Vintage Holiday Party Dresses

The holiday season is fast approaching and the party invitations are rolling in. The all important question is "What do I wear?" The Vintage Peddler has a beautiful selection of vintage party dresses so make us your first stop for holiday shopping.

Find more vintage party dresses here.

There are also some very nice vintage holiday dresses listed on Ebay right now, too.

Do you buy vintage sewing patterns?

If you do could you please give me your opinion by posting a comment?

I have so many patterns to list (see below) that I may need to rethink the way I list them. Right now, on my website, I show a scan of both the front and back of each pattern, a brief description and, along with the vintage size, I provide the measurements given on the pattern. I also state the condition of the pattern as well as if it is cut or uncut.
Here is a typical pattern listed on my site.
I have tried different versions of this layout and you'll find some listings where I didn't show a picture of the back of the pattern.
If all I had to do was scan the pattern, add a title that included the company, pattern #, brief description of the garment & measurements I could list all these patterns a lot quicker. Of course I would include the condition of the pattern. But if they don't sell then it is all for naught.
So here are my questions.
When you shop online for vintage sewing patterns how important is it to you that there is:
(on a scale from 1 -not important to 6 -very important)
1) A picture of the back of the pattern envelope.______
2) A detailed description of the garment (ie gored skirt, inset sleeves).________
3) Measurements._________

Post your comments to help a girl out.
Thanks!

I'm rediscovering the seventies

I often get emails from people looking for specific vintage sewing patterns. If I have time -I do try to look through the inventory I have that I haven't listed on the website yet. Problem is that I have accumulated such a large collection that this is getting harder and harder. I really need to devote about 2 weeks to listing just patterns. (more on this later)

I have been infatuated with the 40's and 50's for so long that I have been especially lax in listing 60's & 70's patterns.

Well I got an email the other day from a really sweet customer asking if I had this pattern:

Simplicity 7623

With my partner/daughter Brooke working the Southern Christmas Show this week I found myself easily distracted so any excuse to get away from the computer was welcome. I really did think I recognized the pattern. So I went on the hunt. Thats when I relized that I must have over 500 vintage sewing patterns from the 70's alone that I haven't uploaded to the website yet. I thought for a moment that they must have started their own free love, 70's style, commune in my stock room and, left alone in the dark, well...multiplied. So anyway, what I thought would take me a few minutes sort through ended up taking up the afternoon. And even though I never did find that pattern, I did thoroughly enjoy taking a walk down memory and 70's fashions. I think I found my inner hippie and I definitely came away with a renewed appreciation for high waisted bellbottom pants, angel sleeve tops, maxi dresses and peasant skirts. Now I just have to find my old lace up moccasins.

Oh, I did find these 70's shirt patterns that were kind of close.

I'll get these and more listed soon but if you see one you like before then just let me know.

Peddling Purses

Work From Home - 1920's Style

Hand made Handkerchief Co. Chicago

Good work if you can get it I guess! $2.00 a day you say? Sign me up! Not!

This document and packet of silk handkerchiefs came in an old steamer trunk that I bought a couple of years ago at auction. The trunk is chock full of Victorian era through 20's clothing and textiles that I am just now going through and photographing to list for sale.

But this letter and the accompanying silk and trim really fascinates me so I thought I would share. To say "We've come a long way, baby." would be a huge understatement.

The document is dated July 20, 1929. The Hand Made Handkerchief Co. of Chicago placed advertisements in newspapers throughout the South offering young wives and mothers the opportunity to do "pleasant dignified work" from home so that they can "earn the necessary money to get the many little things that (they) you have often wished for."

Well, first they are asked to send in $1 because they "cannot afford to send this material out promiscuously as too many people would be asking for it" don't you know. Then they will send them out 2 partially finished handkerchiefs. After finishing these handkerchiefs, if they pass 'inspection' they will send the young lady out the material to begin work. Oh, it will come COD for $2. So- so far it has cost this lady $3- but fear not. For each silk handkerchief that she intricately embroiders she will be paid 20 cents! She is told that she can earn up to $2 a day!

I think whoever owned this trunk was much like myself. Lured in at first, she cut her losses at $3 and this little stack of silk is all that is left to show for it. Much like the Mary Kay starter kit and Avon samples I have sitting in the closet.

Window Shopping in Florence, Italy

Pea coats!
It snowed here in Charlotte last night-can you believe it? So of course the schools all closed and the kids are home. It is just raining now but the damage is done and I won't get much work done so I thought I'd write a little.
I snapped these pictures last June while I was in Florence with my daughter. Eighty degrees and the department store windows were featuring pea coats. The fashion forward Italians already knew that the pea coat was going to be a must have this winter. And why not?
Pea coats have been around since the 1700's. Originally used by European Navies, the pea coat got it's name from the fabric it was made of. First called a pilot cloth coat, pilot coat, p-coat and finally a pea coat. The US military issue has
long been a favorite of mine and at The Vintage Peddler we try to keep a good inventory in stock. We carry mens' pea coats and ladies' pea coats so if your looking for a pea coat - check us out.

The Chemise-New in 1958

And apparently not too welcome...funny.


and she doesn't like it on children either...



You must watch the ladies fashions!

It's an Intimate Sale - Vintage Lingerie

We are having a huge vintage lingerie sale! All auctions start at just $9.99. Vintage lingerie from the 30's, 40's, 50's & 60's. Name brands like Vanity Fair, Van Raalte, Shadowline, Givenchy, Valentino Intimo, Lady Lynne, Joseph Magnin, Intime & more. Peignoirs, Nightgowns, slips, girdles, crinolines, babydolls-we are selling it all. Stop on by for a peek.

Totally Mod 60's Summer of LOVE!

We are having a summer blowout sale at The Vintage Peddler!
All this and more to be listed on Ebay Thursday night 5/18 and Sunday night 5/21 between 9-9:30 est. Lot with instant Buy it Now prices. So set your clocks and check our auctions on Ebay. You don't want to miss the fun!

White Hot!

70's Revisited or I survived clackers-Did you?

Click...clack...click...clack...click...clack...click.claclackclackclack...
remember?
I was about 12 years old when I got my first pair. Yeah-they were PINK!
Back then people didn't worry about silly little things like seatbelts, car seats, secondhand smoke or cholesterol. So, it should come as no surprise that little attention was paid to toy safety. Heck, clackers were harmless compared to some of the childhood toys I live through. I still have scars from a horrifyingly traumatic Creepy Crawly Machine incident. You remember-metal mold trays filled with hot melted goo. And, boy did that little light bulb in my Easy Bake oven get hot. Well, hot enough to cook brownies as well as fingers.
So, imagine my excitement when my daughter called me from an auction last weekend. "Mom, there's a huge box of Ka nockers here. I am not sure what they are but they look old." "Huh?" I replied. That's not what we called them so I had no idea what she was talking about. "You know. I don't know. There, like, two balls on a string with a little ring." She said. That triggered a flash flood of long repressed memories!
"Get'em!...you gotta get'em!" *must have must have must have*
You know that little voice. Come on, I'm not the only one that hears the voice. Why are you looking at me like that? Okay, moving on....
Long story short- apparently I wasn't the only one who remembered these and the bidding was fierce but in the end she brought home the prize. About 100 sets of Ka Nockers!
Yeah we have a few bruises but how could we help ourselves. It only took me a few tries to recapture the skill level I had at 12. Okay...that's not saying much. Ouch!
If you remember Clackers-(otherwise known as Bonkers, Champions, Clack Clacks, Clackers, Click Clacks, Crackers, K-Nokkers, Kabangers, Ker- Knockers, Klackers, Klick Klacks, Klik Klaks, Klikies Knicker, Knockers, Knockers, Krazy Klacker, Kwik Klack, Mini Poppers, Moon Rocks, Nocknocks, Popper Knockers, Quick Klacks, Quick Clacks, Quick Wacks) you may want to check out my website. I'll be selling some but not as toys! These are collectables. Times have changed. We do not arm out children these days. These suckers are dangerous.

Looks What's Coming

We have just returned from a huge buying trip and we are stocked to the rafters with incredible vintage!

We have been working like crazy photographing all our lastest scores so that we can get them listed and ready for you, our bestest customers. It will take us weeks to get all of this up on our website and on eBay so we are trying something different the week.
Since we just finished taking all these pictures and editing them we want to share our newest finds with you right away.

These will all be listed within the next few week but, if you see something you like and you just can't wait-please drop us a line and we will be happy to answer any questions on it or sell it direct.

PS - If you haven't visited our bookstore then check it out HERE. It is chock full of our favorite books on Vintage Clothing & Accessories.
Our pick this week is: Viva Vintage: Find It, Wear It, Love It by Trudie Bamford. Thank you!
We appreciate your business.

Customers like you make doing business a real pleasure.

Sneak Peek - Viva Las Vegas Listings to Post This Sunday Night

Sweater Weather - Vintage Style

By all rights the lovely Lana Turner was the original 'Sweater Girl'. Although she didn't like the term and thought it took away from her image as a serious actress the label stuck. And why not? The lady knew how to wear a sweater!

Whether at 15 (left) or 40 (right) Lana was, is and will always be our favorite 'Sweater Girl'.

Below are some images of real life 'sweater girls' that I pulled from the pages of some old knitting pattern magazines that I have. If you are a knitter and would like a copy of any of these patterns just drop me a line ($5ea)

Newly listed on TheVintagePeddler.com & on TheVintagePeddler's auctions are these fabulous vintage sweaters (below).

Just in time for Viva Las Vegas. Bring out your own inner Pin Up Sweater Girl & wear 'em like you own 'em!

Just Listed on Ebay-Vintage Lingerie

New Vintage Lighting Just Added!

Ole Timey Country Auction - how could we resist?

Especially since the ad mentioned vintage clothing! We were so there. No way we could miss this one.
The ad read:

Unbelievable OLD TIMEY COUNTRY AUCTION

Sat. Nov 11th @ 10 am

20044 Efird Rd. Albemarle NC.
View Pictures
Selling Antiques, primitives, and collectibles at the old home place of Rosa and Lora Efird. Rosa and Lora were old maid sisters long ago deceased and nothing has been removed the home.
Note: One of the oldest home places remaining in Stanly County, dating back at least 3 generations to the early 1800’s

So that's where we were today-all day. We were sure to find some bargains, right? After all we're talking Albemarle North Carolina - a sleepy little town about 40 miles east of Charlotte and 100 miles west of Raleigh and not a freeway in sight. Oh, and most recent claim to fame Albemarle is the hometown of American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler. Um, yeah. So how much competition could there be, right?

Okay, well the good news is that it was a beautiful day. Clear skies & temperatures in the seventies made for a nice drive and it's always nice to get out of the house. But, apparently that's what everyone else in the Piedmont area was thinking. The auction was packed. I'm mean I am pretty sure that the entire town of Albemarle was there. And they came with bucket loads of money, too- and prepared to bid up and buy up anything and everything that wasn't nailed down. I've been to plenty of auctions and I am familiar with the frenzy of bidding but I have never seen any auctioneer get the kind of bids/money for just, well, crap. Yeah, I know, I know- one man's trash is another man's treasure and all that. But sometimes trash is trash.

Oh, don't get me wrong. There was some cool old stuff there. And, I am by no means an expert on all things collectable. I make no claim to be. But I have been in the business for quite a long time and I've been to countless auctions, flea markets, estate sales and garage sales in my day. I try to stick to what I know and/or what I like but I can spot a bargain most of the time. That's not to say that I haven't, on occasion, been totally blown away by something that was worth way more than I thought it was. And that's what I was thinking as I was sitting under a beautiful Carolina blue sky today watching old slave documents bringing bids of $500 plus. Who knows-maybe they're worth it. Maybe they're worth more.
But then as the auction continued I started to notice that there were things that I did know the value of that were going for way more than they were worth. For instance there was a little toy typewriter that went for over $50. A typewriter that I've seen two of in the last month at flea markets in the $10-20 range. A lot of 6 or 7 old ratty homemade dresses went for $65 and a lot of a dozen wrinkled up moldy hats went for about $50. So now I'm thinking these people are smoking something other than tabacci in their pipes. Okay, sit back and relax. We're here for the ambiance at this point. I've got my eye on a couple of things but I'm not holding out much hope that I'll be bringing home a bargain.

My usual game plan at an auction goes something like this: I scope out the things I want to bid on and make notes. First thing I look for is, of course, vintage clothing and anything fashion related like purses, hats, gloves, magazines, catalogs- you get the idea. Most of that's for resale. Then anything that catches my eye that I might like. Things I collect like squirrels, lamps, retro stuff and anything else I might want to just have for myself. Then I usually get a hotdog, find a chair and watch the bidding for a bit. I try to get an idea as to what kind of bidders we've got and who the dealers are. It doesn't take long to figure out, for example, if there are toy collectors or dealers present. If there are a couple of them at least I know I won't be bidding on toys. Toys aren't my thing. I don't know toys and I won't get a bargain on toys when dealers are bidding. Same goes for pottery or glassware or anything else. If I am not sure of the value I will not bid against dealers or collectors. Now I will hold my own in the categories I do know or if there is something I just want for myself. And if there are no toy dealers there, for instance, I may take a chance on some toys.

At this auction everybody was bidding on everything. And bidding high. There was scant little there that I wanted so that was good, I guess. By around 3 o'clock I hadn't bid on anything but I had my eye on a boxful of old catalogs from the 40's, 50's and 60's, a pretty good size lot of old hosiery still in the original boxes and some squirrel things. I confess, by this point I was determined not to leave empty handed and when the box of catalogs finally hit the block I bid more than I had intended. But I won them. Take that! And who was this old guy bidding against me anyway. Where the hell did he come from. Grrrrr. I am now the proud owner of this box of old catalogs and I have no idea how I am going to get them to the van. The box must weigh 80 pounds! I'm on a roll now so when the hosiery came up there was no stopping me-yeah I won those, too. And at a bargain price I must say. I bid on a couple of other things and ended up with a squirrel glass and a squirrel planter so, all in all, it ended up being a nice day. I was happy.

Back at home I sat down at the computer and looked up a few things on eBay. I couldn't find a single slave document that had sold for more than a couple of hundred dollars. Interesting. But I did see that the Sears 1962 Christmas Catalog I just brought home recently sold on eBay for $251.00! I guess I did get a bargain after all.

You Can Leave Your Hat On

So, what did they call that hat?

Hats from the forties.

Here's a page out of the Montgomery Ward Fall/Winter 1941 Catalog. I added the names in bolder print so they would be easier to read. I know when I am selling vintage hats sometimes I have trouble describing them or even knowing what kind of hat they are. So I made up this little cheat sheet to help and I thought I would share it here. This is just one of several pages I made up and if there is interest I post the rest of the hat pages from this catalog. Here are the names that Montgomery Wards used starting at the upper left and going counter clockwise. The Gaucho, The Campus Cap, The Roller, The Sailor Beret, The Scottie Cap, The Airliner, The Hat & Muff, Fur Fabric Set, The Pompadour, Dutch Cap, Flowers & Maline, Velvet Bonnet, Little Bonnet, Sweetheart Bonnet. And in the center from left to right: The Pork Pie, The Classic Favorite, The Bow Pill Box & The Big Bonnet.