My First Loves

Sant'Angelo wrap dress in wool challis, probably early 1980's

Collar detail of Geoffrey Beene coat

Geoffrey Beene wool tweed coat with fur trim, probably early 1980's

Back detail of Geoffrey Beene jacket

Geoffrey Beene wool flannel jacket, probably early 1980's

Yves Saint Laurent wool tweed jumpsuit, probably early 1980's

Pauline Trigere 'T-shirt' ballgown, in wool crepe and silk taffeta, so classic that it could be 1960's to 1980's!

Stephen Burrows sequined rayon matte jersey gown, probably mid to late 1970's

Zandra Rhodes printed charmeuse gown with feather trim, probably mid 1970's

'Kerchief' bonnet, early 1970's

Sant'Angelo printed silk scarf, with South-East Asian Indian 'Hindu Goddess' image

Sant'Angleo printed silk scarf, in American Indian design motif

Mountain Artisans quilted & appliqued cotton calico dress, early 1970's

Anne Reeves & Co. of London dress in printed cotton lawn, with handkerchief hem - a hippy wedding fantasy!
Side detail of Malcolm Starr felt applique skirt - a Maharaja's fantasy!

Malcolm Starr felt skirt with mirror, sequin, & ribbon applique, probably 1969-1971

Back view of Sant'Angelo printed cotton circular wrap skirt - double WOW!

Printed cotton circular wrap skirt by Sant'Angelo, with jacquard ribbon waistband tie - WOW!

And another Sant'Angelo skirt, this time in printed cotton poplin with jersey appliques!

Print detail of Sant'Angelo skirt - amazing psychedelic beauty!

Another Sant'Angelo skirt in printed cotton poplin with ribbon trim detail, circa 1970-71

A Sant'Angelo skirt, in printed cotton challis with ribbon trim detail, circa 1970-71

A Bill Blass gown, probably from the late 60's or early 70's. in black lace with silk liner

Another amazing example of 1930's design & construction, in silk tulle & lace!


A sampling of the first vintage clothing pieces I started to search out & collect, over ten years ago - this being the first piece I paid a substantial amount for. Now, I don't usually collect things any more that are damaged &/or without labels, for future resale reasons, but this dress was an exceptional example of 1930's style & construction: circular pin-tucks on silk tulle!

Mission Statement

This blog is dedicated to the love of real vintage clothing & accessories - not just any old shmata that might be called vintage, just because it is more than 20 years old - but clothing & accessories that are truly interesting, aesthetically & historically, to fashion makers, designers, collectors, & lovers of the craft.

I collect designer label & 'ready couture' vintage clothing. My love of the craft & passion for fashion provides the inspiration to build my own collection.
Within my collection, each piece has it's own intrinsic value, historically (in it's contribution to modern fashion, post-1900) & aesthetically (in it's design). Also, each piece relates to one another within a certain genre or era, like a collection or a series (by designer or by look). And each piece is a reflection of not only my own taste & interests, but the taste & interests of those amazing mentors who taught me on the subject of fashion & fashion history.

My favorite periods/movements in modern fashion history are:

-The bias cut of the 1930's, as invented by Madeleine Vionnet in Paris and immortalized on actresses like Jean Harlow by Hollywood costume designer Adrian

-The hippie look of the late 1960's/early 1970's, particularly interpreted by those designers who introduced a softer, more romantic clothing with 'flou', like Ossie Clark in England & Giorgio di Sant Angelo in America

-The disco and punk looks of the mid 1970's to early 1980's, still soft but with a harder edge, as interpreted by designers like Stephen Burrows & Stephen Sprouse in America and Zandra Rhodes & Vivienne Westwood in England

-The Japanese contribution of non-western aesthetics & construction to western fashion of the late 1970's to 1980's (and still going stong!), by designers like Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garcons and Yohji Yamamoto

-The power-suit/ladies-who-lunch look of the 1980's, like Geoffrey Beene in America and Yves Saint Laurent in Paris

Note: I don't mean to exclude various modern fashion eras from my collection - namely the 1940's & 50's - but it was a time when clothing was so 'built up' with layers of support and interfacing that it fit women like straight-jackets...very un-liberating. That's not to say there weren't amazing designers during this era, like Claire McCardell & Pauline Trigere, who WERE liberating women and disliked rigidity in women's clothing. And at the same time, I can not exclude artists like Charles James, for his genuis contribution to design & construction).

Additional designers that I love and adore in my collection:

-Mountain Artisans, the West Virginia collective who brought the art of quilting into vogue in the late 60's/early 70's

-Gil Aimbez and Clovis Ruffin, for their elegant sportswear and whimsical knitwear for working women in the 70's & 80's

-John Kloss, for his sexy, slinky lingere that was so amazing, it was worn as sportswear & eveningwear in the 70's

-Sonia Rykiel, Diane von Furstenberg, Norma Kamali and Donna Karan, for their incredible contribution to the liberation of women's bodies in their clothes since the 70's

-And of course, Halston...the master of American sportswear