Shifts and Sheaths

Do you know the difference between a shift and a sheath? These two dress silhouettes have often occurred at the same time in fashion. I focused on the 1950s and 1960s versions of these for this Vintage Fashion Guild Parade recently. The VFG Parades take place each week, and there’s a new theme every time.

Shifts & Sheaths

Should she sheath, or should she shift?
Surely she won't give either short shrift

In fifties, sixties, she showcases
In sheaths and shifts, different places:

The waist in sheaths is the showiest spot
While shifts show shins—and nothing taut

Shapely sheaths make sharp shadows,
While short shifts show that knees have values

Schiap, Schnurer, Schrader, Shaheen
All made sheaths and shifts umpteen

Whether you shop, shimmy or sell shells by seashores
Shirk neither sheaths nor shifts from VFG stores!

You can see the whole VFG Fashion Parade in the forums, here: https://forums.vintagefashionguild.org/threads/shifts-and-sheaths-the-vfg-fashion-parade-for-the-week-of-june-12th.80265/

A journalist models denisebrain vintage items ...and I interview her

You know you’re going to have a good day when someone visits with many pairs of vintage shoes. At least I know I will. And I had such a day recently when Chey Scott came over to model some vintage fashions for me, and brought along a large tote filled with her shoes that we hoped would go with my outfits.

Chey is not a model (although she could be with her poise and beauty), but a journalist, an award-winning journalist at that. I’ve been interviewed by her, and the results have been in The Inlander, the weekly paper for which Chey is the Arts and Culture Editor. The idea of asking her to pose for my photos was a spur-of-the-moment inspiration. I knew that Chey had a penchant for vintage fashion (see her Instagram @sewvintagewritemeow and her Inlander articles on the subject), and I thought why not ask? And she said yes!

Chey made a beautiful Cinderella in this gown, now in my shop.

And of course, since she is a journalist, it seemed fitting to turn the tables, and get Chey’s take on wearing vintage.

Maggie: Do you wear top-to-bottom vintage fashion, or do you prefer to mix it with newer items?

Chey: Most days, I am wearing at least one thing that’s modern, however there are times I am wearing 100 percent vintage (minus undergarments, of course). The modern pieces I wear with vintage tend to be wardrobe staples, like a plain T-shirt or modern shoes that complement the vintage aesthetic I’m aiming for. Sometimes, though, I may just feel like wearing modern skinny jeans with a vintage T-shirt or blouse, and that’s one of many reasons why vintage is so fun and fabulous — there are no rules! Also, when I’m just hanging around the house, I definitely don’t wear anything vintage because I don’t want to damage any of my one-of-a-kind-pieces or cause excess wear. 

M: What is one of your favorite vintage fashion items and why is it so?

C: Oh gosh, this is such a hard question because I have so many! 

When it comes to items that are very “me,” I’d have to say the very first Alice of California / Alice Polynesian Fashions brand palazzo jumpsuit I found a couple years back. This was the piece that introduced me to the brand, which is now one of my favorites. It has a black background and a border-esque print of neon pink and orange flowers with green leaves on the bodice and bottom of the wide, billowing legs. It’s barkcloth, which is also one of my favorite vintage fabrics, and has a super chic, draped high neck. I wore it to a concert a few summers ago, and it definitely turned heads!

When it comes to items that are “practical” and more everyday, I have the most amazing pair of 1950s deadstock, deep indigo blue jeans. They have a wide leg cut, super high waist, bright orange contrast stitching, big patch pockets on the back and that perfectly crisp, stiff feel from being never worn. The best part is the brand and the label on the back: “Old Kentucky Well Made Sanforized” embroidered in gold thread on a black patch. Something about that label just adds the most charm and personality to these jeans, which I wear often, styled all kinds of ways!

I also have several vintage dresses — one formal and two day dresses — that my dear, late grandmother made for herself in her 20s and 30s (during the 1950s and ’60s) which I cherish deeply. 

Another very special piece is a late ’40s, early ’50s letterman jacket from Washington State University — my alma mater — that I somehow scored on Etsy one late night for an incredible deal. The catch was that it needed many major repairs to the knit wool cuffs and collar, which I painstakingly took on. The seller told me it was her father’s, who attended back when it was still Washington State College, so the iconic cougar silhouette logo patch on the front has a ‘C’ instead of a ‘U’ for its mouth. It’s a highly collectible piece that I treasure for its provenance, my incredible luck in finding it, how it unites my love of vintage with being a WSU alum, and the time I put into restoring it to wearable condition.

M: Do you have any favorite vintage labels or designers?

C: As mentioned, I love the Alice brand!

Others I’m drawn to include Alex Coleman, Bobbie Brooks, Judy Bond blouses, John Abbott dresses, Mode O’Day, Jantzen, Pendleton — all high quality brands whose tags fill my closet(s)! I also adore vintage military-issue pieces and own many pairs of pants originally made for service. A few favorites are my navy wool fall-front sailor pants, some side-buttoning Vietnam-era field nurse pants, and a pair of deadstock 1940s WAVES wool slacks.

M: Do you collect any particular vintage fashion item?

C: I have a growing collection of vintage novelty print tops with cats! 

I also love 1960s era shoes, and have many pairs in all colors. The wearability and comfort of a low block heel can’t be overstated! I have a large number of 1960s shift dresses in bright, colorful patterns, as well as many pairs of 1950s denim and ’60s palazzo pants, including my jumpsuits. So there are definitely items I gravitate towards.

M: What do you consider the biggest challenges in finding vintage clothes you’d like for yourself?

C: I don’t have too many difficult challenges, to be honest. The competition as a buyer to get good deals or snag in-demand pieces from some of the more well-known online vendors can be frustrating, at times, but I spend a lot of time shopping, both locally and online, to find good deals. While I’ve definitely splurged on some grail-level pieces, the amazing, unexpected scores even it all out, or at least that’s what I tell myself to justify my spending… 

M: Have you ever talked someone into giving vintage fashion a go?

C: I hope that my coverage of the vintage scene in the Spokane area has inspired others to go out and visit the many amazing shops we have here, because they need that support to stay in business.

M: What’s your holy grail vintage item?

C: Another very tough one, because there are many — lots of things I’ve even found but haven’t hit “buy” on simply because I also have to feed and house myself, ha ha. 

Chey in a 1920s rayon jersey dress, now available in my Etsy shop.

I would love to someday own a true vintage, 1920s flapper dress that’s sturdy enough to wear (with care). I have come across many I love, but they’re often quite expensive, as is to be expected. I think the main thing holding me back, besides budget, is fear of it not fitting right or getting damaged if I were to wear it. If I did own such a piece, I’d want to wear it out for the right occasion because it deserves to be seen. At the same time, I’d be terrified of accidentally ruining it!

Thank you, Chey, for being a wonderful model, and for sharing your experience with vintage fashion! I hope you find that exact-right flapper dress.

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The links to the two items in my Etsy shop are affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase (any purchase on Etsy) I earn a small amount of money at no cost to you.

Is there such a thing as “Vintage Condition”?

Vintage condition. Many excellent vintage fashion sellers use this term to say something like “good considering it is old.”  So, presumably, it isn’t like newer clothing in good condition. The word vintage means the condition reflects the age and wear and tear that you might expect given the item is at least 20 years old.

But hold up. What do you consider the expected condition of a dress from the 1960s? How about the 1920s? How does that compare to someone else’s expectations?

From a seller’s point of view, the term vintage condition may feel like a helpful shorthand, but for the buyer it can be much more troublesome. In a discussion on Etsy forums (Forum Topic - Excellent Vintage Condition vs Excellent Condition), a vintage seller asked what others thought of the term. 

One seller responded, “I try to be as specific as possible about any condition issues and show pictures of any problems rather than relying on general terms.”

One response was harsher: “I’ve generally found this type of description as a way to oversell flawed vintage items. What would typically be described as ‘fair’ under normal circumstances, suddenly becomes ‘great vintage condition’. Any serious collector of vintage knows there are still plenty of real ‘excellent’ and ‘mint’ vintage pieces available. Vintage doesn't necessarily have to mean there are flaws.” This person went on to say, “While flaws in and of themselves don't always negate the desirability of a vintage pieces, and sometimes actually add to their appeal, I think the overselling, false positive descriptions do the entire market a disservice and frankly, are many times bordering on consumer deception.”

Ouch! As a seller, you do not want to go there!

Another person added, “I agree that the meaning of 'vintage condition' is generally understood, but I never use it. The problem with describing condition, of course, is that qualifiers are all very subjective—your ‘excellent’ condition might be only ‘good’ to me.”

Yes, all qualifiers are subjective, and that’s why, years ago, a group of online vintage sellers worked hard to hammer out a set of words to codify condition ratings.

This chart has been edited and tweaked by various groups and sellers. Here is one provided on the Vintage Fashion Guild website.

And here are some examples of items that I consider to be in these conditions.

1. Pristine/Perfect/Mint. As new, with absolutely no flaws or wear.

This is quite rare, and having the tags still attached to a vintage fashion item does not mean it is flawless. It may have been stored where sun has faded the colors, or where insects have done damage. Basement odors, dripping pipes, cigarette smoke …there are lots of ways that an unused item can be damaged. 

This is a dress by Lanz that, even though it dates from the 1940s, has absolutely no flaws of any kind. The original tags are attached, and it looks (smells, feels) like new.

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Here on the other hand, is a 1960s dress with its hangtags still firmly attached. However, some small rusty stains are found near the hem. I would call the condition very good, and if I got the stains completely out I feel I could call the condition excellent.

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So to be in mint condition, an item should have no signs of wear, no signs of age, to have been stored well and have no flaws of any kind. 

2. Excellent. Used, with no noticeable flaws. 

Here is a late 1940s to early 1950s dress with no hangtags. There are no flaws that I could find except that there are string belt loops and no belt. I would call the condition excellent, noting the lack of belt.

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3. Very Good. Used, with minor flaws, no repairs needed.

This example might surprise you: An Edwardian silk faille capelet embellished with jet beading. The high neck is made of silk, the lining is also of silk, and a ribbon tie fastener—again silk. There is a lot of vulnerability there, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with the capelet inside or out except minor wear to the corner of the collar and fewer than 5 missing beads, with no loose ends where more beads could fall off.

I call the condition very good. I have purchased new clothing with more damage!

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Another example, a faux fur bag and hat set: The set appears flawless from the outside, but there are whitish marks in the bag’s lining that I can’t remove. I would call this very good condition.

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4. Good. Visible wear. Minor flaws and/or optional repairs needed.

Here’s an example of an item I consider to be in good condition. It is a silk panné velvet evening jacket dating from c. 1930. It has some smallish marks but most of all some golden streaks of discoloration. I had a reliable dry cleaner try to improve this but nothing doing. No repairs were needed, but the condition could only be called good due to the discoloration.

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This is another item I’d say is in good condition. It’s a pair of boudoir slippers by Daniel Green dating from the 1950s. The vamps are in excellent condition, but the insoles, originally pale pink, are discolored and there are some marks. The soles show some wear and there are a few scratches on the satin covering the heels. They are perfectly sturdy and wearable, but the condition issues are not going to be readily solvable.

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5. Fair. Numerous flaws, repairs needed, fragile.

What can I say? It’s heartbreaking, but many a 1920s dress is in fair or poor condition due to use, weight of embellishments (metallic threads and beading are notoriously hard on lightweight silk) and of course, being a century old. This one I considered a flawed, delicate wearable. I probably would only wear it (if at all) very carefully just for photos or similar. The Charleston is out. But how could one completely sideline such a beauty? I know that dresses from the 1920s can be tattered to pieces, still, I would not call the condition of this dress very good or good for its age, I’d call it fair.

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6. Poor. Extensive damage. For display or study only.

There are reasons to offer items that are extremely damaged. A garment from the 1700s might be in poor condition, but worthwhile to repair and conserve to display. A shirt worn to bits by Hank Aaron would be treasurable as is. Some apparently worthless items could have value for parts such as beading or lace.

I know that my judgement of the condition of each of the items I used as examples would not completely match other very ethical and thorough sellers—we all see things a little differently. So, I would argue, each of these condition ratings is subjective enough without any generalizing qualifier such as “vintage”.

Does a seller need to show a condition chart to customers? No, that’s not necessary, although it may help guide a buyer to understand the meaning of your words, and therefore trust your assessment. The crucial things for the buyer are for you as the seller to describe and show the flaws. Remember, condition is both inside and out and it includes alterations. It is not just about the look, but the odor and feel.

Some of my (ahem) less than ideal purchases have included 1. A sweater with no condition description (and limited photos) which was more like a hole with a bit of sweater around it. 2. An “excellent vintage condition” dress with obvious staining under the arms. The seller explained, “but the stains only show when you lift your arms!” I’ll have to try to remember not to hail a cab… 3. An “excellent condition” jacket with tears throughout the lining. This seller said he didn’t know that the inside mattered! 

As a person who purchases vintage items online, I’m acutely aware of condition and try very hard to figure out exactly what each seller means. I scrutinize the pictures, read the text and even ask questions. If someone includes “vintage condition” and the item has no noticeable flaws, I will write to ask what makes the condition “vintage”.

To sellers: Put on your buyer’s shoes and make it as plain and simple to know exactly what you mean and you will avoid questions, frustrations, click-aways, disappointments …and returns.

News flash: I don’t know everything. Everyone lives and learns. I have been buying vintage clothing and accessories forever, and selling for 24 years. I still make mistakes, and I still modify what I do when I find a better way. I’m still learning and will always be learning.

However, I don’t think I could change my mind about “vintage condition”—it is not helpful in describing vintage fashion.

Right to Dry

A batch of freshly washed vintage swimsuits on my clothesline

I live in a 116-year-old house with a couple of clotheslines that look like they’ve made it at least half that long. An ancient grapevine winds up one of their posts. I use the lines in the summer for unbelievably quick drying, and many a vintage item has aired out in the breeze.

I guess I may be one of the lucky ones, as I have read there is a growing movement to protect a citizen’s right to dry clothes on an outdoor clothesline, challenging many state laws. (Here are the states that have blocked clothesline bans.)

The argument against use of lines is that it creates a messy vista, lowering property values—some homeowners associations even cite strangulation risk. Over 74 million Americans live in association-governed communities, and most of these associations regulate the use of laundry lines to some extent.

Arguing for hanging clothes out to dry focuses on the aesthetic of clean smelling clothing, getting oneself out into the fresh air, and the frugality: The average household stands to save $100-$300 per year over the use of an electric dryer according to Project Laundry List. Besides, clothes last longer when not subjected to the heat of the dryer. This is always on my mind, being a lover of vintage clothing!

From clotheslines.com

Most of all right now, supporters of “Right to Dry” are citing the energy consumption of the home dryer and how much it affects global warming. There are 89 million dryers in the U.S. according to Natural Resources Defense Council. Annually, each of these dryers releases about 1,500 pounds of carbon-dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. 

So what are you waiting for? Live and let dry!

P.S. Need some vintage clothing care how-tos?

Then please give my book a read if you haven’t yet. The care section is a culmination of decades of research, trial and error and honing. Here are some of the reviews.

Incredible Vintage: Happiest Ending

In February last year I wrote about an extraordinary vintage costume jacket I found. It was labeled Ice Capades Costume Studio, Hollywood, California. The name, written in pen, was KONRAD, referring to Alan Konrad, a star of the Ice Capades from the late 1940s through 1964.

It was very well made and much used, with some damage and staining. The more I looked at it though, the less I felt it my right to attempt to clean it, with the honest signs of use by a brilliant performer. I polled my Instagram followers who wrote:

It’s awesome, a real treasure, honour it as it is 💛
Yes! Let this incredible piece honor the grit and toil of this magnificent performer!
In this case those stains are a fundamental part of the history of the jacket. It makes this incredibly special piece even more interesting!

And there were many more people who just wrote WOW in one way or another. I became convinced that the jacket needed to go somewhere special—and I tried to find that special place. When my approaches didn’t reach the right people, I just treasured the jacket and waited.

Then, recently, that special connection came to me. A comment was made on my blog by someone named Nancy Sapir:

Alan Konrad is my uncle, and he was indeed a brilliant skater with a wit as sharp as his blades.

That same day, Nancy’s son Steven contacted me to ask if he could purchase the jacket for his mother. They had been discussing Alan and it took Nancy down memory lane via Google search to my blog. Steven said,

My mom never had a father. Alan was there for her … It would be the only thing she would have from her uncle.

I had the privilege of sending the jacket home, to the family of Alan Konrad. They seem like the warmest people.

How many stories come to such a wonderful conclusion?

Denisebrain is 24 and Earth Day is 53

I started offering vintage fashion as denisebrain on April 22, Earth Day, of 1999. It’s a marvelous day to consider the choices one makes for the good of our planet. And vintage fashion is the most beautiful of reuse.

April 22 is my business’s 24th anniversary, and Earth Day’s 53rd, and I’m celebrating Earth Day, along with so many of you, more than ever.

Besides your purchasing vintage clothing for reuse, you help me by supporting One Tree Planted. For each purchase made, I donate one dollar, good for one tree. Your purchases also allow me to donate at least 10% of my earnings to Save the Manatee Club.

From Patrick Rose, Save the Manatee Club Executive Director

From Matt Hill, One Tree Planted President and Founder

I know some of you are really clued into taking good care of your clothes to help them last longer. I offer lots of advice on vintage fashion care in my book, Wear Vintage Now: Choose It, Care for It, Style It Your Way, which is a bestseller on Etsy, and has all 5-star reviews on Amazon. The most popular part of this book seems to be the care section. I am so glad people are referring to it to make their vintage finery last—What a great thing to do for the Earth.

Sometimes these days it is really difficult to feel optimistic about the future of our planet’s environment, but we can’t lose hope, and we can’t stop doing what we can, which includes wearing vintage and secondhand clothing and extending its life with good care.

As Greta Thunberg says:

1. All the clothing and accessories I sell are authentic vintage, which I’ve purchased from individuals and small stores.

2. My dry cleaner uses an eco-friendly (non-perc) method.

3. I use 100% recycled acid-free tissue to package your purchases.

4. When possible I use compostable bags and recyclable paper ribbon to protect and wrap up your item.

5. I print your thank you note on 100% post-consumer recycled paper.

6. The shipping boxes and the kraft tape I use are recyclable.

7. Etsy offsets 100% of carbon emissions from shipping.

Save the Manatee this Seagrass Awareness Month

Did you know that March is Seagrass Awareness Month? 
 

Even if I have not convinced you to wear green (see previous post), we can all agree that everyone needs to eat green—especially manatees.

These are tough times for the beloved manatee and its most important food source. I have just started a GoFundMe page to help raise a little extra money before the end of March: Save the Manatee this Seagrass Awareness Month.

The fact that March is Seagrass Awareness month has never been more vitally appropriate.

Manatees are creatures of habit, returning to their limited safe havens during the cooler part of the year. In these spots, they rely principally on seagrass to eat, and warmer waters to protect them from deadly cold stress. Manatees have very little protective fat—their round shape is due to the bulk of their digestive tract.

The safe havens, because of decades of human-produced pollution, are being choked out by algae blooms leading to a massive loss of seagrass. Marine biologists state that the current tragic die-off of manatees is due to starvation.

In the deadliest year on record, 2021, more than 1,100 manatees perished—most of these starved to death. Those that ventured along the coast in search of food risked death from cold stress or boat strike. In 2022, the preliminary estimate is that 800 of these beloved creatures perished.

Rescue crews have been rushing to save as many manatees as they can, but this loss can't be sustained. Manatees were prematurely removed from the Endangered Species List in 2017—prematurely because all the threats that could lead to the extinction of this iconic species are still present. This recent death count is proving that.

Manatees have been around for between 30 and 60 million years. We can't let human carelessness and selfishness wipe this gentle and intelligent species off the face of the earth.

If you can add $5 to to the total of my fundraiser, I would be so grateful. If you don't have anything to spare but would like to help, please share the fundraiser. Thank you!

Finding a Vintage Sweater: The Benefit of Stretch

This is an excerpt from my book Wear Vintage Now! Choose It, Care for It, Style It Your Way.

Please see my previous post for information about figuring out vintage fit and size.

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There are many styles of sweaters, from chunky knits to fitted Sweater Girl styles, cardigans, short sleeves and sleeveless, beaded, appliquéd, embroidered, hand knit, and major vintage designer labels.

Clockwise, from top left: 1950s sweater jacket on April @la_velvet_belle on Instagram

’80s novelty design sweater from Small Earth Vintage

’50s beaded cardigan from Jumblelaya

’60s sequined sweater top from Morning Glorious Vintage

What do you like in a modern sweater? Something you could wear skiing, a simple basic, or something a bit flashy? If you’re looking for warm and thick, try searching for vintage sweaters using keywords like Nordic, Irish (also Irish fisherman, Aran), ski, Fair Isle, Icelandic, boyfriend, chunky, and cable knit. Sweater Girl sweaters are fitted, usually 1950s to ’60s in vintage, and often waist length. Look for soft lambswool blends, angora, and cashmere—add beads, sequins, or embroidery to your search for something even dressier.

When it comes to basics, I love vintage cashmere sweaters. They beat most modern cashmere knits in the quality-to-price ratio hands down. Cashmere is light, soft, and warm, and it’s not likely to irritate the skin of any but a tiny fraction of the most sensitive wearers. Vintage cashmere knits come in a wide range of styles and colors—they are a practical luxury.

A vintage Scottish-made cashmere sweater like this one from shopwhatsnewpussycat is almost guaranteed to lower your heating bill!

The appropriate fit for knits varies with the style. If you like a Sweater Girl fitted style, look for a sweater with a bust measurement about the same as your own. Very often the hem of a sweater is ribbed; ribbing is stretchier than a plain stitch, as well as being sturdier. What that means is that you don’t need to worry if the measurement of a ribbed hem is smaller than your own waist or hip measurement, where the hem will fit. One caveat: If the sweater is a cardigan and worn tight at the bust, it may gap along the buttoned placket.

If what you are after is a thick, chunky knit, you may want it to be larger than your own measurement at the bust. I would allow at least 1–2′′ (2.5–5 cm) of ease (we’ll discuss “ease” in more detail soon).

Look carefully at the condition of vintage sweaters. Holes can be mended, but when you’re just starting out with vintage, look for a sweater that’s in excellent shape, clean, and either hole-free or with just one or two tiny mended holes in inconspicuous places.

Now that you’ve taken a look at sweater knits, you are ready to delve into woven apparel. Fit is so important in choosing clothing items without much or any stretch.

Figuring Out Vintage Fit and Size

This is an excerpt from my book Wear Vintage Now! Choose It, Care for It, Style It Your Way

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Of the handful of Really Important Issues when choosing vintage clothing, fit is probably number one for most people. There’s quite a lot to cover, so let’s get started.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MEASUREMENTS

There is no standard by which vintage sellers collectively describe sizes, but let’s be fair, there is no precise standard for modern clothing either! Sometimes you’ll see a vintage item that has its original tag or label with the size marked on it, but don’t confuse this with current sizing. Vintage sizes do not coincide with modern sizes, nor are they predictable when compared with other items from the same era. In her study of advertisements in Vogue magazine from 1922 to 1999, Alaina Zulli found a great deal of irregularity, with a generally decreasing size number through the decades, due to so-called vanity sizing. As summarized in 2011, Ms. Zulli found that in the Sears catalogue of 1937 for instance, a woman with a 32′′ bust would have worn a size 14. She would have worn a size 8 by 1967, and today, she’s wearing a size 0.* Fit is all about measurements, not stated sizes.

I have tried to at least codify my own modern size estimates for the vintage items I have for sale, based on an assortment of websites’ and catalogues’ size charts. Other vintage sellers have done something similar. However, I would recommend that if you see U.S. size 6, say, or XL, even in my listings, do not assume it is the same as your idea of size 6 or XL. Go straight for the measurements and compare those to your own.

Many sellers, including me, suggest that you compare the measurements of an item you’re interested in with something similar of your own that fits you well. This is great if indeed you have a piece that is similar to the vintage item in key ways, for instance both are made of woven, non-stretchy fabric and are fitted in the same ways. I will later make suggestions about how to choose items even if you have nothing similar.

When should you ask for further help from an online vintage seller? By all means ask if there are no/not enough measurements or the condition is not described. A seller who offers almost no information may be a beginner or simply not very skillful. One characteristic that good sellers share is that their listings include most or all of the information you need to make an informed decision. Most good sellers will be happy to guide you if you need further help with the size or some other aspect. Just remember, don’t ask if that 1950s dress is a size 6—ask about the item’s measurements.

So now that you understand the importance of measurements for fit, here are the most common measurements you will need for clothing:

It is an extremely good idea to have someone help you with these measurements, at least the ones that would require advanced contortionism to manage on your own. Use a cloth measuring tape and keep it straight and snug but not tight as you measure. Stand tall and relaxed and don’t suck in, especially for the bust and waist measures.

Bust: With your bra on, measure around your body at the fullest part of your bust.

Under-bust measure: Measure around your body just under your bust.

Waist: Measure around the smallest part of your waist, just above your belly button.

Hips: With heels together, measure around the fullest part of your hips, about 8′′ (20.3 cm) down from your waist.

Shoulder width: Imagine lines going straight up from your armpits to your shoulders in back. Measure from this point on one shoulder to the other, across the back.

Outer sleeve length: Measure from the tip of your shoulder to your wrist along the outside of your arm.

Upper arm: Measure around the fullest part of your upper arm.

Neck: Wrap the tape around your neck about 1′′ (2.5 cm) above the point where your shoulder meets your neck.

Back waist length: Measure from the base of your neck to your waist in back.

Inseam: While standing straight, measure from the groin to the place where you would like the hem of the pants to fall (ankle or floor).

Outer leg length: Measure from the waist to the point where the hem of the pants will fall.

Rise (front and back): Measure from the groin to your waist at center front for the front rise, and at center back for the back rise.

Allow me to digress a moment here. You can be any size and look great; you just have to be honest about the size you really are. For instance, when you measure your waist, don’t suck in or you’ll have to live with permanent duck face while wearing too-tight clothes. If you lose that weight you’ve been meaning to lose or whittle your waist with exercise, you can find a new vintage frock or alter what you have. But now is now—and you deserve to look and feel great right now! There are vintage foundation garments that will help you modify your size somewhat, but for starters, let’s stick with the basics.

Now, what vintage garment are you going to look for first? My suggestion is a sweater because 1) a sweater’s fit is flexible—you are practically guaranteed success—and 2) vintage sweaters are the best!

*Clifford, Stephanie. “One Size Fits Nobody: Seeking a Steady 4 or a 10.” New York Times, April 24, 2011.

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Look for tips on finding a vintage sweater, in my blog soon!

Hello, Good Buy!

Right now, and through February 12, the majority of the items in my Etsy shop are 40% off, no coupon needed. Click image to stop by my store:

P.S. Have no fear, even during sales:

1. 100% of profits on items sold from the Pink Heart Shop of my Etsy store go to Dress for Success Worldwide.
2. 10% of all other profits go to Save the Manatee Club.
3. Via One Tree Planted, a tree is planted for each order.

What goes around SHOULD come around

Or, the continuing story of a vintage dress

On one day in c. 1949, a beautiful iridescent gingham taffeta dress was made. This is about that dress.

Although it doesn’t have a maker’s label, from the size tag, I can say definitively that it was commercially made in the U.S. Can’t you see the original wearer swirling about in her dress?

Fun fact: Did you know that there is a name for the distinctive rustling sound that taffeta makes? The sound is called scroop, a late 18th-century word blending scrape and whoop!

At some point—perhaps when fashions changed, or the wearer changed—the dress was carefully saved. I don’t know the full story of the dress from that point until the new millennium, but perhaps it was worn by another lucky soul in the 1950s.

2005

What I do know is that I was entrusted with the sale of the dress in 2005.

By then, wearing vintage was gradually becoming more mainstream, and the dress sold to another appreciator. More scrooping commenced!

Then, ten years later, the woman who purchased the dress was ready to pass it on to the next wearer. I photographed it on beautiful Sarah, and it is now for sale in my Etsy shop, specifically in the Pink Heart Shop section of my store.

All proceeds from items purchased from the Pink Heart Shop go to Dress for Success, an international not-for-profit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

If this dress could only talk, we might hear of all its wearers, the joy it has in its beauty and scroop, and its pride in passing from one stylish, interesting and caring person to another.

Click to view the gingham dress in my Etsy shop. (affiliate link)

Pendleton ’49ers—and ’49er Look-Alikes

I live a mere 195 miles from Pendleton, Oregon, the home of Pendleton Woolen Mills. Perhaps that explains the amount of vintage Pendleton items I have been fortunate to find in my area. The casual nature of Inland Northwest life might also be thanked.

Of all the versatile, classic pieces made by this venerable company, one particular Pendleton item, called the ’49er Jacket, interests me the most. Ineffably and timelessly cool to my eyes, the ’49er is a sporty basic that Pendleton started making in 1949. It was among the company’s very first articles of clothing for women. Pendleton has made the jacket in many of the years since, with some variations.

The classic is a shirt jacket with flanged shoulders, fullness gathered into the sides of the back yoke, roomy patch pockets with the plaid cut on the bias, big dark shell buttons, and long sleeves with buttoned cuffs. I’ve seen solids, but they are almost always plaid or tartan wool flannel.

People are always surprised at the variety of the plaids used for the jackets made by Pendleton. I get plenty of requests for specific favorite plaids, but almost every one I find differs from every other one I’ve found. A woman once wrote to me that her mother had sewn pockets onto Pendleton ’49ers until 1957. It surprised her to see a vintage ’49er in purple and lime green plaid and asked her mother if that could possibly have been an original ’49er color scheme, and her mother said yes! The variety is wonderful.

It is often very difficult to tell the exact era of a Pendleton ’49er because they have been made similarly for so long. The company still makes wool shirts and jackets for women, but the current (2023) models drift more toward their classic men’s shirt jackets.

If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, Pendleton should feel deeply admired by the number of companies that copied the ’49er to greater and lesser degrees. Everyone wanted in.

Some, but surely not all, the ’49er look-alike labels (White Stag, Western Star, Chippewa Woolen Mills, Graff Californiawear, Penney’s, “The Prospector” by Algene, Traverse Bay Woolens, “Slick Shirt” by Vic-Gene, The Empress, Game and Lake Original, Merrill Woolen Mills, Frisco Jac, and The Crescent).

How did Pendleton come to make the ’49er to begin with? According to the company’s blog, “During WWII, men were not the only people enjoying distinctive plaids and ombres in pure virgin wool. Women began to borrow men’s work shirts for both work and warmth. It’s possible that by wearing their husband’s shirts, women kept the memories of their husbands, fiancés and brothers close, though many undoubtedly needed some serious work wear that was simply not available for women at the time. Whatever the reason, women loved Pendleton shirts.”

The name ’49er was not only a tribute to the year it was first made, but, as a Western U.S. company, a nod to the California Gold Rush. The designer was a 41-year-old woman named Berte Wiechmann who had been working at Jantzen, another sportswear company based in Portland, Oregon. Although she based the details on Pendleton’s popular men’s shirts, she chose to use large patch pockets, and those big iridescent shell buttons, to help soften the look. Again according to Pendleton, Wiechmann’s choice of buttons was a black shell beauty from Australia and Tahiti, supplied by J. Carnucci & Sons, NJ.

Researching Weichmann, I came across her designing for Jantzen again in 1958. She was a popular speaker, described in The Capital Journal (Salem, Oregon) as, “an entertaining, peppy and enthusiastic leader in fashions … She’s a riot all by herself.” Weichmann lived to be 101 years of age, dying in 2009.

Here are the Pendleton ’49ers I’ve offered over some years, along with an assortment of very similar jackets by other manufacturers. The last two jackets shown are 1960s variations by Pendleton, both shorter than the original.

A Panoply of Plaids

Quick facts about Pendleton ’49ers:

Label from a 1950s ’49er jacket

Label from a men’s jacket dating from the 1980s. Note the Woolmark symbol in the lower left corner. (Courtesy of the Vintage Fashion Guild Label Resource)

• Pendleton’s white labels are in clothing designed for women, blue labels are in their men’s clothes. You can see examples of many Pendleton labels in the Vintage Fashion Guild’s Label Resource.

• The Woolmark symbol, which shows up on Pendleton labels, was not used before 1964.

The original dark shell buttons

• I suggest dry cleaning all woven wool, including Pendleton jackets. Moths and carpet beetles love this wool, so it is important to keep it clean.

• The dark shell buttons used on Pendleton ’49ers are prone to chipping—which is why many a vintage ’49er will have replacement buttons. Ask your dry cleaner to cover them for protection, or remove them yourself and resew them when the jacket comes home. You won’t be sorry. 

• What is a shoulder flange? 

  Do you see the pleat from the top of the shoulder into the front of the jacket? It’s that flange that gives the ’49ers shoulders great definition, as well as some extra room. 

• What is a back yoke? 

  This is the panel of fabric across the upper back, designed to support the shoulder and back fabric of a shirt. The ’49er borrows this feature from menswear. 

• What is bias cut? 

  Fabric cut and used for the garment on the diagonal is called bias cut. This cut famously lent give (some horizontal stretch) to 1930s gowns. With the Pendleton ’49er, it sets the plaid at a jaunty angle.

Shoulder flanges, back yoke and bias cut pocket

Finally, there are also vintage '49er look-alike patterns so you can make one yourself—perhaps in purple and lime green plaid?

What do you think of these jackets? Do you have one? What are the plaid’s colors?

Denisebrain best of 2022

This year’s best-of starts off with two why-don’t-they-make-them-like-this-anymore-quality New Look-era items. The coat, labeled Bettijean, is made of wool with rainbow flecks.

Dan Millstein made this buttery-soft wool jacket with satin details. Both flew from my shop.

Once again, I am so happy to have had the help of models who really get, and love, the styles.

Here is a 1940s wool gabardine suit and a hooded velvet maxi coat from the ’70s, modeled by Sarah.

With your help, once again I have supported One Tree Planted with a dollar for each purchase from my Etsy shop. One Dollar = One Tree. Isn’t it wonderful to think of the green we are bringing to the world with that tree, and the green choice of great vintage fashion?

Speaking of green, these jade rings sold very quickly. And here are couple more wonderful models, Roxy, in a silk dress by Mort Schrader, and Selah in a Castlecliff iridescent green glass beaded necklace.

That necklace? A dear friend donated it for me to sell with all proceeds going to Save the Manatee Club. As some of you know, I love manatees, and donate 10% of my yearly earnings to Save the Manatee Club. I’m so grateful that many of you care about manatees too.

One customer wrote about this white gown:

I was deliberating between this dress and a couple others from different shops. Then I saw your note about donating to Save The Manatees. Done! Sold! I have loved manatees since I was a child, and I "adopt" one every year. His name is Floyd. Anyway - completely obsessed with the dress and 100% will be supporting your shop as often as I can afford!!!

Here’s another item my dear friend donated to raise money for Save the Manatee Club. It’s a mohair sweater by Lee Herman with puffy little embroidered mushrooms. I thought it looked great with this silk scarf by Jacqmar.

Among things that make a walk in the rain cheerful are vintage raincoats and polka dots. Together? Win-win. One coat’s buyer wrote: Vintage item and so cool, fun description is accurate and seller went the extra mile and I felt like I was receiving a gift! (I love it when people feel that way!)

The other said: Love this raincoat. I looked at it for quite a while. So glad I finally purchased it. (I’m so glad too!)

No color tops black in vintage toppers …at least that’s what you seem to be saying. I routinely sell more hats in black than any other shade.

Speaking of black, here’s a Vintage Convergence: A large fan-shaped bag home-crocheted from rayon cord, with a twisted Lucite handle and carved Lucite zipper fob. The original design was a Cordet Crochet pattern by Jack Frost, dating from 1945. Of course I had to attempt the same pose.

Humor me—this is as close as I get to time travel.

This long, hand-knotted necklace of blue glass beads is simple and beautiful. Another wonderful model, Jessica, modeled this blue silk faille dress for me—also a simply beautiful design made by the color.

Pale pink from the 1950s, ’40s and ’60s. Which is your favorite?

There’s no doubt, vintage Hawaiian-made fashions are perpetual bestsellers. Look at these prints from the 1950s and ’60s and you’ll see why.

You may want to quit Twitter in its newest incarnation, but you clearly don’t want to quit twitterers—birds, that is. Most unusual is the blown glass and wire pin with a bird and nest in a tree that came to me in a box with the following note inscribed on the box's side: "From 'Aunt' Grace Hart, She bought it at the Golden Gate Exposition 1939 — brought it 'home' to me."

The 1950s Coro Duette owl pin clips and earrings are their own sort of amazing, with an ingenious mechanism (patent number 1798867) to separate the pin into two clips.

The duck, in its original gift box, is carved jade.

You (and I) love fashion from the 1940s, and here are two very different representatives: Wide-leg wool gabardine trousers, à la Katharine Hepburn and the most twirl-able cotton square dance dress by Donnell's of Denver.

In fact, black and gold are quickly sold! 1960s brocade, 1950s brocade (with a reversible coat no less) and 1950s velvet with golden cord embroidery.

I’ll let you in on five things I’ve considered my businesses’s mantras in 2022:

1. Gratefully accept all the help you are offered.

2. Only do the amount of things you can do well.

3. Work with a volunteer SCORE or SBDC small business coach.

4. People truly appreciate intangibles.

5. Smile as much as you possibly can, and give others a reason to smile.

My personal mantras overlap:

1. Gratefully accept all the help you are offered.

2. Only do the amount of things you can do well.

3. Feed the bees with everything you plant.

4. Shop small shop small shop small shop small.

5. Smile as much as you possibly can, and give others a reason to smile.

What advice helped you in 2022? I sincerely want to know.

Here are some diverse jewels that sold this year, from the 1910s through the 1960s.

The coins? This was clearly someone’s souvenir of her travels to South Africa, Belgium, Mexico, Sweden and Austria. The very lovely repeat buyer left this review: These coins must have appreciated in value because wearing this bracelet makes me feel like a million bucks! The very large round brooch is marked Original by Robert. One of my esteemed Vintage Fashion Guild colleagues said about the glorious mishmash: In my opinion, the unique beauty of imagined patterns, colors, and transparencies create the fantasy that makes costume jewelry so appealing.

1930s items are the greatest treat to find—truly becoming quite rare. Here’s a French-made sequined bag, a colorful necklace and an incredible silk dress, all sold in 2022.

These three went out just in time for Christmas.

Emma Domb gown

Brooch by JJ

1940s rayon gabardine

Wear Vintage Now! Choose It, Care for It, Style It Your Way, which I published in 2020, became an eBook this year, available from Apple Books. And I’ve just received a new batch of books to offer here on my website or in my Etsy store. (P.S. I love reading your reviews!)

A 1950s Schiaparelli bracelet that was purchased in 2022.

I will sign off with my very fondest wishes for 2023 to you.

Here's to a New Year of love, health, happiness, and hope for us all! 

—Maggie
of denisebrain

Let it Snow!

From Bing Crosby’s hometown—where we do not have to just dream of a white Christmas—I send my warmest wishes to you for the holidays.

If you think I’m kidding about the snow here, let me share this view from my front stairs some time ago. The snow is about two-feet deep now!

For those of you caught in brutally cold weather, deep in snow, I send extra warm wishes. Please stay safe!

Thankful

It’s Thanksgiving plus one day, but it’s never too late to let you know how thankful I am.

I am so thankful to have a small business. The people I have met—customers, colleagues, collectors, historians, models, journalists, the original owners of vintage fashion—have given me a world of kindness and support.

I wish you every happiness in this holiday season, and hope you are surrounded by all that you love best.

It's Manatee Awareness Month!

For the 43rd year, November is Manatee Awareness Month

November is Manatee Awareness Month, an annual month-long dedication to manatees and their conservation in Florida and beyond. Former Florida Governor Bob Graham first declared November as Manatee Awareness Month in 1979, when the state began designating manatee protection zones in areas where manatees gather during the winter. November is typically when manatees return to Florida’s warmer waters from their summer migratory routes.

(from the Save the Manatee Club website)

It is estimated that in the late 1960s the Florida manatee population was just several hundred. In 1973, the year the federal Endangered Species Act was passed, manatees became charter members of the endangered species list. 

Jimmy Buffet and Patrick Rose, SMC Executive Director, at the time of the founding of the Save the Manatee Club in 1981.

At the time of the awareness month designation there were 800 to 1,000 manatees. Two years later, Save the Manatee Club was founded by Jimmy Buffet (yes, Mr. Margaritaville) and the then-governor of Florida, Bob Graham.

Save the Manatee Club’s efforts have been critical to the recovery of the manatee. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recorded as many as 6,620 manatees in its 2017 aerial survey. Since then the population has dropped, with last year the deadliest on record. The FFWCC recorded 1,101 manatee deaths. In 2022 so far, 718 animals have been found dead along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

This horrific mortality rate was precipitated by fertilizer runoff which created an algae bloom that devastated the seagrass beds that are the staples of the manatee’s diet. Many animals are perishing from starvation. If manatees venture out from their usual winter zones in search of food they risk deadly cold stress and boat strikes.

This is not an easy time to be a manatee.

How can we help?

Save the Manatee Club has a list. Of course.

If you are in Florida, there are many things you can do, from reporting sick and injured animals to simply respecting boat speed limits in manatee zones. However if you, like me, live far from Florida, you can still help. The Adopt-A-Manatee program is a classic.

I work to raise awareness of these wonderful animals and their plight, donating 10% of my vintage fashion sales earnings to Save the Manatee Club. This year, in honor of Manatee Awareness Month, I am dedicating 25% of my earnings to SMC. Some of the items to be listed through the rest of the month will be entirely for the manatees. Your purchases will help now more than ever!

Vintage items from my shop in manatee-approved shades of blue (Manatee photo by Koji Kamei from Pexels.)

How vintage clothing is priced

This is an update of a blog I first posted 7 years ago, directed at buyers of vintage fashion. My next blog will be directed at sellers, about how to price vintage fashion.

Why does this 1950s dress cost $49, this one $98 and that one $300? Ever wondered why the big differences?

I am sometimes asked if I can accept an offer of a lower price for an item I have for sale, and I don’t like to just bluntly refuse without an explanation. Sometimes I’m asked how to price a vintage item, or why an item I’m selling is a certain price. This post is to explain a little about the vintage clothing and accessories marketplace and the pricing one sees.

First, you need to know how vintage clothing is acquired by those who present it for resale. With the exception of some one-shot Ebay sellers, it is infrequently something from the seller’s own closet or family’s closets. Very infrequently it was given to the seller.

Usually, vintage sellers who have been around any length of time must find and purchase vintage fashions. They may get up very early to get in line for promising estate sales, garage sales, car boot sales and flea markets. They may put ads out for purchasing vintage clothing and go on buying trips to nearby (or far away) cities and towns. They may regularly scour the thrift, second-hand and antique markets. Auctions can also be sources. The seller has to make many good contacts, persevere and be resourceful.

What impacts a price

✔️ Location. In some areas there may be relatively more or less vintage available, and at more or less high prices. Just to sustain the business may take more income in some areas than others.

✔️ Scarcity. Vintage clothing and accessories that pre-date the 1980s are hard to find in many areas, and the older, the scarcer. One of the most rare things of all the 20th century seems to be a beaded silk dress from the mid 1920s in excellent condition. The amount of activity (think dancing the Charleston) that some of these dresses endured in their Roaring 20s heyday took a toll, and the combination of the delicate fabric and heavy decoration has made these dresses extremely ephemeral. With the popularity of 1920s styles over the past few years, many seek these dresses and are truly amazed at the prices—but what’s really amazing is that there is an authentic beaded silk dress from the 1920s left to sell!

Some other scarcity issues involve sizes (such as larger shoe and dress sizes) and types of items (generally trousers are more worn out and disposed of than skirts, menswear more than womenswear, swimsuits can take a beating, as can shoes...).

✔️ Condition. The example of a 1950s dress for $49, $98 or $300 may come even from the same shop, with the $49 dress being pretty but flawed, the $98 a simple dress in excellent condition and the $300 dress pristine and with a good label and great design. Condition means so much in valuing vintage because it really impacts the wearability, life expectancy of the garment, and acceptability for various occasions. Would you want to attend your friend’s wedding in a dress with an obvious and unremovable stain on the front? No, but you might wear the dress to a swing dance.

✔️ Quality. There is a reason why vintage haute couture is haute priced: It is the work of a great designer, skillfully and beautifully crafted with techniques that are becoming rarer and rarer. The materials will match the workmanship and the overall impression will be, most likely, breathtaking.

Unlabeled items can also be of great quality, and a good seller will take the trouble to explain the elements of an item’s quality. It is important to know that certain designers, labels, styles, eras, fabrics and embellishments can justifiably command high prices. Even color influences price. Would you pay more for an aqua blue dress or a similar dress in brown?

✔️ The seller. If a seller has a great reputation, with excellent references and knowledge, he or she can charge more for an item. Some excellent sellers don’t charge at the top of the spectrum, but many do. They also will stand by their sales, something that is not easy to do with vintage, each item being unique. If you enjoy the offerings of particular sellers, and you know you can trust those sellers, their finds will probably be worth more to you.

✔️ The selling venue. Are you walking into a posh Manhattan vintage shop or an antique mall in a small town? Which do you think will need to charge more for that vintage handbag? Right.

The famous gown worn by Marilyn Monroe in 1962, and more recently by Kim Kardashian, unfortunately (White House photo by Cecil Stoughton. Wikimedia Commons)

✔️ Provenance. If an item was worn by Marilyn Monroe—such as the dress she wore singing Happy Birthday Mr. President, which sold at auction in 1999 for $1.3 million, and for $4.8 million in 2016—it is worth many times more than its weight in gold. Even if there is not a famous person tied to the vintage fashion item, a sweet or interesting story can push the value of the piece.

✔️ Going rates. Experienced vintage fashion sellers usually research before they price an item, working to find the right price for what they consider to be their place in the market, seeing how other sellers have priced. Sometimes a movie or show (Titanic, Mad Men and Downton Abbey immediately come to mind) will drive the interest in a style and the going rate will go up accordingly. Gem.app search helps immensely for checking prices on specific items for sale.

✔️ Work on the item. Some vintage items are ready to go as found, but usually they need washing or dry cleaning, often a bit of mending. In some cases a large amount of work goes into preparing a vintage garment or accessory for use. Some items are definitely worth the time, like one of those rare 1920s beaded silk dresses—if they are damaged but reparable, the repairs are often worthwhile for bringing such a beautiful piece of history back to life. Of course excellent work takes knowledge, skill and time.

✔️ Desirability. This is kind of a catch-all that overlaps the quality, scarcity, selling venue, seller—everything. Sometimes there is a certain je ne sais quoi about how the item is presented that makes it—and the seller—hot stuff. The same item may be almost worthless in other hands.

Do all these add up to a formula for how much that 1950s dress should cost? No, not at all. Pricing changes every day and it is nebulous. Even the best sellers make miscalculations in pricing, and the least experienced seller may earn top money on a particular item. Desirability may make an item of low quality into the coolest and most valuable thing in the shop for some people. The best shop owner may have prices so low that you wonder if the item is of any quality. There are simply no hard and fast rules about pricing.

Then there is the thrift shop purchase. You know, the one where you found a designer dress from the 1950s in top condition and half off of $7.50? Almost everyone who has ever loved the thrill of the hunt has a story to tell of some incredible deal. This has the effect of making the general public think that all one needs is a bit of pocket change and a trip to the thrift. Of course finding something great and vintage for next to nothing is rare and getting rarer, so if you fancy items that predate the 1980s, you will mostly come up empty.

There may also be the perception that a vintage seller doesn’t do anything but buy, mark up the price and resell. Some might do no more than that, but those who take the business seriously do lots more. For instance, I do a lot of research and stay in close touch with colleagues at the Vintage Fashion Guild who can help me when I don’t know something about a vintage piece. I have bookshelves full of vintage fashion history books. I did so much research on fabric that I ended up volunteering to write and compile the VFG’s Fabric Resource. Over the course of years I’ve built up many contacts and quite a lot of knowledge.

In my house there are always buckets of vintage items soaking, needles with every color of thread stuck in a pincushion, bags of metal zippers, jars of vintage buttons. I have a careful dry cleaner that I trust and a skilled seamstress for things I can’t fix myself. I have a storage cabinet full of various stain removers, gentle washes and odor lifters. Not only do I read and write blogs about vintage fashion, I participate in the conversations about it on the Vintage Fashion Guild forums, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. I even wrote a book about it: Wear Vintage Now! Choose It, Care for It, Style It Your Way. In my selling practices I am as careful and honest as I can be. I am passionate about what I do. I sincerely care about each individual who crosses my vintage path. And I am not alone in any of this—there are quite a few really excellent vintage fashion shops. Is what we do more than buying and reselling? I think so.

Bottom line? There’s no magic formula for pricing vintage, but these are some of the considerations that might be taken into account.

Revisiting the Haunted Dress

In honor of Halloween, I must RETELL the story of the Haunted Dress

(Make sure to keep the lights on)

Sure I was smiling, but behind that smile was TERROR. Bwahahaha!

When I bought this beautiful blue-gray satin dress it had a small stain at the neckline, so I took it to the cleaners. I removed the four rhinestone buttons on the sleeves so they would not be damaged in cleaning. The dress came back without stain. I bought perfectly matching thread to sew the buttons back on, then hung the dress up on a rack below an open staircase. A month later, while going up the stairs, I tripped and spilled my dinner a bit. Some salsa splashed on this dress. Very frustrated, I took the dress to be cleaned again, removing the buttons again. It came back perfectly clean; I sewed on the buttons.

Then, a month later, I went to sell the dress, and there was a stain at the neckline again, and I have not a clue as to how it got there. Extremely frustrated, I removed the buttons again. I waited about six months to take the dress to the cleaners again (being slightly freaked out by this) and it came back perfectly clean again. Then I went to sew the buttons back on and could only find three of the four. I searched high and low.

Finally, after several months, the fourth button turned up in an unlikely spot. I was preparing to sew the buttons on, but the perfectly matched thread was nowhere to be found. I found a pretty similar gray-ish thread and stitched the buttons on, but noticed that one of the rhinestones had fallen out that was previously in place.

I photographed the dress, and by now I was a bit on edge about this series of mishaps. I was excruciatingly careful with it every step of the way. Then when I uploaded the photos from my camera, the computer crashed, something that positively never happens. When I restarted, the photos were gone (again, this never happens!) so I took more, with even more excruciating care.

The dress sold, and I boxed it up. By now, I was talking to it soothingly, like, “it’s OK, you are going to a good home, and you’ll like it there.” I thought I was done with problems, but when I got to the post office, my delivery confirmation sticker would not scan! (I'm not making any of this up!) The postal worker put on a new sticker.

The woman who bought the dress truly loved it, and I hope the dress loved her too and didn’t give her too much trouble!

It’s Labor Day—Have you looked for the Union Label?

ILGWU parade float bearing the union label, December 7, 1960. Photographer unknown, via The Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives.

There was a time not so long ago when many U.S. citizens, the majority women, earned a decent living making clothing. This was in great part aided by the strength of the ILGWU (International Ladies Garment Worker Union). Everyone who was around in 1970s America knows the jingle:

Look for the union label
When you are buying a coat, dress or blouse.
Remember somewhere our union’s sewing
our wages going to feed the kids and run the house,
We work hard but who’s complaining.
Thanks to the I.L.G. we’re paying our way.
So, always look for the union label,
it says we’re able
to make it in the U.S.A.

There’s no reason to stop looking for the union label when you purchase vintage fashion. Today through Wednesday, save 20% on all items with union labels in the denisebrain Etsy shop, no coupon code needed. And let me tell you, these are well-made fashions!

Steal Style Ideas From Your Younger Self

Most of us say that we wish we had known then what we know now—but I’ve been thinking that maybe we should consider the opposite.

This is a photo of me when I was in college. Is there anything one would want to repeat here? Red shag carpet? Radio? Granny squares?

I didn’t know what suited me best, what colors looked best on me …or how to put together a granny square blanket!

What I do like about this photo is the reminder of the freedom I felt then. It made me ask myself, what could we learn about style from our younger selves? Here are some of my thoughts, and I’d love to hear about yours in the comments.

1. You don’t have to match things you already have if you absolutely love something. When we’re young, we gravitate to things that are not necessarily part of our idea of our style. Maybe something new will actually change your idea of your style. Experiment!

I remember a 60-something college instructor taping a post on her door: Resist the tendency to define yourself. When you’re trying to decide what to do with your life, you are open.

2. Be impractical sometimes. Capsule wardrobe, sensible shoes—one part Marie Kondo, one part Lady Gaga, let this stuff go if your soul says otherwise. Do not allow people to dim your shine because they are blinded, tell them to put on some sunglasses, cuz you were born this way!

3. Make your own style with your own hands. You don’t have to have a giant credit limit to creatively flex your style muscles. See the dress I’m wearing in that photo above? I saw something I adored in a magazine and sewed something similar, but with a fabric that related to my family’s Scottish ancestry.

4. Wear things that remind you of people you love. Here I was in my mother’s Irish sweater and a scarf knit for me by my godmother. I didn’t have to pay for them, and they kept me toasty, body and soul.

Oh, and that sweater of my mother’s? I wore it All. The. Time.

5. Look at fashion and do the same without money. Did you ever look at a fashion shoot and interpret it with what you already have? There’s so much inspiration! Get the vibe, not the exact item.

6. Buy used. We all know that fast fashion is a huge burden on the planet. The opposite is true of secondhand fashion—nothing thrown away, nothing newly made. When you’re young it’s often about finding things that don’t cost so much, but it doesn’t have to be cheap, shoddy fast fashion.

7. Wear things that you can take care of yourself. And learn to take care of things at least on a basic level such as washing things carefully, sewing on a button and fixing a fallen hem.

8. Wear what you are crazy about over and over and over. Put patches on holes and if it fades and softens, think of the item as an old friend.

I wore this striped cotton sundress for seven years, until it had had enough, then used it to patch other clothes.

9. Save up to buy one really good thing that makes you feel incredible. You won’t forget it, ever.

Finally, my favorite:

10. Tell people what you love, and you may get it for your birthday. I created this three days before my birthday:

Did I get new shoes for my birthday? No, but it was worth a try!

What ideas do you steal from your younger self?