Meet Our Advertisers #13: Cherie of Shrimpton Couture

how long have you been in business?
Shrimptoncouture.com has been on-line for about 2 years now! But I have been collecting for years and years before that!

what motivated you to go into the vintage business?
Honestly, I am a collector first and foremost so the business was always about being able to pare down my collection and at the same time justify buying MORE! I am really great at justifying purchases of vintage!

I have always been a clothes-crazy girl and I have always been a label and quality snob and quite frankly vintage enabled me to buy the quality I wanted to wear in clothes at a price I could afford it at, early on. I also quickly learned the appeal of being the girl who "had the only one of its kind." As the years progressed I relentlessly "upgraded" my collection. I would buy better vintage and distribute the old to my girlfriends. Eventually the prices I paid for what I had got a bit out of control and so I started selling off my collection. But only to be able to buy more. It was the concept of $1 in - and about $10 out.

I made friends with a few key "pickers" (these are people in the business who source vintage - they "pick" through to find the good stuff) and made deals with them to buy the cream of the crop for a little more than what dealers or store owners would pay them - they loved me for that. I also discovered online shopping but was often disappointed with what arrived. It seemed so hit and miss. As my personal income rose so did my budget for buying vintage and I was able to start shopping current labels as well. This just made me pickier and pickier. I started buying from more established sites online and at some point a light bulb went off and I thought -- I can do this better. That's how the website was born.

what did you do before this?
I have been in sales & marketing at some capacity or another for my entire career. I am actually a Vice President and part owner of a company in the commodities industry! So I work a LOT - and I work every day!

where are you based?
Just outside of Toronto on a large property where we are slowly renovating a big, old house. This year we are adding a proper studio for my collection & archives, so clients will be able to come in and shop with me by appointment!


what's the most beautiful thing you've ever found?
I am so lucky to have come across some pretty amazing things but one of my favorites at the moment is a 1930s silk floral gown. The fabric is constructed so it has rows of "frayed" ruffles - but they are really the edges of the fabric. You might know how to describe this better then me actually, being the fabric queen of the internet! The whole gown is shot through with gold lame threading and it is awe inspiring to see in person. The seams are so well done you have to look from the back to see them! Its pricey but its worth every penny - it's the equivalent to a couture piece really - so not so expensive of you think of it that way. It looks like it should have a label in it crediting it as a Chanel piece doesn't it? Its just an truly incredible textile!







You do have to realize though that my favorite/most beautiful thing found changes almost every week ...

what do you have in stock that you can't believe hasn't sold?
Since I am biased and think every piece is amazing, I am always in awe that stuff does not get snatched up right away of course, but honestly, I think its the great little black dresses that run through the site. Every girl should have one (or more) in her closet but its so hard to get the look and feel of a garment on-line I guess and black is the toughest to portray. I am also a little sad sometime to see the terrific little day dresses sit. People tend to think of vintage as special occasion wear, but shouldn't every day you are healthy and happy be a special occasion? Don't wait for occasions to wear vintage girls, wear it because it makes you feel special THAT day!

what do you dream about finding?
So many things - the greats of course, a Vionnet gown or a Fortuny piece; a runway Dior piece from the 50s; a closet full of Thea Porters ... sigh.

Honestly I just want to find a dozen mad collectors who have rooms and rooms of pristine, fabulous priceless vintage who all, for some unknown reason, decide I MUST be the girl to own it all! I told you I was clothes crazy!

I am am not completely greedy though - anything that did not fit or was the wrong color would promptly go onto Shrimpton Couture!

what do you enjoy most about working with vintage?
The quality, the wit, the workmanship, the fabrics, the strong emotion a great design can create from nothing, how it feels when you slide on a dress from 40 years ago and it whispers to you in the voices of its past owners. The privilege of meeting women who owned and wore the pieces originally, and having them share their memories with me of that dress and that time in their lives when they had nothing but hope.

what do you wish someone would ask you about your site?
"Where do you see your site going and do you offer additional services?"
To which I would reply, that I hope to make it better and better! That it continues to showcase some of the best vintage out there, in fabulous condition and wrapped up in great client service! We also do personal shopping for clients looking for special pieces, or designers, celebrities or stylists that need more privacy - this is all done through custom built password protected pages on the site! And there is a lightbox icon on the site you can use to catalogue and save your favorite pieces. And above and beyond all of that, soon, as I mentioned above, you will be able to shop by appointment directly with me!

it's a good day at work when ...
I get an email from a girl who got her dress and she loves it! That is honestly the best part

the blogs I read (other than ADAD are ...)
Wendy Brandes' Blog, Style.com, Bagsnob, Couture Snob, Vintage-A-Peel, Zuburbia, do we have room for the other 200 or so?

you'd laugh if you knew this about me:
That I was an absolute, total geek in high school. Thick glasses, skinny as a rail, nose in a book, bad style, geek. And that under certain circumstances, despite being able to put together a pretty damn good outfit these days, my inside me can still feel quite overwhelmed by it all and resort back to awkward, shy geekiness.

Cherie is also running a contest for a $300 shopping spree on her site ... today is the last day to enter!

Meet Our Advertisers #12: Lisa of Miss Helene's

how long have you been in business? Since 1999, but I didn't start
selling patterns till 2000. I moved off eBay to Main Street Mall
Online's pattern mall three years ago, and I recently bought the
Vintage Fashion Library site, as well. Yeah, I'm not one to tolerate
not having anything to do!

what motivated you to go into the vintage patterns business? I was
looking for an interesting way to make some extra money on eBay. I
needed something that would be easy to hide from my rather OCD
husband, who hates clutter, so I started selling patterns, which were,
I figured, easy to hide in a closet. That was 17,000 patterns ago.
Hubby has now given up hope of having a room that is patternless.

what did you do before this? My "real" job is as a phone triage
nurse, taking phone calls from people who have medical questions.
It's pretty amusing, most days.

where are you based? Indianapolis. We live about 8 blocks from the
hospital where my husband was born, in the neighborhood he dreamed of
living in when he was a kid. Do I have a chance of moving? Never. I
did, however, grow up moving all the time, and had moved 12 times by
the age of 16. I like having roots now.

More fun questions:

what's the weirdest/best/craziest/most beautiful thing you've ever
found? Most beautiful and best would
have to be my new favorite vintage pattern catalog (I collect). It's
a 1954 Spadea, full of Ceil Chapman, Tina Leser, Clare McCardell, Jo
Copeland, and more. I'll sell it after I get it catalogued -- MAYBE.

Coolest would have to be the faux-lero pattern, which I'm still
waiting on Janet to sew, so I can see it (hint hint), another would
be a 1932 Vogue Pattern Book, that has a handwritten note next to one
dress, saying that she's wearing that dress on election night, "to the
Democratic candidate, Roosevelt's, house, on election night." Too
cool.

Craziest would probably be a vintage obstetrical corset, from the 40s.
I can't imagine strapping in a pregnant belly, but it came with
instructions on how to adjust it every month, as the belly grew. Oye.

what do you have in stock that you can't believe hasn't sold? The
Schiaparelli and Adrian patterns I have. But oh, they'd have to be
listed, right? Of my listed ones, I'd love to see the daring person
who snaps up this one!

what do you dream about finding? Pictorial Review catalogs from
the 1920s, with my grandmother's name in them. She was the original
Miss Helene, and was an editor for Pictorial Review.

what do you enjoy most about working with vintage patterns? I just love looking at them. It reminds me of years past, when ladies dressed like ladies, but it's also such a piece of history, watching the trends in styles, sizes, etc. I just love patterns, period.

what do you wish someone would ask you about your site? Not so much a question, but I like input as to what people like to see on the site. Probably my favorite thing is when people ask me "can you find XXX pattern for me because......" It's like a treasure hunt, and I have a pretty good success rate, even if they don't know the pattern number. And I just added credit card capability to the VFL, so now people don't have to just use PayPal, they can use plastic!

it's a good day at work when ...
I find a bunch of 30s patterns, or some Vogue Pattern books. Of course, no listing gets done, but I sure do enjoy looking at them.

if I ran the internet for a day I'd ... get rid of spam.

the blogs I read (other than ADAD are ...) The Girl Can't Help It
(hilarious!), The Vintage Traveler (such a nice read), The Vintage Goddess/Damn Good Vintage, and Zuburbia.


you'd laugh if you knew this about me ... I don't sew. I passed
home ec because I could cook. My sewing skills are rather limited,
but it's on my list of things to master before I die. God knows I
have enough patterns to choose from!


Oh, and a couple of other advertiser things to let you know about:

Sheila of Out of the Ashes decided to go camping this weekend and so she's having a special "gone camping" sale until Sunday, offering 15% off. Use coupon code GLAMIS!

Penny is renovating the Antique Dollhouse of Patterns, so her site will be down until December. Look for a big sale when she comes back, and you can still email her with pattern requests!

Meet Our Advertisers #11: Tina of What-I-Found Vintage

How long have you been in business?
The facts: My name is Tina Sutherland, I'm a 52 year old former RN, current grandmother and married to a lucky guy. ;-) I own What-I-Found - Sewing Patterns. (I'm one of the several pattern sellers at Main Street Mall Online.) I have been selling patterns for about three years, selling online for 10 years.

What motivated you to go into the vintage business? I live in an RV traveling full time for my husband's work. He does safety inspections on amusement rides so we go from big cities to tiny towns and I shop everywhere, all over the country. I owned an antique shop in Seattle and sold things online from there, but when we hit the road I needed to sell something small and unbreakable. Patterns work out perfectly, I think they are fascinating and they move with us (all 3,500 plus).

What's the weirdest/best/craziest/most beautiful thing you've ever found? The best thing I have found is a letter and I have a dress with iron on details (warning! FAKE POCKETS! —Ed.) that hasn't sold (but I admit I'll be sad when it goes!).

What do you dream about finding? I dream about finding boxes of uncut 1920-30's patterns. Oh, and they would be in wonderful condition!

What do you enjoy most about working with sewing patterns? Since we move so often it's not practical for me to take a "real" job, so working with the patterns lets me be flexible. I can list a ton or take a day off as needed. So long as I have internet I'm a happy gal.

What do you wish someone would ask you about your site? I do wish folks understood that these are pieces of history ... a sixties pattern is nearly 50 years old ... it's sort of amazing that something made of tissue paper is here and intact.

It's a good day at work when ... A good day is when somebody discovers the long lost pattern they have been looking for. They are so happy and send such nice notes. A bride finding her exact dress is exciting too. Even when it's a fauxlero dress!

If I ran the internet for a day I'd ... If I ran the internet for a day I'd issue everyone a sixteen year old to stand by as tech support.

The blogs I read (other than ADAD are ...) Of course A Dress A Day! Then Lisa, AKA Miss Helene writes Random Acts of Vintage and I'd add Fabulon ... it's a treat!

You'd laugh if you knew this about me ... You'd laugh to see me wearing my pink hardhat hauling steel. Sometimes we move rides and since I have no real tool skills I get the scut jobs ... but I can outwork those young whippersnappers.

Blog Action Day: Poverty

Oh, hey, folks: it's Blog Action Day. And I was resolved not to miss it this year, and what did I post about this morning? Shoes. sigh

This year's Blog Action Day topic is "poverty" -- and usually, when we think of poverty, we've been conditioned to think poverty is a problem Someplace Else, someplace far away, where we see news reports of barefoot children and people lined up with begging bowls.

But, of course, people are poor everywhere (some people in our own neighborhoods are poorer today than they've ever been). And so one of my favorite charities has always been the Greater Chicago Food Depository. It's hard to be hungry -- and harder still to be hungry in a country where there's fast food on every block, sugary drinks advertised on every billboard, and where an apple can cost more than a hamburger.

If you want to help your neighbors get enough to eat, please do consider making a donation to your local food bank or food pantry.

And (on a lighter note) if you want to help one of our vintage-pattern neighbors ...




Rita at Cemetarian is updating her site, and wants to know what you think of the recent changes. If you make a useful suggestion, she'll offer you a 20% off coupon! And then you can send your savings to the food bank, and everyone's happy!

Meet Our Advertisers #10: Holly of Freudian Slips Vintage

how long have you been in business?
2 years sourcing vintage for private/design clients, then www.freudianslipsvintage.com launched in Autumn 2007.

what motivated you to go into the vintage clothing business?
My previous life as a commercial fashion designer was becoming all about designing to fit into increasingly tight cost margins, and was no longer about creating beautiful things, setting up a vintage business enabled me to continue to be creative whilst working with beautiful clothes, and no sweatshops either!

what did you do before this?
I worked as a freelance fashion designer, designing womenswear for companies including Marks and Spencer and Laura Ashley

where are you based?
London, UK

More fun questions:
what's the weirdest/best/craziest/most beautiful thing you've ever found?
The most beautiful dress I've found recently, as I think it's so red carpet worthy and the colour is so unusual is this vintage 1940's Roecliffe and Chapman yellow draped gown and I also love this gold 1930's jacket, as it has huge crazy furnishing style tassels and the fabric is incredible!!

what do you have in stock that you can't believe hasn't sold?
This gorgeous black Frank Starr crepe goddess gown with bakelite belt, it's searching for a tiny waisted owner!

what do you dream about finding?
I got engaged In May so the hunt is now officially on for the perfect vintage wedding dress for me (selfish I know!!) I have an art deco engagement ring, so now need the dress to match!

what do you enjoy most about working with vintage?
The thrill of the hunt! that constant feeling that the most amazing vintage 1940's floral silk dress is just lurking, waiting for you to find it, at the bottom of the next box stuffed full of 70's scratchy polyester delights ...

what do you wish someone would ask you about your site?
Can I purchase all of your most fabulous and expensive items straight away for the wardrobe of a huge Hollywood movie set in the 1940's etc. ...

it's a good day at work when ...
I get an email from a customer telling me they love their new dress, or I find a huge stash of mint condition, gorgeous new stock.

if I ran the internet for a day I'd ...
Somehow eradicate all the spammers, just so I never get one more email offering me inappropriate pharmaceuticals or telling me I'm being offered the deal of a lifetime by a Russian oil magnate ...

the blogs I read (other than ADAD are ...)
zuburbia, go fug yourself, the Vintage Fashion Guild blog and tons of other vintage fashion sellers' blogs when I have time

you'd laugh if you knew this about me ...
I still ride my immaculate 1980's (bought as a teenager) push bike with Duran Duran style logos and orange neon paintwork, as I don't see the point of buying a new one, much to Mr Freudian Slips' amusement ...

Meet Our Advertisers #9: Elisa of Mad Fashionista's Plus Size Boutique

how long have you been in business?

I have been an Ebay seller since 2002, running Elisa’s Bodacious House of Style, and started selling on Specialist Auctions on 2007. My store there is the Mad Fashionista's Plus Size Boutique. SA is a far more humane environment than Ebay, that’s for sure, although I still sell on the Evil Empire. The emphasis at the Bodacious House of Style is on contemporary clothing, although I sell vintage there as well. Mad Fashionista’s Vintage and Modern is an outgrowth of my blog, “Diary of A Mad Fashionista". My fabulously glam alter-ego needed an equally fabulous vintage store!

What motivated you to go into the plus size vintage clothing business?

Being a large-sized woman and having a terrible time finding the kind of vintage clothing I like to wear. I love bombshell 40s and 50s things, lots of cleavage; I’ve been (pardon the pun) heavily influenced by old movies. I decided there had to be a market out there for women like me, and I was right! Also men who want to look like women like me. (The Internet is a wonderful thing.) I also sell other vintage from other decades, up through the 80s. Whenever I find something I like, I grab it. Being large has other advantages; I can body-block other buyers at estate sales!

What did you do before this?

For years, I was one of those show biz people who had “other jobs” (i.e. temp work). Then I became disabled in 1999 and needed to work out of my home. I became an abridger of audiobooks, mostly. Audiobooks are those books on CD that you listen to in your car. I would take the original manuscript, which would be, say, 154,000 words, and cut it down to 56,000 words for six hours of listening pleasure. I used to refer to myself as “The Book Butcher.” But the audiobook business stopped using freelancers. I’m also a professional writer, have published two novels, and am a professional actress. I refuse to let my disability get in the way of making an exhibition out of myself!


Where are you based?

Big Bad New York City, along with my CEO, Bucky the Wonderdog, and my husband, who thinks I sell “old clothes.”

More fun questions:

What's the weirdest/best/craziest/most beautiful thing you've ever
found?

A 1940s navy crepe halter dress that fit like a glove. The bosom was navy floral lace over nude ‘soufflé’ and incredibly low-cut, and the back had a butt swag! Best of all, it had a bolero jacket that you could button over the dress and it looked like a one-piece. That was one of the sexiest dresses I have ever owned. I have no idea what happened to it, however I do recall one New Year's Eve when the men present played a game that involved throwing peanuts into my decolletage. This is not the place to reveal what the winner received.


What do you have in stock that you can't believe hasn't sold?

Just about everything in my store, The Mad Fashionista’s Vintage and Modern. Sometimes I think Specialist Auctions is a “buried treasure.” However, I’ve been very surprised that this beauty hasn’t sold. It is a two piece cotton jacket dress with gorgeous embroidery and beading, in great condition.


What do you dream about finding?

Where to start? A huge rack of plus-size 1950s shelf-bust evening gowns with full skirts in near mint condition! An Adrian gown or suit, even if it was a small size; a real Dior, ditto; an armoire of plus-size fur coats. For myself, I want a 1940s black silk evening gown and a mink coat like the one Bette Davis wore in ‘All About Eve’.

What do you enjoy most about working with vintage?

I love turning the clothes inside out and looking at the construction. I don’t sew, so you might say I’m a seamstress wannabe or a vintage voyeur. But nothing amazes me more than the inner construction of a really beautiful dress. I had a Paul Parnes two-piece blue dress that was a masterpiece.

What is your dearest wish about your site?

That it's discovered and I sell everything on it in less than a week, and have an excuse to shop some more!


It’s a good day at work when ...

Somebody buys something.

If I ran the internet for a day I’d ...

Abolish Ebay and send all of the Ebay sellers their fees for the last two years.

The blogs I read (other than ADAD are ...)
Always Playing Dress-Up
Fat Chic
Project Rungay (the funniest thing on the web!)


You’d laugh if you knew this about me ...

I was one of the first women to do male drag professionally, in the late 1980s; now they are referred to as “drag kings,” like drag queens, but with the obvious difference! I think I’m still the only heterosexual drag king.

For some reason I thought today was Thursday. I love the mirror pictures! You should look at my "About Me" page on Ebay ... I added a picture of myself with "I CAN'T SEW!" across the top. I first made it for a sale I had of damaged items a year or two ago.

Also, Elisa will have a booth at the MANHATTAN VINTAGE SHOW!
The Mad Fashionista's Plus Size Boutique
The ONLY Plus-Size Vintage Booth at the Entire Show, of over 85 dealers!
Booth #17
Metropolitan Pavilion
125 West 18th Street, between 6 & 7 Avenues, New York City
Friday October 10 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Saturday October 11:00 am to 6:00 pm
Admission $20.00

Mark your calendars, she'll have an amazing selection of plus-sized vintage, including coats, furs, suits, evening gowns, and day dresses! Not to mention fine and costume jewelry, vintage designer handbags, and hats!

[Mirror photos -- actually, I figured out how to use the timer! -- will return tomorrow, or maybe later today. I forgot to take a picture on Wednesday but there was a photographer at the conference where I was talking, so maybe I can get one of those lovely pictures where I'm making a funny grimace as I'm trying to make a joke. We can only hope.]

Meet Our Advertisers #8: eVintage Society

Dress from Past Perfect Vintage, a member of the eVintage Society.

What is The eVintage Society?
eVintage was founded in 2006 as a on-line community in the form of a sellers collective.
By collaborating on informational projects we create bonds of partnership within our member community, helping each other to foster each of our own unique on-line vintage businesses. We continue to grow and build vintage fashion resources for everyone to enjoy. We want to not only bridge the community between sellers, but between buyers and sellers too.

Why do people join eVintage?
The opportunities at eVintage for exposure really are only limited to each member's imagination! We have so many ways to promote and participate our members and each of us contributes in some way: whether it's through style sites, blogging, research, newsletters, advertising and special promotions, eVintage wants small vintage sellers to succeed.


How can people join eVintage?
eVintage has an application page here. To apply for membership please email us at: info at evintagesociety dot com.

What does eVintage do for buyers?
eVintage offers a wealth of knowledge and resources for the buyer. We have designer bios, a vintage resource library, and we offer a streamlined portal with a great selection of sellers all in one place. We also have interactive communities on MySpace, Facebook and Squidoo. We have multiple blogs as a collective such as eVintage Village, Vintage or Bust, and eBetty DIY as well as individual sellers' blogs. Buyers can access all this info and links from our homepage at www.evintagesociety.com.

And a few more pieces of eVintage Society eye candy wouldn't hurt, would it?

Meet Our Advertisers #7: Specialist Auctions

How long have you been in business?
Specialist Auctions Vintage section opened in June of 2006 but the site itself opened late in 2005.

What motivated you to go into the vintage and pattern auction business? We had a request from Margaret Bolger of Artizania to open a vintage and antique clothing section. In December of 2006 our current moderator, Margaret Leyden, joined us as a seller and co-moderator of the Vintage and Antique Clothing Section and is the moderator at this time and a member of the Vintage Fashion Guild.

Where are you based? Specialist Auctions is based in the UK but we are truly an international site with more than 50% of our sellers based in the U.S. We have vintage clothing, vintage textiles and vintage pattern sellers from Lapland, the UK, Peru and the US.

what's the weirdest/best/craziest/most beautiful thing you've ever found?
There are so many beautiful things at Specialist Auctions Vintage it would be a sin to pick just one so I'll give you four:
this zebra hostess gown from Wyoming Vintage
this 1936 home sewing magazine from Memories Past
this champagne satin party dress from Alley Cats Vintage
this popover duster dress pattern from Henrietta's Pearl Button
and, from our newest vintage pattern store, this adorable vintage jacket pattern from RetroMonde Vintage Patterns


What do you wish someone would ask you about your site?
How did we have the nerve to set the site up in the first place ?

It's a good day at work when ...
We have new sellers come on board and watch them have success with selling their items. It's also great to see buyers come on board and be pleased with their purchases and the service they receive.

The pattern at the top of this post is also from RetroMonde ...

If this wasn't enough Specialist Auction Action for you, check out Marge's blog, where she's been profiling SA sellers all week, in slideshows.

Meet Our Advertisers #6: Anna at BootyVintage

Today we talk with Anna at BootyVintage ...

How long have you been in business?

I started selling vintage sewing patterns, vintage clothing, and doing custom costuming in the 90's. I think I sold my first item on ebay (a silk turn of the century day dress) in 1997. I used a 60 Mb pink plastic Barbie digital camera to take the photos and a dial up modem connection to upload. Thankfully my equipment is a little more sophisticated now.


What motivated you to go into the vintage business?

There are only so many clothes I can wear at one time, and I wanted to share what I found but didn't fit. I'm less interested in collecting than in creating and wearing.

What did you do before this?

In addition to my vintage business, I have always had a day job in software engineering in the Silicon Valley. I also play French horn in a community orchestra.

Where are you based?

I live on the San Francisco Peninsula in California.

What's the weirdest/best/craziest/most beautiful thing you've ever found?

Several years ago I found 10 pair of Levi's big E jeans (super collectible, especially in Japan) at a $1.00/bag Rotary rummage sale. I felt like I was on Antiques Road Show! Another great find was a complete set of 1930's Shirley Temple doll clothes patterns I discovered hidden inside a manila envelope for another doll pattern. Once I found a real Hermés scarf at an Idaho thrift shop for $5.99. And then there are the other six thousand hours of digging through estate sales and flea markets to find nothing. C'est la vie!

What do you have in stock that you can't believe hasn't sold?

I think this pattern rocks, including the artwork, but it hasn't found its destined owner yet.

What do you dream about finding?

Someday there will be a big bold Lanvin necklace just waiting for me in a junk jewelry pile....

What do you enjoy most about working with vintage patterns?

I am crazy about the artwork on the envelopes. (I even like the way the early envelopes feel!) I love scanning and making thumbnails for Etsy. And of course I love sewing up items too. I just finished a 50's floor length summer bathrobe with a full skirt and fitted bodice. I feel so glamorous now that I am out of my shapeless winter fleece.

What do you wish someone would ask you about your site?

I'm always interested to know what people are hungry for. Is it wrap skirts or more shirtdresses, or ... ?

It's a good day at work when ...

I get off early from my day job and have time to sew before dinner.

The blogs I read (other than ADAD) are ...


The Sartorialist
A Year in Exile
My Favorite Intermissions
Belle Dia

You'd laugh if you knew this about me ...

I have never gotten a zipper in correctly on the first try in my life. Not once.

Oh, and in other news, it was frequent-commenter Eirlys's birthday yesterday, and her husband gave her a PRESERVING PAN. Which is all well and good (and I would, in fact, like to own one myself, not that I do any canning or preserving, it just seems like a fun thing to have in reserve against the coming apocalypse) but it's not very birthdayish. So in order to cheer her up a bit (and if you're on Facebook) I highly recommend joining The International Sewing Conspiracy.

Pick-a-Pocket, Any Pocket

Jim sent me this old fabric ad -- and can we just all agree that it's awesome? Leaving aside the weird fringe trim? And possibly the color beige?

I am thinking I really need one of these multipocket skirts -- especially the "hopscotch" version. I would like to make all the pockets close with contrasting bright plastic zippers (for just a tinch more security and a bit of extra wtf? sauce).

My favorite part of these old ads are the guarantees. This one states "GUARANTEE: 'If any article made principally of an Indian Head brand cotton fails to give proper service because of the fading or running of Indian Head colors, or if the fabric shrinks more than 1%, we will make good the total cost of the article.' Make sure the name INDIAN HEAD is on the selvage or hang tag."

I can't believe, though, that Indian Head cotton comes in 39 colors and BEIGE is the one they decided to feature. Beige. You know how they say the opposite of love is indifference? The opposite of color is not colorlessness, it's beige. I mean, I AM largely beige and I hate that color.

I should apologize for the spottiness of the "A Day" part of "Dress A Day" lately -- lots of travel. (I'm typing this at 6 a.m. in an airport departure lounge, actually ...) I'm on my way to Tokyo and Sapporo! Expect more Japanese fabric pictures and the concomitant Japanese fabric BUYING.

Meet Our Advertisers #5: Holly at Lucite Box Vintage

Today's advertiser: Holly of Lucite Box Vintage!

How long have you been in business?

I've been on the internet since 2001. I began selling part-time on eBay. I left a job about a year later to work with vintage full-time and started my site, lucitebox.com. We just gave it a face-lift a couple of weeks ago and I'm really enjoying working on the new site. It's amazing what a new look can do for a gal!

What motivated you to go into the vintage business?

I had just quit a corporate sales management job. While sitting on my friend's porch one afternoon after a long season of temp jobs at area banks, I was bemoaning the boredom of working in the private sector. I cleared trades at the bank.

My friend (who I call The Determinator because her tenacity and determination usually gets big results) gave me a kick in the pants when she asked me,
"Holly, man...what are you doing?! What are you gonna do?"

I wasn't sure what she was getting at, so I told her that I had saved some money and was thinking of traveling for awhile before I figured out how to re-enter the work force. I said, "I think I'm going to travel to Morocco. Wanna come with me?" True to Determinator form, she said "No. I mean what are you going to do with your life now? You seem totally bored and I'm getting sick of hearing about your temp job at the bank."

I said, "Well...I suppose you're right. I might open a vintage store. I've been thinking about it for a long time, you know."

That conversation got the ball rolling for me. I started selling on eBay a few months later and just as expected, the Determinator was right there helping me brand my company and cheering me on all the way!

What did you do before this?
I was the national sales manager for a small-ish start-up company that grossed about 5 million the year I left. Then, I went into a tailspin with a series of seemingly dead-end temp jobs.

Where are you based?
Chicago.

More fun questions:

What's the weirdest/best/craziest/most beautiful thing you've ever
found?
These things rank right-up there for me...
1) Howard Greer 50s Dress that's cut down to THERE!:


2) Irene Lentz 50s Evening Jacket

3) A trio of amazing 30s gowns


What do you have in stock that you can't believe hasn't sold?

Well, I have racks of things that I haven't offered yet. There have been a few items I've listed on eBay didn't sell and they still mystify me. Why, oh why doesn't anyone understand this wacky novelty jacket?

If you ask me, this novelty print jacket and dress duo is a winner and it will surprise me if someone doesn't want to snap this up quickly. Check out the print--don't you just love the lady in the shopping cart?!


What do you dream about finding?

I deal a lot in what I'd call wearable, everyday fashions that are usually quite affordable. My vintage dreams (and they do actually wake me with a start) are about finding an estate where the woman was my size, had good taste in clothes, and maintained her wardrobe well. You can't imagine how many times I have found the ultimate 50s sun dress with a fabulous novelty print--in my size--only to wake and find I'm in bed and there's no sun dress!

My wildest daydreamy kinds of fantasies always involve something I'm almost certain I won't find. My holy grails are vintage Adrian, Yves St. Laurent's Mondrian dress, a heavily embellished Nudie suit, and maybe a Charles James or a Fortuny just because I figure that if you're gonna dream, you might as well dream big.

What do you enjoy most about working with vintage?

It's very pleasurable to research the history of fashion. It's most exciting to share my passion for history with someone else. When something that I sell lands in the hands of a person who'll treasure it (and probably even wear it), I'm always very pleased.

You know, you start to feel like you're somehow an ambassador for these old things. I've always been attracted to that idea of merely being a host or a steward of vintage...like things are just visiting me for a little while and then I get to send it someplace else where they will be appreciated.

It's sort of like being a connecting link in a big chain. I'd like to think that the things that leave lucitebox will eventually end up somewhere else in the distant future and that the chain just goes on and on. I have some of my grandmother's home-sewn clothes. I look forward to passing them on to the right person after I'm gone. When I look at one of the pieces, I almost feel her presence in the dress...as if she's right there sitting at her Singer in the sewing room working on it.

What do you wish someone would ask you about your site?
Would you be interested in being featured in Vogue magazine next month?

It's a good day at work when ...
I can easily find one of my three or four tape measures! It's as if you put them down and they quickly end up wherever the one missing sock from the dryer goes!

If I ran the internet for a day I'd ...

Ask for limited amounts of flash animation on any site. I'm sorry, I just don't have time to wait for your cool graphics to load. I would also put an end to the soundtracks that accompany sites. Please. Quiet sites, people. What you may not know is that even though I'm shopping and I really do want to read your blog or read about your merchandise, I already have my iTunes loaded and your music overlapping my music is creating a mind-bending mix that rivals any really, really bad acid trip. Hello, Advil Liquid Gels!


The blogs I read (other than ADAD) are ...

I am seriously addicted to design and decorating blogs. I can't ever seem to get my fix and when I miss a day or two, I get cravings fro them. It's a joy to catching up with my bookmarks. Here are a few blogs that I like:
decorno
design*sponge
apartment therapy
design boner
making it lovely
poppytalk
ikea hacker
it's (k)not wood

Oh, and somewhat unrelated to interior design, but seriously entertaining--I just found a blog called Yardsalebloodbath that I LOVE! There are the people I want to party with!

Oh, and of course, I do read a lot of blogs that my vintage colleagues write. My favorite at the moment is Random Acts of Vintage.


You'd laugh if you knew this about me ...
My longest running dream in life is to own a goat farm and make artisanal cheeses. But, tomorrow, I'll probably have a new one to replace that dream. At the moment, it seems that it might involve auditioning for So You Think You Can Dance!


Holly is also offering a discount for Dress a Day readers.
Please take 15% off of any item on lucitebox.com. Use the coupon code "erinisawesome" [Editor's note: I did not ask for this code!] HURRY! The sale ends on July 26th!

You should also check out Holly's blog -- she's got a great feature on collections ...

Also, Holly is looking for a Chicago part-time sewist to help her with some piece-work at lucitebox. She sometimes purchases vintage items that have modest but fixable damage (a hem needs to be replaced, a shoulder is blown out, there's a rip at the waist, etc.) and is looking for someone who isn't just technically "good" at sewing, but someone who can troubleshoot to find the best solution for fixing something while appropriately preserving the sensibility of the era. If you're interested, drop her a line ...

Meet Our Advertisers #3: Marge at Born Too Late Vintage

Here is the third in our continuing series of "Meet Our Advertisers": Marge from Born Too Late Vintage and Born Too Late Vintage Patterns!

How long have you been in business?
Since February of 1999.

What motivated you to go into the vintage & vintage pattern business?

I love the fashions of times past. Back then clothing was made to last and great care was taken in the construction of clothing. I also enjoy sewing with vintage patterns and modern patterns. Sewing allows me to show my creative side. As a plus size woman I like being able to get exactly what I want when I sew. Why pay a fortune for a dress I don't love and that doesn't fit me right? I can custom fit my own clothing and pick out exactly the fabric I want to get the look I want.

What did you do before this?

I worked for the phone company for 20 years and then retired. I then worked as a medical transcriptionist at home for 6 years after I had my daughters. I started out selling their party and holiday dresses and then fell in love with vintage clothing again. I used to wear vintage clothing when I was in high school.

Where are you based?

My shops, Born Too Late Vintage and Born Too Late Vintage Patterns are based at http://specialistauctions.com. I'm the vintage and antique clothing moderator there as well. Physically, I'm in northeastern Pennsylvania.

More fun questions:

What's the weirdest/best/craziest/most beautiful thing you've ever
found?

I absolutely adore this Fred Leighton hand crocheted ecru gown. I have done fine crochet like this in the past and I marvel at the work that went into this:


What do you have in stock that you can't believe hasn't sold?

I have a variety of mens and ladies fedoras that are in just beautiful like this one.

What do you dream about finding?

I'd love to find a Claire McCardell. My mom was born and raised in Frederick, Maryland, the home of Claire McCardell and I definitely feel a connection with Ms. McCardell.

What do you enjoy most about working with vintage patterns?

When I'm working with patterns I'm listing I really enjoy it when there's a scrap of fabric in the envelope from the former owner or when the former owner has made some notations on the envelope or a piece of paper inside the envelope about what the pattern was purchased for or how the fit of the dress was. That's a treasure to me.

What do you wish someone would ask you about your site?

Why I am selling on Specialist Auctions rather than another site.

It's a good day at work when ...

I've been able to get my listings done, sold a few things, received some positive feedback and of course being mentioned on A Dress A Day.

If I ran the internet for a day I'd ...
Get rid of the pornography.

The blogs I read (other than ADAD) are ...

Always Playing Dress Up (my blog!), Diary of a Mad Fashionista, Zuburbia Vintage Clothing blog, She's a Betty Single Girl Guide and the VFG (Vintage Fashion Guild) blog.

You'd laugh if you knew this about me ...

I adore Tom Jones and Sean Connery. Could I have been a Scottish or Welsh lass in my past life?

A Rejoinder and Statement of Principles

I don't usually take the time to reply to negative comments that are left on this blog -- why encourage people who are spoiling for a fight? I'm not bothered by their criticism, for the most part (and if it's justified I do try to take it to heart, however unpleasant it may be to do so!). But most of the time replying to negative comments falls under the heading "Never wrestle with a pig. You get dirty and only the pig enjoys it."

However, there have been a few comments on a recent post which I feel I need to respond to, if only for clarification. A commenter, mainly anonymous, but also signing one comment "7/10 split", suggested that I am a "professional what? writer/ advertisers? whose goal is to sell things", and also a "shill."

For the record: I am not a "professional advertiser". I am a writer, but of a very particular kind.

The same commenter (who may be this blogger) also suggested that I don't sew the dresses that I post here. If you would like to see pictures of ME in the dresses I have sewn (and I admit, I don't often post pictures of myself here because, all things considered, I had a better time in labor -- and I didn't have an epidural! -- than I do having my picture taken) you can see them in five out of the first six pictures here.
(The dresses shown in that link include a Duro, the pink jellybean dress, the blogiversary dress, the stunt Valentine's Dress, and the yellow-bird dress.)

Whether you enjoy my posts or not, I would like to state unequivocally that I do NOT accept money to post about any particular dress, fabric, pattern, pair of shoes, etc. There is NO payola or kickback scheme in effect on this blog.

For book reviews, I am, as is common practice in publishing, often provided with free copies of the book in question, to review or to give away.

The advertisers on the right-hand side are just that: advertisers. They have no influence on content, and I do *not* ask them for free stuff.

I accept pictorial ads ONLY from people who sell patterns, fabric, or vintage clothes, or are otherwise related to sewing. I must approve the ad before it will run. My ad rates are very low; $25/month (with a minimum three-month commitment, because I'm lazy and don't want to be bothered putting up and taking down ads all the time). I also participate in Google's AdSense program, which are the boxed text ads you see on the page, and in the Amazon Associates program, which gives me a commission on books purchased by Amazon customers who clicked on links to books from this blog. (To give you an idea of the revenue from those two sources; my last "payment" from Amazon was a $35 gift certificate which I used ... to buy more sewing books. Google pays every two months or so; I think my last check from them was in the $125 range.)

I have set up "Dress a Day Inc" as a LLC company, so that, if I say something libelous and am sued, the company will be the target of any lawsuit (and not my family). This means I file taxes on all the income from this blog -- if there is any, after paying hosting fees to my internet service provider.

As for the comments about the sweater in question, I am doing a little research on the subject; the commenter suggested that the sweater probably cost less than $1 to make, and that all the labor involved was sweatshop labor in Asia. I don't think that's right, given that the cost of a pound of even low-grade cotton is about .71¢ -- that's a pound of unspun cotton. From what I can tell, the spinning of one pound of raw cotton fiber produces 840 yards of yarn. That seems to be on the low end of the number of yards you'd need for a sweater -- any knitters want to jump in here? -- and the sweater I posted about was 14 gauge, which is a fairly fine knit). So, at least .71¢ in raw materials, plus the spinning cost, plus the fashioning cost, plus the cost of the buttons -- I think it would be hard to get the raw goods cost of this garment under $1. Even leaving aside that the garment is made in China (I called and asked) -- there's the cost of the coming up with the design, a job almost certainly done by an American at American wages. (J.Crew employs about 7600 people.) The same commenter said that the sweater I linked to could be found in discount stores for under $20; if, in fact, that is the case -- why haven't I found it there? It's not like I haven't been looking! Do you factor the salary of the designer into the cost of the sweater? If not, why not? Do you factor in the jobs of the catalog writers (Americans), shop employees (American and for the stores in Japan, Japanese)? The distribution center employees (in Virginia and North Carolina)? The UPS guy who will bring it to me? (Hi Luis!) The short answer, it seems to me, is that a narrow focus on manufacturing jobs is not helpful; if the company can't manufacture goods at a reasonable price, then all those other jobs I mentioned above -- they go away, too. Despite conjecture about how much of the price of the sweater is pure profit, large retail chains have VERY small profit margins -- one source puts it at 2%. Another source (from 1998!) puts the apparel profit margin at 5.4% ... and given the rising costs of commodities since 1998, I can't imagine that margin has gone up.

I apologize for such a long and tedious post, without even any pretty pictures to enliven it; I promise not to make a habit of this kind of thing. However, I do treasure the trust you place in me by visiting this blog, leaving comments, and contributing to a little oasis of dress-loving camaraderie online, and I didn't want to give credence to accusations of shilling, payola, and "blogging under false pretenses" by letting them go by in silence.

(Comments of the kind "all her taste is in her mouth," "this is soooooo ugly lol", and "i cant believe u wear this!" will still be ignored. De gustibus, etc.)

If you ever have any questions about me or this blog, well, my email address is on the right-hand side, towards the bottom. I do try to answer all the email I receive.