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

Princess Poochie is the blogging darling behind one of the most popular shoe themed blogs - Shoe Daydreams. Poochie blogs about her insatiable appetite for killer shoes, and yes, this includes vintage shoes. Her obsession as garnered her a cult following. She's even been featured on Seventeen magazine's website as one of the Cool Blogs About Fashion and Style! Be sure to visit her delightfully girlie blog chock full of shoes and vintage inspiration. Meet Princess Poochie!

Name and City you reside:
Princess Poochie (or just Poochie), Designer Fashion Exile, NC

Favorite vintage piece:
I love all of my vintage pieces, especially my deadstock pristine heels, but if I had to pick a single piece it would be my grandmother's rhinestone strawberry pin.

Favorite vintage store, brick and mortar or online:
I've done pretty well on eBay because I can fit into vintage shoes well and I go to lots of antiques fairs but to pick an actual store, I would choose Circa Sixty Three. Great jewelry and shoes (don't steal my sizes!) 

Favorite decade:
I love the early 1900s for gloves, the 1940s for hats and the 50s and 60s for the best heel shape in the world.

Vintage icon:
It would have to be Rosilyn Russel's character in His Gal Friday

Why do you love vintage:
The best thing about vintage is the quality of the work, the unique designs and the sense of class and fun. Nowadays everything (even designer work) can seem cheaply made as corners are cut to increase profits but in past decades people cared about their work. I like to wear modern basics but mix vintage pieces (especially accessories) to create a fun look that is just for me.

When I started reading Solanah Hernandez's blog, Vixen Vintage, I was mesmerized by her romantic vintage style. Her hats and girly dresses make me yearn for tea parties and lunches. With an eye for vintage clothing like hers, it's only natural that Solanah own a vintage clothing shop by the same name on Etsy. You can tell she offers clothing she can envision herself wearing - usually with a striking hat and gloves. Meet Solanah Hernandez!

Name and City you reside

My name is Solanah and I live in Vancouver, Washington, just a hop, skip, and a jump from Portland Oregon.

Favorite vintage piece

My favorite vintage piece is my bird hat. It's just a simple little black velvet cap, but has feathers shaped into a life sized bird flying on the side. It pretty much makes an outfit.

Favorite vintage store, brick and mortar or online

The store I work at, The Urban Eccentric, would have to be the number one place I shop. It's very affordable, has tons of items, plus I get a discount ;)

Favorite decade

It's so difficult to choose a favorite decade. Every so often it seems to change, but I think I'm pretty set on the mid 30s right now. In the U.S. its such an overlooked decade for clothing thanks to the Great Depression. Women would use the clothing they had until it was no longer wearable, so to find a 30s piece is much more exiting to find than a 40s or 50s piece. I'm also attracted to the soft, feminine silhouette, and the lengthening quality the clothing, especially skirts have.

Vintage icon

Since I was 14 Coco Chanel has been my vintage icon. Not just for her design genius, but for her fabulous lifestyle. She was skilled at selling her image to promote her label, something I look up to right now. I think above all else she was a business woman, but in a way no one had even realized. After all, her designs are still prominent in fashion today.

Why do you love vintage?

I could fill a book with reasons why I love vintage. I think it's romantic, daring, flattering, unique, powerful, mysterious. It's something everyone can wear, and yet look completely different. I love to be a part of a story that is carried through a dress, or a hat, I just wish I could know what those items saw in their original days of wear.

I started reading The Freelancer's Fashionblog last year. It is a daily read for me. This stunning blonde from Finland captured my attention with her sense of style and talent.

She struts about town in the most adorable vintage clothing. Not only can this woman mix and match decades with ease, she can tease you with a burlesque routine and sketch your next collection too. She even cooks! Ulrika is the perfect woman. Get to know her!

Name and City you reside:
Ulrika Bachér / The Freelancer's Fashionblog. I live in Helsinki.

Favorite vintage piece:
I am the worst ever to choose between things ... I have a lot of my grandmother's old clothes and shoes that I love, then I also love my blue dress (that I nowadays mostly just use in a burlesque act) and my teak sofa which is inherited from my great grandparents... I thought of what I actually wear the most (and also, in the end, love the most), which is my leather jacket. A strong runner up is my cropped little jacket. I like it how I can wear the same outfit but still change my whole look depending on which of these two jackets I choose to wear!

Favorite vintage store, brick and mortar or online:
Online I would say ebay and etsy, since there is so much out there to find. At home I enjoy going to the big flea market in weekends and browse around the thrift- and antique shops in Kallio,Töölö and Kruunuhaka (which are parts of Helsinki). The shops Hoochie Mama Jane and Ansa are great since they have such a nice atmosphere, and also since I know the owners and therefore get to see the good stuff first! I go there a lot just to hang out and have coffee, not just for shopping.

Favorite decade
I like to take ideas and inspiration from the 1920's - 1960's; I think it's nice to use elements from different eras depending on what mood you're in. I'm mostly in to the fifties (and forties) though, not only style wise but also when it comes to music and home decor.

Vintage Icon:
I don't have a specific one, but one could say I kind of have the everyday woman from before as a vintage icon - all the effort that was put in to ones look back then; the hair always so neatly made, the stocking seams straight, the gloves matching the purse etc. (The post WWII woman is a typical example - they had so little to go with but still managed to looked ravishing in curled hair and dresses made from old curtains for example). From nowadays I'd like to mention two fellow Helsinki girls whose styles I love; Minna Parikka and Fiona Timantti

Why do you love vintage?
I like the way you can use old items - take what you like from different eras, wear them like it was worn then or combine it with newer things; to take what you like and make it yours. I like the vintage silhouette; clothes from the eras I prefer are cut in a way that flatters my body. Compared with some of the new clothes I have the quality and duration is amazing - how an item can last for decades and still be going strong! And not to forget; wearing vintage is smart and ecological too (even though my choice of wearing vintage is mostly based on aesthetics).

When I first read Super Kawaii Mama's blog, I knew I had met my style soul sister. Also known as Candice Deville, Super Kawaii Mama mixes vintage glamour and gothic beauty with ease. She is a style chameleon, changing the intensity from 1950s lady about town to seductive pin up at whim.

But don't expect costumey and 100% historically accurate vintage looks - this doll always adds a personal touch to each outfit. And I love her for that. Meet Super Kawaii Mama!

Name and City you reside:
The beautiful and creative city of Melbourne, Australia

Favorite vintage piece:
This was a real toss up between my most stunningly glamorous piece and the one with the most personal history. Personal history wins out here with my favorite piece being a 1940's magenta wool coat with black velvet trim. It was passed down to me by my grandmother when I was about 11 or 12 and was what started me on the road to collecting and wearing vintage. At the time "vintage" as it were, was not a trend and there was very little interest in this clothing. I wore it because I loved it, only many years later coming to realize that there were others like me obsessed with beautiful garments from years gone by.

Favorite vintage store, brick and mortar or online:
Circa Vintage in Melbourne is my absolute favorite vintage store. Not only are all their wares quality vintage, they have been pre screened, repaired and cleaned before they even hit the racks. Their prices are incredibly reasonable too. Best of all they know my size, they know what I love and they keep me up to date with all the tips and tricks. You can find them at www.circavintage.com.au

Favorite decade:
Tough question. I love the 1930's and 40's for the Golden Era glamour, the stunning evening gowns and dramatic décor of Hollywood. But I also love the 1950's, a time when fashion was just beginning to break rules and address both functionality and beauty. This is one of the great benefits of living now, we can pick and choose what we like and mix it to our hearts content.

Vintage icon:
I have no singular vintage icon, but she is probably a cross between Rita Hayworth, Joan Crawford and Rosalind Russell. I could name a dozen or so who I adore, but it is about more than just looks. To be an icon takes style, glamour, a sense of humor and lots of moxie!

Why do you love vintage?
Vintage clothing has an incredible power to transform both the body and the mind. The tailoring, quality and craftsmanship can take an ordinary woman and give her the body and presence of a goddess. The history of vintage clothing can transport your imagination to a time you can never go. You can be that notorious bootleger's wife on the run from the law, or that Hollywood starlet on her first red carpet walk.

Eyeliah is the vintageista behind Stylesymmetry.com, a style blog that includes  Eyeliah's vintage clothing style shots. Eyeliah takes a fun, carefree approach to vintage fashion. No rules, no trends, but tons of inspiration. In fact, she recently put an outift together inspired by a mid-century interior design.  Meet Eyeliah!

Name and city you reside:   Eyeliah of www.stylesymmetry.com in Vancouver, Canada

Favorite vintage piece:  My favorite vintage piece has got to be my orange slip dress. It was on Ebay for less than ten dollars. The lace details are so pretty and it's super versatile.

Favorite vintage store, brick and mortar or online: I'm not sure if I have one. I love Etsy for vintage pieces compared to Ebay where much of it is not vintage, Etsy is vintage and handmade only.

Favorite decade: My favorite decade has got to be the 1950s, I am usually in sweet girly pieces, a-line skirts to the knee with sweet delicate purses. I really would love to be a seventies girl and I do try to integrate some bohemian pieces into my outfits. I wear something vintage on most days, it helps me to have a better day if I really love what I am wearing.

Vintage icon: My vintage icon is an easy one, Marilyn Monroe! I know it is an obvious choice but I cannot help it! I love her curvy shape and the amazing dresses she would pour herself into.

What do you love about vintage? I love vintage for many reasons, more likely the item is unique would be the biggest reason, I like items that no one else is wearing. The quality of fabrics can be superior, the shapes are better suited to my curvy figure, the looks are classic as opposed to trendy.

partying it up in a vintage dress

Meet this week's Vintage Style Muse! Gemma Seager is the beauty and brains behind RetroChick.co.uk - a fabulous blog about vintage clothing and retro style. Gemma regularly blogs about how she mixes vintage with modern to create her own unique looks. Her blog is a must read on my list, and it should be on yours too!

Name and City you reside: Gemma Seager, Norwich, UK

Favorite vintage piece: My current favourite is the white and pale blue embroidered wiggle dress I wore to a ball recently, It just makes me feel such a sexy shape!

Favorite vintage store: Most of my stuff comes from Ebay or Charity Shops. But I love to drool over the gorgeous dresses on PoshGirlVintage.com and I love CandySays.co.uk

Favorite decade:  I love the 50s particularly, but I'm partial to a bit of 70s and also 80s does the 50s styles

Vintage icon:  I wish I WAS Audrey Hepburn, but my waist will never be that small!

Why do you love vintage?  I love the hunt for something really special that you know no one else will have and that you can sometimes pay such a small amount for something really gorgeous and get such a bargain.