Before & After: Something's Buggy

We handle a lot of old clothes... stuff that's been sitting for decades, usually in the most out-of-the-way places like attics, basements, the sparest of spare closets.  We've even pulled bundles of clothes from barns, trash heaps, and abandoned houses (with permission, of course).  Those kinds of places tend to be the worst for textiles. 

 Fabric absorbs just about any liquid it touches, and when combined with decades of heat, cold, humidity and such, the resulting stains can be brutal.

 

So when we got to this hand-painted vintage shirt, the damage on it looked pretty rough.  It's a fifty-year-old fabric that'd been sitting in the attic of a Victorian home for most of that time.  A fabulous find, but not with these stains all over.  And the paint was worrisome, as some cleaning solvents would wreck this beautiful work.

 The issues were widespread - and like most vintage clothing, it's hard to tell exactly what created those stains in the first place.  Knowing that key bit of info could unlock the door to removing its stains much more easily and quickly, but with old clothes, it's sometimes impossible.

So instead, we read the tea leaves, so to speak.  The cross-hatching seen below shows that there's an oil base to these stains.  That's an important clue.  Dappled tan marks like this often mean air pollution, but the placement of these suggested that it was pest damage.  Ewww... but not a problem once we mask up and put the gloves on.

The work takes days, sometimes weeks.  The soaks are many, and the chemicals can range from something as simple as water to concoctions that are temperature and time-dependent.  We danced the dance with the little buggers...

And voila!   Several days later, a freshly cleaned shirt is unveiled.

The mottled beige marks and cross-hatched areas were gone, after a series of four or five different soaks and careful scrubbing to the fabric.  This is an acetate material, known to be particularly susceptible to abrasion, so the manual cleaning had to be especially gentle and slow.

The only hint of a remaining stain is an extremely faint yellowish cast that cannot be visually perceived when worn or on camera, though if the fabric were scrupulously inspected and compared from one area to the next, a very keen eye could pick it up.  All in all, a nice solution to a pest of a problem.

Always feels good to get the bugs out! 

This shirt's a modern size 12 and listed in our Etsy shop.

1950s Vintage Paper Doll

 

So cute!  This 1950s (or early 60s) vintage paper doll set has so many options for this rosy-cheeked darling.  There's tailored coats, full-skirted vintage girl's dresses, school girl frocks and even sun & swimwear.  No matter what she wears, she's always pretty in her bright yellow petticoat underneath.

We just love vintage paper dolls, but I don't know a lot about them.  If you happen to know the name of this little charmer, please let me know!

1960s Vintage Puritan Men's Shirts

 

In the 1960s, gents wore sport shirts on the weekends that were polo style or button down, often with cool retro crests embroidered on the pocket.  Puritan men's shirts were among the most popular, worn by many a pipe-smoking dad reminiscent of Fred MacMurray of 'My Three Sons' and similar sitcoms.

Puritan shirts, like those pictured in these 1964 displays, had unique details seen only in 1960s vintage sport shirts.  Wing lapels, button & loop closures, notched sleeves and buttoned-tab accents at the waist are common details that distinguish these vintage styles from their modern counterparts.  In the above display, Puritan sold polo shirts alongside dyed-to-match socks.

 

One interesting pairing Puritan designed in the mid-1960s was the In And Outer Set seen above, essentially a men's twin set with a ring-neck tee matched to a short-sleeved shirt jacket.  These were marketed to women to buy 'For Him' as a thoughtful and practical gift.

To step back in time and virtually visit these vintage displays, check our current selection of 1960s men's shirts.  We've just updated with lots of choices for summer!

1966 Go-Go Girls

Check out these dance floor moves!  We couldn't resist the looks of these 1960s go-go girls.  They're from a vintage 1966 knit fashion magazine, each with her own signature swingin' style.  The original text says:

Discotheque-ing calls for a special kind of dress - fluid for Go-Go action, low-necked and sleeveless for strenuous dancing.  These styles - one to crochet, two to knit - may also be worn at more sedate parties.

Left: Go-Go Scalloped Dress.  Swinging blue dress has crisp crocheted scallops... Dress gleams as she dances.

Center: Fringe-Trimmed Dress.  Tossing fringe on bottom and tab of blue dress set the "with it" mood.

Right: Discotheque Baby Dress.  High-waisted "Baby Look" dress, favored by young London discotheque-ers.

These vintage dresses were meant to be created at home, a popular and productive hobby in the mid-1960s.  And despite the descriptions, these dresses are more suited for the office than the discotheque, though the look echos a swinging London style.  For a really authentic go-go look, shop for psychedelic prints, flared bell sleeves, chain-link details and thigh-high hems.  Think Laugh-In and you've got the right idea.

Today you can find 1960s dresses and more daring vintage mini dresses on our website - no knitting needles required!

Made In British Crown Colony Of Hong Kong

This label is one you'll see in better quality clothing of the 1960s.  But what is its origin?  The phrase "made in the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong" across the bottom is telling.  Find out about this label and more in vintage fashion in 1960s Hong Kong, part of our free fashion history info section.

Vixen At Work: Spiral Beaded Jacket

Being in the vintage clothing business means knowing how to sew.  At least in my experience it does.  And one of the most satisfying things I enjoy about my job is putting together the puzzle of a vintage piece that deserves the time and effort.  So when a customer ordered this wonderful spiral motif beaded jacket, my fingers got to work.

 

 

It's a beauty from the 1960s, originally titled our Gorgeous 1960s Black Cardigan with Spiral Beads & Rhinestones.  Its description read:

 

Like radiating rings of water, these beautiful spirals overlap with dewy rhinestone accents scattered among the beadwork.  It's a mid-1960s cardigan with the feel of a soft jacket, designed with a low jewel neckline and slim bracelet-length sleeves.  It's a boxy silhouette that skims the hip.

 

But to make it beautiful again, I had some sewing hours ahead of me.  These before & after shots give a glimpse of the missing lines made whole again.

 

 

 

 You might wonder how or why we don't repair items before they're ordered. Sometimes we do. It depends on the particular damage, where it's located and how long it would take to repair. We assess every item when it's processed.

 

I took a trip to our local bead shop to find the exact bugle beads to match this jacket.  That's a treat in itself.  If I had a bit of "me" time, The Bead Room is where I'd spend it.  But I needed to get back for my workday.  This kind of bead repair is tedious, because of the small pieces and the careful placement required.  Just the kind of challenge I like!

 

 

Eye Candy: Malcolm Starr Circa 1967

Malcolm Starr was a high-end name in the 1960s, and it's a label still sought-after today by vintage fashionistas in the know. This glamorously avant garde pose was taken in 1967.

The gown is crepe-backed satin with pave` bands of beadwork. Originally sold at Miss Bergdorf of Bergdorf Goodman. Ring by David Webb.

View our current selection of Malcolm Starr for your own elegant vintage find!

Reference: Bazaar, September 1967

Vintage Winter Wonderland ca. 1964

Shopping in a mall in the 1960s was as much about spectacle and kitschy attractions as some of today's malls are! And Christmas gave mall-goers even more reason to visit.

Here's a pictorial of a Christmas department store display called Wonderworld, set up in the Cherry Hill Mall in Camden, NJ in 1964, full of moving animatronic dolls and trippy scenery in a psychedelic montage:

The entrance to Wonderworld. Here a smiling belle in a felt-scalloped hat collects admission from thrill-seeking kiddies. Her fairytale costume is purple, lime green, turquoise and blue.

The Christmas Village on display, complete with Santa's Marvelous Toy Machine set at the lower right.



Wonderworld takes a turn for the kitsch with a rotating dragon display... part of the 'Magic Mushroom' exhibit.


Psychedelic scene of Asian dolls and larger-than-life mushrooms. Notice the hovering teapot above the
largest mushroom... it's pouring tea into a tea cup on the mushroom's "tabletop". Far out!


The "Wonderworld Guard" is much more traditional in appearance and style... trip over? Not quite yet.



No visit to Wonderworld would be complete without a peek at Santa's workshop. Dials whirring, lights flashing, and all controlled by a bearded animatronic doll!



A very tired Wonderworld boy and his dog now asleep, waiting for Christmas morning. The dolls were
contrived to appear as though they were breathing under their vintage quilted cover.


What a long, strange trip it's been...

Have a very kitschy Christmas!

Reference: Display World Magazine, August 1964

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!