for the love of the dainty

will be closed today locally (but the website never rests!) to let people get their big box black friday on. but tomorrow the shop will be open 12-4 at 1733 Grand Ave in Des Moines, Iowa with gorgeous vintage lurvelies for the vintage fashion fiend on your list! sparkling sweaters, snuggly and glamorous robes, sultry lingerie, holiday perfect dresses, chic winter coats, stylish shoes....and if you aren't sure about size, go for accessories! you can't go wrong with a vintage brooch, clip earrings, chunky or pendant style necklaces....smart vintage handbags for day or night...vintage hats for dress up or winter wear....gorgeous scarves or gloves....there's no excuse for buying mall drek when you can shop one of a kind, eco-friendly uber-fashionable vintage! plus, tomorrow is Small Business Saturday with perks for using AmEx (which Dorothea's accepts) and even bigger perks for feeling good about shopping local and supporting small businesses! why line the pockets of a wealthy CEO when you can put food on the table for a small business owner's family?

lastly, mention the blog when ordering on the site and I'll refund 15% plus your shipping. yes, worldwide. and if you'd like to use AmEx or a card without going through Paypal, just email me at admin@dorotheasclosetvintage.com. now aren't you glad you slept in and stayed home on black friday? get shopping!

Shop Shots

While the website is probably better known by followers of the blog, I do run a real-world vintage shop right here in Des Moines, Iowa! The shop offers a huge range of vintage apparell and accessories with price points as low as a few dollars on up to a few thousand.....a perfect fit for any budget and any style! You can find a full on period-correct look, pieces to mix with a current wardrobe to get a cutting edge, runway look or accessories to glam up any ensemble! And with vintage you know you're getting one of a kind (let everyone else shop the mall!) for a completely unique look. Some images from inside....

Even menswear! Cool tops, jackets, robes, denim...

And hats...

Pics link to shop info...we're open Wed-Fri 10-5:30 and Saturdays noon to 4. Currently running a HUGE $10 vintage sale as well as select hats at 50% off and summer vintage half off as well! Stop by and say hi!

~Ang

Design_Sponge!

DOROTHEA'S CLOSET is in the Guide to Des Moines, Iowa highlighted on today's DESIGN_SPONGE!. A fantastic blog, most honored by both the writer of the guide and the blog to be mentioned! Many thanks.

~Ang

515Magazine Video Interview at Dorothea's on Vintage!

Check out the new 515Magazine available here in Des Moines (at my shop among other places!) for a fantastic photo essay on wearing vintage clothing and click the link above to see a video interview with the models! From the home page scroll to the pic of the wedding cake and click the text link to the vintage fashion video. A pdf file of the print story is linked from the bottom of the page as well!

Thanks to Nikki Omundson from Drake University for using clothing from Dorothea's Closet to do her article and to the models for making it look so damn good. The vintage....it sparkles!

~Ang

Missing....Vintage Tee.

Missing, the polite way of saying "stolen".

To the young lady who stole this tee shirt from my shop (shown here modeled by the lovely Emily for a listing on etsy, who would never steal)...

I hope you come back into my shop someday, because I know who you are and you will not have a pleasant shopping experience. At. All.

Perhaps your ignorance comes from your age and lack of life experience. Perhaps your parents never taught you that stealing is illegal. Perhaps you are an idiot. But I would like to let you know what stealing from me means.

I am a single Mom, and all of the merchandise in my shop has been purchased outright by myself on my own dime (not credit). Let me explain to you how being a grown up with a privately owned small business works.

I invest in inventory with the faith that it will one day sell at a profit. That is how I make money! That is what I call my "salary". As a single Mom when you steal from me, you take away my ability to pay medical bills, my car payment, my rent, my utilities, buy gas and groceries, my insurance on myself and my 5 year old daughter.

Now, one tee shirt does not cover much of those expenses by any means. But the idea that you, as a care-free, parent-supported naive and irresponsible teenager would steal from someone like me really chaps my arse. You got a free shirt and got your laughs at mine and my daughter's expense, which is despicable.

Lastly, if anyone in Des Moines sees someone wearing this (very rare) tee shirt, please let her know how I feel and ask her if she is so brave as to steal, if she would also be so brave as to stop into the shop and have a chat with me about it. I'll bet she's not so brave after all.

~Ang