The one before you left me so damaged

How many times have you walked up to a vintage dress and thought, "Oh, this is so cute!" And then on closer examination, notice that it has an unfortunate tear or stain. In some cases, it's a simple fix of Oxyclean or Zout, or maybe a subtle mend. In others, it's irreparable, tragic. A few months ago I found the most beautiful dress I've ever seen in person - a 1980s boutique Bob Mackie gown...with some moderate yellowing on the bottom left side. From what I've seen, these gowns retailed from $5,000 to $15,000 - this one was full length, with tones of gold, beige and cream and thousands of beads and rhinestones (nearly 7 pounds). 100% silk and handmade - I probably see 15-20 besequined and bedazzled dresses a week and there has been nothing like it and I doubt I will see another in my life. I bought it, hoping to revive the dress and have it wow another crowd.

I thought I could shorten the gown and make it into a mini-dress - solving the problem of the stain (silk is so difficult to clean! + beads = impossible). Bob Mackie in fact designed costumes for Tina Turner. But there was something about altering the original design that made me heartsick. Thankfully my mother fit into the gown and decided she would like to wear it as is.

Today, there are many designers that will use vintage clothing to make new clothing, known as reconstructed vintage. Urban Outfitters actually has an entire line devoted to this type of clothing, called Urban Renewal - "totally one-of-a-kind — handcrafted in Philadelphia from vintage, deadstock and surplus materials sourced from around the world." Pretty cool, huh? Although I would rather find a slightly damaged Mackie or Dior dress a good home (who can overlook its subtle flaws) than dare cut up a master's vision.

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Girls and their handbags

Why are women so crazy about their handbags? The Hermes Burkin bag has a two year wait list. Handbags are used to hold wallets, cell phones, gum, breath mints, lipstick, feminine hygiene products, compacts, and/or digital cameras. They have a practical purpose. Then there are those of us that adore its lines, the leather smell and the soft textures. They herald these accessories as works of art, symbols of who they are and who they want to be. Classic and versatile, like a Louis Vuitton speedy. Rich and flashy like a Fendi clutch. Or if you can't decide and have too much money, you might pick up the Louis Vuitton Patchwork Tribute bag, made from 15 different Louis Vuitton handbags.

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The Talented Mr. Jude Law

Unlike many movie adaptations, Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley translated very well into film under the direction of Anthony Minghella. Jude Law played Dickie Greenleaf, a Princeton educated pretty boy living off of his trust fund on a beach in Italy. His parents send Tom Ripley, deftly played by Matt Damon, who they think is an old Princeton classmate but is really a fraud. Ripley's special skill is getting into the head of any person he sets out to imitate.

As Dickie, Jude Law wears some fabulous vintage 1950s rockabilly style Italian knit shirts:











The Italian knit shirt is a perfect for accessory for making cappuccinos, hitting the jazz clubs or riding a Vespa.

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A relic from Oktoberfests past

Oktoberfest is a 16 day festival held in Munich, Germany, from late September to early October. Here in the US we associate the holiday with beers, sausages and sauerkraut - but mostly beer. I just found these adorable leather shorts which I've discovered to be vintage women's lederhosen, complete with buttons for the suspenders:















It has darling heart shaped patch pockets and delicate stitching. No labels or markings indicating the maker, but based on my research they appear to be traditional German lederhosen. I doubt I'll find another pair like these.

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Dating Vintage: Using RN Numbers

Ok, we don't plan to write very often about math formulas, but I thought this was pretty useful. While trying to figure out how old a shirt is, I came across this eBay guide on dating clothing via RN, WPL and CA numbers on clothing labels.

The FTC issues registered identification numbers or RNs to businesses residing in the US that are engaged in the manufacture, importing, distribution, or sale of textile, wool, or fur products (note that not all of these types of companies are issued RNs). Starting in 1959, the first number in the series was 13670, and since then there were an average of 2635 RNs per year.

So, while it’s not absolutely precise, you can estimate the earliest date a garment could have been produced with the following formula:

Your RN #
-13670 (first RN # in series)
Total #s between the original and yours/2635 (average #s issued per year) = # of years since issue date
1959 + # of years since issue date = estimated year of issue

For example, I used the formula with the this shirt:


The RN #: 55749
- 13670
= 42079
Divided by 2635
= 16 (The # of years since the issue date)
1959 + 16
= 1975












Therefore, the RN number for LAX, the maker of this shirt, was issued in 1975. This doesn’t mean the shirt was made in 1975, just that the this is the earliest date when it could have been made. Thus, it isn't from the 1960s, for example, though it is possible it is from the 1980s. To figure out a more precise dating on the shirt I would need to use other clues, such as the style, logos, company history, or union tags.

Just One of the Guys

"Just One of the Guys" (1985) may be one of, if not the greatest cross dressing movie ever. The movie stars a very hot Joyce Hyser as Terri Griffith, a high school investigative journalist with aspirations of becoming a summer intern at the local paper. She cries sexism when her article fails to wow her journalism teacher (it was on the nutritional value of school lunches), and transfers to a nearby public high school--as a boy named Terence. She befriends a boy, Rick Morehouse (played by Clayton Rohner), as Terence, and makes him over into a cool guy complete with a Members Only jacket.

Awesome 80s fashion is just one of many things to love about this movie. Sherilyn Fenn has a small role - you might recognize her as Audry from Twin Peaks. It's refreshing to see an actress actually lop off her hair, take off the makeup and unselfconsciously try to look an actual boy (Amanda Bynes, I'm looking at you).

This is our tribute to you, Rick:




















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Halloween costume suggestion: Majorette

I've found some really cute vintage majorette suits. They're colorful, fun and looking at them just makes me want to twirl a glittery baton. Just add some knee high boots and a wide headband or hat and you have a really cute Halloween costume. Gwen Stefani totally rocked a blue sequined majorette suit in her video for "Hollaback Girl":



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