| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Unusual Farm Chick |
Posted - Dec 17 2010 : 07:46:26 AM
Hello Laides, I know it has been forever since my last posting visit to connection and will not make any excuses. But I will say minus signing in, I have been visiting. lol. Please accept my appologies ahead for such a long post. I wished to include as much info as possible to help make the answers more fitting.
I ask for your help in the matter of vintage clothing. I have been given some wonderful and great shape vintage womens and mens clothes which happen to include about 20 Tea aprons. Those dainty sheer numbers with beautiful embellishment.
I have been handwashing them in woolite but wonder, How do I tend to the dried apron? Should I starch/iron them?
Another question, how do I identify rare pieces or their era? 40's? 50's? 60's?
All of the current vintage I have will be sold on Etsy. The woman who owned all of the stock given to me, was a short little lady and half of the women's pieces fit my almost 12 year old daughter as well as myself { iam 5'8}. She had very "high" tastes in clothing as well as her husband. Their designer Shoes alone filled the cargo & backseat of my Saturn vue! And the Faux/real furs... beautiful!
I also have some wool dresses/skirts and a HOTT slinky & long Satin white creme evening gown{?} with cuts and form of what I think may be 1940's. It has a diamond rhinestone clasp at the back waist. How do I go about cleaning these items without going to a dry cleaner? I priced them and it would cost would make something I would sell for an item twice the amount. So it has to be in home cleaning.
How would I get out stains from armpit discoloration or from aging?
Hopefully this is the right section since it does have to do with fashion. I have many of the aprons doing their initial "wash tubbing" in woolite, so will have pictures for sharing in the next day or two.
I truly appreciate your help in this proper care of vintage fashion clothing and accesories. So many sites have conflicting information and I have yet to find a single one on the tea apron care.
Sweetest Dreams,
~Tammie |
| 10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Unusual Farm Chick |
Posted - Dec 23 2010 : 12:30:38 AM
Hosanna, I became overjoyed with each piece as it was lifted from the box. I could picture Tootsie at a young age wearing these as she would "go to town" with her girl friends. Walking the sidewalks browsing the shop windows. Or going with her husband to the fancy parties they would attend. Maybe that is why I enjoy Vintage the way I do. It becomes like a time portal. Transporting you back to days that seemed simple & much more mannered to our tech life. lol.
Thank youfor the tip on the tags. The cool part is those tags are from Department stores long gone from downtown Akron which also give a charm of their own. I have lots of tag still on mens 70's rayon button ups {If I recall right the brand is Joey} but the issue is that many items which -seems par for vintage clothes fresh from the only owner, were stored with moth balls. I am airing them out in my basement that has enviroment control. Lots of pieces like a suede mens coat with faux pile wool {?} innterior excellent condition with tags still on reading it was bought for $200. Lots of 70's items that way but to find the older with tags has been such a treat from the items I have been given.
I have been asking the friend who has given these to me, to please if able, find a few pictures of Tootsie's wearing an item or two from what I have. Would love to have a photo of her in one of these gowns from the 50's to use asa logo picture. Just thought it would be so cool to have since all my Vintage is from her. Kinda like "Tootsies closet".lol.
Have a wonderful Holiday season!
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| Hosanna |
Posted - Dec 22 2010 : 4:55:47 PM
Looks like you got items in very nice condition! I would NOT remove the tags for cleaning purposes. They're worth more with the tags ON and it proves they've never been worn.
www.happilyeverafterhosanna.blogspot.com
www.thewindofheaven.blogspot.com
www.CarolinaRoses.etsy.com
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| Unusual Farm Chick |
Posted - Dec 22 2010 : 10:43:03 AM
Thank you ladies! I ususally spot clean the wool due to fear of the shrinking but there are a few that have blends in the skirts and have done the cold water hand cleaning for the entire piece with no bad results.
I have a tack shop nearby who sells western hats, I'll call down to see if they have one of those sponges.
Thanks again! |
| mickib |
Posted - Dec 22 2010 : 09:52:55 AM
I just thought I'd mention that if the hats are felt and dusty, my husband uses a sponge type thing on his old western hats. I think he got it from a hattery. It takes all the dust right off. |
| nut4fabric |
Posted - Dec 22 2010 : 06:52:45 AM
I have been collecting vintage clothing and linens for a long long time and always soak washable items in Biz. Soak until the water looks crummy rinse the items, and soak again in a clean solution of Biz. Sometimes it takes days of this process but it works. Wouldn't put those wool items near water or you will ruin them and underarm stains are usually permanent.
Kathy |
| Unusual Farm Chick |
Posted - Dec 22 2010 : 06:29:04 AM
Thank you Hosanna. That is a big relief. I know with the gloves I will most likely not clean them since most have been in their original bags while stored. One pair which is a sheer pink with lovely wrist ruffle looks as though it had been "peeking out" from the bag and will need a slight clean up.
Relieved to hear about the hats. I hate the idea of taking any integrity away from them since they have such a beautiful vntage appeal.
I thought I had put my blog in the signature when I signed up. oops. lol.
Here it is:http://unusuallyunusualfarmchick.blogspot.com/
I'll be sure to hop over to my profile today and gets things arranged for that inclusion.
I live locally to Kent State who has a phenomonal Fashion department/Historical costume study. I plan to contact them but know they are on holiday break so it will not be until after the holidays.
Thank you again for such great help in these matters. It truly has meant alot to have the advice of someone who is into the vintage. lol.
Have a wonderful Holiday Season! |
| Unusual Farm Chick |
Posted - Dec 22 2010 : 05:37:13 AM
Here is a link to just a sampling of the hats & gloves I recieved yesterday:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/unusualfarmchick/sets/72157625651721024/
As you will see, some are never worn with tags still attached. These were all stored in Tootsies bedroom dressers. This is about half the hats/ head wear and just a tiny portion of gloves. |
| Hosanna |
Posted - Dec 22 2010 : 04:46:06 AM
Gloves, if they're fabric, can be soaked in cool water with woolite or biz; then dried flat. Hats I usually don't clean - but you could spray them with lysol or something - although I don't know what the lysol would do. You could take some white vinegar and water and toothbrush and kind of go around the hat bands and inside the hats a little; then air dry them. That would take care of smell or loose dirt.
I have found, for the most part, that people who enjoy vintage and buy it have the understanding that the items are pre worn and not in perfect, like new condition, unless specified as NOS pr deadstock. As long as an item is not filthy and nasty, vintage lover will buy it in a heartbeat.
Those who have an issue with wearing anything "secondhand" - even if it is 60 - 70 years old - don't usually shop for vintage anyway. So your chances of offending anyone by not thoroughly cleaning each and ever article are slim.
If feathers and veils and things are coming off hats, I usually dab a little craft glue on there and stick them back. NOT hot glue, though.
I have no clue how to make the flowers perky again.... I have sold hats with limp flowers in the past and people seem to snatch them right up.
Many people just buy the hats because they're collectors, anyway - and only want to display the hats, not actually wear them. I have a HUGE collection of hats I just use as romantic display pieces in my bedroom. Because they're pretty. I have never worn them.
W
What is your blog?
www.happilyeverafterhosanna.blogspot.com
www.thewindofheaven.blogspot.com
www.CarolinaRoses.etsy.com
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| Unusual Farm Chick |
Posted - Dec 21 2010 : 5:12:57 PM
Thank you Hosana! Today I brought home some amazing gently worn 40's-60's "pill box" and velvet band veiled hats {Around 20 with a few that still had price tags} as well as an amazing array of gloves {a few with price tags but the rest gently worn} from the same era. There are purses as well {around the same amount as hats} which I am not concerned with on cleaning, but those hats and gloves....Well, how would I go about such delicate veiled old hats? Some have feathers that are starting to unglue and some have flowers that need a lil oomph under them and they would look superb! Any tips on cleaning those? lol.
I do not have the etsy up but am working on getting the winter/Spring items readied and should have it up before the New Year. I will be sure to come back and share a link.
I am photographing the hats/gloves now and will be adding a seperate flivk photo badge on my blogsite that will showcase the vintage items as a sneek peek before the Etsy opening.
Thank you again for the very helpful advice on the dresses,aprons and such. Very hard to find detail info on this subject{even harder to find it on the hats. One would think there would be more but I was wrong} |
| Hosanna |
Posted - Dec 21 2010 : 4:43:24 PM
Vintage is my passion, and my business! You got quite a treasure there! Unfortunately, there is not really much you can do for underarm staining. :( Many vintage sellers and antique dealers have told me that they use "Biz" and soak the garments overnight and gently rinse. For the most part, when I buy vintage items, if I can't safely wash them in my washer or dry clean them, I leave them alone so I don't destroy the garment.
Don't wash items from the 20's 30s that have sequins! Sequins around that time were made with some kind of gelatin product and washing them can destroy them.
For shoes, put a little rubbing alcohol on a rag and wipe out the inside as well as the outside. The alcohol cleans and sanitizes, and shouldn't damage shoe leather, etc.
For aprons like the ones you describe, I usually wash them if they're questionable, then iron them. I am a little more careful with the aprons that are chiffon. If what you have are NOS, or Deadstock, (NOS = new old stock - old things that were never used or washed) don't wash them! They're worth more if you leave them as is.
A lot of times, if a garment/apron/etc. is not visibly filthy dirty, I hang it in the sunshine for several hours and photograph it and sell it. Never any complaints from my customers yet.
Can post a link to your etsy shop? I love checking out other Farmgirls' Etsy shops and blogs!
www.happilyeverafterhosanna.blogspot.com
www.thewindofheaven.blogspot.com
www.CarolinaRoses.etsy.com
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