ADORED VINTAGE: 2013

December 30, 2013

Monday Muses: Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine

On December 15th, 2013, Hollywood lost a piece of film star royalty in Joan Fontaine. She and her sister, Olivia de Havilland, were some of Hollywood's most famous siblings and became famous during the time of the studio darlings. They were most known for their work on the big screen, Havilland in Gone With the Wind and Fontaine in Suspicion. As much as they were known for their work their long time feud was also public knowledge. After Fontaine's death Olivia made a rare statement about her sister, saying she was "shocked and saddened" by the news and that she was grateful for "the many kind expressions of sympathies." Fontaine died in her sleep at the age of 96 at her home in Carmel, California.

While we like to keep everything on the blog a positive note, the feud between these famous sisters does pique our interest! It's rumored their feud started when as children, Joan felt that Olivia was her mother's favorite. And well...considering when Joan wanted to follow in her sister's acting footsteps, their Mother REFUSED to let her use the Havilland surname as well leaving Joan to invent a new surname! We'd be steamed about that too!

Joan Fontaine in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter in 1978 is quoted to have said, "I married first, won the Oscar before Olivia did, and if I die first, she'll undoubtedly be livid because I beat her to it!"

Despite the sibling rivalry, we think both Joan and Olivia are beautiful and had several vintage ensembles that we wouldn't mind getting into a fight over.

Joan Fontaine (floral) and Olivia de Havilland (crimson) | source

Olivia and Joan | Source

If looks could kill! | source

Joan Fontaine | Source

Olivia de Havilland | Source

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Joan (in floral) and Olivia | Source

Joan Fontaine | Source

Olivia de Havilland | Source

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CategoriesHollywood,Joan Fontaine,Muses,Olivia De Havilland,Style Icons | 2 comments

December 29, 2013

Vintage Atelier 2013 | A Year in Review

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In the month of May of this year I made a big move for Adored Vintage and that was to get myself a little vintage atelier! A vintage work studio all of my own with lots of natural light! You know, that was my FIRST and most IMPORTANT prerequisite for a work space? Lots and lots of natural light! I am crazy for spaces that are white, bright, and clean. And all the light is also most needed for all the vintage clothing I photograph for the online vintage shop!

I've moved around the studio, not even joking, a dozen times. I'm never fully satisfied with the layout and feel I must constantly change it. Shift it. Move it around. I can't stand when spaces becomes stale and stagnant. I'm never inspired in spaces that just don't evolve and change.

Although I've only been in this space for 8 months I am already outgrowing it. So who knows what 2014 will bring!

So some common questions I get asked about my work studio are the following...

1.] Where did you get your vintage dress forms?

2.] How many clothing racks do you have?

3.] How do you shoot your pictures for your online store?

4.] Where did you get your racks?

5.] Where did you buy your wooden hangers?

So answer those...

1.] My collection of vintage dress forms have been sourced from antique shops, flea markets, and a sewing supply company in downtown Los Angeles. Yes, they are expensive! I'm still on the hunt for a size 0 vintage dress form and 0/2 lingerie form. So if you know of any...let me know! Expect to pay $200-$800 for a vintage dress form.

2.] Last I counted I had 20. I constantly feel like I need more, but there's no room to put them!

3.] I shoot all my vintage clothes against an off white wall near the large windows in the studio and use only the sun as my light source. Check my blog post about How to Photograph Vintage Clothing.

4.] I got the rolling collapsible racks at store supply stores in Los Angeles called ACME Display. The white racks are from IKEA (and only $10!) While they're not racks I'd permanently have, they work well and I like how minimal they look. The industrial pipe racks my fella built for me using pipes and wood from Home Depot.

5.] I bought some of the wooden hangers from Store Supply Warehouse. Most of them I got from IKEA. I did the math on the amount I needed and IKEA hangers were a bit cheaper (I think by like 6 cents hanger) If you want hangers with notches for lingerie or pants hangers, then definitely Store Supply Warehouse!

For more photos (and a list of where I got a lot of my furniture in the studio), Apartment Therapy did a Vintage Workspace Tour of Adored Vintage this past summer!

CategoriesADORED VINTAGE,Atelier,Mon Atelier,Studio,Vintage Studio,Work Studio | 1 comments

December 28, 2013

10 Vintage Beauty Advertisements

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We all know that vintage fashion is our first love, but if we could choose to have a second love it would definitely be vintage beauty! Seeing how products and their advertisements have evolved to what they are today is just so fascinating! We've compiled some charming vintage hair and make-up advertisements for you gals. The Love's Baby Soft one is just too much (and maybe a bit controversial!)

Vintage Veronica Lake Soap Advertisement | source

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CategoriesBeauty,Vintage Ads | 7 comments

December 24, 2013

Travels in 2013 | A Year in Review

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Another year is passing, a new one right around the corner. 2013 has been an incredible year and the next few days I am going to spend reflecting on this wonderful, crazy, blinked-and-then-its-gone year.

There were a couple times during this year that I really itched so badly to travel! When I was putting together these images it gave me some time to think about HOW MUCH I've actually traveled this year. How much I've done and accomplished. In 2014 I will hope to do much more and go to new places!

Much of the traveling this year involved vintage buying trips along the West coast squeezed in with a visit with family and friends. Next year, I'll travel just to explore and experience new places. I've already looked into tickets for Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand, Italy... not sure yet where we will go...but someplace new.

Above are some of the highlights of this past year's travels in Oregon, California, Arizona, and Florida. I'm so happy I have these little tokens of my travels, even though they're not overly exotic and not overly exciting. But most of the time I'm not looking for excitement. Most of the time I just want to soak in the surroundings, breathe in the air, and just BE IN THE MOMENT of where I am. Going away for a bit reminds me that there is so much more to life than work and all the itty bitty worries running a small business entails.

Sometimes sitting above a hilltop overlooking the Pacific ocean is all the therapy I need for a stressful work week. You know I can look at each of these photos and remember what I was thinking! I'm so happy and so grateful for everything in my life when I look back on these pictures. These travel photos warm my heart perhaps more than photos of my studio. Those photos inspire and drive me to go further, to create more, to be more... but these photos of landscapes, of places I've seen and experienced...they are a breath of fresh air. A moment of solitude. Of contemplation.

That everything right now is just how it is suppose to be, everything is wonderful, and life is good.

CategoriesInstagram,Travel | 6 comments

December 23, 2013

10 Vintage Inspired Winter Wedding Ideas

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While the Winter is a season that tends to get looked over as a time to get married, we think that some of the most beautiful back drops for weddings is in the winter. We also quite love the wedding dresses that are worn during this season as most of the time they tend to be much more classic and demure. If you're looking for a vintage wedding dress for your Winter nuptials, be sure to visit our vintage shop!

We spent some time on our beloved Pinterest today in awe over some stunning winter wedding inspiration photos. There were a handful that were too good not to share with you guys. Take a peek below and enjoy. Would you ever get married this time of year? Or did you? Tell us all about it in the comments below, we would love to know!

A winter bride surrounded in snow | source

A horse drawn carriage | Source

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CategoriesWeddings | 5 comments

December 17, 2013

Vintage Buying & Sourcing Tips: 5 Things To Check Before You Buy

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One of the most popular questions I get asked is as a vintage shop keeper is "Where do you buy your vintage clothing?" or any other variety of that question such as "Where can I buy the vintage clothes in your shop for my vintage shop?" or "I'm starting an online vintage store, where can I source vintage clothes?"

It's a question that has lots of different answers but the umbrella answer is vintage is sourced EVERYWHERE! From garage sales, estate sales, private dealers, flea markets, antique shops... there is not a single ONE STOP place to buy and source vintage clothing. It's a constant game of treasure hunting followed by cleaning, mending, and caring for.

So, speaking of buying and sourcing vintage clothing, I thought I'd offer up some tried and true advice for buying vintage clothes with this list of 5 Things to Check when buying for yourself or stocking your vintage shop.

The Adored Vintage Guide to Buying and Sourcing Vintage Clothing.

1. CHECK + INSPECT VINTAGE CLOTHING WHERE THERE IS LIGHT

Once I was so excited to find a mini trove of vintage clothing in an antique shop that was a bit dim and dingy. But I was looking at an assortment of antique clothes and several 20s and 30s dresses, my excitement just could not be contained! So, after following the tips below, I thought all was well... traipsed on over to the register, paid for the lot, and thought I had hit the jackpot. Well, unfortunately, when I got home to my vintage studio, my treasures were more trash... if I had checked the garments where I could actually SEE them better, I would have noticed a lot of flaws and probably had said no to most of it! Lesson learned! Always inspect and check vintage clothing where there is light! Bring it to a window or heck, if you're at a super early estate sale, bring a flash light!

2. JUST SAY NO TO ARMPIT STAINS, IF YOU WANT TO...

Armpit stains are the bane of a vintage shopkeepers existence. Well, amongst other things I'm sure, but armpit stains I swear are on the top of that list! If it's ancient, silk, or rayon and it has armpit stains, just know that those stains are probably never going to completely come out! Some vintage sellers may claim they have the exact perfect formula. If they do, they should bottle that damn stuff up and become millionaires slinging magic liquid!!! While certain concoctions will fade or lightly lift out armpit stains on certain fabrics, it won't actually ever go away.

3.] TURN IT INSIDE OUT, CHECK THE GUTS

Sometimes a vintage garment is actually much more interesting on the inside! Garment construction details is one way of dating vintage garments, so checking the inside of vintage clothing is not only a wonderful practice for buying and sourcing, it's also great for increasing your knowledge in dating vintage. When turning a garment inside out you may notice where a garment was taken in, if there is room for the garment to be taken out, if the hem was taken up, taken down, if there is rotting or weakness in the lining. You may also discover something lovely, like a designer label! Once I purchased a simple red silk dress and I quite loved it for just the design and color but when I turned it inside out to inspect I was extremely pleased to discover a Ceil Chapman label on the lower back of the dress below the waist hem!

4.] CHECK THE DETAILS, ARE ALL THE BUTTONS THERE?

There are some things that are easy to replace (like broken zippers, hooks and eyes) and other things not so easy to replace like special buttons. I once purchased a vintage 1940s dress with over a dozen silver bell buttons thinking ALL of them were there and then later realizing when I got home that 2 of them were missing! These were not the kind of buttons I could just go easily find more of, so I had to get a whole "new" (ie vintage deadstock) set of buttons! Not only were the buttons semi costly to purchase, my tailor charged me a pretty penny as well! You should also check for fraying in the pockets, holes in pockets (insides), fraying or weakness of button holes (these are very annoying to repair), if cuffs are missing buttons, if appliques are missing or torn, or if there is bead loss. If you can repair minor things, then go for it. If it is going to be costly and time consuming, maybe put it back. Back away.

5.] THAT'S NOT OMBRE, IT'S FADED!

I can't tell you how many times I've picked up something and didn't follow my own ADVICE (TIP #1 on this list!) and have brought home faded, sun damaged, or water damaged vintage clothing. These sort of things usually happen from being badly stored or wrongly cleaned. Sometimes it can just be how it was stored and what it was stored in. Of course there is the option of deep dyeing vintage clothes to give it a new look and disguise color/fade flaws, and hey if you've got the time and skills, you should go for it! But if it's a pretty bad fade, just put it back. Keep walking. Don't turn around.

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All right vintage gals! I hope this Adored Vintage Guide To Buying + Sourcing Vintage Clothing: 5 Things to Check Before You Buy was helpful! I of course have broken all of these, I'm human and also sometimes I just can't say NO to a rescue (and I have bins of these to prove it!) When it comes down to it, if you LOVE it enough, if you know you JUST CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT IT, and you don't care if it's flawed or has damage, then doggone it, buy, buy away!

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This article was written by Rodellee Bas, the owner and vintage clothing buyer for Adored Vintage, an online vintage clothing shop. While she deems herself very knowledgeable in the vintage clothing field, she would like to add a disclaimer that she's still learning new things every day and she makes mistakes (because she's human!). This vintage guide is meant to be used as a general outline for buying and sourcing vintage. Now go forth and buy vintage!

CategoriesBuying Vintage,Shop Talk,Sourcing Vintage,Vintage Buyers Guide,Vintage Tips | 3 comments

December 15, 2013

Vintage Clothing, All in the Details

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One of my favorite things to do when I get a new batch of vintage clothing to process in the shop is to admire all the details of the garment. On Instagram I often will snap photos of the details of vintage clothing such as embroidery, lace, soutache, embellishment… but sometimes the insides of a vintage dress is so much more spectacular on the outside. I especially love discovering when dresses have pellon linings! For more peeks at vintage clothing details… give Adored Vintage a follow on Instagram!

CategoriesInstagram,Vintage,Vintage Details | 1 comments

December 11, 2013

A Vintage Shop Update | Pursuit of Bliss

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We are simply in love with today's update! It's one of those times we had a hard time letting go of a few of these pieces. Can we please talk about the Swans By Moonlight Dress? How adorable would this be at prom or a special event?!? Take a look below and make sure to let us know your favorites in the comments. Shop all the looks here!