in the swim

Today I came across this article online with loads of links and images of vintage swimsuits, on the MODERN ART NOTES website, by Tyler Green. Go go, check out all the links and eye candy! I don't deal in a lot of vintage swimwear (though I'd love to)....it's not terribly easy to find in Iowa! But my first thought when I saw the mention of the "Scandal" 60s swimsuit by Cole of California was of one of my favorite images of Little Edie Bouvier Beale wearing hers (in her own quirky style!)....

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And then of course, of my favorite swimsuit I've ever had the pleasure of selling (scandalous in it's own way!).....this 1950s Catalina swimsuit with print of sketchwork birds in rather compromising positions, which truly deserved to be in a museum itself!....

Some more past favorites.....50s bubble suit with ballerinas....

1940s palm tree suit...

Amazing deep sea diver print Kamehameha swimsuit from the 50s.....

Rose Marie Reid striped....

Some of the few I have available now....

30s gold satin one piece....

50s leaf print pin up...

Rare 60s paper bikini in orginal packaging....

Got a big house call coming up this weekend, crossing fingers for some good swimwear!

~Ang

Happy Groundhog Day!

Via this fab blog/artist I just found, ONE CREATIVE GIRL....

Enjoy! And if you've missed me, my apologies....I'm rocking both sinusitis and bronchitis right now so down for the count. I've managed to add a decent amount to the website and some (much easier to shoot while unwell) accessories to my shop at SENSE OF FASHION....listing of course as DOROTHEA'S CLOSET. Some stuff you won't even find on the website! If you want a quick overview of everything recently added to both, you can always check out the current album on my FACEBOOK PAGE. Now, back to the couch.

~Ang

good sense.

Just opened a teeny little boutique on a fantastic new fashion website called SENSE OF FASHION...a sweet shopping site devoted solely to fashion, from upstart designers to established, hand made to vintage. Love it! Many pieces there will not be available on the main website, so check it out and get shopping!

Just added this amazing black deerskin suede 40s bag with loads of rhinestones and unusual slide-ring with side opening, inspired by the Victorian miser's bag....click to buy!

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Elegant and unique, measures about 14" handle to bottom. Flawless, as usual!

Go see everything Dorothea's has to offe, and pop by the site too!

~Ang

it's a cinch

every once in a while something truly breathtaking appears in my shop (not magically, and not for free....sadly, there is no vintage tree growing in an urn in the center of the boutique). yesterday was one of those days when not only one beautiful thing came in, but several! the rest for another day (think 20s gowns and Orientalist jackets, 30s velvets with cherries, surrealist silk 30s lounge wear)....but today, this.

silk ribbon underbust corset from around 1901 by Royal Worcester....breathtakingly gorgeous, shimmering pearl silk with bow and racy lacing up the back. available now!

truly a find~

~Ang

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!

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....

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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

happy halloween!

from DOROTHEA'S CLOSET VINTAGE....clothes from Dorothea's of course!

~Ang

the legend of zelda

One of my holy grails in dealing/hunting vintage is to own, if only for a moment, a piece by ZELDA WYNN VALDES. When we think of the silhouette of the glamorous songstress of the 1950s, the look is definitely hourglass....and the hourglass definitely the signature look of a Zelda. Her dresses were as strong and powerful as she was.....the first black woman to own a business on Broadway in the 1940s and a favorite of talents like Dorothy Dandridge, Ella Fitzgerald and Gladys Knight. I've read she often had to be on hand for dressing her clients for stage to sew them into their form fitting gowns!

Who better to design the first costumes for the scantily clad Playboy Bunnies? Though tame in comparison to today's bunnies (or for that matter, for today's realty TV stars), the look was all Zelda....waist whittled, bust lifted, hips accentuated.

Her pieces are few and far between in the world of vintage collection, but worth appreciating if only in pictures!

~Ang

inspiration. shop re-decor....

Starting with the pathetic fitting room/restroom/shoe hallway area! LOVE this!!!

And check out the 60s mannequin head I got today at the antique mall! Gonna take her to the shop to use for necklaces and hats.....she needs a name!

Now to find time for all the ideas!!

~Ang

spotted

Another follow up to the green and leopard post! Last one today, I promise....I only wish I could keep up with blogging more regularly! JESSICA asked in the comments of that last post if I really had a green and leopard coat like the one pictured and I had to hunt it down in my winter closet to share. I remembered it wrong (confused it with a tan one I have that has leopard down the sides similar to the one in the 40s post)....this one is from the 60s, and has a matching green wool sheath dress with leopard collar beneath AND a leopard trimmed hat!

As you can see....I'm a sucker for a leopard hat (and coat, and collar, and muff....).

~Ang

speaking of green.....

Just happened across this picture of a gorgeous gal from the 1940s (on the *amazing* blog, GLAMOUR DAZE) rocking the green and leopard! Then I remembered I have a short version of this coat.....now I just need those temps to drop!!

~Ang

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

going green

Stumbled across a lovely blog the other day via a friend on FaceBook where a conversation was underway about pairing red with leopard print. I casually mentioned in the comments that I like wearing emerald green with leopard print, which sparked a creative post at BON BON ROSE GIRLS featuring leopard and emerald modern fashions.... with a shout out (and link!) to me! Go on over and read it, and be sure to follow them on Twitter or FaceBook and enter to win a gorgeous green leather handbag from MIMI BOUTIQUE>

Meanwhile, since vintage leopard print will always be my favorite kind of leopard print, consider these Mad Men-esque 1960's fine wale corduroy cigarette pants in leopard...paired with a tight green emerald sweater, or a green tank and cropped black jacket....a thin long black tee and forest green suede platform heels....the possibilities are endless! Click pic to go to Dorothea's....

Some killer green suede heels from GOJANE.COM, a steal at $25.70....

Or go win that green handbag! There are loads of ways to wear green with leopard!

~Ang

pirate chic

Missed it on "Talk Like a Pirate Day" yesterday, but turns out one of my dresses was featured on Etsy's front page! Out of the hundreds of treasuries made daily, its tough going getting one to the front page. A big thanks to VINTAGEBIFFANN for using my 70s white chiffon dress and sequined hot pants (thats some seriously glam pirate chic!)....

~Ang

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

Mad Men Madness

Its back! Starting tonight! Enough has been said alll over the internet so I'll keep it brief and share a few dresses from my site I think are spot-on perfect for wearing to premier parties or just to look as glamorous as your favorite MM character.

Sweet Betty style chiffon floral party dress from the early 60s....

And a curve conscious, cocktail print Joan look!

A nice homage to the party spirit (spirits?) , a set of 1960s WEISS rhinestone martini glass brooches....

Enjoy the show!