Halloween, and the Dallas Vintage Clothing and Jewelry Show

Tonight is Halloween. (If you didn't know, now you do! You can thank me anytime.)  Last year I was at my parents' house. We didn't expect many visitors, since it's a slightly older neighborhood now. My 20-year-old brother still dressed up to answer the door - as WWII period Captain America. Full G.I. gear, plus the blue-painted helmet with a white A. It was a hit, and he was kept surprisingly busy.

Since I'm in a neighborhood with an even higher child population, I'm expecting to be just as busy tonight. What will make the biggest impact to small children? Hmm...

Maid Marion! (photo courtesy Lauren/Wearing History)

It'll be an interesting evening.


On Saturday, I went to the Dallas Vintage Clothing and Jewelry Show on Saturday, meeting up with Jen.  Because it was free admission for those in "head-to-toe vintage," I pulled out all the stops and made sure I did it right.


Since taking Lauren's class on the Vintage Wardrobe at Costume College, I've made some good purchases to fill some holes. One of them was this early 1940s rust-colored suit. It has a single-button closure, wide peaked lapels, and is pleated to fit the waist. Its skirt is short, with a single inverted box pleat in both front and back.

Navy is the "base color" I've settled on for my primary vintage wardrobe. Brown/rust is not the best color for me, but it goes well with navy. Early 1940s suits are hard to find, so when this one showed up in the perfect size, useable color, and excellent price, I snatched it.

 

My only non-vintage item (besides the Rago girdle!) is the blouse. I made it from a vintage pattern out of lightweight linen for a vintage Lady Adventurer outfit several years ago. My only jewelry is the green pin. It's only cheap plastic, with a fake pearl in it, but I think it's awesome.

I'm surprised I haven't taken a picture of this before.

 With it, I wore a navy hat I bought at the first Antique Elegance show I attended (2009?), heavier rayon/cotton seamed stockings, and vintage 1940s navy blue slingbacks.  I carried a Whiting & Davis cream/white aluminum mesh handbag, one of my earliest vintage purchases.

I went to the show determining to be very good, and I was! I came home with two things, both of which I really needed and wanted:

A navy blue drawstring purse, trimmed with silver and pearl beads. It has a hard, weighted bottom so it sits upright. Myrna Loy has one very like it in The Thin Man Goes Home, 1945.

The top trim is a piece that folds down, like a fringe. One silver aiglet is missing, but that and the wear on the strings are the only flaws.  A navy handbag was a really big hole in my vintage wardrobe, so finding this for $10 made me happy.

The second item was this navy straw tilt hat, trimmed with red and gray ribbon. It's adorable! Aside from some slight fading to the edge of the brim, it's in great shape. The navy hat I wore that day was really my only navy one, and it isn't very practical for summer or strong wind around here. So this hat is perfect. I never dreamed of finding anything like it.

There's even a back ribbon band, so you can be sure this is meant to be tilted. I love red, and I have fabric for integrating more red into my vintage wardrobe. Just one more reason why this hat is so good. Oh, and although it was tagged $45 - above my budget for the show - the lady said she could do $25 plus tax. And when all I had in cash was $24, she took it! Yay!

So it was a good show. I'm glad I went, and I'm looking forward to next year in March.