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Grammy Fashion Highlights: The 80s Comeback!

2010-02-01T06:12:00.000-08:00

We may have missed Kanye at last night's Grammy's but the 80s fashion more than made up for it.

From prom dresses with ripped trains, big shouldered blazers paired with acid washed jeans to 80s style mini dresses, it seemed like everyone was feeling the retro vibe last night.

However, Beyonce definitely stood out last night for her distinctive style. Her peach colored gown and sequined mini dress were great takes on retro revival and she wore them with style.
Other faves: Heidi Klum, Miley Cyrus, Kate Perry.

Dress of the night? Beyonce's sequined mini dress:

In Our Vintage Bundles This Week: 1980s Harley Davidson/ 3D Emblem Tees

2010-01-20T06:58:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post a few 3D Emblem/ Harley Tees for a while now. Truthfully, I know nothing about the company or how 3D emblem came to be representative of 80s Harley Tees. Sadly, we don't have anything especially offensive or provocative in stock this week. If you're interested in seeing more 3D Emblem, head over to Hermosavintage they've got some great examples of 80s 3-D Emblem, including some of their edgier stuff.

As always, here's a label for your viewing pleasure:

Interested in a bundle?
Click the "email me" link on the top-right of the page to learn more.

In Our Vintage Bundles This Week: 1940s/WWII Hand Painted USN Deck Jacket

2010-01-16T15:26:00.000-08:00

We've had a great week. Painted flight jackets are rare as it is, this is the first painted deck jacket that we've seen. The dates on the jacket and it's USN markings date it to WWII, although we're not sure whether it may have seen action in West Germany or Japan. Check out the detailing:

The sleeve has the name of it's owner (Jack Dielkey), his years of service? (1946-1949) and his "Cloud Luster" squadron's insignia. The back has a hand painted feather (does anyone know what this means?)

The Airforce became a separate entity in 1947 but we're sure that the jacket is an earlier military issue and was not made exclusively for the Airforce. It's possible that either Air Force issue clothing had not been made yet or that Jack Dielkey was issued the jacket in his service during the war and then continued to use it during his subsequent tours. These are the finds that we live for!

As always, here's the label for your viewing pleasure, good luck reading it :)

Interested in a bundle?
Click the "email me" link on the top-right of the page to learn more.

In Our Vintage Bundles This Week: 1982 Police "Ghost in the Machine" Rock Tee

2010-01-09T19:17:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or does the print look crooked?

Anyway, double sided and printed on an early Screenstars tee, the album cover was a source of contention between the then bandmates. They went on to make one more album before parting ways in 1984.Wikipedia Link

As usual, here's the label for your viewing pleasure:

Interested in a bundle?
Click the "email me" link on the top-right of the page to learn more.

From My Personal Collection: WWII AN-6552 Flight Jacket

2010-01-09T10:41:00.000-08:00

This jacket is really something special. We come across later versions/ reproductions at work but when I first had the chance to pick this up I jumped at it. It's the only one that I've ever seen in person.

You may ask, just what the heck is the AN-6552? In short it's one of the first Naval flight jackets ever made. It's design inspired it's most famous successor, the G-1 jacket. AN-655 was only made for 6 months, so the historical value of this piece is immense, it pre-dates most other bomber jackets. I was really fortunate to find one without any tears and rips in the leather. The leather still has it's original luster!

One interesting fact is that the practice of stenciling U.S.N. became a practice with later models. So this jacket only has the letters U.S. written on the back collar. One of a kind!

What makes it even cooler is that it still has the nametag of the former owner, a Mr. McKearnin. The owner, William J. McKearnin, was part of the 12th Air Force, 57th Air Division, 446th BS

He served in Italy during WWII as a "radio operator-gunner" and notes of his promotion are detailed here. Unfortunately there's precious little online about Mr. McKearnin or his squadron.

In Our Vintage Bundles This Week: Levi's Big E Jeans

2010-01-05T05:44:00.000-08:00

It's a wonder why Levi's LVC reproductions don't quite match up to the real thing. It'd be in their interest to produce vintage quality jeans and save us the trouble of looking for the real thing. Of course, there's always something to be said about the historical value about the jeans that built America.

Interesting fact: Levi's famous riveted design was actually the invention of Jacob Davis. Levi Strauss was his supplier and later became his business partner due to the funds needed to grow his business and patent his riveted design.

Other great items that didn't make this week's short list:
-An 80s Mets Championship Tee
-A 60s Schott Motorcycle Jacket
-True Religion Jeans
-Deadstock Roebucks Jeans
-1940s Naval Pea Coat

As always, here's the label to help you identify one for yourself:

Interested in a bundle?
Click the "email me" link on the top-right of the page to learn more.

Happy Holidays!

2009-11-30T03:31:00.000-08:00

You may be wondering why the blog hasn't been updated recently, as with most other professions, Christmas time is a busy time for secondhand clothing wholesalers as well.

I'll be sure to update the blog more frequently after the Christmas/ New Year's rush is over. The blog should be back in full force by January.

In Our Vintage Bundles This Week: 1984 Bruce Springsteen "Born in the USA" Tour T-Shirt

2009-11-18T03:24:00.000-08:00

This was the album that made Springsteen a commercial success. The back has a listing of all the countries that Springsteen toured that year, leading us to believe that this may have been purchased abroad. The bad news? Like many vintage polyblend t-shirts it's shrunk to a size that only a girl or teenaged boy could wear, nonetheless, it's a great find for any Springsteen fan.

Other great items that didn't make this week's short list:
-A 1981 M*A*S*H T-shirt
-A 1970s Levi's Western Shirt (White label)
-A pair of 1940s-50s US Navy Wool Pants
-A "Beaver Creek" wool blanket by Pendleton

As usual, here's the label to help you identify one for yourself.

Interested in a bundle?
Click the "email me" link on the top-right of the page to learn more.

In Our Vintage Bundles This Week: Late 40s Silk Scarf Made in Occupied Japan

2009-11-14T05:12:00.000-08:00

This scarf is a beauty. It's hand painted, hand rolled and made in Occupied Japan (Japan was occupied by UN troops in 1945-1952). It even has the label to prove it! It'll be headed in our bundles to NYC this month so keep an eye out for it in your local vintage shop.

Other great items that didn't make this week's short list:
-A 1940s Jantzen sweater.
-A 1940s-50s Montgomery Ward 101 Denim Western Shirt
-Levi's Big E 505 Jeans
-Deadstock 1970s Dickies
-WWII "Ike" Military Jacket

As always, here's the label to help you identify one for yourself:

Interested in a bundle?
Click the "email me" link on the top-right of the page to learn more.

The Secrets of Successful Vintage Resellers Pt1: Wholesale Sourcing

2009-11-11T04:23:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder where your local vintage shop, or online vintage superstore seems to find rare pieces every week?

Sure, it's possible that they've had amazing luck with thrift stores and flea markets, but increasingly successful sellers are buying vintage in bulk in order to save themselves the time required to "cherry pick" and in order to acquire the volume that they need to run a business.

From who?
There are several possible vintage sources. We're one.

What we do:
Run factories that process thousands of pounds of used clothing each day. The clothing is then sorted into various grades and vintage is separated for resale.

How do we sell vintage?
We sell by the pound in bundles of 150lbs.

What's in a bale?
We usually provide pictures (stay tuned for our upcoming posts). But we regularly pick out Vintage Denim, Vintage Tees, Military Clothing, Dresses, designers like Christian Dior and more.

If we're buying in bulk, why not buy from estates?
Those selling at estate sales often are not professionals and do not grade their clothing. You may find that the condiiton of vintage purchased at estate sales varies wildly. Also, on a pound per pound basis, the cost of purchasing in bulk is significantly cheaper than purchasing at estate sales.

Interested?
Click the "email me" link on the top-right of the page to learn more.

Christian Dior Monsieur: A History Lesson with Eye Candy!

2009-11-05T04:49:00.000-08:00

Today, I came across a mint condition "Christian Dior Monsieur" jacket. In an effort to date it I visited the Vintage Fashion Guild's Label Resource, but had no luck. Then I noticed another tag one the side that said "Field Brothers", again Google dutifly did it's job and I ended up on Jrank. According to the article this jacket is really interesting. In the 1970s Dior wanted to expand the Dior Monsieur line into America so they used Bergdorf Goodman and Marshall Field's in Chicago to do so. Effectively, the jacket is not only a well constructed jacket, but also a historical marker of Dior's expansion into the American market.

The label is included below, for your viewing pleasure.

Etsy vs Ruby Lane

2009-11-02T11:40:00.000-08:00

Considering opening a vintage clothing/crafts store on Ruby Lane? We thought that we'd follow up Halloween with an e-commerce horror story. Click here to see Shiny Adornment's experience as a seller on Ruby Lane and following comparison with Etsy. Knowledge is power!

Innovative Ad Campaign: Unused (Japan)

2009-10-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

You have GOT to check this out. Denimology has posted a link to Unused's new ad campaign featuring a gentleman who (40 years ago) may have actually worn those Big E Levi's that you've just bought. The campaign is a great way of reminding us of old world craftsmanship and jeans constructed to be withstand the wear of everyday field work At the same time some shots are downright quirky (see below). The Japanese love Americana as much as we do and we salute their tribute to denim's heritage... and old guys. :)

SOLD: Vintage 1970s Adidas Pro-specs 'Super Plantin' WBA/WBC Hi-Top Boxing Shoes- $129.50

2009-10-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

Figuring out the provenance of this item has been an absolute wild goose chase and we still don't know everything. Click here to see the auction.
EDIT: Sold for $129.50

What we know: They're from the 70s, not American and built to professional specs.

The mystery: The tongue has the word "platin" and it's arabic transliteration. There's no record of this trademark ever having been registered in the USA. Infact, we have no idea what it means outside of America either!
The insoles have been replaced with a spongy-soft insole (probably for the fighter's comfort). There are no country of origin or materials tags.
This is the only pair that I've ever seen bear the World Boxing Authority/World Boxing Council's Seal.

It's interesting to note that a more common pair sold a few months ago for a whopping $300. The guys at Defunk'd have a link to it here.

My best guess is that the shoes were used for a ranked match sometime in the 70s, possibly for the 1976 Montreal Olympics. It'll be interesting to watch the outcome of this match.

Great Finds on Etsy: 1970s Levi's Big E Corduroy Jacket- Only $16

2009-10-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

Every week we comb the internet to find you the best deals in vintage clothing. The Etsy seller catsandcrickets has a gem for sale here at 1970s prices.
EDIT: The item has SOLD

The seller dates them to the 1970s and it has design features typical of jackets from this era (belt loops, two front pockets, exaggerated collar, etc). Many of you are likely wondering "didn't Levi's stop making 'Big E' clothing after 1971? Actually, while that is true of their red tab jeans, they continued to make some items with the Big E tag throughout the 70s. At this price it's a steal.

Note: We are in no way affiliated with the above seller. Any description given above is our opinion only and should be interpreted as such.

Great Finds on eBay: (1900-20s) Buckle Back Casual Pants

2009-10-13T03:50:00.000-07:00

Every week we comb the internet to find you the best deals in vintage clothing. The eBay seller Brooktrader has a pair of real vintage pants for sale here. The seller dates them to the time of the patent (1894) but I'm more familiar with Solide buckles being used as late as the 1930s. It has design features typical of the day (button fly, buttons for suspenders etc) the buckleback seen in the auction was instrumental in in ensuring a snug fit and remained in use until belts/belt loops were introduced in the 40s.

In older garments where both bucklebacks and beltloops were present, its not uncommon to find that the owner tore out the buckle, perhaps a sign that fashion sensibility also changed with advancement in pant design. Grab these now, there's less than 24hours left.

Edit: It sold for $33

Note: We are in no way affiliated with the above seller. Any description given above is our opinion only and should be interpreted as such.

SOLD: Rare 1976 Montreal Olympics Logo Adidas Track Jacket- $125

2009-10-12T18:40:00.000-07:00

I recently had the good fortune of picking up this unique jacket. Near perfect condition and truly one of a kind. It's unique in that it features the logo for the 1976 Montreal Olympics on the chest. The buyer seemed to agree, it sold on ebay for $125 within two days of listing. Enlcosed are pictures of the tags, to help you authenticate one for yourself, and the ebay listing.