Polka Dot Vintage Clothing Makes Me Smile

So when I ran across this spread of giddy 60s fashion models in vintage polka dots, I just had to share.

If you're dotty for dots, check out our varied selection of polka dot vintage clothing... there are dozens of items currently listed, including everything from polka dot petticoats to 1950s design you'd swear came from Lucille Ball's closet.  Here's a few favorites:

Red Polka Dot Vintage Summer Top - Size 9 | 10

Sweet 50s Taupe Polka Dot Dress - Size 15 | 16

Lucy Style 1950s Navy & White Polka Dot Dress - Size 8 | 9

Until next time, Vixens, strike a pose in your favorite retro polka dot!

Photo Source: Ladies' Home Journal, May 1964

Little Known Labels: Gino Paoli

Just as vintage clothing fashionistas today look to Italy for posh labels and luxurious materials, so did fashion-savvy women of decades ago. And when you look beyond labels with longevity and household names like Italian companies Gucci or Pucci, there are many more labels that once existed and created a signature style and quality unsurpassed since.

One such label is Gino Paoli, an Italian company that thrived on beautiful knitwear and leather, hand-finished and often in rich jeweltone hues. Classic Gino Paoli clothing includes two-piece knit suits, sweaters, dresses and leather paneled jackets. We usually see the suits with suede panels in a hue perfectly matched to the knit. The jackets are either suede or leather, sometimes two-tone as seen above.
Though they're often seen in neutrals (like bone or camel), some have vibrant colors that grew increasingly trend-focused into the 1960s. Paoli knits exist from the 1950s through the 1970s, with most made in the late 1950s to mid-1960s. They're inevitably wool knit, sometimes suede/leather, but later in the 1960s they diversified to produce less expensive woven A-line casual skirts. By the 1970s Paoli did not seem to be as popular as we see it less often in this era, and its knits were synthetic to follow the polyester trend of its day. Paoli labels do not appear to exist after the mid-1970s.

Gino Paoli is not especially rare, although its expensive price tags in the 1960s indicate it was not a mass-quantity line and it's not often found today in large quantity. Paoli labels, while costing hundreds per ensemble in the 1960s, are also not yet expensive in the collecting world today. This makes it a smart choice for the vintage clothing buyer who's seeking haute style for the price of ready-to-wear.
Paoli garments are readily wearable in most cases, with a few points to consider that are inherent to their design:

• Knit - We suggest hanging Paoli garments on a thick shoulder-like hanger similar to those you'd use for the best and heaviest overcoats. A knit garment in a medium-thick weight can stretch out of shape over the shoulders if stored on a too-thin hanger. Alternatively you can store knit Paoli items flat, with the fewest folds possible if it has leather/suede panels.
• Wool - Wool items by Paoli don't need particular attention beyond the average wool garment, except to note that when shopping for wool, notice if there are any holes due to clothes moths. An excellent vintage clothing dealer can repair these holes, often with little sign of its repair.
• Suede - Suede requires some special care as it will stain if moisture reaches it, and must be cleaned by a leather care expert. That being said, it's an exceptionally soft and beautiful material that many collectors covet for its quality, and of all vintage suedes, Paoli created some of the best.
  

View our current selection of Gino Paoli vintage clothing to dress well at beautiful prices. Until next time, Ciao!

Ready For Halloween In Vintage Style

Halloween is drawing near, and our last shipments of Halloween costumes have just left Vintage Vixen. Using vintage clothing for a Halloween outfit is a fun and creative endeavor, and this year we've helped more folks than ever find their retro-minded style for October 31!

We just wanted to say Thanks for choosing us to help make your costume ideas a reality. Happy Haunting, Vixens!

References: vintageholidaycrafts.com

The Vintage Leather Coat Conundrum

“Long hair minimizes the need for barbers; socks can be done without;

one leather jacket solves the coat problem for many years; suspenders are superfluous.”

-Albert EinsteinSolve your coat problem and other chilly dilemmas
with our recent update of vintage coats & sweaters!

We Wear Short Shorts!

In the Victorian era, showing one's ankle was rather risque. By the 1920s, exposing one's knees was racy. So when did we all get casual and don sportswear? Shorts? How about short shorts?!

Surprisingly enough, shorts have been around for casual wear much longer than people realize. Chances are, your grandmother wore them at some point, at least as a teen. The first regular use of shorts was in the 1930s, when athletic types like dancers wore shorts with fitted waists & loose, almost fluttery flared legs during exercise. These were similar in style to tap panties but not lingerie, though their fabrics were often thin and silky, otherwise all-cotton. While it's fairly common to see tap panties in vintage clothing today, their outer-worn counterparts are rarely found but can be seen in vintage movies, such as the exercise segments of "The Women" from 1939.

During the 1940s, short shorts were seen on pin-up girls and teens during relaxed times of day. Majorette were sometimes outfitted in short shorts at this time, as well as all-girl drum corps. World War II cheesecake art highlighted leggy silhouettes in these cute brief separates, usually made of cotton. They were nearly always in muted, feminine hues like these authentic examples:
By the mid-1940s, teens and young ladies wore made-to-match ensembles that included crop tops, cabana jackets and button-closed skirts with shorts underneath to match. These summer sets were meant to go from street wear to poolside sunning with the removal of jacket & skirt.

In the 1950s, the girl next door was wearing shorts on weekends and around the house in summer. The shortest of shorts were still meant for sex symbols like Marilyn Monroe, and movie versions of girls-next-door like Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina. Here's a sampling:

Other shorts and variations of such burst onto the scene during the 1950s - there were capris, clam diggers, Bermudas, pedal pushers, cigarette pants, etc. The popularity of these various styles shows how accepted shorts (and short pants) had become by this period.

By the 1960s short shorts arrived in street wear due in large part to the youth-focused culture at the time. Short shorts during this decade showed up in the form of hot pants, either worn alone or under a slit-front skirt for dramatic legs that appeared in a flash! Here's some seriously 60s styles in suede, barkcloth & fake fur:

In the 1970s, short shorts were sexy again on Farrah Fawcett as well as other Charlie's Angels (and Angel wanna-bes!). And Dukes of Hazzard made a Southern sex symbol famous in her daisy dukes. You might remember Nair's famous slogan "Who wears short shorts?" from this era, which went hand-in-hand with skin-baring briefs. Check 'em out:

For more shorts, check our available selections on VintageVixen.com; lengths range from mini to modest!

Vintage Lilli Ann Suits

One of the best American-made vintage suits labels is Lilli Ann, well-known for suits and coats from the late 1940s & 1950s. They were based in San Francisco but the Lilli Ann look is decidedly Parisian. Here's a bit of Lilli Ann eye candy for you!


Vintage clothing collectors seek out these wasp-waisted suits not only for their hourglass silhouettes, but also the luxury fabrics often labeled "loomed in Paris" or similar. They always have impeccable tailoring and extra details like the balloon peplum seen at left, which was a New Look motif carried into the 1950s. Especially elegant is the suit with ruched torso in middle view; because it's a lighter color, it's less likely to be found in wearable condition. We recently sold the exact suit seen at right, in three tones of latte brown.

This trio is equally posh, with unusual features. The suit at left is unique to see from Lilli Ann because its silhouette is sheath-like, rather than hourglass or a swing silhouette. That nipped-waist coat in the center's a fantastic silhouette, rarely found in the vintage clothing world. And the charming bow-accented suit at right has a rather girlish motif for business wear, in all French materials.

In the 1960s, Lilli Ann's looks turned a corner to keep up with the streamlined direction fashion was heading. Their new slogan "The world is yours" hoped to capture modern women's expanding horizons while dressing them as well as in the past. The company chose bolder colors, sleeker lines and eventually more obvious synthetics (like polyester and Ultra-Suede) as the 1970s approached.

Our website nearly always has a Lilli Ann gem or two available, and we're lucky to turn up more & more.

Sources from top left:

• balloon peplum suit in French fabric called "starlight worsted", originally $110, Harper's Bazaar, April 1953
• pale evening suit in French fabric, originally $100, Vogue, April 1953
• vintage sharkskin suit in British fabric, originally about $90, Harper's Bazaar, September 1954
• sheath-jacketed suit in French fabric woven in Normandy, originally $100, Harper's Bazaar, January 1953
• wasp-waisted coat in "finest boucle` twist", originally $110, Harper's Bazaar, May 1953
• bow-motif suit of French wool & mohair with Paris-made appliques, originally $100, Vogue, September 1953
• turquoise fur-collared suit, Harper's Bazaar, September 1962
• tweed coat in two versions, Harper's Bazaar, September 1965
• sacque coat with fur collar, Harper's Bazaar, September 1963
  

Minty Fresh

We sift through thousands of pieces of vintage clothing in a given year, and while it's unusual to find items in mint condition, a quick check of our search page revealed over 1500 items in perfect shape. Here's why -

• Much of the clothing we sell was never worn. It's authentic vintage, made decades ago, but because it's unworn there are no stressed seams, wash wear or abrasions and stains that come with use. Conversely, though it's surprising to many people, unworn stock does not always mean mint condition. Unworn stock has its own potential set of problems, like faded or yellowed creases, pest damage and the like.
• Of the clothing that has been worn, many collections are from wealthy, well-clad ladies who kept their clothes carefully. Footing the bills for year-round temperature regulation and regular cleaning makes a huge difference in condition over the years.
• Many large collections house items closely spaced on racks or in drawers. We often see items stored outermost that have borne the brunt of pest damage, yellowing and fading, while clothes sandwiched between other items have been insulated from such wear by their neighbors.
• Sometimes an item survives in pristine condition simply due to its style or size. It's more likely to see a lovely piece without any flaws because it was purchased just before a pregnancy, or it was a gift and not quite the taste of the recipient.
• Another reason is the fabric itself. Sturdy fabrics like denim or broadcloth were meant to withstand much harder use than shelf wear, while delicate textiles like peau du soie can appear "shop worn" after just one season on the rack.
• Small, boxed items like vintage hosiery are common to see in mint condition as they're often stored in the original packaging, whether in plastic sleeves or slim boxes. Other items helped in this way are vintage shoes, gloves, bras & underwear.
• And last but not least, sometimes it's just pure luck.
  

...Though condition can sometimes be frustrating, it can also be the best part of the hunt! Discovering a gem in mint condition is quite a trophy for a vintage collector. We're glad to say we uncover them daily and have had 15 years of luck doing so. Have a look at our current mint-condition offerings and find a like-new gem yourself!

Next Stop: Petticoat Junction

Full skirts demand full slips - and if you're into vintage clothing, you know we mean *full* slips. Whether they're called petticoats, crinolines or can-cans, these puffy flared under-layers were at the height of popularity in the mid-late 1950s.


Popular again due to nostalgic fashions on TV shows such as Mad Men, the vintage aficionado who dresses the part needs not only the right frock, but the right undergarments. For those who lived through the look, I've been told that petticoats were often worn in quantities under one dress. And sometimes starched! One friend (who was a teenager in the 1950s) used to dip her crinolines in starch & water, and dry them in the arid climate of her attic. There she had room to stand them out as full as possible.



Skirts this full had not been seen since the Victorian era, when ladies crowded rooms with their hemline circumferences. It's not a coincidence, either. Many 1950s designs borrowed from Victorian fashion, seen not only in full skirts but also in corset-like bodices and antique-inspired trims such as ruching and soutache. '50s petticoats likewise gave a nod to the Victorian with accents of satin ribbon woven through eyelet, fanciful scalloped hems and nosegays of faux flowers.

When you purchase a petticoat, be sure to consider what you'll wear with it. The length of the crinoline must be the same as the skirt length, or just a hint shorter. Too long, and it'll peek out so much you'll (literally) feel your slip is showing. Too short, and the skirt's line will break before the hem, always a sad sight to the vintage fashionista. Also remember these slips are meant for the fullest of skirts, either circle skirts or a design deeply pleated or gathered to the waist.


One last tip - Some petticoats are so well-finished and opaque, they are easily worn as skirts themselves today. These have a fitted waistband (as opposed to exposed elastic) and dress fabrics like cotton chintz or sateen. Fabulous for ladylike street wear!

Check out our current selection of petticoats & crinolines and enjoy the "ooh-la-la" of a vintage crinoline!

Sources -

Victorian image - The History of Underclothes by C. Willett and Phillis Cunnington p.164