Category — Debutante News

My sister won a an awesome contest. She won a photo session with photographer Trisha Alonzo for her engagement pictures. I mentioned before that my sister wants a rustic vintage themed wedding so she asked me for some ideas on some good locations for the photo shoot, locally. She knows I am an obsessed crazy woman when it comes to historical buildings and local history so this assignment was pretty easy for me. Luckily I love in the historical part of our little town, Ontario, California. Yes the city was founded by Canadians. You can imagine the confusion about my address since not very many people have heard of Ontario, Calif.

I have to say we are home to some very big names. The Sunkist factory (we were known for our citrus), the Hotpoint electric iron, one of the oldest wooden baseball fields, Jay Littleton Ball Park (The Babe and A League of Their Own filmed there), and of course, Mr. mid-century Americana, Mr. Charles Phoenix.

One location that I knew my sister would like is the Graber Olive House. The Graber Olive House sits in the middle of what is now a residential neighborhood. But it was at one point a thriving olive grove and packing plant.

After purchasing land in Ontario in 1892, C. C. Graber discovered olives, as cured by the earlier ranchers, to be one of the finest food delicacies of California. After research and study of this method, Mr. Graber cured several barrels and the following season a much greater quantity was demanded by neighbors and friends who had eaten from the original barrels. Thus began Ontario’s oldest existing business.

There are no longer olive trees on the premises, but the old, original buildings and machinery remain. It was fun to explore the living museum of such an old business, and a local treasure. It made a beautifully rustic backdrop for my sister and her fiance’s engagement pictures.

all images Copyright © 2013 Sandra Mendoza. All rights reserved.

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I recently bought a new home. Best thing about buying a new home? Shopping for and decorating it! While I have already collected quite a bit of mid century housewares, my new-to-me 1954 suburban ranch needed new vintage accessories to make it look prettier.

On a fluke visit to one of my old favorite thrift stores I scored this spectacular vintage floral painting. Signed J. Lopin ’67, this 4.5 foot painting caught my eye from across the store. I haven’t been able to find any information on the painter, but if you know something, lemme know!

Isn’t it gorgeous?

I rarely find good pieces of art at thrift stores. I think I have picked up less than five pieces including paintings and prints. This gigantic work of art (it’s almost as tall as me) meets all my vintage aesthetic needs: florals, abstract, mid century. Check, check, and check.

I was so inspired by my painting that I snapped some pictures of the flowers in my garden. The previous owner’s daughter told me that her mother was a close friend of a famous local nursery owner so she was gifted some rare hybrids of roses. I feel so lucky to have found a home with only one previous owner! She loved her home. I hope she loves the new painting!

Have you thrifted anything fabulous lately?

If you have always wanted to know where the fabulously dressed celebs buy their beautiful vintage clothing for red carpet engagements and general fabulous living, look no further. They Way We Wore has been a vintage clothing mecca for designers such as John Galliano and pin up beauties such as Dita Von Teese.

Doris Raymond is the owner of The Way We Wore, a jewelry box of a boutique on La Brea in Los Angeles. Raymond shares her obsession with vintage clothing, her stunning collection and list of famous celeb clients in the new six part series L.A. Frock Stars on Smithsonian Channel.

In addition to the overwhelmingly beautiful collection in the boutique, Raymond offers design services to designers and stylists which include access to her massive inspiration room. Imagine an entire room filled to the rafters with fabric, garments, swatches, notions, and anything under the sun that can inspire the next potential couture collection. Proof that vintage never goes out of style.

If you caught the premiere episode of the six-part documentary L.A. Frock Stars on Smithsonian channel, you got to experience a vicarious shopping trip with the gorgeous mistress of burlesque, Dita Von Teese. I was mesmerized as Dita tried on gorgeous vintage dress by Dior  and YSL. What a treat!

I am so excited for Doris Raymond and her team. Reality shows usually tend to be obviously scripted and over the top. I am so glad that Smithsonian channel is involved. I think it is the perfect channel for someone like Doris Raymond and The Way We Wore – a company that really gets high fashion and collectable vintage. They have perfectly portrayed the relevance of Raymond’s collection from a historical and fashion perspective and really let her passion for beautiful vintage shine through without needing to create faux-drama. I can’t think of a better outlet.

If you missed the first episode, don’t worry! You can watch the full episode on the web at Smithsonian Channel’s website. But don’t forget to catch it Thursday, March 14 at 8pm EST/PST on Smithsonian Channel (check your local listing). I don’t have that channel, but I was able to watch the show on demand!

Let me know what you think of the show! Would love a watching buddy!

Want so catch some more videos of Doris Raymond? Check out these interviews I have done with vintage guru herself!

UPDATE! You can purchase the entire season for less than $9 through iTunes! (Disclaimer: this is an affiliate link).

This is my official end of the hiatus post. I know there are many blogs that start off strong and then sort of burn out. I have to admit and accept I was just about one of them. Here’s a quick recap of what has been going in my personal life that took energy and time away from Debutante Clothing…

1. Divorce – yup. Nuff said.

2. Death of a 16 year old student

Same day as the divorce. I think this one hit me even harder than the divorce because my student passed away from complications of undiagnosed type 1 Diabetes (which I also have).

3. Bought a home

I seriously needed something to pull me out of the funk. I had been waiting for the housing market to stop being so damn psycho. I took the plunge on a cute little 1954 suburban ranch. More to come.

4. A new relationship

So far so good!

Phew! So much has happened. I hope you will all forgive me for abandoning the blog for a bit. Can we be friends again???

image source: rosenberryrooms.com

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

Probably one of the most dreaded shopping experiences for me is bathing suit shopping. Shopping online is really the only way I can handle the trauma. I don’t care how bathing suit ready you are, shopping for a swimsuit is traumatic.

Luckily, the good folks at Popina Swimwear, a fantastic retro swimwear boutique with boutique shops in Portland,  offered to take the sting out of shopping for a swimsuit by sending me the cutest vintage inspired swimsuit with everything I could possibly hope for. From their catalog:

Vintage One Piece Bathing Suit,  the Grace, is adapted from popular 1950′s Swimwear styles.  This distinctive Retro Inspired Swimsuit features front, back and side princess seaming which draws the eye up and down and provides for a visual sliming effect. This is a great Conservative Swimsuit for the active gal who wants a Classic Swimwear look, but also wants to keep everything in place. This flattering swimwear style features a shelf bra and a vintage boy cut leg. Made in the USA.

I absolutely love everything about this suit. It fits like a glove and the white halter straps and bow really bring the eye up, right where I need it because I am way too self-conscious about everything below the waist. I love vintage swimsuits and own several, but sometimes the fabric of a vintage swimsuit is no longer stretchy or, in the case of cotton vintage swimsuits, the suit can add a bit of bulk. The Grace keeps everything in place and it is very comfortable.

Popina also really nails the retro look. the Grace caught my eye because it’s so classic 1950s inspired. It comes in red too! I also love that Popina carries Jantzen swimwear, a swimsuit label with a long history in the swimwear industry. The Vamp malliot is oh so glamorous. It deserves a cocktail served up poolside by a cabana boy.

If you are looking for vintage swimwear, I highly recommend Popina Swimwear. They offer the best styles and the quality far exceeds the price.

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