Getting Real.

In a world dominated by social media, it seems nearly every aspect of our lives has become dominated by things, brands and people who are "fake". Accusations of news being fake, fake accounts leaving fake feedback and opinions, fake faces representing brands, fake lifestyles on display on our phones and computers daily. The results have been devastating. It has become very difficult to trust what your own eyes tell you.

In that vein, I have changed my tag-line to "real vintage for a real life". I refuse to be one of the vintage dealers who pretends to live a carefree, 100% vintage lifestyle. I refuse to be friends with those who pretend to be my friend while working to undermine my business and financial stability with lies and cattiness. I refuse to be told that being real and honest with people is a turn-off to customers.

I've been thinking about this for a very long time.

I've tried, over the years, to play the game- to pretend my very vintage life is very perfect and very pretty and very trouble free.

It isn't.

It isn't even very vintage. Sure, I am surrounded by vintage fashion and vintage decor in a 100 year old house. So in that regard- pretty vintage, yep. But it's also real. Real stuff happens every day. I work a full time retail job to supplement my income and provide a steady paycheck and health insurance for my family. There is no vintage involved there at all. The necessity of doing that, spending 40 hours a week away from my home, places stress on every other aspect of my life. I'm not home to cook dinner, or able to pick my daughter up from school. I have to do website work either in the early morning hours before work or later at night after. I get 2 days off a week to do everything that isn't done during the other 5 days, plus help my disabled mother, plus spend time with my child, plus laundry and house cleaning, house maintenance, yard work, etc. I spend a solid 70+ hours a week working between the FT job and the website just to keep bills (mostly) caught up, and try desperately to have a happy fulfilled life with my family.

My life is messy and full. I can be organized one day and then 3 days later be completely behind again. Sometimes I'm there for my daughter when she has troubles- sometimes I'm not, and feel like a total failure. Some weeks I'm on top of planning meals for the week- some weeks we eat whatever we throw together at 7 PM. I'm not done up in victory rolls and cat eye liner every day, attending pin-up events (though if that IS your life, lucky you!!). Some days I don't even brush my teeth (days off, at home of course!). I struggle to sleep, battle anxiety, worry all day every day about keeping my house out of foreclosure. I'm juggling a lot every single day and I'm not going to pretend to be anyone I'm not just to fit into the expectations some have of what a vintage dealer's life should be. Those who do live that life- more power to them, sounds fun. Those who pretend to live that life to feel like they fit in- more power to them, sounds difficult. But it isn't my life and I'm going to be real about that.

I have thousands of pieces of vintage in my storage that are very real. Much of that is on the site, a lot of it isn't and that's something that weighs on me as well and something I'm working on. Closing my shop, while necessary financially, created a mess of merchandise that I've yet to totally organize. With little time to do it, it happens in bits and pieces. But it is indeed all very real, and very well stored and cared for.

My passion for vintage is real, too. From day one the reason I started doing this was because I wholly believe that these pieces of clothing (or accessories) were loved enough to be held onto by someone for decades, and that they deserve a chance at being worn and loved and cherished again. The joy it brings people to know that that those things will have a new life is one of my favorite parts of what I do. It pains me every day to go work a job that isn't doing this because, after nearly 10 years of doing it full time, I miss it horribly. But know that I'm trying as hard as I can to stay on top of it despite the hours away.

I won't always get it right. But I will always try. And I will always be real with you.

Thank you for still being here.

- Ang

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!

the eyes of elsa

Elsa Lanchester may be best remembered for the iconic look she brought to "Bride of Frankenstein", though that is hardly the only thing she did. A British born actress, she started in dance in Paris learning under Isadora Duncan (whom she reportedly despised), before teaching Isadora's method. She married actor Charles Laughton in 1929, during her time in cabaret and stage work. Eventually moving to the states, she got her break with Frankenstein, going on to more film work, stage work, music and television. A woman as fascinating as she was beautiful!

legs for days

Burlesque babes! Leggy Lois de Fee was considered the Amazon of burlesque in the 40s and 50s, standing 6'4" tall....

Then along came 6'8" Ricki Corvette!

And just because this costume is tremendously fantastic, the sassy Baby Lake....

All pics link to Dorothea's Facebook page, more images and discussion there!

~Ang

suzy parker suzy parker

There are no words. Suzy Parker! Born Cecilia Ann Renee Parker in Texas in 1932, Cecilia soon became "Susie" to her father and once introduced to the modeling world by her sister, Dorian (also a supermodel) she was dubbed "Suzy". She soon outshone her sister, becoming the first model to make $100,000 a year and became close with top designers including Coco Chanel as well as muse to Richard Avedon. She also dabbled, and dabbled well, in acting. Married three times, she gave birth to one daughter, elegantly named Georgia Belle Florian Coco Chanel de la Salle (godmother Coco Chanel), another daughter named Dinah and two sons, Charlie and Christopher. Not content at modeling, momm-ing and acting, she was also a superb chef. Suzy lived the life, no? Radiant!

"Sheer luck. I was lucky to have been born with cheekbones."~ Suzy Parker

Suzy's sister, Dorian Leigh, who introduced her to the modeling world and is often considered the first real "supermodel". Suzy and Dorian fell out and remained on bad terms for their adult lives, sadly.

Pics link to Dorothea's Facebook page with many more images and discussion of the beautiful Avedon muse, Suzy Parker.

~Ang

shoo shoo

Roger Vivier, a French born designer, trained early on with Elsa Schiapparelli before going on to be the chief artist behind the shoes for the House of Dior. Credited with inventing the stiletto heel in the 1950s, he also came up with other iconic shoe styles, including the comma heel. Shoes! These shoes, from the 1950s and 60s, are all on the website for the Met, pics link a huge selection of pretties..

The Bata Shoe Museum is also featuring a retrospective right now, details here. Enjoy!

~Ang

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

Are you Fab?

Dorothea's is having a pop up sale on the (relatively) new FAB.COM! You have to be a member to shop but it's free and easy, click the link to the site to get to my invite page and sign up. You'll get daily emails for their pop up shops so you'll know right when ours starts! Things move SUPER fast, so be sure to check right away....lots of things never seen before on the site and many piece from the site as well, all discounted 20% off. Lots of other cool stuff both new and vintage from other dealers too! So excited to be working with them!

the write stuff

More blog love today for Dorothea's, with a bonus! Doreen Creede of STYLE MANIAC has discovered Dorothea's, and just in time to feature a gorgeous (newly listed!) purple velvet 50s dress and bolero set in a post today! While it would be exciting enough to get a nod from her fabulous blog, she's doubled the fun by using the dress to illustrate a guest post by writer SUSAN GLOSS! Susan does a brilliant job of capturing in words what many of us who are passionate about vintage clothing feel about it....about the stories and memories vintage clothing carries with it, and about becoming a part of that story in owning and wearing it (something she knows a bit about, as she is writing a book right now about a vintage clothing boutique owner). She says it best, so go look....and watch for her book, Gently Used, to come out.....I'll certainly let you know here as soon as I know a date!

A big thank you to Doreen for featuring Dorothea's, her blog is fantastic (you can also follow her on FACEBOOK and to Susan for her brilliant write up about vintage (she also has a fab blog, GLOSSING OVER IT). So excited to have met these fantastic girls!

~Ang

Meet Jean

In Spring of 2006 I was called to a home to view some clothing left as part of the estate of a woman who had recently passed. Inspired by a comment made by Elena in my blog post about Maureen, I decided to delve into my MySpace blogs about Jean and re-publish them here. In retrospect it was truly the turning moment in my career....the buy that enabled me to make selling vintage a full time job and reaffirmed my love of vintage and the stories that come with it. Many of the clothing pieces are long ago sold, with the exception of a few I couldn't part with. All the correspondence and photos stay here in boxes with her wedding dress, hat and shoes...right here in the closet of my office. Jean has become almost like a family member to me and her things will stay with me always.

With that, this is the first of several past blog entries I will be sharing here. This is from May 24, 2006.

This is Jean's Story...As a matter of business, selling vintage clothing, I was recently called to come look at a woman's clothing....a woman who had recently passed away at the age of 99. When I got to the home, it was still in disarray....an entire lifetime of contents, saved by a woman who obviously cared very much about them. The house was simply FULL....doors had been made impossible to open, closets jam packed....an attic, a basement. Memories everywhere.

Memories that there was no one left to cherish. Jean lived a long life.....outliving her husband, Robert, by 25 years. Twenty five years she lived in that house, alone. With all the things that she and Bob loved.....and now, there was no one to care.

Jean never had children....had one brother, Fred, who married yet also had no children. There simply was no family left at all. And so, while a business move indeed to just buy ALL of the clothing (and what wonderful things there are!), I also have taken on one couple's lifetime. The very fiber of their lives is quite literally in my possession. As I began to go through the things.....dresses, blouses, hats, skirts, shoes, lingerie, handbags, belts.....mens ties, shirts, suits, hats....I began to really sense their prescence. I began to get a rough outline of who they were, what they liked, what they spent their time doing. What colors they liked, what fabrics they chose....what era's were times they went out & socialized....what they were comfortable at home in.

And in doing so, I started to find myself wanting to know MORE. So I asked the people running the estate liquidation for pictures.....started with a few, went back for more. I found pictures of Jean in dresses I have....coats I have, shoes that are here. I found pictures of them having great Halloween parties in the 40s.....outings with their folks....travelling in the 30s.

My fascination, and sense of needing to make sure these people were not simply FORGOTTEN, drove me back to the house again to ask for the letters.....SO many letters and cards, boxes and BOXES in the attic! Which were, of course, going to be thrown away. I came home with perhaps hundreds....and have more coming, as well as Jean's diaries.

Perhaps one of the most special finds... a puzzle put together.....has been a beautiful late 20s brown velvet suit dress with a lace blouse. It was stored in the attic in a small steamer trunk, with the matching shoes & small cloche hat. It wasnt until I started going through some things destined for the dumpster that I found a newspaper article about Jean & Robert's wedding, in 1929....and in it, Jean is described in that very ensemble. Soon after that, quite by accident, I came upon an actual invitation to the wedding.. one given to Robert's parents! Its is lovely and classically Art Deco. Moreover, it is lovely that all these things found their way back to each other....and into the hands of someone who cannot bear to see them be forgotten by time.

I intend to document the process of getting to know Jean here....to share the experience, to make sure she matters. My page is pretty well devoted to vintage fashion....it is my business and passion. What I share will often be geared toward clothing, but just as often not. I hope people who stumble upon this, that love vintage clothing, also have a respect for the lives and the people that wore the clothing before found it. I will showcase pieces I wont be selling, and some I will........pictures of Jean, her family, snippets of letters.....who knows what I will come across!

And so, this is Jean's story. Jean Thayer Boone....a life lived stylishly.

Runway Revue Rewind and New Pieces on the Site!

Last night's fashion show at the Liar's Club went off without a hitch! The models for Dorothea's were amazing, hair and make up by local Halo Salon were incredible....the overall effect, super 70s glam rock with a little Native American Indian edge! Enjoy....

70's DeWeese Designs orange swimsuit with plunging neckline, available in 3 sizes on the site (click picture to get to website)on the stunning Amber.....

Savannah rocks a leather fringed vest with 70s bell bottom jeans....

70s scarf and orange velveteen striped bell bottom pants....

70s belted sweater with metallic summer sunset coloured maribou collar.....

A big thank you to everyone involved in making the event a success!

And new to the website...

60s beaded and sequined silk cocktail dress by Malcolm Starr......

Two tone black and blue taffeta 80s dress by Tadashi....

60's pink silk chiffon party dress by Elinor Gay....

60's pink satin column gown....

50's apricot silk cocktail dress with fantastic sheer cut out floral neckline....

50's Island Casuals tiki print Hawaiian dress....

50's black silk wiggle dress with blue rose print and violet bow at waist....

70's goddess gown inspired by Mario Fortuny, by Edith Flagg....

All pictures click through to the website, enjoy browsing!

~Ang

eVintage BLOG TAG WEDNESDAY.....Gimme Candy!

I've been tagged by SYDNEY'S VINTAGE FASHION RUNWAY for the eVINTAGE SOCIETY Wednesday Blog Tag.

1)The colors of CANDY! What’s your favorite candy colored vintage piece in your collection/inventory?
Hard to say, but I do LOVE this coral pink crepe Lee Jordan cocktail dress with candy-like beading at waist....

2)What’s the sweetest accessory you’re offering right now, or if you don’t have one for sale, tell us about one of your own!
I LOVE this brightly colored, patchwork suede bag in bright chicklet colors! By, available on the website....

3) Sweet tooth? What’s your favorite candy?
Anything chocolate and peanut butter!

4)Ice cream…..chocolate or strawberry, and why?
Chocolate. Always. Addicted. Strawberry is too.....sweet?

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, classic film or Johnny Depp re-make….and why?
I'm torn. Love the old one because its stuff of my childhood....I read the book even before I saw the film. Gene Wilder is brilliant in it and nothing tops that tunnel scene for pure creepiness! However....the newer one is fascinating. Its the only time I've seen Johnny Depp in a role that I didn't find him attractive in! And you gotta love the weeee tiny Oompa Loompas all being played by the same actor.

6)Is your personal style sweet or salty? Explain!
Salty with a dash of sweet. I'm a Salted Nut Roll!

DOROTHEA'S CLOSET VINTAGE tags Julie at DAMN GOOD VINTAGE.

~Ang

In the Press....Juice Magazine and KCCI Video

DOROTHEA'S CLOSET VINTAGE is doing a BIG fashion show tomorrow night that has gotten some press.....video here at KCCI TV & a story with pics here on the Des Moines JUICE Site.....

Thank you to the lovely Maria & Emily for modeling the pretty pink dresses! The rose print just sold the other day but the crepe cocktail dress, by Lee Claire, is available on the website HERE.

Read more about the show on the MySpace page for FASHION MIDWEST. If you're anywhere near Des Moines, don't miss it!

~Ang

saturday night cocktails.

its boozin' time! if its not for you, sad indeed. i promise you won't be able to get through this montage of Thin Man films (featuring the ever-handsome and dapper William Powell whom I would like to marry thank you, and the glamorous yet cheeky Myrna Loy) highlighting their alcohol-related high-jinks without pouring yourself a stiff one...

would that i could be so fashionable after a few or few too many!

~Ang

just got lucky.

as in, a sweet mention about the website on Lucky Magazine's website! fashion savvy and adorable Desiree Marr had this to say about the site

Current Online Obsession: Dorotheasclosetvintage.com is a meticulously archived vintage shopping site organized by decade, from the 1800s through the 1980s. Browsing through the site reminds me of digging through the closet of the glamorous great-aunt I always wanted.

gotta blush a little. desiree, if you're out there and come across my blog, THANK YOU!

click the Lucky image to read the rest and see the lovely Desiree....

~Ang

madame yevonde

Recently sold some 30s pieces to a film student doing a project on photographer MADAME YEVONDE. I'd not heard of her, and visiting her site found some breathtaking work. Between the fashions, the photography style, the subjects....the still lifes. Go see and watch for an update on Jesse's film!

~Ang

the politics of lingerie.

I've recently staked claim on a new web domain, the NOIR BOUDOIR and revamped my entire vintage lingerie section of my website. It is, after all, what originally inspired my love of vintage clothing and was the catalyst for my start in selling online. My shop in Des Moines already has a fairly large amount of vintage lingerie available, but being a hoarder at heart, I still had quite a bit stored away. As I went back over my offerings on the website, I realized two things A) it looked weak and B) some pieces had sold (despite the weak presentation) and I hadn't filled it back in.

So I began searching the racks and got out the things in back and started a two day marathon shooting pictures and adding lingerie to the site. A lot of what I have is 30s and 40s, and as I was shooting a friend of mine (hi Julie!) mentioned that she had for years lamented that nearly all lingerie from the 20s to the 40s was either white, peach or pink but that she had come to make peace with that. And it really is true.

After editing the pictures of the above early 30's bra and tap pants set, I realized why. This, to the naked eye, looks like peach silk. Peach silk trimmed in ecru lace. When photographed it began to take on a "nude" hue. Maybe its overthinking it, but it seems logical to me to assume that in the 20s, 30s and part of the 40s the higher end of lingerie would have been targeting American, caucasian women. Lingerie as something to be seen at all by men was a post-Victorian mentality, but still new territory. Keeping the textiles in the color range of the white woman's skin with hints of "sheer" lace was, I imagine, the raciest notion those of the female persuasion could handle!

Taking this a step further, on my site there is a black silk and ecru lace bra and tap pants from the 40s that came to me with a story of how it had been purchased in France by a young GI during WWII, and brought home to his lovely (likely blushing furiously) bride who then refused to wear it becuase the black was too racy.

It wasn't until the later 40s that black started to make its way into the actual underpinnings of women's wear....certainly, previous to that some forward thinking women may have worn it, but for the average woman wearing a black bra or panties was unheard of. It is interesting that as times changed and America became more accepting of its melting pot status in the world, the idea that the color of lingerie not necessarily match the color of your skin became more acceptable too. And interesting, too, that women these days shun the "nude" colored lingerie in bras, stockings and slips in favor of bold colors, prints and designs....

Here's to women of all colors....and to women being comfortable enough in their own skin to wear whatever they damn well please!

~Ang

Monroe, Harlow & Dior's "New Look". The Facts.

Because truly, it is driving me crazy seeing vintage sellers continually misinforming their customers. Sellers, primarily on eBay, have been perpetuating a disturbing trend when it comes to their listings....aside from the obviousness of using the names of glamorous movie stars to manipulate eBay's search, they are also misleading their customers. The phrase "I would not be surprised if Marilyn Monroe wore something just like this dress back in the chic New Look Era!" (or other times Jean Harlow, as these phrases used by literally scads of sellers now are templated and a few words switched now and then for a little variety) is mind-blowingly insulting to anyone who knows a whit about vintage fashion history, Marilyn OR Jean Harlow.

Lets discuss New Look. The "New Look" these sellers refer to was a revolution in fashion introduced in 1947 by Christian Dior as a return to femininity. The war was over, rationing of textiles had ended, the fashion world was back in full swing and women no longer struggling in a Rosie the Riveter role were ready to focus on their wardrobes. The straight skirts were replaced with billowing full skirts emphasizing a wasp-like, tapered waistline. It was an extreme look, and its peak lasted only into the very early 50s....while full skirts supported by crinolines stayed in vogue until the 60s, the extreme lines of the New Look softened. Dior's New Look circa 1947....

With that, lets look at Jean Harlow. Jean was born on March 3, 1911 and tragically passed away at a very young age on June 7 of 1937. 1937 being 10 years before Dior introduced the New Look. Harlow, aside from not even being ALIVE during the New Look Era, was known for her clingy, draping, bias cut evening gowns.....about as far removed from the concept of the New Look as one can get.

Marilyn. Undisputedly an icon when it comes to glamour, a bombshell, a classic pin-up. Its no wonder she and Harlow are invoked when it comes to describing vintage apparel and the images associated with it. Marilyn was one of the best dressed actresses in Hollywood in the 50's and 60's.....

But again, not typically seen in a full skirt with crinolines. Indeed, if one pays little attention to the subway grate scene in The Seven Year Itch, one could be lead to believe she's wearing a HUGE full skirt. But it was not, and it was not Marilyn's style to wear things that weren't fitted top to bottom, curve conscious and snug. Got a wiggle dress? Very Marilyn. But very much NOT New Look.

~Ang

FASHION WEEK IOWA

................................Is over, and I'm so lame I didnt attend the post-show event tonight to get my drunk on with all the designers. It was odd, to me, to be one of only a couple "boutiques" amongst designers....I didnt design the vintage clothing I showed, just found it is all! But it was a great way to showcase some of my things, get my name out there as a store to the local fashionistas, etc etc. And fun, mostly. Here are some pics, big thanks to Iowa Nightlife and Juice magazine (Arturo is a God)! Ang