Posted by Brutalis on 2005-08-23 07:23:42
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I have a couple vintage dresses and they are simply adorable. Although you said the colour suits you perfectly, you might consider dyeing your dress to diffuse the stains (after trying a specialist dry-cleaner). One of my dresses had been originally light coloured, but was dyed dark blue. Usually it is easy to colour vintage dresses, because all the materials are natural and will absorb colour easily.
You could also try some embroidery or beading on top of the stains to fool the eye?
Good luck!
Posted by karen0 on 2005-06-08 00:18:12
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i agree with belleepoque la rosa is an excellent place for vintage dresses. it's located on haight street. everything there is lovely. good luck and when you do find a dress, post a picture.
Posted by erinina on 2005-02-24 21:03:04
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• peanut butter
• waking up to find my 18-pound cat snoring loudly, next to me, while flat on her back with her little paws all curled and little nose warm
• almost everything about my boyfriend, from his sweet smile to his annoying guitar playing!
• the amazing race and other travel-geek shows, like globe trekker and rick steves
• going to the met and the natural history museum to draw
• shopping for the latest thing i'm obsessed with (last week it was gold ballet flats, this week its trousers and beads)
• almost all kinds of cakey sweets - going to the magnolia right when the new cupcakes get put out!
• being proud of artwork i've created (rare these days)
cooking or baking something amazing that everyone loves and wants me to make again, like my famous chili pie
• when my brother, all the way in the bay area of california, calls me just to say hi
• my new haircut: http://www.aplmusique.com/vartan/images/1965bis.jpg
• pay day (also a rare occurance)
• the garment district in cambridge and all of its amazing vintage dresses - i long for my visits every few months!
• the first flip-flop-wearing day of spring
• the week every month when my favorite magazines come out
Posted by erinina on 2005-02-22 12:42:11
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I collect those pennies you 'smoosh' in machines at various tourist-y places...they come out stamped with a raised logo, etc. i don't know if these pennies have an actual, er, name. i just call them smashed pennies.
me too! me too! i have to get one wherever i go. my boyfirend also has a travel collection - little spoons...isn't that funny? he has a bazillion.
i collect paper dresses from the sixties. i am dying to get my hands on a warhol campbell's soup dress or a bob dylan.
i also collect shoes, jewelry, vintage dresses and other clothes, and purses, as well as vintage scarves...slight fashion obsession. i have about 100 pairs of shoes and wear all of them!
Posted by uproar on 2005-04-20 11:24:49
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Sometimes I will drive an hour away to where I grew up (Gulfport, Mississippi), just to go thrifting. I tend to find better stuff over there because it hasn't been picked through by as many hipsters, etc. One thrift store there that I discovered a couple of months ago has the most amazing section called "Ladies Oldies" that has all of these great vintage dresses, mostly from the late 60s through 80s. I've become obsessed with these polyester dresses with an elastic waistband I've gotten there. I found a black one there the first time, and last time I grabbed a burgundy one that I still need to remove the shoulder pads from and a blue and white patterned dress of a similar style. I don't care that they don't really fit me, I just throw a belt (like this amazingly shaped white leather belt I got from the same store) over the waistband, add funky boots and go.
I'm actually going thrifting tomorrow, because one of the biggest thrift stores in New Orleans has their 1/2 price day on all clothes tomorrow, and I need to shop for supplies for the reconstructed clothing I make. Hopefully I'll find some good stuff!
Posted by kittensrme on 2005-10-09 12:34:58
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That's definitely my weakness, vintage fabric and vintage dresses. Even if the dresses don't fit, I will still buy, and try to rework them to fit me.
I do the same thing, except I don't even sew so I can't even make them fit me, so they just sit in my closet to be ogled over every so often.
Posted by neesypea on 2005-10-09 11:45:21
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There's a shop here in Sacramento, that no matter what day I go in, there's always a plethora of vintage fabric! I literally squeal with delight right there in the store, when I find a stash of beautiful 70's fabric that has never been used! That's definitely my weakness, vintage fabric and vintage dresses. Even if the dresses don't fit, I will still buy, and try to rework them to fit me.
Other items I always look for are weird vintage cookbooks and craft books. My favorite cookbook, that I thrifted, was from the 60's and had recipes from around the world. The cookbook also had a line drawing by each recipe of what the "native" people looked like from that particular country and their favorite dish! It's awesome.
Thirft Town-Stockton Blvd, Sacramento, CA
Awesome vintage fabrics and craft supplies, linens, and brick-a-brack.
Posted by susan*s on 2005-10-03 11:24:36
Post Subject: What are your favorite thrift stores--and best scores?
Edited to add a question on the fun part, what you like to shop for at thrift stores!
I'm pretty much an addict--I love vintage dresses, tablecloths, cheap books, old sewing supplies, and costume jewelry. My latest favorite find was at a thrift store in Gold Beach, Oregon--a 1970s red and navy blue Lacoste dress with gold buttons up the front. I *love* it. I also found a vintage Viking Husquvarna sewing machine belt buckle on the same trip. sigh.
---------------------------------------------
And, now the survey-ish part (if you'd like to contribute)...
I'm putting together a guide to the best thrift stores for my next West Coast Crafty column, and I'd love to include some craftista favorites!
Please give the address or the street (if you have it) and a short description of what makes it great.
Here are mine:
Portland: Red, White and Blue on SE McLoughlin Blvd (actually in Gladstone)--awesome stuff in every department. Plus they have a section just for corduroy pants! Especially good coats, linens/fabric, and books.
LA: St. Vincent DePaul on E. Ave 21--HUGE and full of furniture, clothes and knick-knacks, plus cheap tag sales on clothes. Tons of women's clothes in particular.
Posted by Gluey on 2005-04-07 14:15:53
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Hi! I'm planning a vintage-type wedding, too! A rockabilly wedding will be so cute and there are so many things you can do to save money! First of all, if you already have rockabilly stuff, you can save by not having to by the crinolin! I recommend e-bay, e-bay, e-bay for getting vintage dresses on the cheap and also for vintage wedding cake toppers. But if you're having a hard time finding the dress of your dreams (and trust me, you'll probably become more obseesed about this than you think you will!) there are some really nice vintage patterns for only about $8 a pop on http://www.mccall.com in the mccalls and vogue sections. There are also a TON of great ideas to copy at http://www.porthalcyon.com/features/200406/vintagewedding01.shtml. It's a whole series with a lot of great links to explore. Also, a head is a head is a head. Unless you're decoratitng the church with a truckload of flowers, it probably won't cost much, so watch out for the reception because every person you invite is a person you'll have to feed. You can cut costs on this by just having a coctail reception and making the hors d'oeuvres and cake (or cupcakes or donut tower or whatever you think is cool) yourself and having a friend tend bar with a limited amount of drinks (soda, beer, red & white wine, and one really fun signature coctail with your name on it) and another friend play DJ with a mix you burned on CD or an iPod. Also, having less attendants will save you money because (maybe this sounds shallow, but...) you won't have to buy attendant gifts or worry about picking out an outfit that looks good on everyone. Also, if you don't need a registry for yourself, (you're probably not digging for gifts, but people will naturally want to give anyway) consider having your friends and family drop clues that you're registered at some site like The Big Day Honeymoon Registry where people can buy you "experiences" on your honeymoon (and help pay for it.) I'm sure that you could make the invites and decorations yourself, although if you have crafty friends you can enlist them to help or you might go crazy doing it all yourself. So congratulations! I hope this helps and let us know how it goes!
Posted by anjalouise on 2006-01-25 15:20:31
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I lost a lot of really fantastic vintage dresses when I moved from Vancouver BC to Brooklyn NY. I was so attached to them, and they're all gone! And can never be replaced. What a clothing tragedy.
Posted by Katrin on 2006-01-28 23:59:51
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I'm not doing well. My team at work weighed ourselves yesterday, and my weight had stayed exactly the same. (Honestly, I felt like I'd gained - so that was good news anyway.)
I've been so discouraged the last few days that I've been falling off the wagon, eating starchy stuff like noodles and bread (which I don't even like that much). I even talked my husband into going out for Ethiopian food tonight - sooooo good, and probably not even unhealthy, but definitely not diet-friendly. In addition, I've been spending money like crazy (mostly on semi-practical stuff like fabric, but still). For some reason, overeating and overspending occupy the same space in my mind, and if I'm doing one, I'll most likely be doing the other.
I have a few gorgeous vintage dresses that I just got on eBay. Of course I couldn't try them on before buying, and they don't fit. I'd like to have hope that someday I will be able to wear them, but right now I just don't know.
