Fresh Vintage from the VFG - May 3rd - May 9th

Fresh Vintage from the VFG - May 3rd - May 9th

 A few fresh offerings from some of our VFG members this week.

1940s Deco Leaf Design Black Corde Purse from Marian's Vanities Clothing

50s Crinoline Vintage Pastel Rainbow Ombre Tiered Net Pink Blue Yellow at MagsRags

Striped cotton 1950s Halter Neck Sun Top at VivaVintageClothing

 

1970s Unworn Vintage Short Shorts Hot Pants at Bettes Bargains Vintage

60s Malihini Tangerine Orange Floral Shift Dress at JoulesVintage

If you would like to see more of our Fresh Vintage offerings this week, please just click on the following link..
More VFG Fresh Vintage this week

 

 

Fresh Vintage November 17 - 30 2011

This is a two week edition of Fresh Vintage, the weekly VFG forum thread where trade members post their best new listings, gathering highlights from multiple websites for savvy shoppers to enjoy. Let's get this party started!

First up, an amazing Edwardian tea gown from one of VFG's newest members, Noble Savage Vintage

Living Doll Vintage recently listed this pretty Swirl dress.

And look at this fabulous faux leopard 1960s envelope purse, new at Alley Cats

PastPerfect Vintage has this wonderful striped 50s Irene suit newly listed at her website

And a gorgeous 40s snakeskin bag, and it's purple! Fresh at The Spectrum

If you'd like to get a head start on next week's Fresh Vintage blog post, you can check out this week's thread HERE.

Fresh Vintage, The Catch Up Edition: Sept 15 - Oct 12 2011

That's catch up, not ketchup! Most of the delay was yours truly getting a bit under water. No excuses, just a fabulosity filled look at the last three week's worth of Fresh Vintage.

It's cashmere sweater weather, and this Dalton is a sweet one, offered by Bijou Vintage

Joules recently listed this cherry red 60s veleveteen coat by Marguerite Rubel.

This 50s cocktail dress is plus sized - check it out at Vintage Visage

Linn has some beautiful vintage jewelry listings newly posted at Linnscollection.com, including these emerald and peridot rhinestone eaarings by Juliana

The Merchants of Vintage recently listed several vintage designer goodies, including this 80s Kenzo skirt.

Another Time Antiques added this 50s suede narrow brimmed fedora to her shop, complete with its original box.

This spectacular Pucci evening dress is among the newest offerings at Viva Vintage.

A fabulous example of 1950s designer couture, this Pierre Balmain undergarment (can we say underwear as outerware?) can be found at Poppys Vintage

And The Spectrum recently added this adorable 1940s full skirt to her available wares.

That's it for now. To see all the new listings shown previewed over these past three weeks, head over to the Vintage Fashion Guild forums and go to the Sneal Previews section. Happy shopping!

Building a Vintage Wardrobe, One Piece at a Time

One of the wisest ways to build a flexible wardrobe is to take advantage of vintage clothing. Vintage garments bring everything to the fashion table: good design and  high quality construction at very attractive prices, and far better fabrics than those used in the vast majority of ready to wear. Plus there is the environmentally positive Reduce-Reuse-Recycle aspect of vintage fashion. 

The dictum that it is better to have A Few Really Good Things Than Many Cheap Ones is true. Not a modern belief, but a true one.

 

This grouping mixes a 1950s jacket from a local vintage shop, a 1950s silk blouse from auction lot, new black patent belt with silver buckle... 

For more:

Click here

*Fresh Vintage* August 4 - 10

We're back with a look at some of the highlights of last week's Fresh Vintage, the weekly VFG Forum thread where you can get an early look at the latest listings from VFG's trade members.

I'll start you off with some fierce vintage, the famous Scandal Swimsuit from Cole California, designed by Margit Fellegi in 1964. This is newly available at Glamoursurf

You can find these vibrant and playful embellished pumps at Miss Martys

And The Spectrum has listed several fabulous full circle embellished Mexican skirts, including this black velvet one.

For more of last week's Fresh Vintage, click the title of this blog post. If you'd like to see what's Fresh this week, beofre it gets to the blog, head over to the Current Fresh Thread. There's mid-century eyeglass frames, Italian leather boots, feathered hats and much more!

Fresh Vintage July 21 to August 3

This is a two week edition of **Fresh Vintage**, the weekly VFG forum "Sneak Preview" thread where vintage fashion lovers gather to enjoy a look at the latest offerings from a variety of VFG's trade members.

Let's start with a fabulous 40s Lilly Dache assymetrical fedora, offered by Alley Cats

Vintage Baubles recently listed this cute 60s mod dress by Toni Todd

If you're after a 40s pinup look, you'll want to check out this red hot 1940s swimsuit, available from Miss Proper

Boncly listed this fabulous pin and earrings set by Matisse less than two weeks ago and a savvy buyer has already snapped them up - it clearly pays to drop by the Fresh thread as it's ongoing every week! Ah well, we cam still admire them here.

When brides start their search for a vintage wedding gown, a dress like this is often their Holy Grail: 1950s, strapless, petal bust, dramatic ballgown skirt.  It exists and it was recently listed at Mags Rags

And I'm going to close this post with another amazing 40s fedora, this one by Borsalino and listed at Rue de la Paix

That's all for today, here on the blog at least. If you'd like to get a head start on next week's post, come on over the the VFG forum to check out all the new goodies in this week's thread.

Fresh Vintage Mega Mid Summer Edition June 30 - July 20

Sorry, VFG blog followers - I have been remiss with getting the Freshest vintage to you, with three weeks since my last post. I'll be covering highlights of three of the weekly Fresh threads, so enjoy!!

First up, an amazing find from Viva Vintage, a Helena Bond Caruthers cashmere cardigan with Asian inspired embroidery.

Continuing on the Asian theme, Miss Proper recently listed this 50s novelty print skirt

For the polkadot lovers, Some Like It Vintage is offering this cute 60s mod dress

Color and prints are all over the current runways - a vintage fashionista will be completely but uniquely on trend in this Paganne Aztec inspired print maxidress, new at Poppy's Vintage

Joules Vintage recently listed these elegant 70s alligator monkstrap shoes by Florsheim - they'll fit a small man's or a large woman's foot.

At Past Perfect, you'll find this lovely circa 1900 celluloid Edwardian sidecomb.

Vivian Belle recently acquired several New Old Stock 1950s strapless rockabilly tops, including this sweet plaid top from Koret of California

Another Time Vintage has these 70s platform sandals newly listed at Bette's Bargains

And, finally, a 1930s tilt hat with ostrich plume, at The Vintage Merchant

I'll be back next week with a smaller one week edition of Fresh Vintage. Til then....

Fresh Vintage June 23 - 29 2011

We're back with another edition of great Fresh Vintage, an overview of new listings from VFG trade members. This post features summer dresses, but there's lots more Fresh to see - to check out all this week's offerings, go directly to the forum thread by clicking through on the title of this post.

You'll knock 'em dead this summer in this amazing Kamehameha convertible halter sundress at Viva Vintage Clothing



This adorable 50s full skirt linen dress, newly available from Vintage Baubles  is actually a two piece outfit - it comes with a matching bolero!

And if you're a lover of novelty prints, you'll want to take a look at this cutie, a 40s long peasant style dress offered by The Spectrum

A Few Of My Favorite Things

Here are a few of my favorites from fellow VFG members.....enjoy!

50s Vintage Black & White Houndstooth Jacket w/ Many Buttons, Red Lining and Linen Collar S from denisebrain

1950s Black I. Miller Leather Sandals SZ 7 from pastperfectvintage Vintage Early 40s Rayon Floral Bouquet Dress Small from specialsomethings

Fresh Vintage May 26 - June 1 2011

It was another excellent week for Fresh Vintage, the weekly VFG forum thread where trade members show off their newest listings.

Miss Proper added this adorable floral print summer dress to the 60s category of her online shop.

This gorgeous New Old Stock strapless white tulle dress was auctioned on eBay by GailDavid. Perfect for a wedding or prom!

And DeniseBrain recently listed this sweet 1930s day dress.

There are always fun things to look at and discuss on the VFG forums, including the current week's Fresh thread. Come check it out!

Irene Saltern, Unsung Pioneer of California Design

I'm guessing most readers here have never heard of California apparel designer Irene Saltern. Which is, and you'll agree once you know more about her, very surprising, considering she is widely credited as a pioneer of the California sportswear industry. Other designers who were her contemporaries are more well known, but Ms. Saltern's influence cannot be denied.

Her story is incredibly interesting; she was a true Renaissance woman. She was born Irene Stern in 1911, in Germany. A multi-talented individual, she worked for a short time as a radio journalist. Among her neighbors while she was still living in Germany was Albert Einstein, who taught her to sail. Instilled with a lifelong love of sailing, many of her designs were nautical themed. She took fashion classes in Berlin, and when she moved to California with husband Harry Salinger in the late 30s, she became a costume designer for the movies. In the 40s, she was in charge of actress's wardrobes at Samuel Goldwyn Pictures, and was a contemporary of Gilbert Adrian, who was at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The Sept. 14, 1995, issue of the LA Times quotes her as saying, "If [Gilbert] Adrian was the king of designers, I was one of the princesses." She did the costumes for nearly 40 Hollywood films, including The Call of the Yukon and The Howards of Virginia. She was the favorite designer of dancer Ann Miller and actress Martha Scott. In the late 40s, Ms. Salinger started designing commercially as "Irene Saltern," and became head designer for Tabak of California, one of the powerhouses of the "California Sportswear Revolution." The influence of Irene Saltern and Lou Tabak on the burgeoning industry was profound. Ms. Saltern designed lines of separates and coordinates--jackets, skirts, cigarette slacks, shorts, tops--that were sold with hangtags proclaiming they were "a Tabak Tie-in." She also designed classic dresses and suits, with lines that flattered the female figure. Her designs can be worn today and present as stylishly as they did decades ago. And the fabrics she used, particularly her wools and silks, and the workmanship are exquisite.

In addition to working for Tabak, she briefly headed up her own firm, Irene Saltern of California, and worked for other design houses, including Phil Rose and Lanz of California, from which she retired in 1978. In the 60s, she was noted for starting the trend of those big hardware-inspired chunky belts, after a visit to the hardware store! And, after a trip to India, she started creating Indian-inspired designs, which, of course, were huge in the 1960s and 1970s. Ms. Saltern passed away in 2005 at the age of 94. Her sketches are preserved at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and both her apparel and sketches are featured in the collections of the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Los Angeles County Museum. The Reflections of Vintage team pays tribute this week to this unsung pioneer and to the amazing California designers who came after her.

Saltern of California Full-Skirt Butterfly Dress, sold by Vintage Baubles:

Cute Vintage 1960s Pink Wool Knit 3 Piece Outfit Tabak B34 W25 from After Dark Vintage:

Vintage 80s Does 40s California Designer Karen Alexander Tropical Caribbean Vacation Novelty Print Sunshine Yellow Day Shirt Dress - Size XS to S, from Catseye Vintage:

Vintage 50s 60s Tabak of California Mad Men Blue Wool Pencil Skirt Suit, XS Sm, from Vintage Baubles Too:

Vintage 80s Does 40s California Designer Foxy Lady Nautical Black and White Day Shirt Dress - Size XS, from Catseye Vintage:

Vintage Taupe Silk Tabak Blouse Sz 10 B38 from After Dark Vintage: