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!

Undiscovered Vintage Designers: Jackfin

When I was a teenager and had just started VintageVixen.com, I soon found a label I loved: Jackfin. Back then, I didn't know if Jackfin had been produced for many years, or was exclusive to one decade.


It turns out they have a pretty specific profile in the world of vintage clothing. Jackfin labels tend to be:

• made in the 1960s/early 70s
  
• better quality ready-to-wear
  
• not often seen, but not sought after by most collectors
• almost always pants outfits

The look is clean, sophisticated and always well put-together, as the ensembles are usually a jacket & pant, or shirt & pant. Occasionally we will see a skirt set, and often the shirt and its separate have long since been parted, so you'll find just the one piece or the other.

I've always placed Jackfin as something a forward-thinker would wear, definitely a Women's Libber in the 70s, who thought of her clothes (even everyday outfits) as investments. Today they're surprisingly affordable, often priced less on our site than the vintage price listed on the original tag.