Debutante Clothing :: A vintage clothing and fashion blog for unconventional style where vintage and runway meet.

I'm so happy the week is almost over. So happy I could dance. This routine by the Nicholas Brothers is said to be the greatest dance routine of all time. Eat your heart out Fred and Ginger.

I used to love this show when I was younger and I believe that history does repeat itself. I'm working in the world of auctions now and am surrounded by pieces with a bit or a lot of history which can go for peanuts or a small fortune. Truly some of them are worthy of Ripley's Believe it or Not! Sometimes when I'm sitting in an auction I gasp out loud as I hear the bids increase and increase and increase and usually end up embarrassing myself.

Last week's auction at Kerry Taylor was a great example of believe it or not hammer prices with a number of the pieces well exceeding even her estimations.

For example:

Lot 57 A rare pair of grapefruit shaped bust improvers from the 1890s estimation of £400-£600 with a hammer price of £2400! I'm convinced that these were the original inspiration for the Wonderbra, my how times have changed!

Lot 94 An absolutely breathtaking rare Fortuny stenciled gown sold for £13,000 way over estimate. I can only dream of the wonderful and excitng adventures this dress once had!

Lot 130 A breathtaking Dior evening gown from 1952 with an estimate of £6000-£8000 hit a hammer price of £11,000. Oh the lucky person who won that! Gasp!

And many many more...I've only highlighted some of the older more historic pieces but even items as late as the year 2000 can be profitable. I hope that this update lights a fire under you or sparks a lightbulb so as you are rummaging through items at your local flea market or yard sale keep your eyes peeled for some vintage treasures! They may end up as seed money for your next vacation!

Stay tuned for our vintage antiques roadshow this fall via Debutante Clothing where you'll have the chance to show me and Sandra your latest finds!

Happy Hunting!

Jeanne

Jeanne Suica collaborates with a major auction house in searching for and evaluating pieces for upcoming auctions. Clients worldwide who may be interested in selling or consigning their items can email her images and questions regarding their items via her site www.jeannesuica.com

Fashion is a form of expression right? Nothing could be truer of iconic vintage symbols to express our favorite times of the year when it comes to fashion:
Fall - autumnal leaves and flowers
Winter - holiday symbols
Spring - florals and fruit (cherries, berries)

But summer claims the most aspirational symbol of all - nautical.

For those of us not wealthy enough to be able to spend weekends on a yacht or sailboat, Violetville Vintage has got you covered. Check out this 1970s sailboat print dress and daydream of warm evenings in the marina.

Be sure to check out my latest (and slowly trickling) addition to the store: a perfectly huge sailboat for your neck. One size fits all!

And check out these great sailing themed finds at Awakened Aesthetic.

What a sad day. Peace to the queen of feathered and frosted.

My thoughts and prayers go to his family, friends, and fans...

via NYmag.com/The Cut
In order to make room for new merch at its Nolita outpost, Zachary's Smile is clearing out all spring items with a blowout sale, starting today. The space, located in the basement of 317 Lafayette Street, has been used as a sale depot for the West Village store since January, but will become a permanent second location soon. Over the next week, all vintage pieces will be priced at $5 per item, but they are also offering shopping by the bagful. For $25, you can shove as many items as possible into a shopping bag: clothing, shoes, and accessories -- anything that will fit. The store's in-house label, ZS, will also be marked down, with cute, solid-color dresses for $15, fitted plaid jackets for $10, and an assortment of skirts and tops for $5 each. The space will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. until all the sale goods run out.

Entrance at 303 Mulberry St., nr. Houston St.; 212-965-8245.

If you have ever in your life been obsessed with finding the perfect pair of shoes, then you will feel my pain when reading this post. I am totally aware that the pursuit of the perfect shoe might seem trivial to some, but you should know one thing about me: when I want something, there are only very few things that can stand in my way: death, illness and that's about it (knock on wood neither happens, thank you).

found at Etsy.com

For about 2 years now, I have been looking for a pair of simple vintage brown lace up oxford shoes. Not brogues, I don't want any detailing, just plain old 80's granny shoes. I know there are plenty available I have seen them on people, and in several Etsy shops. "Why don't you just buy them, you silly goose?" I hear you say. Well... this is the bane of my life. I cannot find my size anywhere. I would understand perfectly if I was looking for 40's or 50's shoes, since women seemed to have considerably smaller feet then - both in length and width. The thing is I am not looking for 40's or 50's footwear but for 80's shoes. And I know women had the same feet then as we do now. Before you start gossiping about how Mademoiselle Robot wears shoes in a size 23, I will tell you I am a UK 7 (which is probably a US 9.5 or 10). Not exactly Bigfoot, but not small feet either. Mind you, if my feet were any smaller, I would tip over when I walk. I am 5'8" I need my size 7 feet to keep me balancing. But enough about my feet and back to the shoes, I just know they would make my whole wardrobe come together seamlessly, they would go with everything and I would most certainly wear them all year long. So I am not being a spoilt brat here. I just need those shoes. I already made lists of outfit combinations:

Outfit 1: brown shoes, high-waist trousers, vintage tee-shirt, denim jacket.

Outfit 2: brown shoes, white socks, denim shorts, Victorian blouse, black blazer.

Outfit 3: brown shoes, 50's day dress, giant hair bow, vintage boy cardigan, stripy socks.

The list goes on and on, using all the items in my wardrobe, so I will spare you the details, but you get the idea.

Needless to say, I am very angry with vintage shoes at the moment and we are *this* close to fall out forever - even if in my quest for the perfect Oxfords I did find a really cute pair of beige dancing shoes.

Recently, I decided I couldn't carry on without some kind of replacement, so I started looking into some alternatives. I found two: the plimsolls and the jazz shoes. I am not a fan of Ked's and co, so I opted for some white leather jazz shoes (from ASOS, I needed a break from vintage). So far, so good, I have been wearing them a lot, and they go with all the outfits I mentioned above. I do look at them and wish they were brown and vintage but they really are the next best thing.

The morale of this tragic story: sometimes, a girl has to compromise her wishes a little to reach style nirvana.

However, because I am relentless, if you do come across the shoes I have described in this post in a size UK 7/US 10/ EU 40, do let me know.

If you email me (mellerobot@gmail.com) with a link, I will be your slave forever.

- Mademoiselle Robot

On a recent shopping trip to the Rose Bowl with the lovely Tina Poppy of Violetville Vintage, I was on a shopping mission. I was hunting for adorable cotton skirts for summer. I didn't end up finding any in my size and budget, so I hit trusty eBay.com when I stumbled across this gem.

I am a sucker for novelty prints, but not the traditional Mexican/Fiesta type prints. I feel those aren't novelty enough since I am Mexican! I really love comical, absurd prints like the whale print dress I featured a few weeks ago. This adorable print of a family at the zoo, complete with cages and balloons is so original! Who would ever think to put a zoo scene on a skirt. I love it. I need it.

available at Mill Street Vintage/Ebay.com

ends 6/19