Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The time capsule that is Mom's closet - pt. 1 - 1920s


Yesterday I was alone at my mom and dad's house with 45 minutes to kill.  They only have broadcast tv, my cell phone was low on juice, and mom only subscribes to crappy magazines.  So I started going through the closet in my old room.

What a trip down memory lane!  Compared to when I lived there, there is very little of my stuff left, but what was there was a timeline of my fashion history and my love of vintage.    Sorry the pics are crappy, all I had was my camera phone, but you'll get the idea.

Above are 2 1920's dresses.  The green one on the right was purchased first, in about 1993-4.  There was a booth in an antique mall in St. Charles that I was infatuated with for years.  I used to go and talk to the owner for hours on end.  She was a wealth of knowledge but a bit odd.  She scarred me for life as far as picking for dealers.  I remember bringing in a pair of deadstock white 1960's gogo boots hoping to make a little money.  I was a shy college girl, she was a professional.  I was hoping for $10-15 she offered me $5...or so I thought....  I've never been the kind of girl that drives a hard bargain.   I agreed.  She opened up the cash register and she handed me a nickel.  She was serious.  I was creeped out.  I never went there again.

The black velvet dress on the right I bought in about 1994-5.  I found it at a thrift in Chicago hidden under a bunch of nightgowns.  That day I learned an important lesson about thrifting:  ALWAYS LOOK THROUGH THE NIGHTGOWNS.  Every  1920s dress I have ever found has been in there, and a lot of other treasures too.  Usually under the ugliest robe.

I wore both of these items out quite a few times, but I never really found them terribly flattering.  I LOVED the idea of wearing real 1920's flapper clothes, but that fact was lost on everyone else.   Besides that I've always wanted a REAL 1920's cloche.  I've never owned one.  To this day I still want one.

2 comments:

  1. what an AWESOME time capsule!! Amazing! Some vintage dealers are sharks aren't they?

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  2. Yes. There are good and bad people in every profession. I feel like when I was younger I came across quite a lot of sharks. Maybe they thought they could take advantage of a sweet young thing.

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