holli

holli

1. Five vintage blouses (1940s-1960s), for the shop.

2. Three vintage dresses (1950s-1960s), for the shop.

3. Four 1950s day dresses that I am keeping if they fit.

4. One slightly fancier 1950s day dress, and one 1960s cocktail dress and jacket set, that I am keeping if they fit.

5. Two 1950s day dresses for

ellen_fremedon (happy birthday & merry Christmas!), if they fit.

6. Two 1930s evening gowns in not-great condition.

7. Two Edwardian afternoon gowns in not-great condition.

8. Two Victorian afternoon gowns in pretty decent condition.

9. One FLIPPING AMAZING 1870s opera-themed fancy dress costume in terrible condition but WHO CARES because I am keeping it FOREVER.

ellen_fremedon and the VK have already identified the music notes as being actual bits of Wagner.

In conclusion: Next time I have a booth at DC Big Flea, someone else should probably hold onto the cash, and also my wallet.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

meara

Wow, awesome! Love the pink Victorian gown!

From:

qian

*_____*

I LOVE the stripey 1930s evening gown. LOVE it. What are you going to do with it?

From:

holli

Hopefully fix it up (there is some staining at the hem, but it is otherwise in good shape) and put it out at the shop!

From:

qian

You won't be selling it online, by any chance? *hopeful*

From:

holli

Tell you what-- when I get home I'll get decent pictures and measurements, and if it's your size you get first dibs.

From:

qian

Thanks!!

From:

boosette

So, question for you: Do you ever/often find vintage clothes in fat-person sizes? I love vintage clothes aesthetically, but I don't know whether it's worth it to go looking because there are few enough clothes-of-today that fit my body/I think I might be better off getting a not-actually-cheaper-than-heroin-sewing habit and making similar things myself.

From:

ankaret

I would love to know this also. I've never had much luck myself at vintage fairs, but I think it's because I give up too easily when faced by rails with no size labelling. (Which is totally understandable given that putting a modern size on a vintage piece is going to be an approximation at best, but I still worry that people are looking at me thinking 'does she seriously think she'll find anything to fit her?')

I also once had the experience of a lady who had just sold a tweed jacket to my husband for a steampunk weekend going through her shelves despite my attempts to stop her, picking out everything she thought might be steampunk and waving it at me saying 'of course, that's not for you' as if she thought I might be hiding a few size 10 friends under my skirt, but while that was the wrong-kind-of-hilarious at the time it was definitely a one-off.

I suspect the problem is at least partly that it's much easier to take things in than let them out. :(

From:

boosette

Yeah, were I giving sizes for vintage clothing, I would list the measurement in inches of the bust/waist/hip lying flat, and the circumstances of the shoulder seam and bicep.

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of plus sized clothing also got cut down to make children's clothes, especially if it was out of fashion or unwearable by the folks it was originally made for.

From:

holli

That is a really good question! I do find them, though not as often as I want to find them. You're right that stuff did get cut down, and people used to be smaller on average, but the clothes are out there. I find plus-size 50s day dresses fairly often, and 60s/70s more; 20s/30s is pretty rare but it's hard to find that stuff in wearable condition at any size. We have had it at the shop, though. I once even found an Edwardian bodice that was about a 22 in modern sizes!

Useful things to know when vintage shopping: Your measurements (saves a lot of trying on if you can just measure the dress-- I rarely bother trying on anymore), and the styles that suit your shape. Because I know I look good in full-skirted, high-waisted shirtdresses, I can usually buy them with confidence if the measurements are right. That's because I have narrow shoulders, a relatively small waist, and big hips-- so the 50s/early 60s look great, but I look like a sack of potatoes in shifts or drop waists.

If you don't want to learn to sew, which I TOTALLY understand, Modcloth and eShakti both do really cute vintage-style stuff in plus size. The last time I checked Modcloth's clearance section it was wall-to-wall cute skirts with only plus sizes left! They both focus on the narrow waist/full skirt 50s silhouette, so if that suits you it's a good place to start.

If you have local vintage stores, it might be worth contacting them to ask if they stock plus size. We do, whenever we can find it, but I know some stores are snobbier. It might also depend on your region-- here in DC I have a tougher time, but one of the Big Flea vendors I know comes from Ohio and they always have plenty of cute plus-size stuff.