For 15 years now, I have been doing an annual roundup of favorite vintage sold in the year just ending. I try to figure out what my customers liked the most by what flew out of my shop instantly and what got rave reviews.
Coats of all eras seem to have been popular.
About the coat from the 1920s, the new owner wrote:
I just received my incredible cape coat. An extraordinary item. Chocolate silk and rosé silk lining. It is light yet warm. A piece I can snuggle into. It is now adjusting to the Parisian air and sun. His was a long journey : from the 1920s to the 2020s. The cape will surely tell me many stories.
I think my customers have been preparing for the parties and events they have been missing. These sparklers made it into carts in 2021.
The person who purchased the flowered black beaded bag wrote:
Was a gift for my best friend when we first met up after COVID. It's lovely and she was thrilled!
I’m not sure, but I believe I’ve outfitted a few brides this year—Another sign that some of life is going on again, or is being planned.
And if you aren’t traveling yet, you can still imagine that next vacation—perhaps Hawaii? These three 1950s Hawaiian-made gems sold instantly, one to the daughter of the dress’s creator.
And this year I also was the tour guide for a trip through time and space to the Austrian look of 1940s Lanz clothing, about which I wrote a blog.
Judging from the colors of items sold, my very savvy customers have been foreseeing Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2022: Very Peri (aka periwinkle).
Although you chose blue-flowered and sequined hats, I sold more hats in black than any other color.
Here’s another great color choice: bright pink! It’s always my favorite.
1970s fashion has been popular for years now, but these three items were the fastest sellers (the hat being labeled Dior didn’t hurt!).
Bright and short? Got you (un-)covered! I also have noticed an easy A-line cut is pandemic-friendly, if anything could be friendly about a pandemic.
The pandemic. Sigh. Another wow, what a year. How are you faring?
I have been wearing a mask, staying a measure away from others, and I have had three doses of vaccine. Staying safe for myself, my family, friends and for healthcare workers seems like the least I can do. Some of you may know I have psoriatic arthritis, an autoimmune disease. This makes my concern even more important.
That arthritis is tough stuff, but I’m working to manage with it. You can see how much wonderful help I’ve had in the faces of non-me models this year.
Plaid’s another staple of vintage fashion popularity. Wool, rayon and cotton—all sold before you could say crosshatch.
My two favorite pairs of shoes sold this year were these 1940s rope-covered wedges, and 1920s satin court shoes with cut steel buckles.
Vintage Vera scarves are sure things. These small works of art look great on Zoom, and anywhere else you’d care to show them off.
The environment has been on many of our minds more than ever.
On July 16, I began giving $1 from every purchase to One Tree Planted (onetreeplanted.org). For each dollar this wonderful organization receives, its team plants a tree somewhere around the world where the need is great.
Also this year, I gave 10% of my earnings to Save the Manatee Club (savethemanatee.org), and I ran two fundraisers. The need this year has been unprecedented, with over 1,000 manatees dead.
I’m glad to say that, because of my wonderful customers, I have been able to give over $3,000 to the Save the Manatee Club this year. And there is a little more green on the planet.
And speaking of green, I noticed this color having a moment. What would you call it, sage?
1950s Egyptian-print circle skirt. Novelty prints and circle skirts are perennially prized.
So was this a good year, or a terrible year? There was a lot of hard stuff to live through, I know.
For me, every year I can work with wonderful vintage fashion, meet more great customers and colleagues, and contribute to making the planet a little healthier is a year to be thankful for. I so hope you have had reasons to be thankful too.
I hope you find reasons to celebrate in 2022. Here’s to your health and happiness. Here is to hope!
My best to you,
Maggie of denisebrain