The other day I had a rare good day clothing shopping at thrift stores. It's been a while since I've found more than one item of pre-1970s vintage clothing at a time. It makes you wonder where all the good clothes went. I think I mentioned before that I have a strong suspicion all the really good stuff (1950s & earlier) gets dumped into those stand-alone metal bins you see in abandoned parking lots. I guess most people just think they're too old for anyone to want. Those people, that is, that don't try to sell them on eBay for twice what they're worth...
So lucky for me I found something I'd been looking for for some time.
Yes, it's a Pendleton jacket.
And it looks like it was maybe worn once. The creases are still in it, as are the shoulder pads. I really like the colors- blue and brown are staples of my fall wardrobe. I can't wait for the first chilly day to wear it. It was a little bit more than I like to spend at $10, but I know I will get a lot of use from it.
But for the meantime, while it's hot, I found this sweet Hawaiian dress:
I'm not familiar with the maker, are any of you? (After all, it's not a Shaheen, but still vintage, as you can see by the metal zipper.) I'm not real big on the color, either- hot pink just isn't my style- but it fits (maybe even a bit big- size L). I guess this will be one of those etsy re-sells when I get the time to set up the shop. Stay tuned!
I probably could have found more goodies in the store if my daughter hadn't started singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" at the top of her little lungs and we had to skedaddle...
Nice finds! You were really lucky. I've heard from several people that one of the thrift stores in our area sells the vintage clothes directly to a resale shop. I don't know if it's true, but it seems to be, because you seldom find vintage clothes there.
ReplyDeleteIn my area, every, and I mean every thrift shop that has vintage items, ONLY has vintage that is somehow damaged in some way.
ReplyDeleteI have the sneaking suspicion, that when they collect the donations, that either the persons gathering the stuff, or the thrift store owners, are creaming off the good stuff either for themselves, a for-profit booth at an antique mall, or for their own eBay auctions.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it. =)
Glad you are able to find fantastic things!
I also think the people running the thrifts grab the good stuff first. That and other pickers out there. Some thrifts actually sell the stuff for charity though. I have purchased a couple of good vintage items from charity thrifts on Ebay, esp. from hip cities like San Francisco. Also at a couple of the thrifts I visit regularly they have a "vintage" rack where they've marked up the prices, though their concept of vintage can me a bit hit and miss.
ReplyDeleteShannon- that's very similar to the shop where I found these. But the Hawaiian dress wasn't on the "vintage" rack and the jacket was on the "designer labels" rack. So it pays to look everywhere!
ReplyDeleteJennie & 1950s- I wish I knew where that store is that all the good vintage goes to. Seems like the only "vintage" stores around here only sell 1970s & 80s dreck! ;)