A Find From Every Era Friday

I'd like to take Fridays to feature vintage finds from every decade, that is from 1900 to 1980. I don't think I'm quite ready yet to start seeing the 1990s as vintage just like I'm not ready to hear Nirvana on the classic rock station. Fridays are a day when everyone is eager to leave work, you're counting down the minutes until the weekend. This way you can start the weekend off early and maybe get a bit of shopping in.

1910s:
Bustown Modern, one of my favorite ebay sellers, has this great turn of the century top for sale. Back in the day this would have been worn with a long skirt, but I appreciate what Bustown has done with this. They're using it as a jacket and I think it would look great on a cool night grabbing drinks with the girls. Pair it with some dark jeans and flashy heels and you'll be good to go. Starting bid is $9.99 and if I thought it would fit me I wouldn't be telling you about this.

1920s
Often I find myself with nothing to wear to special occasions like weddings. I mean I have plenty of clothes, but never quite the right one that I want at that moment. If I had this dress I'd be wearing it to every wedding that I was ever invited to plus finding some excuse to wear it to the grocery store. "Oh this? But I thought you said we had a wedding to go to after picking up milk!" This pretty little dress is made out of pink velvet. That's all I can tell you because it's new to Hemlock Vintage. Harass them and find out how to get it and what size this is and it could be yours!

1930s
I love embroidery on clothing. Okay I take that back, I like certain kinds of embroidery on clothing. Above is a 1930s organza blouse that has the perfect amount in exactly the right way. This even has little drawstrings on the arms so they can be tightened to flounce perfectly. This pretty little number is over at Posh Girl Vintage. At $165 it's at the higher end of my personal range for vintage buying, but it's so cute. I think it would look great for a weekend gathering with friends.


1940s
This dress passes one of my vintage tests, would you wear it to work? I give this a resounding yes. I'd even throw on some red heels as well. If I was feeling particularity ridiculous I'd wear this on the 4th of July. Violetville Vintage informs me that this dress is actually a rare larger size and it's merely pinned on the model to show you its silhouette. As any vintage hunter knows, finding vintage in modern sizes is a bit tricky. More than once I've tried to tell myself I could whittle down to a 24" waist in order to buy something lovely. But this dress is pretty on its own without any starvation. Bidding is currently at $34.99.

1950s
I'm going to take a moment to warn you about the 1950s beaded sweater. They are simply gorgeous, it's hard not to stare for hours at the intricate work that goes into constructing them. At the same time, they can come across as dated and that's the last thing we want. I personally think to carry this off you need to make sure that the rest of your outfit and accessories are modern. Modern jeans or pants, a tank for underneath, a well cut bag. Oh and don't button this all the way to the neck either. This sweater is a perfect example of the loveliness inherent in 1950s beaded sweaters. This one is made by McMullen, a clothing designer that worked in Glens Falls, just a stone's throw away from my hometown. The label used on this sweater is consistent with the ones from the 1950s, so this is the real deal. You can pick it up on ebay where bidding is currently up to $52.99.

1960s
I admit I have an embarrassing love for animal print. I have four pairs of leopard print ballet flats alone. If I ever leave the searing heat of Arizona I am more than certain that I'll buy myself a leopard print coat just like this one. Until then, you can snatch this one up from Posh Girl for $325. It's faux fur as well!

1970s
Maxi dresses were an answer to the 1960s mini skirt. They're long and amazingly forgiving on most figures. It probably has a lot to do with the empire waist construction. Not only are they great now for throwing on to go to a barbecue or over a swimsuit, but they'd be equally great for the early stages of pregnancy. It's all about planning ahead. This lovely little number has such a great mix of colors and for a starting bid of $19.99 on ebay it would be hard to pass up.

1980s
The other night I watched 200 Cigarettes on television and it filled me with some 1980s fashion love. In particular Casey Affleck's punk look and Christina Ricci's black and white furball of a coat. It makes you think the 80s weren't such a dark time for fashion. I know that the style world tried to convince me the 80s were back not too long ago, but I refused to listen. In any case here's a cute example of 1980s wear. It's not punk or layered, but I'd throw it on any day. It's made by Leslie Fay and it's being sold on ebay right now for $16.00.