Another Belated 'Haul' Post--1930's to 1960's Dresses, Dresses and More Dresses! Outerwear, Outerwear, and More Outerwear! And A Sprinkling of MCM Kitsch!

I've done so well lately with my 'hauls'.  "How well?", I hear you ask...well, for one thing, I've got a backlog of stuff to show you.  So without further ado, here are some more of  the loverlies that have been patiently waiting their turn to star in their own blog post:

My last haul post included a pretty little Jackie Kennedy suit by Pendleton.  I've also acquired a second, slightly older Pendleton suit from the same shop....

The same day, I picked up this little beauty of a rayon dress....

She wouldn't fit on Hazel and looks absolutely boresville on a hanger...but you should see her on!  Gorgeous!  And the print!!...

Aren't those colours just the living END??!!  They've not faded a bit in 80 years!

Now on to the lovelies that have made their way to my closet in just the past week:

About a week ago, a high school friend of my mother (they've been planning their 50th reunion together!) messaged me that she and her family were cleaning out her parents' home and there were several articles of clothing that she thought would fit me, including several coats, and that if I wanted them they were mine  They belonged to her mother, Lois Ann, and her grandmother, Maude.  I wasn't prepared for the gorgeousness I found when I went to have a look see at them last Monday morning!

I wish I'd taken some pics of the house because it was absolutely beautiful.  A bungalow built in the late teens, it was a masterpiece of solid oak craftsman style.  Soooo pretty!

But on to the clothes!

Brace yourselves.

First, the dresses.....

Check out that collar!!

And the detail on the pockets!...

Next up, a Pennette shirt dress.....

 This one has a great collar too!  I really don't think it was worn much.  It literally looks brand new!

This one is considerably older.....

Can you believe it still had it's belt?  This is the contrast fabric on the under side of the belt....

There were a couple of lovely tops.  One from the early '60s:

It's got some stains I've yet to remove.  I have high hopes though as it's got a really nice look and will be lovely with a pencil skirt!

There was also this beauty....

Willya look at that collar!

The back view.....

You can also see the killer diller fabric better in that shot.  It's a waffle textured crepe.  It had some stains here and there, but after less than 5 minutes of soaking, they were completely MIA!  

I touched up a couple of tiny little holes and took the buttons off and replaced them with red bakelite.  I think it looks quite smart!...

There were two of these beautiful crocheted capes.  

This one in brown and another exactly the same in red....

And hats....oh, there were hats!  Three of them and they're all beautiful!!  Of course, I never met a hat I didn't like and I have even more that I've gotten recently that I'll show you soon in a specific 'hat collection' post....

I've already worn this black one....

This one is just fun fun fun!!  How about that 'bow'?

And this feathered piece of heaven...

Couldn't you just die!!??

Well, don't die just yet.  Because I haven't shown you the best yet.

The coats.  Ohmagod, the coats!

This one was her grandmother's and was purchased at George R Lane's, a very popular store in my hometown many decades ago....

It's not only crazy warm (I wore it along with the hat when the weather turned cold a couple of nights ago!), but it's also very stylish!

Look at the little rhinestone encrusted bow on the back of the neck!  What an adorable detail!

The tag...'Melisse by Ricemor'.....

Chocolate suede with a fur collar.....

Mint green nubbly, again with a fur collar.....

And a smash smash cream coloured one with a pretty champagne fur collar.....

The detail on the lining....

.

Not a blemish on them and they fit like a glove!  

Now, I don't know what it is that makes people just give me things, but after the generosity of my mom's friend (she also gave me a fab MCM pole lamp that I'm IN LOVE WITH...I'll post pics once I get it cleaned up, spruced up and rewired!), I thought I'd surely used up my good vintage karma for the remainder of the year and most probably half of next year as well!  Not so!

A week or so ago, a lady who was shopping at the gift shop where I work complimented my ensemble.  This lead to a lovely conversation about vintage clothing and how beautiful, well designed, and quality conscious clothes of 40 years ago and before were compared with the tripe we are subjected to today.  She loved that I wear vintage instead of just boxing it away and mentioned that she herself had a beautiful vintage gown that she couldn't get rid of but couldn't wear either and felt guilty about it being stored away.

A couple of days ago, she came back in bearing a package.  She handed it to me and this is what I pulled out.....

Pure late '30s/early '40s bliss.  Black crushed velvet maxi with the prettiest little rhinestone buttons you ever did see!  The dress belonged to a lady named Louise Simmons who, I found out from my dad later that night, was a teacher at a local high school.  He said she was 'old' when he was in high school (he graduated in 1965).

The lady told me that the buttons had actually belonged to Louise's mother and Louise had added them to this dress herself.  I'm pretty sure the lace trim is not original to the dress and added in the '70s or '80s...but it's beautiful nonetheless!

I can't tell you how in love with this dress I am.  It's literally PRISTINE.  I mean, honestly.  It looks like it came off a rack yesterday.  I'm now anxious for an opportunity to wear it to a party or something....although it would even be beautiful with a pair of boho boots on a slightly warmer fall day, so it may get worn soon!

Speaking of boots, I've been on the hunt for simply AGES for a pair of  'go go' boots.  You know the drill:  You find them on ebay or etsy and they're either ridiculously expensive, or they're not remotely the right size, or the pics make them look a little sketchy.  And even if none of that is true, the shipping is always super high and it's scary buying shoes on line as they may not fit anyway...and on ebay/etsy you never know if the seller really knows how to measure shoes anyway!  Nightmare.

I'd bought a pair of cute, boho '70s-ish boots last year from Forever 21 but, as lovely as they are, I've still been wanting some real vintage ones.  I walked into a friends shop the other day to help him identify and price some vintage and was instantly met with my dream boots!....

They're Jack Rogers, and while the right one is missing a bit of its lining (that's why, when not on, the right one looks a little shorter than the other), but they are super perfect otherwise...AMAZING for their age and especially for their colour, pure white!  They've been worn, but very lovingly.  The embroidery is beautiful and there are no pulls or broken threads.

Love them!  These will be my spring summer boots from here on out!

A few bits and bobs that I've picked up that will be available in the DB shop in about a month:

This fantastic atomic genie bottle lamp base in black and gold.  This would be fab with a tiered fiberglass shade!...

Great set of mod orange melamine cups and saucers....

These pretty little decorative trivets were a Mid-Century promo from Ivory Soap.  They are very MC views of London squares.  These two are Grosvenor Square and Berkeley Square...two that I used to pass every day on my walk home from work when I was in uni!

I know what you're saying..."But, how can you sell those?  The connection, the fact that you're a trivet fiend...does that mean nothing?  How???"

Well, the "how" is that I already have a full set of these that were my great-grandmother's.  There were four Squares in the set (Grosvenor, Berkeley, St. James, and Sloane) and she had all four, along with an extra Grosvenor.

The Berkeley, Sloane, and Grosvenor next to my stove....

And the St James and extra Grosvenor above it.....

I have picked up a couple more smalls though that will not be leaving the 'Brady Ponderosa' anytime soon...

This WWII Army frame, found for a dollar fifty at my favourite local thrifty.....

...will be holding a photo of my sweet Pappy, who was a WWII Army veteran...4th Infantry Division, second wave at D-Day, wounded at St Lo, pulled out of hospital in England still half deaf from the mortar blast that wounded him, and sent into Germany alongside General Patton's tanks to fight the Battle of the Bulge.  He's been gone for a couple of months, but I still miss him so very much every day.  A lovely man and a hero...and the best grandfather a girly ever had.  I think he'd like this frame a lot!

I also picked up this great melamine platter at the same shop on a different day.  Not bad for a dollar and it matches my kitchen so well that I couldn't part with it!

Here's a sneak peak at the dress that I made for a photo shoot I had at the 'Ponderosa' yesterday.  I won't divulge the inspiration just yet, but I will say that it is VERY appropriate for the time of year and I'll post the shots in the next couple of days as soon as the photog gets them edited and to me!  You guys are gonna love them!

Still Kickin'! Here's a 'Haul' Post To Prove It!.....

Hi, poppits!
Since last we spoke, I've had LOADS on my plate!  Beginning to get DollyBird sussed so I can get some loverly things on Etsy for you lot to see (I was hoping for an early October launch, but it's looking like it may be November before I can get things started).  Also the worsening health and passing of my sweet Pappy and a lovely celebration of life for him.  The closing of the shop where I work.  A job interview that I'm super excited about (keep your little digits crossed for me, pleeeeeezzzz!).  The start of a collaboration with a local photographer in which I'll be doing a spot of styling and creating.  It's been a whirlwind of a month, but I've done a bit of scrounging in between all the 'chicken with its head cut off' running.

The 'Creepy-Culty-Jesus-Thrifty' where I got my Mersman table has been good to the Doll once again with some great little items, some of which I'm keeping, one of which is a prezzy, and a couple of smalls for the future Etsy shop!
As per my last 'haul' post, the following are photos I've found that are similar or identical to what I've bought.  The camera chip/usb the doggies killed has yet to be replaced!

First off...what I'm likely keeping....

A great lamp, identical to this beauty.  I can't wait to find just the right fabric for just the right shade so that I can use it!  A steal at $2!

In the same trip to the 'CCJT', I got the best Christmas present for my mother.  It was sitting in a corner with no price on it and when I asked the guy working how much, I could have died when he quoted $3!....

It's in perfect condition.  No chips or cracks and all the little bulbs are intact!  The only thing this one has that mine doesn't is the star on top...there's yet another bulb in its place.  I just had to get it for Mom because, after my grandmother (my dad's mom) died, the only Christmas decor of hers that Mom wanted was her big ceramic Christmas Tree like this.  It presided over every Christmas brunch my mom (and I!) remembered at 'Mama D's' house.  But whene we began going through things, my cousin remarked that she'd like to have it, so my Mom let her take it.  It broke her heart.  I think she'll just die when she opens this!  I'll probably give it to her on Thanksgiving though, so she can use it this year!

On the same trip, I got a couple of smalls that will end up in the 'Gilded Cage' section of the DB shop....

A pair of the above swanky golden rain textured late '60s tumblers

And a great Pfaltzgraff owl mug from the 1970's

I know, I know....how can I not keep that mug for myself and my 1970's owl and mushroom laundry?  Well, I need to put some cool smalls in the shop and not keep them all in my grubby little hands!

Besides, I got another set of mugs for myself...that I need like a hole in the head.  But hey, they're Siesta Ware.  And I LOVE Siesta Ware.  Plus I don't have any Siesta coffee mugs.  Sooo, you know.
How fab are these?

They were a 'shop closing' gift from my boss on my last day.  I'd been eyeing them for ages.  I adore them!

Another small that will be in the shop...although it's so darn lovely I've been debating the benefits of keeping it in my collection...is this great early '70s Disney World dish.  Soooo very lovely with the blues and golds!

I've also been helping the owner of another local shop with vintage clothing.  He's wanting to carry some, but doesn't know the first thing about it, so needed my help.  The other day, he rang to say he'd gotten in a truckload of vintage clothes from a theatre department and could I come round asap to sort them for him as he had no idea where to begin.  I made fast work of the piles, found a few good pieces....he had a 1970's Lanvin shift dress hiding in one pile and a couple of fantastic Pendleton suits as well as many other things that are super mod fun, made a pile of  'mine' as I sorted (which included the oldest garment in the lot, a 1950's Penny's Brentwood dress that looked too far gone, but that I've brought back from the dead with a little creative seaming and dart manipulation!...the leaf pattern on it will be fantastic for fall!), and traded him some great 1970's pieces that just won't fit in with the final DB image but will do great in his shop.
You'll see the dresses asap, along with some lovely hats I've scored...I now have a total of 46 vintage hats in my collection!  Crazy, right?  I need to get a 'collection' post together sometime!  I've also been gifted a couple of beautiful parasols and some vintage costume jewelry by one of our vendors at the shop as she was moving out!
I've also scored another Christmas gift, this one for my best friend's wife.  I'd post it, but they read this blog and that would spoil the surprise, so you'll have to wait until December for that one!

This Week's Haul--Patterns, Books, Vinyl, and a Mersman Table

Hiya!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my Pip and my mom's Tavish ate my camera chip recently.  That little mishap means that I can't take photos...well, actually I CAN take all the photos I like but they've got no way to hop on here!  I was going to wait to do a haul post until the situation was remedied, but realized that I could easily find pics of the items online..maybe...and use those to illustrate my finds!  So, here goes!

A couple of weeks ago, I popped into the Goodwill in my little Hamlet.  Not something I usually do as they've turned to crap in the past couple of years.  Nothing but a sea of last season's Walmart clothes and new in package junk from the same type stores that cost more at Goodwill than if you bought them from the store itself.  Bottom line, nothing more than 2-5 years old makes it onto the shelves there very often.

I didn't find much, but I did get this great book:

I saw the mid-century spaceman themed graphics on the spine and snatched it in a snap!  I've not begun reading it yet, but it sounds fabulously cheesy!  Can't wait!

I also found a trivet like this one...out of it's package of course!...I'm a trivet fiend.  I can't help myself.

I did a spot of thrifting today and picked up some great stuff.

I'd seen a table on Saturday in a thrifty I don't patronize often.  The reason I don't is that it's one of those churchy ones that I like to call 'Jesus thrifties' and, while I normally find these to be the best both inventory and price wise (there are a couple of fantastic ones where I live that I go to often), this one is just, well, uncomfortable.  They're always having bible class on the sofas, they look at you like a freak most times, you'll likely stand at the counter for up to ten minutes waiting to pay while they do prayer stuff just feet away, and they're that weird blank-faced unfriendly that sometimes accompanies cults.  That said, I've found a few good things at great prices there, so I suck it up and deal with the heebie jeebies every now and again.

Anyway, so I saw this coffee table Saturday and didn't bite.  I thought about the thing...and it's $5 price tag!..all day Sunday and today decided to go and see if it was still there.

It was.  It's a Mersman and is very similar to this one:

It doesn't have the groove in the side of the top and the legs are straight up and down instead of angled out, but otherwise it's pretty much this table!  The top has a few discolouration issues, so I'm actually thinking of painting the whole thing gloss black and sealing it and using it as my outdoor table on my carport with my four vintage solair/saucer outdoor chairs once we have enough sunshine for me to be able to repaint them.  It'll be GREAT for entertaining!

I also stopped by another 'Jesus thrifty' that I DO like!  I got a couple of fun things there.

These two books:

I know!  I can't wait to read up on Penelope the Damp Detective!

I picked up a pattern too:

I also found another trivet--this one with a mod shamrock pattern--and a great velvet 1960's purse, neither of which I could find a match to online.  Boooo!

Most everything is closed on Monday where I live, but the Opportunity House thrift store was also open and I popped in there quickly as well.  They're another that I've kind of shunned lately as their prices have skyrocketed and they pull the 'vintage' stuff to sell at silent auction now and again (at silent auction that always takes place when I'm working.  Grrrr.)  But I do find the best price in town on patterns and every now and then I stop by to shuffle through the boxes.

Today I found a few goodies:

They have box upon box of LP's and though most are from the '70s and '80s, I did find Lord Creator's 1964 platter, Big Bamboo.  

Here's a few of the risque tunes for you to check out!  Too fantastic for words!

Naughty, naughty!  Ha!

What have you tidbits been up to?  Any great finds?  Are you a trivet queen like me?