Friday, February 25, 2011

Friday Eye Candy



The members of the Reflections of Vintage seller's network are pleased to offer new listings for Spring ~ a stunning Suzy Perette wedding dress, a straw Mr John hat, a sexy hand crocheted dress, an unusual lavender color sheer 40s blouse, an amazing purple prom dress and a fabulous 40s gabardine ladies suit.

Vintage 50s Suzy Perette Strapless White Chiffon Full Skirted Wedding Ball Gown or Prom Dress with Pearl Embellished Shelf Bust and Fly A Way Panels -- Size XS to S from CATSEYE VINTAGE


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Vintage Novelty Braid Straw Wide Brim Mr John Hat FAB from AFTER DARK VINTAGE

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Vintage Hand Crochet Open Weave Sexy Boho Dress, XS Sm Med from MY VINTAGE COCKTAIL

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Vintage 50s Toni Todd Three Color Tiered Full Skirt Cotton VLV Sun Party Dress - Size S to M from CATSEYE VINTAGE


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Vintage Sheer 1940s 1950s Sheer Lavender Blouse with Pintucks B38 from AFTER DARK VINTAGE

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Vintage Vintage 1940s 40s Ladies Checked Lightweight Gabardine Skirt Suit, Large Lg, Bust 42 from MY VINTAGE COCKTAIL

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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

14th Annual Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend - April 21 -24, 2011


With the 14th annual Viva Las Vegas weekend coming up right around the corner on April 21 through the 24th, 2011, it's time to start looking for your authentic vintage swimsuit and Hawaiian dress.

VLV was started 14 years ago as a vintage rockabilly 50s music festival with a car show for festival attendees to show off their cars. Organized by an English actor named Tom Ingram, and named after the Elvis movie, VLV has become bigger and bigger every year with more and more events added, including a three day Tiki Pool Party, a Vintage Fashion Show, a Burlesque Show, a Car Show, and a Music Festival.

The members of the Reflections of Vintage sellers network are pleased to offer a selection of vintage swimsuits, the perfect pair of sunglasses, and Hawaiian print dresses perfect for Viva Las Vegas!

Vintage 50s Alfred Shaheen Abstract Hawaiian Print Full Skirted Sundress Party Dress with Pleated Shelf Bust from CATSEYE VINTAGE

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Vintage 40s 50s Royal Blue Rose Marie Reid Nylon Taffeta Swimsuit from AFTER DARK VINTAGE

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Vintage 50s 60s RAB Rockabilly Catseye Sunglasses from VINTAGE BAUBLES TOO

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Vintage 80s does 50s Hibiscus Print Hawaiian Full Skirted VLV Sundress Party Dress from CATSEYE VINTAGE

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Vintage Surf Eze Knit Swimsuit Olive Green Black Swim Suit from AFTER DARK VINTAGE

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Vintage Gottex Red Hot Lacy Halter Swim Suit from VINTAGE BAUBLES TOO

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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Sparkle with Rhinestones!

With wedding, prom, and party season almost here, let’s look at “sparklies” that don’t cost a fortune. From chokers and necklaces with dangling bits of adornment to earrings and bracelets, vintage rhinestone jewelry is always in style.

But, have you ever wondered just what rhinestones are, or how long they’ve been used in jewelry? Well, I have, so I set out to learn more. An in-depth history would be too much for a blog, but here are some key points:

What we call rhinestones have been used, in some form, for hundreds of years. The royal and the wealthy would have copies of their genuine gemstone jewelry made up to wear out in public; if they were stolen, the real articles would still be safe. Probably the term most of us have heard to describe these older imitations of precious and semi-precious stones is “paste.” Paste gems were made of molded, faceted glass with a high lead content and backed with a metallic lining. These reflected light and, to a layman’s eye, sparkled like the real thing.

As time went on, the process of making imitation gems was refined. For example, early paste jewels were faceted during the molding process. Later, the glass was hand cut into faceted form for better quality, but this was extremely time consuming. In the late 1800s came the breakthrough that led to the modern rhinestone. Daniel Swarovski of Austria patented a glass-cutting machine that produced faceted crystals with more precision and with lightening speed. In the early 1900s, he began using glass with 32% lead content, resulting in stones that were far superior to prior types.

Rhinestones have evolved to include not only foiled stones, but those with “silvered” or mirrored backings and unbacked stones in open settings. The terms Swarovski crystal, Austrian crystal, diamante, Strass (after George Stras, a jeweler who worked in Paris in the 1700s and who produced very popular paste stones), and paste are used to describe more or less the same product, although the latter two are associated with older stones. There are many more descriptive terms as well. In the U.S., these imitation gems are usually called “rhinestones,” after the Rhine River region of Germany, where natural quartz stones that sparkled with color were taken from the riverbed. Once these were depleted, glass imitations were offered for the souvenir trade.

One of the last key developments in rhinestone manufacturing was the invention of the Aurora Borealis (AB) crystal. In 1956 (some say 1955; the Swarovski web site says 1956), Swarovski, working in concert with Christian Dior, perfected a metallic chemical coating process that gives the crystals a shimmering, rainbow-colored appearance. Most vintage AB pieces were made from that time to about the mid 60s, then fell out of favor. They since have regained popularity.

We here at Reflections of Vintage would like to share some of our rhinestone pieces with you!

Vintage Art Deco Blue Rhinestone Dress Clip, Earrings from Vintage Baubles Too:


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Vintage Art Deco Sterling Box Set Emerald Green and Clear Rhinestone Tennis Bracelet from After Dark Vintage

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Vintage Signed WEISS 3-D Pierced Tiered 3-D Double Leaf Brushed Gold Tone Earrings Accented with Blue and Green Pave Set Rhinestones
from Catseye Vintage

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Vintage 1930s Art Deco Pot Metal Rhinestone Brooch / Pin
from Vintage Baubles Too:

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Elegant Vintage Black Enamel and Clear Rhinestone Brooch Made in Austria
from After Dark Vintage

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Vintage 40s 50s Kramer Signed 3-D Dangling Blue Aurora Borealis AB Rhinestone and Crystal Earrings
from Catseye Vintage:

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Monday, February 7, 2011

Famed Hat Designer Sally Victor

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Famed hat designer Sally Victor was born Sally Josephs in Scranton PA on Feb 23, 1905. Her early education included studying painting in Paris France for two years. In 1927 she married Sergiu Victor who was a hat manufacturer. Her design career began when she was a millinery buyer at Macy’s Department Store in New York City. In 1934 she was given $10,000 by her husband to setup her own shop. She was so successful, sometimes called the dean of American millinery design, within five years Sergiu closed his own manufacturing company and joined her.


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Victor had her own ideas on millinery for women. Victor declared a good hat can be worn any time. “You can wear a black velvet hat in June or a white hat in November if the it looks well”. Her goal was to design hats that made women look prettier.


Her designs were heavily influenced by art exhibitions and architecture, calling on her early years of art study in Paris. A 1948 exhibition at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art inspired designs in a Franco-Flemish mode. Later a line was crafted based on Moco Polo. She also borrowed inspiration from buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum, crafted all in straw. Among her best known work was the collapsible straw hat, the war worker’s turban, and the airwave or piecrust hat. She crafted custom hats for Queen Elizabeth II, Eleanor Roosevelt, Judy Garland and perhaps her most known work is the pie crust hat worn by Mamie Eisenhower at the inauguration.

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From the beginning of her career she was ranked one of the leading American milliners along with Lilly Dache and John Fredericks. She was among the first to establish a ready to wear line, Sally V. She retired in 1968 and sadly passed away in New York in 1977.

These selections are on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Sally Victor, Inc. They are only a sample of the thousands of exquisite designs by Victor during her lifetime. Today Sally Victor hats are in high demand.

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Friday, February 4, 2011

Reflections of Vintage - Friday Eye Candy



The members of the Reflections of Vintage seller's network are pleased to offer stunning lounge wear for men and women, a fabulous Laura Ashley dress, a gorgeous 40s blouse, and a wonderful faux fur stole perfect for Valentine's Day and beyond.

Vintage 60s Rare NWT Miss Elaine Caftan Lounger Nightgown with Silk Flower & Original Belt ~ Size L to XL from CATSEYE VINTAGE



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Vintage 1940s Peach Charmeuse Sidney Heller Button Back Blouse B40 from AFTER DARK VINTAGE


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Vintage 80s Designer Laura Ashley Basque Waist Puff Sleeve Paisley Heart Dress XS S from MY VINTAGE COCKTAIL

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Vintage 50s 60s Brooks Brothers Mens RAT PACK Navy Blue Wool Smoking Robe Jacket with Original Belt - Size Medium - Large M - L from CATSEYE VINTAGE



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Vintage Sky Blue Quilted Daniel Green High Rise Bedroom Slippers Sz 6 from AFTER DARK VINTAGE


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Vintage Faux Fur Cape Stole Faux Mongolian Lamb Trim, Wedding Prom Party Wear from VINTAGE COATPOURRI


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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

History of Valentine's Day in the United States

Ever wonder how Valentine's Day came to be in the United States?

Some historians believe that Valentine's Day traces it origins back to an ancient Roman priest named Valentine who performed secret marriages in defiance of Roman Emperior Claudius II who had forbade marriages of young single men.

It is thought that Valentine's Day was brought to the United States in the 19th century by British settlers with the first mass-produced cards being available shortly after 1847.

Special occasion dates and men giving romantic gifts to women became popular in the second half of the 20th Century in the United States. Red and pink roses were a popular gift and those colors are closely associated with the holiday.

These days Valentine's Day dinner and dance parties are held all over the country to celebrate the occasion. Many couples hold private celebrations in homes or restaurants, making Valentine's Day a major date night.

The Reflections of Vintage are pleased to offer a selection of three beautiful dresses perfect for a dinner and dancing date, an exquisite romantic 30s rayon nightgown, the perfect pink Italian straw handbag, and an adorable 30s tilt hat.

Vintage REMBRANDT Pink Silk Peau de Soie Slipper Satin Full Skirted Party Dress Trimmed with Lace -- Size S - M from CATSEYE VINTAGE

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Vintage MINT Lovely Vintage 1940s Weisman Pink Rayon Bias Cut Nightgown B 36 from AFTER DARK VINTAGE

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Vintage 70s Designer Mollie Parnis Morty Sussman Silk Wrap Dress, Med from VINTAGE BAUBLES TOO

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Vintage 50s Red Chiffon Cocktail Party Wiggle Dress with Sheer Fly A Way Panels -- Large from CATSEYE VINTAGE

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Vintage Pink Beaded Italian Handbag Purse by Simon from AFTER DARK VINTAGE

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Vintage 40s Pink/Mauve Straw Tilt Hat, Floral Accent from VINTAGE BAUBLES TOO

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