Today I'm wearing the first piece of vintage I remember buying. In 1980 this dress would have been, "Used", rather than "Vintage" but I'm sure it cost less than a couple bucks. I loved the fabric, and although the dress never did look good on me (Empire waists ain't for big boobs) I've kept it because the fabric is so nice. I've resisted cutting it into a skirt, and instead I wear a jacket or cardigan over the tits-squashing top. Somehow after all these years I can't bear to alter it.
Ric-rac too!
I have to take a moment to show you the slippers Mr. ETB surprised me with. They're Daniel Greens, and though the slippers are now made in China they are still so much nicer than most of what is available today. My vintage Daniel Greens are rather beat-up, so it was a wonderful surprise to be given a lovely, brand new pair.
I'm not typically a sucker for novelty perfume bottles, but Watt Perfume caught my eye! The fragrance isn't anything special, but the bottle makes me smile each time I see it.
I should stop buying perfume. This is only the current rotation. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me, but thanks to the internet, I've found a community of like-minded fume-heads that are just as hopeless as I am. At the moment I'm currently obsessed with Passion (the Liz Taylor one). The incense, oh god the incense. I shouldn't like it, but I do and I've been dousing myself in it. How could I have ignored this stuff for over thirty years? It
has to be the menopause.
Since we're on the subject of things I need to stop buying, I might as well show you how I store my necklaces. Someday, that bear is going to come to life, leap from the wall, and maul me to death. *Cheerful voice* but until then, it is a nifty way to make use of wall space.
I'm not completely obsessive though. Look how well I've resisted cleaning the mirror!
Outfit Particulars:
1960's cotton dress-Can't remember
Cardigan-Dots, about 17 years ago
Vintage brooch-Mum's
Bangles-all over
Earrings-Thrift World
Hair bow-Tiff and Tam
Shoes-K Mart
Cable Tights-K Mart
Vintage necklace-Hand-Me-Ups
Vintage handbag-Thrift store in Western Massachusetts
Fragrance-Elizabeth Taylor Passion
I'm going to be selling from a stall this year, and I hope to do well enough that I don't need to screw around with selling online. I have far too much vintage I don't wear, and don't want for my collection. Obviously, I'd never part with this dress, but how many yellow polyester pantsuits does a woman need? This woman, anyway. We'll see how it goes. I'm hoping local vintage shoppers will respond to reasonably priced, good quality, washed and ready to be worn clothes. I know I would.
If I make a profit, I can spend it on more vintage (and perfume). Because I'm hopeless, and hopelessly out of cupboard space.
15 comments:
Well I am envious of your vast collection of perfumes, jewelry, & clothing! (In the best possible way.) I recall selling off my vast collections when I left the US, it was heartbreaking!
I love empire waists but they don't like my large bosom either, bleh!
I'm to the point where I need to replace or toss my 10+ yr old bottles of perfumes that I started collecting in 1989. Some have turned while others are practically empty. I'm amazed at how my tastes have changed from vanillic gourmands & very animalic orientals to white florals.
Those are the most gorgeous Daniel Greens I've ever seen! y mom always had a pair of gold mules made by Daniel Green. Funny how I've come to love metallic shoes & bags too, they used to be seriously 'granny.'
Good Heavens Goody, where do you keep all these clothes, jewels and perfumes? Jan
Oh! I just noticed your earrings have a Buddhist goddess on them! I'm not sure which goddess that is but I can tell by her single lotus position and crossed arms that she is in meditation pose. Om mani padme ommmmm!
No wonder that dress is a favourite, I love the fabric, too. Empire lines are my favourite (but my boobs aren't big)
Good luck with your selling adventures. I love selling vintage even more than I do collecting it, it's spreading the love! xxx
I still have the first item of vintage clothing I ever bought. It was a bit of a mistake and I've never even worn it, but I still cannot part with it. Silly, sentimental me. Love the slippers! Your perfume collection is really something, and so is the collection of necklace, which looks very much like mine. I only need a cute storage solution like yours ... xxx
Where do I begin!
Yes, a fabulous dress, lovely pattern, beautiful colours and it has ric rac trim! I love it with the black cardigan; it looks very sophisticated on you. The earrings are amazing; is that a Buddha? I don't think I've ever seen a Buddha on earrings before.
And as for your perfume collection - yes, you are obsessed, but what's the harm? I am amazed at how many bottles you have; I spent ages trying to see what ones I could recognise and I definitely spotted an Aqua Allegoria. Such a distinctive bottle. I share a smallish tray with OH for our collection of perfumes/after shaves and I thought I had rather a lot. I must take a photo and show you. Today I'm wearing Tuberose by Zara - £1.00 in my charity shop.
I have three of those necklace storage thingies plus 4 individual hooks that I hang necklaces on - all full - and still I buy more necklaces. Do you think we need help?
Good luck with your vintage stall; I expect things will get snapped up pretty quickly. Will you advertise in advance maybe on vintage lover websites?
xxx
I forgot to say how fab are those slippers - very elegant; I thought they were shoes at first....
I had such a cull of my necklaces when we moved and I still have a whole pinboard full of them, your collection makes me feel a bit better about that.
Oooh! I love the Buddhist earrings and that pretty multi-strand necklace. I hope your vintage selling exceeds your expectations. You may want to charge a bit more (so that you're adequately compensated for your time). I'll bet you'll have a slew of faithful followers coming to you're stall (I'd certainly be a regular!).
Happy thrifting ;)
Mum spoke sharply when she spotted me "window shopping" at a host's perfume tray or ring tree -- but when one is invited to view *wow*! I'd still be back in the bedroom, away from the party, sniffing and pawing.
Alas, I, too, have felt the pressure to cull the herds/hoards. The minis are parked within the confines of an ancient tray; the necklaces lurk on the wall behind the bedroom door, visible only when the door is shut; the bangles are sorted into two "fancy French" boxes. Shoes (I want those slippers!) now fit into one closet, simply because I've given away those with high heels.
Clearly, I need to go shopping. Where is this stall and will you be selling anything online?
@Bibi
I've only experienced a few perfumes turning, but when they did it ranged from smelling like nail polish remover to mothballs and cooking offal. No point hanging onto them unless you love the bottles. I have a pair of Daniel Green gold slides that are completely destroyed but I won't part with them-ever!
@Jan
I've laid claim to all the cupboard space in the house-the boys don't need it.
@Bibi
I love those earrings-perhaps whoever it is will look after me when I'm wearing them.
@Vix
I hope the love of vintage comes through in the way I sell it. Sometimes I visit a shop and it is clear the seller doesn't like the items and is just in it to make a buck-which is fine, but I don't like paying top dollar to buy filthy, wrinkled, damaged clothes. People think they can slap a label reading, "Vintage" on it and sit back waiting for money to coin itself. I don't buy from those shops. I'd buy from you though-in a microsecond.
@Ann
It can be hard to part with a cool piece, wearable or not. I like how you store your brooch collection-cutlery boxes seem very practical.
@Veronica
I like tuberose scents on other people-on me they get too suffocating. If you are looking for a good, inexpensive one Madonna's Truth or Dare is really great quality for a small sum of money.
Nah-we don't need help. We need more space:)
I'm hoping foot traffic will be enough, but a few fliers might not be a bad idea. The neighbourhood is youthful, and there are clusters of vintage, antique and thrift stores scattered about, so hopefully that will be a good fit.
@Miss Magpie
We had an unexpected move three years ago similar to yours, and I think part of my recovering from it has been re-building my collection. Obviously, I've surpassed that now and need to sell some clothes, but starting mostly fresh did lead to me perhaps buying more than I should have, even if it was all impossibly cheap (I can rationalise anything at .49 cents).
@Thrifty Parka
The local shops are all over the place price-wise. I suppose it will take a bit of time figuring out what I can get away with. There's profit, and then there's robbery ;)
@Beth
The back of my bedroom door has tiers of skirt hangers-aren't doors *the best*?
I'm hoping I won't need to set up an online shop. If I can't make the rent in a stall, then perhaps. I'm in such a good part of the country for buying vintage I sometimes forget that online I can reach people in places where the pieces are far less affordable. By the time you add on everyone's cut from the site, to Paypal, to shipping, etc. it gets to be expensive, and I'd need to charge much more to make it worth listing and selling on a site like Etsy or eBay. But never say never-I'm keeping an open mind these days.
Hello Goody, just a note to say how much I enjoy your posts- quirky, fun and always a good read. Never know what's next which is a very good thing! Thanks for sharing with people like me who read you each time you post, love what you share, but neglect to tell you. With warmest wishes for the year
@JP
Thank you That is such a kind, thoughtful thing to say. Happy New year to you as well.
Wow - that perfume collection is amazing. There's a knitting term, SABLE - stash aquisition beyond life expectancy. You've definitely achieve SABLE with the 'fumes. And why not? I'm toying with running my collection down and concentrating on a few favourites (I'm so back into Mitsouko right now; it was my first love and I just want to wear it all the time again), but as I'm planning to do that by using them up, not giving any away, they'll probably still last at least a decade.
That dress looks fab with that jacket.
@Mim
Mitsouko is a great perfume-it was my youthful fragrance as well. I'm going to order a bottle of the most recent reformulation in the EDP to see what it is like. I know the first reformulation was awful, but this one is supposed to be better. I'll let you know how it goes.
See? I'm plotting MORE purchases. I'm completely hopeless.
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