A Mountain of Vintage Magazines

Sometimes opportunity knocks when you're least expecting it! This past week I stumbled onto an opportunity to buy a huge lot of vintage fashion magazines from the 40's, 50's and 60's, mostly Harper's Bazaar and Vogue.

I had to spend an enormous chunk of money (for me) so it's got my stomach all done up in knots right now, but the magazines are so incredible! They were stored, lovingly preserved, in an attic for all these years and they're almost all in pristine condition. I'm sure they'll provide lots of great blog material in the months to come, but right now here's just a little taste.
This one's available in my Etsy store right now!
Click here!

Bang Bang!

Bangs, or as my U.K. friends (and apparently the rest of the world) call them, "fringe" are having a moment lately, but they have been popular off and on at many times in the past. They are a great way to give your hairstyle a vintagey feel with out always having to do a big 'ol wet set, which for a pin-straight-haired gal like me is a great thing. Here's a tour of some fabulous and iconic bangs through the ages:

Louise Brooks, with her gamine bob. This hairstyle has become so iconic and representative of  the roaring 20's. Louise and her friend, fellow starlet Colleen Moore, both cut their hair into this "Dutch Boy" bob and started a huge trend.

Barbara Stanwyck, around the time Double Indemnity (what a great movie) was made. Such a beautiful style with the soft curls spilling around her shoulders. I've had the really short bangs like this before, and I think they're pretty hard to pull off! They look fantastic on some people...on me, not so much!

The ever-lovely Bettie Page, of course. Her bangs have become synonymous with vintage style. The interesting thing to me is that when you look at the bajillions of pix of Bettie, her bangs are generally pretty close to her eyebrows. When you see people with "Bettie Bangs" today they are often quite a bit shorter, more like Barbara Stanwyk's.

I love Bettie's smile...she always looked like she was having so much fun ;-)

Adorable Audrey. Look at those eyebrows! They're like two big black caterpillars marching across her forehead, and yet the total effect is pure gorgeousness. Her bangs show off her eyes in such a beautiful and striking way. Did you know that Audrey's given name was Audrey Ruston? Just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?

Such a beautiful face and a beautiful soul   *sigh*

 Brigitte Bardot lookin' sexy as usual. So messy, so gorgeous...I love the bump! I know she probably has a fall in there somewhere...I hope...

The late 60's bangs are the easiest to wear, I think, for most people. They are softer and more forgiving than the hard-line straight-across bangs. They don't need trimming as often, either!

I know I'm leaving out so many greats...Jane Birkin, Stevie Nicks! Anna Wintour...hehe, just kidding :-)

I'm loving Brigitte here the most right now...I think I'll let my bangs grow a bit and bust out the teasing brush and the dry shampoo!

Estate Sale Haul and Behind The Scenes

This past Saturday morning, like many Saturday mornings, I went to an estate sale.

Many of you may wonder where people who sell vintage clothes get their stock, and one source that I use a great deal are estate sales...in case you aren't familiar, an estate sale is a sale held by a private, professional company  of the entire contents of a person's home, including their furniture, clothing, housewares, and everything else down to the cleaning products under the sink (not kidding) and the potted plants in the backyard. Most of the time, this person has passed away, and the estate sale company is hired by the family to help. Sometimes families attempt to do this themselves. Sometimes the person has not passed away, but has just moved to another home such as a relative's or residential care facility (this is technically called a "living" estate sale). Many people get estate sales confused with  regular old garage or yard sales and boy oh boy, they are definitely not the same!!

These sales get started very early in the morning and, here in L.A., there is usually a huge line (sometimes 100 people or more) by 8:00am. The first person in the door gets the best stuff so many people (myself included) get there at the crack of dawn to stake out a spot in line. I sometimes wait for 2 hours or more, in the cold, sitting on someone's porch or driveway. It can actually be kind of fun to talk to the other people in line...frequently they are other dealers like me, and every dealer has their specialty. There's the record dude, the sterling silver guy, the old musical instrument man, the young guy who looks for vintage toys...I love it when there are mostly men 'cause then I know I'll have the ladies clothes to myself! This rarely happens, though...usually there are a handful of other gals and we all stand around sizing each other up :-)

Things sometimes get rough! A lot of people make their living this way so they are dead serious. Dead serious enough that at a recent sale there was a big fight and someone threatened to get a gun, and the police were called! Crazy, huh? Thankfully I skipped that one:-)

Well, it's a rather cutthroat bit of business, and getting up in the dark at 4:30 a.m. is never fun, but the early bird truly does get the worm. Check out some of my "worms"! Hehe!

just part of my "haul" including some gorgeous bags

 Look for some of these finds to show up in my Etsy shop very soon!

A Fun Outing: The L.A. Vintage Fashion Expo

Last weekend I spent one fabulous day at the LA Vintage Fashion Expo. This is a show they have here in L.A. about three times a year (they also have it up in San Francisco) and I go pretty much every time!
It's held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The entire place is packed with wall-to-wall vintage of every type. There are vendors who specialize (Edwardian/Victorian, high-end designer, rockabilly) and those who sell a little bit of everything. It's a vintage lover's dream! It costs 8 bucks to get in, but sometimes you can get a 2$ off coupon at their website:
 http://www.vintageexpo.com/
A lot of the same vendors show up every time (with new stuff), but there are also a scattering of new ones to keep it interesting.

Some of the vendors are really snooty!  I've learned to avoid those and go right to the nice people...it's so much nicer to shop when the seller is nice too, don't you think?
The owner of this booth was super-friendly...he's from a suburb of Dallas and had a ton of amazing dresses. His prices were reasonable (unlike some of the vendors) and best of all his tags list the measurements of the garments which is so helpful! This show does have dressing rooms, but it's really a time-saver if you know your measurements. That way you know if you're even in the ballpark :-)
I really liked this 50's green sundress...alas, too small for me.

The next-door booth belonged to his mom, who had this ah-maze-ing circle skirt with an image of the Grand Canyon on it..LOVE!

She pointed out a great tip: if the waist on a skirt like this is too small for you, a tailor can easily take the waistband off, extend it, drop it down, and voila! Larger waist!

I usually don't have much money to spend, but I always find a couple of things. Here's what I bought this time:
I love novelty bags and this one is so unique..I've never seen one just like it. With the butterfly and flowers against the crisp white, it's too cute...I can't wait to use it when the weather warms up a bit!

Another thing I love is Aloha wear, and I scored this cutie:
This type of sleeveless women's shirt, with it's Mandarin collar, close fit through the torso, and side slits at the hem is called a Tea Timer. They frequently were sold with matching cropped pants. They are a bit hard to find, and the earlier ones from the 40's can be very pricey.

I'll be going to the Vintage Fashion Expo again, later in the year, so I'll do another post later with more pix and tips!

Leopard Furr-ever!

One thing I have always loved is leopard print. To prove it, here I am...I may have outgrown The Lone Ranger, but I'll never outgrow my love of leopard :-)
I know some people think animal prints are too loud, but I think a realistic-looking animal print is really a neutral, because the colors are neutral and the print is designed to camouflage the animal into it's background!
I thought I'd share a few pieces from my personal collection:

This early 60's faux-leopard coat is my current favorite.It's lightweight enough that I can wear it here in L.A. where it's usually pretty warm. The big portrait collar is so flattering!


Do you know what the difference is between leopard print and jaguar print? With leopard, the little dark spots form a rosette pattern. On a jaguar's fur, the little rosettes of dark spots surround a dark spot in the middle.Leopards are from Africa, and jaguars are from South and Central America, mostly.

This one mainly hangs in my closet and looks cute! It's so thick & warm that I never get a chance to wear it.
I'll have to go on a trip somewhere cold so I can enjoy it! Or maybe I'll just put it on and stand in front of my freezer with the door open :-)

Here's a fabulous leopard-print bag that I really should use more often...it's nice and big, and I like how the style of the handle makes it look a little more modern.

My newest!! I scored this tiger-print coat on Ebay a few months ago and I was so ecstatic, I did a happy dance :-)
I got it for a steal! I haven't worn this one yet, but I will soon. I think a tiger print is a little bolder look, but maybe it's just that my eyes are so accustomed to leopard. I think I'll wear this coat with jeans and a plain black turtleneck to tone it down a bit.

I always have at least a few amazing leopard or animal print items in my Etsy store...
Click here to SHOP:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/momodeluxevintage?show_panel=true

The Ebell Club - A Glimpse into L.A.'s Past

Yesterday I was lucky to be able to visit one of the true gems of Los Angeles...The Ebell Club.
The Ebell Club was started in 1894 by two sisters as a private club for women to enrich their lives with education, culture and the arts. The clubhouse, built in 1927, is a massive Renaissance-style mansion on Wilshire Boulevard~ I bet there isn't an Angeleno who hasn't driven by it and wondered what it was! It's been the location for filming many TV shows and movies including Mad Men and a favorite of mine- Catch Me If You Can.

The first-ever open house yesterday allowed a rare glimpse inside...and it didn't disappoint! The interior was truly as beautiful as I thought it might be. Every room is full of baroque furnishings, Persian rugs, exquisite
chandeliers and priceless artwork.


   There is a gorgeous old-fashioned theater and several small stages. The lady members are allowed to borrow from a huge closet of vintage clothing and accessories for special events.

 

The artwork is truly a treasure. Most of the paintings are Plein-air oils (they were very fashionable in the 20's & 30's), and there are unique items mixed in. Outside the president's door is this great (and enormous) vintage poster of Josephine Baker!

The Ebell Club can be rented out for weddings...what a beautiful place it would be for a vintage-themed
wedding!

Click here to go to my Etsy shop!

Ahem...Let Me Introduce Myself

Now that I've broken the ice, I suppose the proper thing to do would be to tell you lovely future readers a bit about me and this here blog. I'm Dina, and until recently I would have introduced myself as "An Artist"...well, life throws you curve balls (more like spit balls, lately) and my artistic endeavors have been put on the shelf for a while to make room for other passions.

SO here we are! A fresh new year...and a fresh new blog.

I've collected and worn vintage clothes for many more years than I care to reveal...I love old stuff with history and unique things. Over the years I've learned a ton about the vintage world and I'm still learning every day!
Some times I get sooo excited about my vintage discoveries...I want to share them with the world! And, I really can't make my poor husband listen to much more of me prattling on about Bakelite and Mid Century Whatchamacallits and The-Most-Amazing-Lucite-Handbag-You've-Got-To-See-It-Right-Now ad infinitum...

In the spirit of full disclosure I have two Etsy shops: MoMoDeluxeVintage and MoMosMadness.              Click here to go to my Etsy vintage shop
click here for MoMosMadness, my purse shop

If you want to go there and have a look-see that's great, but my goal with this blog is to share all sorts of great vintage finds and info, not just the ones that make me money!

 So stay tuned...this is gonna be fun!