Blast Off

Tomorrow night "The Astronaut Wives Club" premiers on ABC. Based on the novel of the same name by Lily Koppel, the series centers on the wives of the "celebrity" astronauts of the 1960s. It remains to be seen whether the period series will rise to the level of "Mad Men", but certainly it will fill the void left for those of us who love a show with lots of vintage clothing! Dorothea's supplied some pieces to the wardrober, but we'll have to wait to see what makes it past editing!

Meanwhile, I've curated a few items on the site based on this ARTICLE about the different styles the wives wear. Anxious to watch the show and see all the clothing!! ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB COLLECTION at Dorothea's Closet Vintage

Berry Good Vintage!

Sure, the holidays are upon us but it's not snowy and cold everywhere...and spring will return one day! Just added to the website, this bright cheery strawberry print 1940s hostess gown!

And this sweet strawberry print tie-front cropped 1940s blouse.

Dorothea's Closet Vintage has MOVED!

A brand new website with nearly 1,400 pieces ready to peruse! A new search function too...or shop by categories (decade, style, use, collections, size). And a new logo! The blog will also be based there as well. Go check it out HERE!

sister sister

The Callot Souers (sisters) were comprised of Marie Callot Gerber, Marthe Callot Bertrand, Regina Callot Tennyson-Chantrell and Joséphine Callot Crimon. A group fo French designers, they learned their skill from sister Marie, initially starting by working antique lace and ribbons on blouses and lingerie...graduating to dressmaking. Noted designed Madeleine Vionnet apprentices with the Callot sisters, and American designer Elizabeth Hawes wore their designs far past when it was considered "fashionable", happily sporting elaborate and exotics laces and embroidery. Their work is a tremdous part of early 1900s and 1920s fashion.

Callot Soeurs ( Marie Callot Gerber, Martha Callot Bertrand, and Regina Callot Chantrelle)

~Ang

silver screen

Orry-Kelly, designer to the stars. Orry George Kelly was born in Australia where he studied art and was an apprentice to a tailor and a window dresser. After relocating to New York and changing his name to Orry-Kelly (and sharing an apartment with Cary Grant!), he started working as a mural painter. Kelly moved to Hollywood in 1932 and quickly found work designing costumes for films, working with all the greatest actresses and filmmakers. His work can be seen in Casablanca, the Maltese Falcon, Some Like it Hot, Harvey, Arsenic and Old Lace and Auntie Mame. Below, Louise Brooks, a gown from An American In Paris and Kay Francis....pics link to our Facebook page where we're looking at Orry-Kelly's work all day long!

Dorothea's kicks off a HOLIDAY VINTAGE sale on FAB.COM tonight! Pic links to an invite so you can join and shop!

shock me

Elsa Schiaparelli, Italian born fashion designer known not only for being one of the first successful female designers, her signature hue "Shocking Pink" but also her work with surrealist artist Salvador Dali. With collections like the Circus collection and the Pagan collection, iconic designs like the lobster gown, the skeleton gown, fingernail trimmed gloves and shoe shaped hats Schiaparelli stunned and seduced the fashionistas of the 30s through the 50s and continues to influence designers of today. Pics link to our Pinterest Schiaparelli album, or come over to the facebook page for images and discussion!

~Ang

Waist Not

Perhaps one of the most underappreciated pieces in the vintage closet is the shirtwaist dress. Seen as too casual, too pedestrian to appeal to the vintage afficianado seeking more glamorous designer pieces, the shirtwaist often languishes in the boutique or website waiting for someone with a keen eye and imagination to see it for what it really can be.....

Easy to make (if you can sew?), patterns abundant? Check. (Piccy link to a great resource for patterns!).

Easy to wear? Check.

Easy care? Coming traditionally in cottons or jersey nylons....check again. Easy to accessories, both retro and modern? Check check.

In summery or autumnal hues, these dresses can be worn in warm or cool weather...easily accented or layered seasonally. Now quit passing these beauties by!

~Ang

Happy Birthday, Mr. Dior!

And thank YOU for the New Look!

~Ang

stacks

a quick hello! just had a superb buy of 40s to 60s dresses in great prints and silhouettes...prepping and shooting frantically!

~Ang

you talkin' to me?

The lovely folks over at JEZEBEL wrote up a pretty swell article today about learning which era's silhouette best works with your body shape (you can read it HERE...extra points to Sadie for a David Lee Roth reference!). As I took in the images she had chosen to accompany each era I noticed a print that looked quite familiar....

.

So I did a quick Google search of Cybill Shepherd in the 1976 film Taxi Driver to get a better look....and there it was!

Exactly the same Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress I currently have on my site!

Sure, not *the* dress she wore (as far as I know), but the exact same print and color. And I've got the same textile done in a maxi length tee shirt dress from the same collection! Check out the video of the scene the dress is in.....

Certainly a swell 70s look to embrace, no?

~Ang

Blue Rose

More vintage at the Golden Globes! The lovely Rose McGowan (owner of several pieces from Dorothea's Closet Vintage, though this dress is not) in a dress previously owned by actress Ava Gardner, at the InStyle/Warner Bros. party following the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

The screen siren Ava, in Dior....similar dress, though not quite the same.

Gorgeous!

~Ang

Vintage Blass at the Paperball

The Museum of Arts and Design celebrated its one year "paper anniversary" recently with a star studded gala in New York City with one of a kind artist-designed paper dresses, accessories and product design available for purchase and allowed guests to preview MAD's newly opened paper exhibition, Slash: Paper Under the Knife. In a vintage origami inspired vintage Bill Blass was lovely attendee Rose McGowan....

~Ang

Finally, FaceBook

I've had customers, clients and friends asking if there was a FaceBook page dedicated to Dorothea's Closet Vintage for a while now and sadly, no. There was not. Because I can only do so many online activities at once people!!! But I did finally take some time to learn how to do a business page and its ready for you to become of a fan of right now....HERE!. I'll do daily updates there and try to keep it as interesting as possible!

~Ang

Charlie Brown Called

He wants his dress back.

60s dress with mega-huge ric-rac trim, clearly Schultz inspired. If not, should have been.

Available on the website (pics are linky) tomorrow, which will be July 3.

~Ang

More $50 Dresses!

Click to shop!

A few 50s dresses....

From the 60s, page 2....

More tomorrow!

~Ang

the $50 Dress Event

Making room for more vintage with Fall shopping season around the corner! I've started marking down pieces on the website to $50 and will be regularly adding to that list, so check back often! These beauties are now $50 and with luck, several more will be today (I'll update the blog and TWITTER as I go)....

Today, a few fantastic 40s day dresses in cool green prints, done in a crisp cotton...perfect for summer!

40s larger size rayon with Victorian men & women in silhouette, a few minor flaws but easily worn despite them!

And a fun late 40s sundress with purple rose print, velvet bows and rhinestones!

Watch for casual 50s dress, 60s dresses, 70s dresses and lingerie to be added to the $50 event over the next few weeks! Join our NEWSLETTER LIST to get an email (maybe 2, if I'm ambitious) a week with updates on new items, news, sales and more from the website.

~Ang