I am so excited to tell you that I have been asked to speak at this season’s Orange County Fashion Week! I will be on a panel, along with Heather Petrey of LA Fashion Snob, on blogging basics. I’m a bit intimidated because I actually get a set amount of time rather than a Q&A discussion panel. And it’s a fancy hotel in Costa Mesa and everything!

Orange County is more than just beach and casual wear. The OC, as we call it here in Southern California, is generally considered an affluent county with tons of great and high end department stores and super chic boutiques. Historically though, they are the reigning trend setters of the whole California-beach-surf look. If you are in Southern California, I hope you can come out! I’d love to see or meet you!

So, fellow niche fashion bloggers, what should I talk about? Any pearls of wisdom you would want to share with newbie bloggers? Let me know your suggestions in the comments below!

I’m getting back into my blogging groove next week after a much needed break. With the showroom opening, working on our vintage trailer, going on a camping trip for my birthday. Phew. I was pooped. I have been spending more quality time with the hubby, but I am ready to pick up the pace around here. Finally right?

In the meantime, I wanted to tell you that I have resurrected my newsletter. You can find a link on the right hand side of the blog. You can sign up for the main newsletter where I will send you updates, additional news, and special deals. You can also sign up for the Debutante Clothing Showroom newsletter so you can find out when I will be open and be the first to know when I get new stock in before it hits the site!

Are you following me on Facebook? Please Like the Debutante Clothing Facebook page. I don’t just repost my blog content either. Promise. But my true love is Twitter. Follow me at @SandraD, @DebutanteCloth, or my new site, @VintageFindIt.

image: hipsterchic.com

Husband taking a break

So I’ve been pretty absent from the blog for about a month. I was working like a maniac trying to get the showroom ready to go. And I wasn’t exactly aiming for perfection, just something that I would not only feel comfortable to spend time in, but a space that people would enjoy being in as well, despite it’s tiny square footage.

After a few false starts due to logistical issues, and personal issues, the grand opening finally arrived on September 10th. Some of my fave friends, colleagues and of course my family was there. Thanks Justin (the husband) for breaking your back and hanging out with a bunch of giddy girls. Some of my closest friends came out to celebrate and check out the collection. There is no higher compliment than your stylish friends who love vintage and have been wearing it for years saying thinks like “Oh my god I love your stuff”, “You have such a great eye”. I felt so proud. I was glad to see some of my favorite pieces go to such fashionable new closets.

We sipped Proseco and sparkling lemonade, sat and swapped vintage tips and just had a great time.

Some have asked if I will have regular hours. For now, I will be open to the public once per month and by appointment only. I would like to be open once per week eventually, but we’ll see. I never wanted to be tied down to a normal retail storefront – not yet at least. Until then, I am happy to have a comfy and inspiring space I can work out of and store my inventory.  I will continue to sell online though. And update more frequently. That would be nice huh?

If you would like to visit the showroom, please contact me for an appointment. Or sign up for my new mailing list to find out about trunk shows and other selling events I will be participating in!

Friends Araceli & Miriam came to support

LA Fashion Snob, Heather Petrey, fell in love with this dress

Julie Wanda and Liz are my partners in rock n' roll crime

Lucky scored this regency style necklace

vintage Missoni sweater & vintage belts

My Mami

Julie Wanda in her fab Irregular Choice shoes

The Progress Building, 300 S. Thomas St, Pomona, CA

The problem with vintage clothing, whether you buy it, sell it or collect it, is that eventually this tempting little obsession will literally take over your home. Because I sell online and at A Current Affair, keeping my inventory in my home was very easy. Well. I have sort of outgrown this situation. And of course my husband, as patient as he has been, agrees it’s time to move on up and out. So I am so excited and proud to announce that Debutante Clothing will now have a showroom in downtown Pomona right in the Arts Colony.

Downtown Pomona is such a great place to visit if you are into antiques, vintage, and art. Antique Row is on 2nd Street and I do have a small space in the Pomona Antique Mall (check me out at space #317). The Arts Colony is full of restaurants, bars, clubs, a couple of vintage shops, art galleries, and some amazing architecture.

The Debutante Clothing Showroom will be located at 300 S. Thomas St. Suite #312. This building is amazing. Built in the 1930s, it was the home of the Progress Bulletin, a local paper that was running until the 1970s I think. There’s an art gallery in the basement, stunning living spaces and galleries on the second floor, and mixed business and living spaces on my floor. I love all the brass hardware and the old, grand look of the building. I am also back to back with the Fox Theater, a 1920s vaudeville masterpiece, which hosts top billing artists. If you get a chance to see a concert there, I HIGHLY recommend it. I saw Duran Duran there and I swear there are no bad seats in the house.

The showroom is only about 300 sq. ft., but I can always grow right? I figure it is the same cost per square foot as storage plus I can work from there and, here’s the best part, hold trunk shows! I am planning on having one trunk show a month during the monthly Pomona Art Walk so that you can make an evening of it. i will also offer private appointments. I am planning on having an open house on August 13, so save the date if you are in Southern California.

UPDATE: The open house has been postponed until September due to unforeseen circumstances. I’ll let you know the date!

I am so excited for this new adventure. I hope you can come visit me in my new little home! Like Debutante Clothing and Debutante Clothing Showroom on Facebook to keep up with sale and event announcements!

found the pair of shelves at the Cancer Society Thrift Store

Happy Independence Day!

Ta Da!

Debutante Clothing got a bit of a facelift. I posted on Facebook and Twitter about the redesign, but now we are fully functional. I had had the previous design for quite a few years. I felt it was time for a new look. All brands must evolve right? The amazing Nubbytwiglet did a fantastic job of taking my jumbled mess of ideas and translated my wants into a glamorous, sophisticated design with hints of vintage appeal. I really wanted something that appealed to my vintage side, but was clean and uncluttered. Mature and not kitschy. Star St. Germain of The Legion did all the fancy back end work.

Moving over to WordPress from MovableType is going to take a bit to get used to. I hope I don’t mess anything up!

cyd charisse

So what do you think of the new look? Let me know!

photo: Kim Kuhteubl

I know it’s been a bit quiet around here, but with participating in A Current Affair and then my computer getting sick, I have been a bit disconnected. But from my wee little Acer netbook I wanted to share a bit of exciting news.

First, A Current Affair was a huge success and I had a ton of fun. More on that later this week as soon as I can retrieve my pictures. But I wanted to share the delightful mention on CBS Local’s website. Several of the vintage vendors at the show were mentioned, but trust me, there were many more with insane collections of vintage. Check out CBS’s review of the event.

Hopefully I’ll be back, with a fully functioning Macbook tomorrow.

I am so excited to introduce a new feature I whipped up this week. I get emails every week asking for help and advice on shopping for vintage designer handbags. It all started with a couple of posts on my quest for vintage Gucci and Chanel. I hope that we can all chime in and help out other vintage lovers shopping for a vintage bag make wise decisions.

I’m please to introduce:

Due to the volume of emails on this topic I receive already, I am going to choose just one question about a bag a week (hopefully). Check out the official Is My Vintage Bag a Fake? link for details on how to submit your question.

Hopefully this will be fun and educational for all of us!

December 10th and 11th I participated in A Current Affair – a pop up vintage marketplace at the Cooper Design Space in Downtown LA. It was a first for me. My first show ever. I’ve always gone to the Vintage Expo as a spectator or a buyer, but I had never attended a show as a vendor. What an experience! Where to start…

First, I respect all vintage dealers who only do shows. Seriously people. When they say a dress costs $300, don’t flinch. The amount of physical labor that goes into planning and setting up for a vintage show is awe inspiring. Richard Wainwright and Joey Grana planned A Current Affair so well, it was relatively painless.

The Goods
What an array of vintage fashion. You really had everything under the sun, from Victorian jewelry to funky 1980s pieces. The amazing part was that everything was very well curated for the person that loves to wear vintage in a fashion forward kind of way. Sound like an oxy moron? Liz Goldwyn gets it.

Liz was the hostess for the event. She picked ten pieces from the show and then signed copies of her beautiful book, now in paperback, Pretty Things. Her style is inspiring because she dares to wear many decades and always pulls off her look in a modern way.

I was thrilled when she picked one of my dresses! A gorgeous teal green party dress with a sculptured skirt and pleated bust. I actually brought this dress with me with her in mind. I could just see her in it. Unfortunately, the dress did not fit the mannequins. Nor Liz’s bustline when she tried it on. So sad. But it was the ultimate affirmation and compliment that Liz Goldwyn would like one of my pieces.

Another celeb in the house was Marisa Tomei. Marisa is a huge vintage connoiseur. Red carpet, real life, she’s constantly spotted wearing vintage. She stopped by my booth and I was a bit star struck again. Out of respect for her privacy, I won’t reveal any purchases, but I was a very happy vendor. You can sort of see her crouched down in the image above, admiring some of Richard’s stunning jewelry.

Tommy Ton was also present, taking pictures of Liz for a photo essay and blog post for Nowness.

I also sold several vintage Gucci pieces to some well known LA/NY vintage dealers – I won’t mention any names.

photo: Melissa Manning/thelookpartnership.com

photo: Melissa Manning/thelookpartnership.com

photo: Melissa Manning/thelookpartnership.com

I’m looking forward to doing A Current Affair again. I hope I can replenish my inventory by then!

In a mad dash to concoct some kind of professional looking hang tags for the A Current Affair vintage pop-up (one more shameless plug) I created these simple but effective cards. They serve as my hang tags and business cards so I get double duty. I put normal business card info on the back vertically and left the bottom third blank to write in the price or description.

Given that I am not a graphic designer, I think they came out pretty decent. My kerning or what not may be off (I’m not sure what kerning is either. i just know that is a design term.) but I’m pretty pleased with them. I chose a shocking pink and script font as an ode to Elsa Schiaparelli, my fave designer.

Now off to tag my collection for the show! Are you coming?