September 21st is supposed to be the first day of Autumn, right? Well, apparently Southern California didn't get the memo, because it's now heading toward October and it's still summer-hot around here! This has been the hottest summer I can remember in So Cal. Just sweltering. Forgive me if I just can't get into a Fall frame of mind! The photos of fuzzy wool sweaters and knee high boots in all the mags just make my brain sweat.
There's something really wrong about shopping for Halloween decorations in shorts, flip-flops, and a tank top!
So if we're going to stick to summer for a while, I thought you all might like to see a few things I nabbed for myself over the last couple months...(it's never too hot to shop, right?)
This first one is a cotton sundress I got on eBay for 25 bucks. It was one of those auctions where the photos were kind of lame and the description was totally lacking in info. That, plus it's (totally fixable) condition issues made the price way lower...just right for my budget!
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| 50's sundress by "Fritzi of California" |
It had a flaw, which is that the elastic shirring on the back was about 75% dead. Replacing the elastic seemed like way more than I could handle, so I came up with a fix that I think worked out pretty well.
I just took it in and added a (vintage) zipper! Whenever I see vintage sewing notions at an estate sale, I try to grab all the vintage zippers. That way if I have to replace a zip on a vintage garment, I can replace it with a metal or nylon zip, sometimes almost exactly the same as the one I'm replacing!
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| the back, with new zipper |
Now it fits really well and since it still has a bit of elastic left it's really comfy.
Here's a cute floral shirt that I bought for those days when it's really hot and I'm just working around the house. It looks really cute with my beloved yellow 60's wicker & pearly Lucite handbag.
I actually did a little alteration on it as well...I took in the sides so it wasn't quite so boxy. You can't quite tell in the pic but it's a really nice lightweight cotton. I got it on Etsy.
Here are some things that I got from the Pickwick Gardens Vintage Clothing Show in Burbank:
I love this skirt so much! I had actually seen it the previous time I went to that show, and was so sorry I hadn't bought it. I was super stoked to see it still hanging there! No way it was going to get away this time!
It's actually a bit tight in the waist, so the question is...lose a few pounds or alter the waist? Hmmm......I see a sewing machine in my future :-)
This beautiful 40's dress, thankfully, fits me just as-is (miracle!)
Again, the photo does it no justice...the fabric is so pretty...it has a fabulous texture almost like seersucker and it's incredibly lightweight, and yet not so sheer that you need a slip underneath. The only problem is that I have no shoes that look good with it at all! I spent the whole summer looking for a pair of white non-leather sandals with a vintage look and found bupkis. PPbbbbthht :-P
Finally, I also got this fun Hawaiian shirt:
It's like a tea-timer, with the cap sleeves and square hem with vents, but the collar is a traditional shirt collar.
It looks cute with white shorts!
That's about it for vintage clothes over the summer...I didn't get a lot because I pretty much blew my budget on these sunglasses:
They are real, genuine, Christian Dior Mohotani's, from the Les Marquises collection, not vintage, but vintage-inspired. This was a huge splurge for me...the "nicest" sunglasses I've ever owned, before this point, were Ray-Bans.
I love them so much!
Look! You can tell this was at the beginning of the summer, before the sun decided to land on So Cal, because I don't have my bangs pinned off my face and I'm actually wearing a long-sleeved shirt!
Is anyone out there actually enjoying a cool, crisp Fall? With sweaters? And apple picking? Oh, please do share with me...I have to live vicariously through you :-)
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