on is to take a job as a secretary. What Jane doesn't know is that her new boss is a work relation of her husband's. What follows is a series of close calls and funny run-ins to avoid her husband finding her out. Does the couple reunite or does Jane's new job show her a new way of life?

Fashion Review

While doing a bit of further research on this film, I was saddened to find so many poor reviews of Daytime Wife (1939). While I am not here to argue that this is amongst the greatest of the screwball genre, I do feel it deserves much more credit than it is given; and not just from a fashion stand point. In only her second film appearance, Linda Darnell proves that she can handle a leading role and look fabulous while doing so. She was only 16 at the time. I do agree that Tyrone Power is a bit weak throughout the course of the film, but that doesn't detract much from film on a whole; especially since I find this screwball plot fresh and creative, telling the story of remarriage in a unique way that many of its contemporaries did not (i.e. giving power to the female character and presenting an almost feminist message).

The costumes were designed by Royer, who has his roots in 30s costume design. Royer started at 20th Century FOX in 1933 as a "studio stylist" and stayed on until 1939. From 1940 to 1942 he work at Hal Rauch Studios. Royer would go on to be a fashion advisor for Lord and Taylor. He also taught at NYU, Columbia University, and New York School of Fine and Applied Art.

Daytime Wife displays Royer's sheer talent and his experience in dressing actors in both scenes of formal wear and daytime attire of the late 1930s. I am especially drawn to all the little details and accessories Darnell is seen wearing throughout the film. She is always wearing a great hat and some sparkly jewels to go with it. This film is really making me wish for colder weather to come so I can pull out my 40s suits and hats. I also really like that Darnell, and all the female workers for that matter, are shown dressing to the nines for work, something I feel current society does not still practice. When did it come acceptable for us to just roll out of bed and come to work? I don't even like wearing dress pants to work, I feel so unprofessional. Maybe it's just the vintage girl inside of me!

Fashion Grade: 9/10 (for numerous costume changes and exemplifying the entire wardrobe of a middle class/upper middle class female in 1939 from sleep wear to evening wear).

Daytime Wife is available in the Tyrone Power Matinee Idol Box Set and through Netflix and ClassicFlix to rent.

Dally in Detroit

Last weekend, Detroit held a little flea market/festival thing called Dally in the Alley. What is so cool about this is it is held in old little alleys in a really sweet part of "historic Detroit." Above is one of the really great buildings that was in the area.

It was a hot day on Sunday, so I got one more chance to wear this blouse and skirt set before fall weather arrives. I love this set; definitely one of the best vintage buys I have ever made. I like that I can wear them together or separate the top and skirt to make completely different outfits. Aren't separates great?!

Emily

Blouse & Skirt Set, Handbag: Estate Sales

Belt: American Apparel

Black Flats: JC Penny

New 'Do

As I mentioned in my last post, two weekends ago I got a haircut and decided to get bangs this time. I am really loving the shorter hair and am even considering going a bit shorter before winter comes.

I was super excited when this dress fit me -- it came off the center rack, featuring hand picked vintage styles, which normally doesn't have plus sizes. It's kinda hard to tell in the photo (I got a little too carried away with fancying it up), but the dress is in the most lovely shades of pastel blue, pink, and lavender, with just a hint of navy accent.

On a completely other note, several weeks ago I mentioned a 125 followers giveaway and never got around to it. I am in the process of putting all the lovely prizes together, so look for this soon!!!

Emily

Dress: Lost and Found Vintage

Shoes: Target

Belt: Off Another Dress

Handbag: Salvation Army