FUTURE VINTAGE!

These days, I feel we live in a disposable world.  We buy cheap stuff and throw it out when we are done - only to land in a landfill or pollute the Earth.  Many years ago, people bought good stuff, and kept it because it was good stuff.  Even if they couldnt afford the real good stuff, they still bought quality things because they appreciated them.  In the recent years, I have manged to buy quite a few quality things for myself.  Whether it be a dress, a coat, good jewelry and even good quality makeup. 

Ive also manged to do something to further the buying/selling of vintage clothing.  I call it, FUTURE VINTAGE! (well, I didnt actually name it that, my friend Alison did - but its something Ive been doing - so I thank her for putting a title on it!).  I take between 5-8 pieces a year from my wardrobe of modern clothing, and neatly pack it away into a box or in a garment bag to save for the future.  Not MY future, but the future of vintage clothing wearers.  What do I put into these boxes/bags you ask?  Lets see, from what I can recall, there is currently a blue chiffon party dress (I wore to a wedding), a gold brocade sheath dress (I wore to my bridal shower), a coral beaded 30s inspired formal dress (another wedding), my OWN wedding dress (LaSposa - Miradir!), a great pair of black low-slung cargo pants that looked KILLER on me in 2002 (H&M) and a bunch of other things.  

So what should you put away for your FUTURE VINTAGE stash?  Trendy items:  Items that defined the era, that were popular and that will be remembered.  Luxury Items:  Perhaps youve outgrown it but dont want to donate it because its expensive.  And anything else you think will be a HIT in the future.  But dont get your hopes up, this stash will not making a comeback anytime soon.  We apparently coin vintage as anything being over 20 years old - but that doesnt mean it will be popular!  God knows I am cringing seeing all that 90s vintage on Etsy!  Happy Future Vintage Stashing!

Here are a few pieces that are currently in my future vintage stash!

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!

Thank You, Katharine Hepburn

This past Thursday (the 12^th of May) was Katharine Hepburn’s birthday.  Hepburn is one of the most iconic figures of the golden age of Hollywood.  I love her.  My brain always stops dead in its tracks when I see that one of her movies is on Turner Classic Movies.  All of my plans for my day get immediately written off, because I'm committed to watching every Katharine Hepburn movie available.  If she's with Cary Grant, forget it.  I'm done for the week.  

Apart from being a beyond amazing actress and a style icon, Kate was a powerhouse for Women’s Liberation.  Why are we ladies able to wear our comfy jeans, our stylish pantsuits, or (if it rocks your boat) funky bell bottoms?  Katharine Hepburn.  She broke down the barriers for women.  There were moments when Hepburn would notoriously walk around the set in her underwear because, the costume department would steal her slacks.  Hepburn refused to put anything else on.  As a child, Hepburn’s mother would have her daughter holding women’s suffrage balloons.  

It’s easy to see how Hepburn became the powerhouse that she did.  Hepburn had a take no crap from no one attitude, and never led someone to believe she liked them when she did not.  Everyone says that Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were the ladies in charge on set, but just look at these quotes, my vote's with Katharine… one word, FIERCE.   

“I never realized until lately that women were supposed to be inferior.”

“Life is full of censorship. I can't spit in your eye.” 

“I find a woman's point of view much grander and finer than a man's.”

“Enemies are so stimulating. “

“If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun”

“If you want to give up the admiration of thousands of men for the disdain of one, go ahead, get married.”

“Life is to be lived. If you have to support yourself, you had bloody well better find some way that is going to be interesting. And you don't do that by sitting around.”

“Why slap them on the wrist with feather when you can belt them over the head with a sledgehammer.”

Like, HELLO?  I admire women like Katharine Hepburn.  She was so ahead of her times.  She made all these great comments that raised women’s awareness of the oppression they faced from men and their society.   Women were not supposed to have such strong opinions, but Kate did.  Katharine Hepburn was one of the first great figures for the future Women’s Liberation movement in the 60s and 70s.  Not to mention, she always looked totally awesome. 

So thank you, Katharine Hepburn.  

Signed,

The Intern

                (Who’s coincidentally named after a Katharine Hepburn character from a movie… so I’ve got connections, be jealous)

TV Elegance: The Clothes That Inspired Mad Men

Everyone is talking about how AMC’s Mad Men is inspiring a modern revival of the stunning clothes Jackie O wore in the 1960’s.  Clothing websites like Mod Cloth are featuring look-a-like dresses, but what about the real stuff?  Reproductions are okay, but what about finding the clothes that real women wore back in the 60s.  You know what I mean, the gorgeous clothes that inspired the costume designers for Mad Men.  It isn't  impossible to find authentic pieces, and it's definitely easier than you think!   

Check out these two gorgeous dresses from Mad Men.  Then check out Concetta's Closet suit underneath!  This totally cute, three piece suit is in excellent condition and provides all the hip hugging glory a woman could want.  What I love most is the adorable ascot tie at the neck.  

Want more?  Of course you do!  Once again, Mad Men does 1960s fashion proud with two dresses that emphasize a lady's curves to perfection, the characteristic that I love most!  But, what do I love more?  Having real vintage to prove that these styles were what women actually wore.  Concetta's Closet's hot pink number below is the perfect example of a real dress, that a real woman wore.  It has similar draping that you see in the green dress but the lovely color of the pink dress- always an excellent combination!  

Simple elegance at its finest, and authentic vintage at its purest!  What more could a girl ask for?  Authentic fashion of the 60s is always a classic addition to any wardrobe.  And don't get me wrong, its perfectly fine to order some reproduction vintage inspired clothes, but think about this..these vintage clothes have already lasted for over half a century and they still remain in excellent condition, and they will continue to remain so.  So I thank Mad Men for introducing the world to beautiful 1960s fashion, but lets take the next step and buy ourselves authentic vintage, cause it's that easy and that beautiful!   

Signed, 

The Intern

HUGE Contest Coming to Concetta's Closet

I wont let the cat out of the bag yet - but Ill give you all a few little (visual) hints! - Contest will be announced in the next 7-10 days!

Clue #1

Clue #2

Clue #3

Meet Kaley!

In case you havent already noticed, we have been using a lovely girl as our model lately.  Kaley.  We love Kaley because her look is adorable and sweet.  She is able to hop right into any era of clothing and fits right in perfectly with each look.  She is a natural in front of the camera too!  (as well as behind!).  Kaley is not only a fantastic model, but a great friend.  We have a ball every Wednesday at our photo shoots.  Kaley hails from Dover, New Hampshire.  And has been made a bit of a local celebrity as of recently because of her creative and adorable headbands she sells on Etsy, Honeypie Headbands.  Most notably, Kaley has been making headbands to benefit the Red Cross Japan Tsunami Relief - and 100% of the proceeds donated!  She has been quite successful with this and has donated over $200 to date.  What a gal!

Kaley has also recently been vlogging and making the most adorable videos.  If you want to giggle and melt over her total cuteness, check out her YouTube Channel - KaleyAlphabet

Here is a taste (no pun intended) of her latest video!

So check out her Etsy shop, watch her videos, like her page on Facebook and take in all of the adorable cuteness!  We LOVE Kaley!

Here are some more of my favorite KALEY shots!

Magic Potions!

So as we all know, vintage clothing doesnt always fall into our hands in perfect condition.  Many times, clothing smells, has stains, is dusty or needs seamstress work.  About 25% of the pieces I sell, come into my shop  needing some sort of work.  Sometimes they are sold "As-Is" and sometimes I am able to work some magic - well, I cant take all of the credit - I have a great seamstress, Erin Abraham who works so many of the pieces into perfection.  I also give credit to a few of my "Magic Potions" I have made up throughout my vintage collecting/selling.  So now, I will share them with you.  Here are the staple ingredients:

Borax

Fels Naptha Soap

Cotton Swabs

Bleach (chlorine free)

Now - youre probably wondering - Bleach?!  Yep.  It works, in very small doses though.  Much of the clothing I get is cotton - and can tolerate a bit of bleach - it helps greatly to get dingy colors to POP!

So here is what I do:

I make a paste out of the Borax, with warm water.  The consistency should be similar to toothpaste - but obviously not as smooth because of the crystals in the powder.  This can be applied directly to stains.  But most often, I just add the powder to my wash tub.  It gives whatever detergent Im using a huge BOOST.  Most often, I use the Fels Naptha soap to treat spots.  Whats great about the soap, is that you can melt it down into a gel of sorts, and use it that way, instead of using that huge bar.  To melt it, just have it sit in a tupperware with warm water in it for a few days.  It will slowly disintegrate into a blob and will not look very attractive.  I have a cup of it in the shop, and a friend of mine asked me if I threw up in the cop - HA!

Here is what it looks like melted down:

Now, all you have to do is dip a cotton swab into the gel, and spot treat.  Just make sure to wet the fabric first.  I put a clean washcloth (white) under the stain, wet it with a cotton swab, then clean with the swab that has the gel on it.  Be careful though, lighter colors are prone to water marks because the rest of the garment may have some dirt in it - and when you wet it, a ring of dirt MAY appear.  This would then require you to either hand wash or dry clean the entire garment.  Water spots/rings are hard to make go away - but to be honest, if they appear, it means the garment would need to be cleaned entirely anyway. 

Today, I had a white cotton 1950s shirtwaist dress that I brought home from the shop.  It was stained very badly along the skirt, with a dark yellow stain - about the size of the palm of my hand.  I first tried hand washing it in a tub with warm water, Borax and spot treating with Fels Naptha gel.  It got lighter, but not to my liking.  So then I rinsed the tub out of all the yucky water and refilled it with warm water, Borax, Woolite and a few tablespoons of bleach.  I let it sit for about a half an hour - but thats it.  Dont let vintage clothing sit TOO long in anything with bleach it it - as the bleach is a harsh chemical that loves to disintegrate delicate threads.  After it sat, I rinsed it several times to make sure that all of the soap was out.  Rinsing is key, as residues often stick to the clothing.  And much to my surprise - the stain is GONE!  Here is a photo of the dress drying - photos of it in it's entirety will come later this week.

But Im very excited as the dress is adorable and I couldnt just let it go to waste.  I was hoping I wouldnt have to dye it either!

Im actually very proud of my stain removals, Ive gotten a few wedding dresses PERFECT, as well as many, many other pieces that would have been thrown in the trash but I was able to give them my "vintage CPR" with my "Magic Potions"

Feel free to ask me any questions - as there are so many details in regards to fabrics, older pieces, etc - that all cannot be discussed at once!

Happy Washing!