Category Archives: Uncategorized

BIG CLOSET CLEAR-OUT GETTING STARTED

Oh, my. As always happens to those of us with huge collections of vintage fashion items, the storage capacity eventually becomes overcrowded. My evidence lockers at Headquarters are straining at their limits and a rapid de-classification and release of archived material is imperative. The procedure has now begun, to be accelerated in the last week of June and on into July and August.

To you, my community of agents-in-training and aspiring students, an early look at the items which are going public will be published on this site as promised. Many were produced in the commercial market decades ago and became prototypes for a range of popular mass-produced apparel which has been manufactured in recent years more or less faithfully to these originals. Some are unique one-off constructions which were produced by unidentified or rogue elements of the underground handcrafting couture movement which has been operating in the shadows of popular commerce for centuries.

Look for more posts, beginning today and stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

*If any of you are interested in starting or adding to your collections of archived intelligence, the items described will be on public offer in the eBay marketplace under the seller name Singswing. It’s refreshing for an agent to be able to poke one’s nose out from undercover once in a while though still using an alias.

TO MY FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS:

TO MY FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS:

I received word yesterday that Facebook plans to discontinue my page, How To Find the Best in Vintage Fashion, in May. They cite the reason being that the type of account is short on security and needs an upgrade. Sorry, Facebook, but I’m not sure that I want to “upgrade” security with you.

For those of you who have followed me on Facebook, I’m sorry about this news. However, I continue to link with Twitter, LinkedIn, WordPress, Tumblr, Pocket and several boards on Pinterest as well as being available online as Magicvintagespy.com. At the bottom of every post are the available links.

There are big doings happening within the infrastructure of my cell, which is currently operating from a remote location. This is necessary right now. However, when I am able to go to ground at Headquarters once again (probably in June) there will be a large turnover of archived material taking place, with related data-sharing. At present, this is all the intelligence that can be published. Stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

FABULOUS FORTIES – FIFTIES HAT FIND

FABULOUS FORTIES – FIFTIES HAT FIND

WHAT A CUTIE! So sorry not to have Marlene or Celia here to model it properly but, believe me, this hat is so sweet and flattering. It fits on the crown of the head but can also be worn at a tilt, which is so great. The pedigree of this find is also fantabulous. Glenover, Henry Pollak, Fifth Avenue, New York. This company made hats between the 1920’s and, at least, the 1960’s from what I can find out. In this case, it’s 100% wool velvet, with a sassy little detail on the side. Perfect cocktail or city hat.

It does need blocking and a bit of stitching around the inner hatband. The poor feathers have had it, too, so I’ll need to replace them. Otherwise, just a little touching up will do the job. Aside from deep soil or a tear, there’s not much that will ruin a hat like this one so it’ll be ready to roll in a jiff. Very World War 2 understated or Audrey Hepburn sassy. I’ll wear it a lot!

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

TO MY FOLLOWERS –

TO MY FOLLOWERS –

Uncovered a couple of neat finds today. The sort of fun wardrobe items I will use often, with plenty of mid-century history and pedigree. Will post soon. Stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

EARLY 1960’S TAILORED DAY DRESS

EARLY 1960’S TAILORED DAY DRESS

Another WOW find, with some mysterious features. The fabric, styling, and tailoring all point to a true vintage heritage, BUT it looked a little too good to be true. This dress is in near mint condition and the long metal zip is on the right side (!?) – not the usual placement during the 1960’s time period. Also, the finishing reflected a commercial product but I didn’t see a label (found it later!). Almost made me wonder if this could be a well-done repro or custom-tailored retro garment but still, that didn’t seem right.

When I tried the dress on, the label appeared (it is vintage) tucked low inside the front bodice. This, of course, made the research much easier, though I’ve been able to find very little information about the company. Here is what I do know:

GLASS Original New York made dresses in the 1960’s and, maybe, into the 1970’s though I’ve seen a picture of only one other example and it looked more ’60’s to me than ’70’s. The tailoring was evidently exceptional, which is consistent with this frock. Construction includes wide hem allowances, very secure stitching, beautifully-done detailing and styling and excellent quality fabric and notions. The only thing I would add to enhance the fit on me personally would be little strap holders inside the neckline on each side. For someone with broader shoulders than mine (more average), that wouldn’t be needed so the fit and tailoring is still quite correct for the general market since the dress is just a tad too large for me.

Interesting feature: The side zip enhances the hourglass fit of the dress and is sewn in with a covering overlap that faces from back to front, rather than front to back (which I would expect). As I looked more closely, I can see why the the designers probably did it this way – the zip is more hidden than it would be if the flap closed in the other direction! That’s a big surprise and demonstrates the very careful and knowledgeable tailoring involved. This choice no doubt had to do with how the cut and the weight of the fabric affected the way the dress would hang. Most clothing companies don’t take this amount of care.

A below-the-knee hemline and sexy fit place this piece squarely in the Kennedy era late 1950’s – early 1960’s. I’m so thrilled to have found it and learned something about this dressmaker. I’m also sure that the fun isn’t over so, stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

ANOTHER GREAT TRUE VINTAGE FIND YESTERDAY!

Have a bit of research to do. You’ll see it tomorrow. Stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM