Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with clothing and vintage

Yes, I've got a lulu. Why?

stuck on an island — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:25:06 -0800

Where can I find reasonably detailed reference images of smart everyday women's clothes from the 1940s, 50s and early 60s? After bemoaning the state of modern women's workwear for years, I've decided to draw my office wardrobe influences from the past. Specifically, the block of time bordered roughly by His Girl Friday and Mad Men. (Yes, I know.) To do this, I need images from the time to "clip" for reference and inspiration, but I can't figure out where to look -- searching specifically for costume images yields too few results, searching generally for the time periods yields too many.

Where should I look to get a good idea of what the woman in the street wore? I am not looking for haute couture or Hollywood glamour (although I'd welcome recommendations for good frock porn films) -- more along the lines of what a Sartorialist of the time might have photographed. I make clothes and am learning to draft my own patterns, so the more detailed the images the better.

Vintage clothing repair in Toronto? Lace, embroidery/brocade?

jennyhead — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 21:00:59 -0800

I am a vintage dress freak and have a handful of dresses that need some TLC - ripped lace and a few pieces with gold stitch embroidering (sp?) are getting really worn out. Any suggestions for a place in the GTA who could handle a range of vintage clothing repair needs? TIA

Modern WW2 style clothing designer

fire&wings — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 12:11:03 -0800

Looking for a UK clothing designer's website I saw a few years ago. As well as making tweed jackets and other garments, they had another "arm" of the business that specialised in vintage looking, quirky, World War 2 era replica work clothing that was trendy and quite pricey rather than historically accurate, as well as vintage kitchen and garden tools. The feel of their clothing was WW2 era working clothes, in the manner of this type of thing -
http://images.allposters.com/images/130/048_m1498.jpg and the models of the clothing on the site were posed accordingly - in sheds, standing with shovels etc.

I can remember several of their products. They made vintage, drab looking mens shirts, working trousers and waistcoats, a shirt/blouse for women with a repeating pattern of tiny B52 bombers on it and in the kitchenware part they had old style white enamelled tin cups and old style mincers and other kitchen and garden tools.

As well as this quirky side they had a seperate tailoring business that made tweed suits that IIRC were fairly expensive and very popular. As well as a website they had actual premises which were in a small town/village in England. Saw the website in the Sunday Times Style magazine a few years back if that's any help.

Don't Wanna Wreck Grandma's Closet

Medieval Maven — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 19:28:59 -0800

I need Cleaning Vintage Clothing 101. I have acquired, as part of costuming a show, a number of vintage pieces in varying conditions (mostly excellent to good condition). They all need to be cleaned and pressed. I am unsure how to to proceed, as this doesn't seem like the sort of thing one simply drops at the drycleaners and trips away thinking All Will Be Well. Do I look for a particular sort of drycleaners? One that advertises a particular sort of service? Do I soak the garments in a weak solution of Oxy Clean or similar? Does what sort of fabric it is matter?

For context, I have worked with "vintage" clothes before, but these are from the 40's, and the other things I've dealt with have been from the 60's and 70's primarily, so not as old and usually of manmade fibers. I'm dealing with crepe, satin, linen, vintage millinery (no, really), tulle, lace, rayon, wool, and cotton.

Where can I get an awesome retro-military coat like Captain Jack Harkness?

John Kenneth Fisher — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 18:32:47 -0800

Where can I get an awesome retro-military coat like Captain Jack Harkness? Now, here's the difficult part - I'm sure similars can be found in Army/Navy stores, and I've even seen some vaguely similar at a few while looking, but I'm, well, not a small man.

6'1", and, let's just euphemistically say I'm not as thin as I was in MY army days by a long shot.

So I'm hoping someone knows of a source that carries more than just the odd one or two, and might have enough of a selection to be able to find one for me.

Please help me find shirts which are interesting not just for their pattern!

dance — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 15:45:33 -0800

It would be great if people could share their favourite suppliers/retailers/tailors for affordable, quality shirts. I'm talking about shirts which are either interesting, different or vintage. I'd be especially keen on those with detachable collars - this was in fact the reason for my asking the question. I've been looking around at Vintage Shirt, and what they have is wonderful, including all the related paraphenalia, but it's very expensive. Surely they are cheaper vendors of the same thing? I'm not averse to eBay. I'm in the UK and would appreciate UK retailers (or others - with a focus on international sales!) Thanks very much, I appreciate any help.

Help me find images of vintage Vegas attire for a party costume.

UnclePlayground — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 06:21:40 -0800

Help me find a costume for a Vintage Vegas Lounge Party. I'll be at a convention in Vegas soon. Final night has us attending a Vintage Vegas High Rollers Lounge party. "It's like hanging out with Dean, Frank, and Sammy at The Copa Room." I am not interested in the lounge singer/suit look -- too elaborate to get pull together on short notice and too much to haul cross-country. I'm more interested in the touristy, sleaze-ball, huge sunglasses, gaudy rings, sun-tanned look. But I need it to still be vintage and obviously shouts Vegas. (Is there such a thing?) I am male. Maybe I'm getting my stereotypes mixed up. Links to pictures, or amazing Google-fu results much appreciated! And let me know if you need more info, I'll be happy to provide it.

Help me get accidental crease out or vintage leather and denim jackets.

lukeomalley — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 06:37:07 -0800

I have some vintage clothes with permanent accidental creases in unwanted places. I was wondering how to remove them. One on a leather jacket and one is on a denim shirt. One of pocket covers on the breast pocket on a leather jacket has folded at the edge. So now, the flap is covering the pocket except for the right side which is sticking straight out.

On the denim shirt the hem on the rear tail is rolled up like a burrito.

I have tried reversing the fold and ironing and I have also tried reversing the fold and putting a heavy weight on it overnight (leather jacket). Nothing is working. Any ideas?

Please help me dress myself better than the mall can...

Alison — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 07:51:46 -0800

What are your favorite styles or pieces of clothing that defy trends? I have recently been inspired to make most of my clothing for this spring/summer and next fall. Due to the time and energy investment I would like to end up with a wardrobe that will be unique but will still look good years from now. I am fairly experienced at sewing and have a big pattern library, so I can figure out how to make almost anything.

I am looking for things that can be hard to find at times as availability is often decided upon what will be popular rather than what will be practical for years. For example, I like making things like pleated skirts or fitted tweed jackets, but these might not be in stores depending on the trend cycle and most likely won’t be available in a color I like. Lately, I have been finding a lot of inspiration from vintage clothing.

So what are your favorite looks? Is there a skirt you have that looks good with everything? Do you have a coat that still draws complements after five years? Have you seen something special enough to make you look at it again? Pictures or links to patterns would be appreciated as would any inspirational book recommendations. This is also not limited to women’s clothing; I’m interested in looking at men’s styles, too.