My Year in Vintage

I know its been a LONG time since Ive last blogged.  Shame on me :(

But Im back, and one of my many new year resolutions is to to blog away like crazy in 2012.  Photos, interviews and even videos!  So stay tuned!

Today I thought about the last year and all of the amazing pieces of vintage I have had the honor of coming into - and offering to you lovely people.  Well - without further adieu - my top TEN most favorite vintage pieces from 2011.

Number 10

1940s Moss Green Wool Green 2pc Skirt Set - it was in pristine condition when I found it, which is rare of a piece of this age - and wool.  This lovely outfit went to Finland!

Number 9

Probably the hottest pair of jeans I have ever seen.  SO hot, that the model's boyfriend ended up buying them for her.

Number 8

This is by far one of the most amazing coats - 60s bright coral red suede - totally Sgt. Pepper! - This went home with one of my most favorite customers!

Number 7

Talk about sexy!  This 40s draped rayon piece is beyond words! 

Number 6

Such a sweet wedding dress - crepe chiffon from the 30s.  Who needs poof and beading when you have this classy piece?

Number 5

Probably one of the most lovely things I have ever come into - and thats because I have a photo of the original bride wearing it.  Pristine in every way - this gorgeous thing went to CA for a young lady to wear for her wedding.

Number 4

At first glance, I thought I was purchasing a peignoir set from the 30s - but as I put it on the dress form, I realized that it wasnt meant to sleep in - but meant to STOP SHOWS!  This showstopper not only had a very unique color, but look at those sleeves!

Number 3

When I come into amazing pieces, I nearly die.  And this piece is a prime example of just that.  It came to me in two pieces (bodice separated from the skirt) but I had it expertly brought back together.  It was found in a trunk of a vacation home, nestled away on the coast of main.  And its still available - you can see more of it here.

Number 2

A lot of cocktail dresses look the same - even vintage.  But this one is not like the rest, and its the reason I love it so much.  Another unique beauty thats still available - you can see more of it here.

Number 1

Of course, I would pick this one, right?  Who wouldnt?! - 1930s Rayon Satin.  Um hello?! - The coat is not only dramatic with the leg-o-mutton sleeves, but the train - a whopping TWELVE feet from the shoulder! And the dress alone, is just as jaw-dropping.  If this dress doesnt make you feel like the most glamorous girl in the world, I dont know what will!  And yes, its still available, at a fraction of the price that most modern dresses go fore these days! - More here...

Happy New Year! 
Here's to another year filled with vintage goodness!

Vintage vs. Thrift

The question has been asked 100 times in my shop.  People ask me all the time.  I guess its because lately, the real definition of vintage has been clouded by this new term that has come onto the scene, "Thrifting".  I think that as of the last few years, the two terms have been confused with each other and have blurred the lines that define them both.  So, below I will express MY opinion of them both.  By no means is this pointing fingers at anyone who thinks any differently, it is just how I define the two.

THRIFT Stores:

(Haltom Thrift in Dallas-Fort Worth)

 Thrift stores are often massive, with endless racks and include an enormous variety of items.  Its often overwhelming!  Everything from clothing & accessories to housewares and electronics.  The clothes are often donated by local people, which also means they are not cleaned, mended and are sold "as is".  Thrift stores are a good place to find name brand modern clothing (meaning current) at a fraction of the price you would pay in the designer/department stores.  Is there vintage here?  Sometimes.  But, I will touch on that below.  

VINTAGE Stores:

(Vintage Collections in NYC)

Vintage Clothing Stores are usually small, sometimes a bit cramped, and most of the time packed full.  But sometimes, you find one thats small, but carefully curated with hand selected vintage items.  They often carry clothes from every era, in several sizes.  The clothing you will find here is most likely washed and/or dry cleaned, mended and unique in that you will have a hard time finding another piece like it, anywhere!  The clothing is often received from auction, estate sales, private sales or sometimes (but rarely) by thrifting.  (see below on vintage clothing found out thrift stores!)

(shes tired of searching for vintage)

Now, for the part you've been waiting for.  Can you find these amazing vintage pieces at thrift stores?  YES!  YOU CAN!  But...... its not going to be in abundance.  Nor is it going to be at every thrift store, in every town, in every state.  Finding vintage at thrift stores is like panning for gold in Nevada.  Youll look and look and look...maybe thats vintage!?! - Nope, just a Forever 21 knockoff.  Get the idea?  In my younger years, yes - vintage could be found at your local Goodwill and Salvation Army in abundance.  It was easy to spot out and it was super cheap.  But with the recent trends in vintage, places like Goodwill and SA have already gotten wind of the trend - and have hired "spotters" that pull vintage before it hits the racks, in the back when sorting through the clothes and sell it on websites like "ShopGoodwill.com" or send it off to bigger cities to get more money for the pieces.  Now, not EVERY Goodwill or SA has spotters, and sometimes a few vintage pieces slip through the cracks, but its rare.  (This IS true, people.  I have my sources ;)

And now, the line blurring.  Recently, a lot of vintage "experts" have been telling the public that vintage can be found in your local thrift store, for practically pennies!  This saddens me as a vintage dealer because it cheapens what I do.  It makes people in my profession out to be garbage pickers who get cheap stuff and sell it to you, the consumer, for pennies on the dollar.  I stress to you - THIS IS NOT TRUE (at least in my case).  Now, you probably ask, "Well, even if you got it for free, why am I paying you so much money for it?!" - As vintage dealers, we seek out the stuff that you are searching for, clean it, mend it and bring it to a platform.  That platform is either an e-Commerce website (like Etsy or Ebay) OR to a Brick & Mortar shop.  In each platform, we have expenses and overhead.  So this is the premium you pay.  Vintage dealers save you the time, gas, mileage and perhaps that endless search for that one-of-a-kind item that you have been looking for!

And what do you get out of thrifting?  Perhaps some designer jeans for $10.  A cool wool sweater for $7.  And the list goes on.  If you were to search for vintage to sell, ONLY at thrift shops, you would spend your entire career doing just that - searching.  

I hope this clears up any confusion that there may be out there - and also, sets the record straight.  :)

EXTREME VINTAGE MAKEOVER CONTEST is HERE!

Well, this is it people.  The contest we have been tweaking for weeks.  I have been working with some of the most creative and talented people in New Hampshire to create this amazing, chance of a lifetime contest.  The prizes are valued at over $800 and include:  a FULL vintage outfit from Concetta's Closet, a 1hr photo session with Matthew Lomanno Photography (and you get a full CD of all of the photos!) and of course, you gotta have your hair and make-up to match your new vintage threads - you'll be gussied up to perfection by Erica Hellier of Hell's Belles Makeup Artistry.  This is a chance for ladies to be transformed into the era of their choice with all of the fixin's.  This.. is going to be FUN! 

You can enter the contest until June 12th - after that - the winner will be selected and announced!

Its a HEAT WAVE!

So in case some of you didnt know, we are having a bit of a heat wave here in New England.  Its pretty damn hot.  But I like it - it the kind of heat wave that reminds you of when you were a little kid riding your bigwheel down the block following the ice cream man just to get one of those "screwball" snowcones - so you could cool off.  Well, my idea of cooling off now is heading to the beach.  Nermina (one of Concetta's Closet's models) and I headed to Wallis Sands beach here in New Hampshire.  Nice clean bleach - a little too infiltrated by kids, but I tend to sit as far away from the kid crowds as I can.  (Dont get me wrong...I love kids, but not sand-kicking, screaming/crying ones!)

So that brings me to my next topic - Bathing suits.  I see tons of vintage bathing suits on Etsy from the 50s/60s.  You know, the ones that look like your grandma would have worn it (and I think mine still probably does).  Bullet boobies, low hips and so much coverage that you only get your legs and arms tan.  So not my thing.  I tend to lean towards the funky 70's cutout bathing suits and super low slung bikini bottoms.  Here are a few of my fav's from Etsy:

From: cherrybloomvintage

From: shopREiNViNTAGE 

From: AvantGarb

From: OldSkoolApparel 

From: lightyearsvintage

My FIRST Blog!!

So Im new at this whole blogging thing. I will warn you, Im not a great writer. Im better at talking, like, face to face. So forgive me if I babble on.

That being said, let me give you a bit on me. My name is Dana, not Concetta (pronounced Con-Chet-Tah). Concetta was my great-grandmother, of whom I have never met but always loved the name. She obviously Italian (duh!) and came to America back in the early 1900's from Naples Italy - along with my great-grandfather Giacomo (James in English) and my grandmother, Vincenza (Jennifer in English). I currently reside in the Live Free or Die state of New Hampshire, but moved here from Brooklyn NY. Yes, yes, I know. NY to NH?!?! Long story...but Im here and making the best of it. I have a background in online media and have worked for boutique ad agencies and huge companies like MTV/Viacom. So being that online media is few and far between up here, I opted to do my own thing - which has always been a dream of mine - and start my own vintage business.

Sooooo, ONTO THE VINTAGE, right?!  Well, obviously I'll be posting about my own vintage finds.  But I will also be posting stuff I find that I adore from other Etsy sellers.  There are so many other sellers that I find so amazing.  I think I will feature one Etsy seller a week (or at least try to).  I'm open to suggestions as to what everyone wants to see, hear or know about.  Like I said, this is my first blog - they didnt teach us how to do this in college back when I had a dial-up and a beeper :)