One of the biggest buzzes I get is spotting a vintage ad for the garments I own. In some weird way, although they’re made of fabric and I can actually hold them in my hand, vintage somehow still feels unreal – like it could disappear at any moment. But, when you see the ad for the dress, there’s something that takes it from the abstract and into someone’s living room. A thing that existed in a shop window or a catalogue. It’s not a piece of the past, but was once very much a piece of someone’s present.
When I am lucky enough to stumble on the original ad for my vintage, I can picture a young woman flipping through her the Montgomery Ward Spring & Summer Catalogue or Harper’s Bazaar. Much in the way we might anticipate the latest lookbook from Heart of Haute or Unique Vintage each season, there was a very particular thump of the Sears Catalogue on the welcome mat that would bring the ladies running, flipping through its pages with anticipation and excitement. I can imagine the woman who would save her pennies for the latest season’s look from Jonathan Logan or would aspire to vintage couture on the pages of Vogue. I have to say, both the fashion and the price tag have me reaching for my time machine.
Over the years, I slowly started collecting photos of the ads I’ve stumbled upon that have a mate living in my closet. Luckily there are some arbiters of vintage catalogues on the interwebs that are experts at preserving these pages of vintage goodness. I usually share them on my Instagram as I find them, but I thought it might be fun to compile them in a cacophony of vintage goodness. So, take a deep breath and jump into a day when these dresses cost $2.99…
Dress: Simply Vintage Co (similar here & here)
Dress: Simply Vintage Co
Dress: Atomic Blonde Vintage (similar here & here)
Original Post: Sequins of Events… // Bag: Veracious Vintage (similar here & here)
Dress: Capsule Vintage (similar here & here)
Advertising is based on one thing, happiness.
And you know what happiness is?
It’s a billboard on the side of the road
that screams reassurance
that whatever you’re doing is okay.
You are okay.
Don Draper
Dress: Rainbow Valley Vintage (similar here & here)
Vintage inspired version of the dress above, from Unique Vintage (sold out)
Vintage inspired version of the dress above, from Unique Vintage (sold out)
Dress: Atomic Blonde Vintage (similar here & here)
Dress: Pushpin Vintage (similar here & here)
Dress: Sea of Vintage (similar here & here)
Dress: Hollie Point (similar here & here)
Photo below is from the original seller Zilker Vintage
Top + Skirt: Miss Hero Holliday (similar here & here)
It’s hard to imagine there was once a day when these pieces of 1950’s perfection existed in a shop. Where I could just happen by and add them to my shopping trolly (I assure you, I would be the very picture of restraint. I totally wouldn’t pole vault over an old lady for that border print rose dress…). It feels all the more special to know that a few of these garments lived to tell the tale. The ones that perhaps weren’t sold, or were only worn once and tucked safely away, were patient enough until I was lucky enough to find them.
Speaking of luck – I’m on Spring Break! While I have some work I need to keep up with, I am definitely stepping away from the computer for long stretches. It’s been blissful to indulge in some much-needed R&R. If you follow my Instagram, you’ll know this means I’ve been tackling a number of sewing projects – I’ve made great progress on my latest appliquéd piece, which may actually be done before the week’s end. It’s amazing what you can do when you have time to devote to a project. This one might even take less than 2 years!
Right, back to relaxing…
xoxo
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