I Love Lucite

Lucite and Bakelite are plastics that were developed in the early 1900s. Bakelite was developed in 1907, whereas Lucite came a bit later in 1928. Both of these plastics have a myriad of applications (even used in machine gun parts!), but as a girl with an appreciation of vintage fashion, my favourite use of these particular plastics is in the form of a handbag. Hardly surprising.

Your grandmother probably owned something similar to this.

I absolutely adore the craftsmanship of these vintage purses. They are just superb in detail.

Many of these vintage purses are carved in clear lucite to achieve a jewel-like effect. The only potential issue I can see is that the contents of your bag are on display to the world. e.g."Mummy, what's that...?" Well, you can see where I'm going with that comment. An old fashioned trick was to line your beautiful bag with a coloured scarf. This smaller purse can be found on Etsy.

Another popular look was the confetti lucite purse. Some of these confetti purses actually contain real glitzy bits of confetti, others achieve a similar look with metallic threads running through the lucite. Also available on Etsy.

Some are encased in spectacular filigree frames, like this beauty found on Etsy.  It has that 'gilded cage' look minus the  unpleasant analogy.

The marbled lucite purses were very popular. They have a pearlescent look to them which adds greater depth to the overall colour. Common colours in this style are white, red and grey.

In my eyes, this is the mother of all lucite purses. Yes, because it's purple, lucite, purple, carved, purple, dainty... Did I mention purple? Unfortunately it's not for sale as it belongs to a personal collection. Sigh. You can check it out at Vast Vintage.

Here are some great places to buy vintage lucite purses:

http://www.lucitepurse.net

http://www.824nothingmore.com

http://www.etsy.com

A few things to be aware of when buying a lucite purse:

• Cracking and scratches - check the bag around the handles, corners and areas where the metal is used to attach parts. Some bags are not stored nicely or treated well by their owners. In addition, plastic becomes brittle with age, leading to fragility.
• Patina - this is a layer of film that develops on surfaces due to oxidisation. As these purses are joined together with metal screws and hinges, the may have developed patina over time. An acidic smell usually gives this away.
• Discolouration - happens with old things, ha ha! On a serious note though, some of the plastic may have yellowed.
• Price - some brands of lucite bags are highly sought after. The book Carry Me! identifies some of the popular brands and iconic styles. 

Don't let these things put you off buying a vintage lucite purse though - it just pays to do your homework and inspect your purchase thoroughly. 

If you still aren't confident investing your pennies in what is potentially an expensive vintage item, there are some modern equivalents. 

''Ice Queen' available at Miss L Fire

'Jitterbug' available at Miss L Fire

'Prom Date' available at Miss L Fire

'Paris' available in red, white and black by Lux De Ville. No longer in production, but some can be found with a little online searching. The white 'Paris' purse is available at Sears.

Hope you enjoying perusing the purse porn.

Happy Tuesday x

The Shoe Must Go On

Vintage shoes can be very fragile depending on the material they are made from. Elastic and rubber becomes brittle and  perishes over time. A few years ago, I tried on my grandmother's wedding shoes (from the 40's I believe) and they broke... Whoops! Unfortunately for me, the elastic straps were worn and they snapped when I wiggled my feet in. Pity, because they were fabulous shoes, covered in a custom-dyed brocade to match her wedding gown (which, thankfully, I  haven't  tried on).

Recently, I came across this spectacular pair of vintage shoes, circa 1940's. The brand is Shantilly and they are in exquisite condition. They are tooled leather shoes with steel plate heels - not for wearing through the airport, I guess! Luckily, these babies were my size and favourite colour. When buying vintage shoes, be sure to get the inner sole measurement and width across the widest area. I think vintage sizes in shoes are smaller than modern sizing.

 My circa 1940's vintage Shantilly shoes. My brother calls these my bowling shoes. Thanks, bro!

There are lots of really cool shoe brands out there, some which emulate retro styles, and others which are just down right out there! Many of these styles team up well with vintage and repro brand clothing. I'm not what you would call a vintage purist - I love to mix and match modern and vintage styles. Here are a few of my favourite shoes from my collection.

My current favourites are my "Deuce Coupe" babies! These are by the brand Miss L Fire. Unfortunately they are no longer available and there was a bit of an international hunt to find these! I got my pair from madness-clothing where there are a few pairs in selected sizes left. Miskonduct also has a pair, I believe. Miss L Fire is still worth checking out - there are so many fabulous and daring styles there!

These sweeties are called "Frankenstitch." They are made by Tuk Shoes. Note the gel inserts in these shoes. I find them a bit narrow and I can only wear them for short periods of time, which is why I have to wear them with gel inserts - otherwise they are just too uncomfortable. Damn, they look good though!

My special edition Zombie Stompers (Yes, ZOMBIE STOMPERS!) actually glow in the dark. These special edition bad boys are called "Moonshine Zombie Stompers".  They were available at Iron Fist but there are still a number of them floating around on the web if you have the time to hunt. I have seen a few on eBay. Are they gory? Yes! Well named? Yes! Comfy? Yes! Look out, undead!

Here are some other fabulous vintage inspired shoes I have come across:

Rachel Antonoff Saddle shoes - available at Bass Shoes

Cutipie Heels - available from Pinup Girl Clothing (I own these and they are super comfortable, despite the height)

Now, I don't own these vintage shoes - but they are timeless classics from the 40's and 50's. If you find a great pair, pounce on them! 

Lucite heels - Amazing craftsmanship! One can often find them on eBay or Etsy,

The famed Spring-O-Lators (as referred to in my post about the Sarong dress). These are iconic mid-century shoes.  Again, if you want to own a pair, your best bet is eBay or Etsy based on my experience. Anyway, how fantastic is this advertisement? No online shipping back then!  (I do love vintage advertising!)

Well, as they say, "if the shoe fits"...

Happy Wednesday x

The beginnings...

Well, hello there! I have decided to let you take a peek into my closet and share with you some of my vintage finds (and wants!). On this little vintage venture, I hope to share with you some of my very favourite brands and provide some hopefully informative reviews. Should all that fail, then maybe you'll just enjoy looking at the pretty pictures ;)

So, what inspires a girl to give up her comfy jeans and hoodies to adopt 40's and 50's fashion? The truth is, I haven't given up on those things. I have just found another look that I have fallen in love with. It all started about two years ago. There she was, looking into a shop window. She was wearing a beautiful frock that highlighted her narrow waist, immaculate seamed stockings and finished off with an elaborate updo. Everything about this woman was refined and elegant, right down to her adorable lucite purse and red lips. That was the beginning of the vintage love affair - and what a whirlwind romance it's been!

I'll admit, it took a while for me to buy my first vintage dress. I began my collection by starting with reproduction and vintage inspired clothing lines. I began to ease more of these outfits into my everyday attire, even wearing some to work. When I became more confident with this look, I began to investigate vintage brands: Alfred Shaheen, Jonathan Logan, Ceil Chapman, Dior among some of the vintage designers that I have come to know and love. The rest, as they say, is history. With vintage, that's certainly the case!

I hope you enjoy following my vintage venture as much as I do collecting and sharing x