Game #6 What was your best vintage buy ever?

What was your best vintage fashion score ever?

This could be something you bought very inexpensively that was worth much more.

This could be something that was a very rare find.

This could be something that is just your favorite piece of vintage fashion you ever found.

 

Like many ladies I hold dearly my Lilli Anns because of their construction. But I did recently score an amazing novelty print (my first) for a quarter of its worth and that felt like a nice little score!

 

Those shoes are beautiful!

My favorite online score was an Adrian dress that I purchased off of ebay around 2000. The picture was horrible, (black blob bingo days of ebay)no pic of the label. The seller said she couldn't make the label out. I was buying a different dress from the same seller--a 1950s dress for $9.99 and I won the Adrian for $4.99. When I opened the package and saw the label--my mouth dropped. The 1950s dress sucked - but the Adrian dress surely made up for it.



My favorite estate buy has to be the fortuny delphos dress that was hanging on a wire hanger in an unlit bedroom.

 

Lanvin couture winter 1919 black blob bingo on eBay $60.00

 

My fav find was a 1920s silk wedding dress with ostrich feathers and pearls.

 

Ebay black blob bingo is a dangerous game nowadays.....because you're much more likely to receive the actual black blob

 

I bought the estate of two local seamstresses a couple of years back, and don't think I'll ever be done discovering new treasures in it--from 40s/50s garments they'd made or bought to their incredible stash of sewing notions/buttons and fabric.

This deadstock late 40s coat came from them:


And so did this rayon Mardi Gras print fabric:

 

I traded a few 1970s things I got at the thrift store for this Juli Lynne Charlot circle skirt. The friend I got it from found it at the old Garage Market in NYC for $40.

 

wow!

 

It was probably the 50's Joan Miro 'Modern Masters' print dress with rockabilly chickens (known as "Farmer's Dinner"), found in a Goodwill in Florida.

I sold it on eBay to a collector/writer in the U.K. The dress itself now appears in a textiles book and in a few magazines.

 

It's really hard for me to choose but one time I got a 1926-1928 Annette Kellerman bathing suit and one like it was also on display at the Met museum.
Annette Kellermann was said to be the first woman to wear a one piece bathing suit and she was arrested for it.
Esther Williams also played the part of her in Million Dollar Mermaid. Due to the rarity I have had it for awhile and haven't decided to part with it yet.



Her name was often spelled wrong too with one N in her last name.

http://metmuseum.org/collections/se...hat=Bathing+suits&who=Annette+Kellerman&img=1

Then there was this piece that was just so unique because it had a metal wire collar.

 

One of my favorite finds for a few reasons. Went to a crappy old yard sale. There was a nice vintage hat I kept looking at. The 3 ladies there kept staring at me. 1 of them finally asked me what size I was. I told her and they asked me if I wanted to come inside. For...

To look at their mom's clothing, from her debutante days and her college days and... we played dress up, with me being their dress up doll. Mom had been all that and a fashion model. She was stunning at all ages. Here in old Albuquerque I found this trove.

Oh, a lot of her stuff was made for her. She liked to read fashion mags and then take pictures to her seamstress.

 

Oh My. My heart would have given out if I came across that Fortuny dress ... and those shoes ...slurp. My best buy - boxes of "dress up" clothes that included a somewhat bedraggled couture Dior dress. And like Carrie, I'm still finding good stuff. Makes up for all those BAD buys!.

 

Thank goodness we are not talking about our worst buys ever. I would have way too many to post..lol.

 

A dress which I thought was a nightgown which I picked up off the floor on a house which was being forclosed the next day. It sat and sat until I realized it was from the 1800's

Other best buy was a bottle opener. I was waiting in a shop for a friend to finish looking. He took forever and bought alot of stuff I bought a $5 clown bottle opener which I solf on Ebay for $1,200 my friend never got over it.

 

Wow on the $5.00 clown.

Ruben Panis gown or a red beaded dress.

Met the owner and she wore it for New Years in the 1960s.

Loved her long story.

Wolfmans only label. Never seen beads like this before or since.

Hopefully my photo taking has become better over the years.

 

It was a LOT of fun. And the photos they brought out of her in all her youthful glory was just so sweet.