New Website Domain!

Hi Vintage Inn Readers, I am now at www.vintageinn.ca!  Please bookmark this new address and visit me over there. Lots of NEW content. 

Liz

My Vintage Finds from “Jack Lux Vintage”-Toronto’s New Pop Up Vintage Store

Recently Toronto was blessed with a temporary new vintage store called “Jack Lux Vintage” a Toronto pop-up (536 Queen St. West) that is only here for a short 3 months or so (started July 23rd, 2014).

 

About the Store:

The store has one of the largest vintage collections in Canada much of which was acquired from Centre National du Costume (2005) which was a costuming trust established by the Quebec Government to curate and identify a wide-ranging (1920’s – 1990’s) and diverse vintage collection to be used by all the filmmakers and production houses that were shooting in the province of Quebec.  When the government’s changed — the organization was dismantled and JackLux was able to acquire the vast collection — which at last count included more than 200, 000 items of men, women and children’s apparel and accessories.

They have now brought those vintage pieces to Toronto and are selling them at low low prices of $20, $30, $40 and some a bit higher (with new pieces coming in all the time). Many of the vintage clothes need a bit of love to make them look new again and some just need to find the right buyer who is okay with some wear and tear that is unfix-able. But honestly who is going to complain with a $30, 1940s dress in their hands??? NOT ME!

Inside the store

The store has gotten the vintage community here in Toronto very excited and I know many of my friends have already made several purchases since it first opened. I personally have already been to the store multiple times and have walked away with several wonderful 1940’s and 50’s dresses (which you will see below).  Also if you are not a fan of the 40s and 50s like me, there are plenty of clothes from the 1960’s up to the 1990’s to fit anyones vintage shopping needs. And Guys…they have a whole section for you of coats, suit jackets, shirts, pants and shoes so you too need to stop by too. Looking for a Halloween costume? How about some adorable vintage clothes for your little kids? Jack Lux has got you covered. The back room of the store has a section for kids and a section of costumes like a medieval dress..or 2. Oh! there is also plus sizes! I have found several dresses for the beautiful plus size figure.

Now without further adieu lets take a look at my recent visit to the store and the vintage dresses I have now added to my collection.

Clothes all the way to ceiling!

Tie’s and racks and racks of clothing

Pretty Skirts with pretty prices 🙂

So many hats from the 40s all the way up to the 90s (large number are late 50’s and early 60s)

I really like the yellow hat with the bow in the middle of these hats

Lots of Men’s Jackets and even some dinner jackets

Adorable Children’s Vintage Clothes

So many shoes and right into large sizes

They also have Capes. Sherlock Holmes look anyone?

1950s dresses with marvelous prints and buttons

Beautiful 1940s dresses with amazing details

Men’s shirts with totally cool patterns

Now what I have gotten at Jack Lux (I’m not a model so excuse the bad photos lol):

My First Dress: Super pretty 1940s swing dress. Can’t WAIT to take this out onto the dance floor

1940s Dress-The Green is much more vivid in real life and there is a bit of fading but still beautiful

Super Serious me IN My FAVORITE dress! 1940s dress with very little flaws (minor).

1950’s Vintage Shirt Waist Dress. Will be so great for Fall

And there is what I bought my friends.

REMINDER! Jack Lux is only here a short time and they are bringing in new pieces all the time so make sure you hit up the store as many times as you can to stock up your vintage collection because before you know it..it will be gone and so will those amazing prices!

Happy Shopping! If you have gone shopping there, would love to know what you bought. Let me know!

P.S. In around August 29th, the Vintage Inn will have 2 Mannequins on display in the front window with outfits I picked from the store, stop on by and check them out.

Liz 🙂

My 1940’s/50s Vintage Style-Pinterest Posts of the Week

HI READERS! This post is stored on my OLD WEBSITE. Please read it on my NEW WEBSITE HERE. THANKS!

Pinterest. I know lots of bloggers do this kind of post but I will be honest it’s a favorite read of mine. I LOVE seeing what others are pinning on their boards and gathering ideas for my home, vintage style etc. So with that, I thought I would do a post this week of some of my favorite vintage clothing items found online that I have pinned on my Pinterest board “My Vintage Style“.

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First up to start the vintage parade is this STUNNING 1940’s Vintage Silk-Rayon Couture Asymmetric Peplum-Wiggle Cocktail Dress.

This dress is so me, I cry a little bit knowing it could never be mine (price, size and now sold).

Source Etsy-No Longer Available

What drew my eye to this 1940’s Rayon Gown was the red & black bird sequin detail. Isn’t it just a wonderful conversation starter??

For Sale on Etsy-dethrosevintage

Who does not love a little Carmen Miranda in their lives?? This dress would be so wonderful to wear on an island vacation or maybe even to your next Tiki Party?

Source Etsy-No Longer Available

I stumbled upon this dress on Etsy while looking for something to wear to my friend’s wedding in Spain and boy am I glad I did! Wow! A 1950’s Circle Skirt with 3D Spanish Dancer Appliques by “Juli Lynne Charlot of California“. Absolutely amazing!

P.S. Stay tuned for a blog post on this designer, who just happened to be the creator of the poodle skirt!

For Sale on Etsy- Wear It Again

I’m always on the hunt for the perfect 1940’s Tailored Suit and this beauty fits all my requirements (expect for the part where it should fit me). The somewhat random (but not so random) orange/red lines throughout the suit is what really caught my attention. Adds something very different to what would have been just a plain BUT beautifully tailored suit.

Source Etsy-No Longer Available

I would wear this 1950s day dress to work, grocery store, to dinner and to bed because I would never want to take it off…ever. Love! My favorite part of this dress is the lovely navy and white gingham accents. I’m a sucker for a good gingham.

For Sale on Etsy-Fashion Back Vintage

I don’t know if I can pull off a yellow dress  but that does not stop me from wanting and adoring this cute 1940s vintage summer dress. The flower detail on the pockets are just delightful!

Source Ebay-No Longer Available

GREEN! I love GREEN! I love THIS GREEN! Oh my, I’m fanning myself over here on how outstanding this Vintage 1940s Wool Felt dress is. If someone who reads my blog knows who purchased this please find them and tell the them to send me pictures of them looking all stylish and fantastic. Because seriously how could you not in this number?

Swoon….

Source Etsy-No Longer Available

Vintage 1950s Renee Marcil Full Skirt Cotton Dress. YES this dress exists somewhere in this world and yes it’s one of the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen in my life. I thought the green dress above was going to do me in, but nope! This will do it, please have someone pick me off the floor.

According to “Couture Allure” Renee Marcil was a Miami based designer who was born in France. She had a wonderful sense of style and designed and wore what she liked, not what fashion dictated. Her pieces are exceedingly rare and highly collectible today.

Yes I can see what her pieces are highly collectible…wow!

No longer for sale but description of item can be found at “Couture Allure” (click image)

That my friends is the Pinterest Fashion Parade for this week. If you enjoyed the images I posted and curious on what I post next, then follow my board seen below.

So what was your favorite piece from this post?

Liz 🙂

See Canada by Train-Vintage Advertising

Canada day is July 1st and to celebrate the beautiful country I so proudly live in, I wanted to take us on a vintage train ride through my country. Shall we grab our vintage train case and go?

Source: http://www.flickr.com / x-ray_delta_one

Lets go visit the East Coast

More beautiful East Coast Advertising

1958 Ad. Source: Train Geek

I just love the styling in this ad. Look at that hat?? Wow!

I hope you enjoyed our very quick trip from Coast to Coast today.

Have you ever taken the train to see parts of Canada? I know I want to and would love to hear your stories if you have.

Happy Canada Day!

Liz 🙂

 

On March 8th-Help bring “Bomb Girls” to Netflix

I have blogged many many times about my (now cancelled) favorite show”Bomb Girls” (Post # 1, Post # 2, Post # 3) because everything about the show was fantastic. Great story lines, Canadian content, awesome acting and even more amazing 1940’s styles. It was truly the perfect show for a vintage loving gal like myself (and my husband loved it too).

After it got cancelled for really unclear reasons, a website formed to help try to bring it back to air “Save Bomb Girls“. They have campaigned with direct mail campaigns, social media campaigns etc. etc. and I have participated in a few of the campaigns myself to help do my part. Now the next step is happening on March 8th with a push to try to get Netflix to pick it up.

Here is what you do…

Saturday March 8th is International Women’s Day. Wherever you are and whatever timezone, please make your voice heard! We’re having a mass tweet to @Netflix using the #SaveBombGirls hashtag to show how much we’d like Netflix to pick up the series for a third season.

CAN’T TWEET ON MARCH 8TH?

Sign up to Tweetdeck or a similar service and schedule your tweet to go out on March 8th.

FACEBOOK

If you don’t have a twitter account but have Facebook, make your voice heard there instead by posting on this Netflix page on March 8th.

WANT TO BE A HERO?

We know you’re not trying to be heroes, you’re just trying to live your life, but for the bravest among you please email the Netflix execs directly:

REED HASTINGS, CEO
rhastings@netflix.com

NEIL HUNT, Chief Product Officer
nhunt@netflix.com

TED SARANDOS, Chief Content Officer
tsarandos@netflix.com

Whilst the main focus is the mass tweet to @Netflix on March 8th, we are encouraging all fans to pitch in via whatever medium you can. Do your part, share the graphic above and call other fans up for duty!

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Lets do this ladies and Gents!

Liz 🙂

Vintage Vegas-Golden Nugget

I’m off to Las Vegas again for an event this weekend…yay! I’m only spending 3 nights in Vegas and then back to cold cold Canada I go. Got to save up those vacation days for VIVA Rockabilly weekend. While we are there we are staying at one of my favorite hotels, the “Golden Nugget“. I adore this hotel so very very much, it just screams old school Vegas. I also love Fremont Street that the hotel is on, so much fun to just wander from casino to casino, bar to bar exploring everything.

I thought for this post it might be fun to explore a bit about the Golden Nugget and see what we can unearth about one of my favorite hotels.

Brief History of the Golden Nugget

The Golden Nugget was originally built-in 1946, making it one of the oldest casinos in the city. It was designed as a casino only as opposed to a combination casino and hotel. It’s original bullnose and signage was designed by Young Electric sign designers Kermit Wayne and Hermon Boernge. The 1905 on the sign (under the small Golden Nugget name) led many to believe that the Golden Nugget had been part of the original development of Fremont Street but that was a myth. Because of its bullnose and signage, the Golden Nugget became one of the most photographed buildings on Fremont Street. “Everyone knew the Golden Nugget sign” said the late president of the LVCVA, Manny Cortez (Source: Classic Las Vegas).

When the casino opened it was the largest and most luxurious casino in downtown Las Vegas. It had mahogany bars, imported marble floors and crystal chandeliers (seen below).

(Image source)

In the 1960s more properties beside the Nugget were purchased but no expansion ever happened and it continued to remain as just a casino. That all changed though in the 70s when Steve Wynn purchased the casino and turned it into the hotel/casino we know it as today (note: it is no longer owned by Wynn and has gone thru some dramatic face-lifts but it’s still a hotel/casino and very beautiful inside).

Some fun facts about the Golden Nugget

• In keeping with its name the Golden Nugget is home to the worlds largest gold nugget-“The hand of Faith” weighing 61 lbs., 11oz.

• Frank Sinatra in 1984 at the twilight of his career performed at the Nuggets theater ballroom, a room that he actually inaugurated along with Willie Nelson. It was also rumored that he nicknamed the ballroom-” the dungeon” because it was so small but it must have not been too bad because it was his home for 3 years.
  

• Negotiations to build the Golden Nugget took 30 minutes.
• From 1946 until 1950, poker players dealt their own cards in no-limit games. The Golden Nugget was the first casino to introduce the center deal (a dealer who deals the cards to players).
• The bar was a reproduction of an actual Carson Street bar during the Comstock boom, and each piece was hand fitted and carved.
• The Golden Nugget was designed to replicate the original Golden Nugget built on San Francisco’s Barbary Coast.
• 20,000 guests were invited to the opening.
• A ribbon was wrapped around the Spa Tower for its 1984 Grand Opening (Source: Golden Nugget website).

Such fun facts!

I hope you enjoyed my little post on the Golden Nugget and now I’m off to pack and head off to enjoy my own Vintage Vegas experience just like the below picture.

 Image by © Michael Ochs Archives/Corbis

Have you been to Las Vegas and enjoyed the Golden Nugget? Any tips on some great Vintage Vegas places to check out?

Liz 🙂

Sun Valley-The Vintage Edition

For as long as I can remember I have always wished I could go to “Sun Valley, Idaho”  during the early days of the 1940s and 50s. Skiing down the hill next to Bing Crosby and Gary Cooper (seriously, could you imagine???!!), drinking hot chocolate in my super stylish ski sweater with reindeer or skiers on it and ending my day sleeping in a chic ski cabin. Sigh…how fun! If I actually really think about it I think I fell in love with the whole idea after seeing the 1941 movie “Sun Valley Serenade” with Sonja Henie, which was such a magical and fun movie. Whatever the reasons, we can all agree as Vintage fans that Sun Valley of the past really did look like a vintage lovers dream.

So, as per tradition with my blog, lets look at some fun pictures from this skiers paradise of the past.

First lets start off with Glenn Miller “It Happened in Sun Valley”  to get us in the mood 🙂

Gary Cooper and Claudette Colbert looking so amazing. Love the sweater Mister Cooper

I love the skaters in the back of the below picture, so very cute

Early 1950s skiers passed out after a good day skiing. This is an outstanding photo! The two girls on the left are my favs for style

As a past skier I do have to say that it is fun to ski when you can wear a t-shirt. Or in this ad..no shirt.

Here is another image from 1946 from a  photo series by George Silk of skiers enjoying the warmth of the sun. That swimsuit has two thumbs up from me!

I just adore the 1940s looks in the ad below

I’m a sucker for an accordion 🙂

There you have it, Vintage Sun Valley. Dreamy isn’t it?

Lastly I will leave you with a superb number from Sun Valley Serenade with the Nicholas Brothers and Dorothy Dandridge

Liz 🙂

My Vintage Christmas Wish List

I’m only a couple of days away from my non vintage vacation to Vietnam and I’m getting very excited to see such a different culture than “small town Toronto” lol 🙂 But before I go I must do my annual “vintage wish list” that I use to just do on my own but now that I have a blog I can share it with you! The list is just basically all the things that I love that is for sale right now (regardless of price) that I really really wish I could have.

1. Bakelite Scotty Dogs-Ever since I got married to my Scottish husband I have somehow become OBSESSED with obtaining this dog in Bakelite form.

For Sale on Etsy-One Mans Junque $213.25

1940s Vintage Suit-I just LOVE the pockets so much.

For Sale on Etsy-Rococo Vintage $463.69

1950s Lucite Purse. Like this gorgeous Rialto “Bleeding Hearts” purse.

For Sale on Etsy-Paris Antiques $158.47

1950’s Vintage Dress-Black Corduroy. I love the letters on the bottom of the dress.

For Sale on Etsy-Fab Gabs $148.73

Vintage Celluloid and early plastic cherries. So cool!

For Sale on Etsy-The Plastic Fever $136.70

A 1950s Alfred Shaheen dress. Love the pattern, the colour, the…Everything!

For sale on Etsy- Rock this Joint $234.00

Bakelite Bracelet that has some sort of design on it (all mine are beautiful but plain)

For sale on Etsy -Bakelite Cache $262.00

Lastly I would love to have a Jonathan Logan dress (see my love affair post here). The one below would be perfect for Viva.

For sale on Etsy -Wanderlust Couture $119.00

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What is on your vintage Christmas wish list?

Liz 🙂

The Vintage Work Christmas Party

This Friday I have my work Christmas party, it’s a small affair with only about 30 of us celebrating the season over dinner, some raffle prizes and open bar (sweet!). It’s fun but not a crazy party by any means as we are about 99% all men where I work, so no dance floor, dj etc. I’m okay with that as I have to do all the hard work and plan the event so quieter/simpler the better 🙂

I thought it would be fun while I was getting ready for this Friday to peruse parties gone by and see what kind of fun they might have had around the punch bowl (ahhh got to love a good old punch bowl).

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This is my favorite picture because it reminds me of myself at our work party. As I stated above I’m the organizer of this affair and I work with mostly men so this could be the 1950s Liz 🙂

I wish we had a dance like this. My old job we held dj’d dance parties but never this elegant.

Years ago at a work party I do recall after a few cocktails things getting super hilarious (ties on heads kind of hilarious) but never this fun! These ladies are amazing!

Seattle Engineering Department Christmas party 1957. I just adore the look of the lady in this picture, such style.

Ahhhh a different time. This would NEVER happen now lol! On another note her sweater dress is divine.

The little Christmas Tree is so cute!

Hillbilly Santa 🙂 1948

Source: ORNL archives via Tim Gawne 

1950s promotion department party. Handsome and pretty group of workers. The page-boy hairstyle on the girl on the right is super cute.

Source: btmemories.com

This does not seem to be a work party but I loved the picture anyways because it has so many awesome things to look at.

1. The decor. 2. The hairstyles on the woman..awesome 3. The nothing but Tinsel Christmas Tree (love!). 4. The very stylish ties on the men.

Source: radioyears.com

I want the style of all three of these woman. 1948 Attorney Generals Christmas party at Woodward’s

Source: VPL80726 Photographer Art Jones

Mmmm fried chicken and fixing -1952

Source: ORNL archives via Tim Gawne

Western Electric Co.Christmas Party -1925. Look at the Hair on the women..wow!

 Source: www.junipergallery.com

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Will you be attending a work Christmas Party this year? And if so what do you usually do?

Liz 🙂

I have a cold! Lets see what some vintage remedies ads can do to help

I have a cold and it sucks and I’m trying to weather the storm but as it lingers on and on and on and on I’m starting to believe no end is in sight! So I’m turning to some vintage cold ads for help, well not literally but I thought it would be fun to see what a 1940s/50s gal did when she was dealing with a pesky cold.

As a marketer in my 9-5 job, I think this “666” ad is pretty funny and would not really fly in today’s world, lol!

Yup that is me..”Cold Misery”

Ohhh more help for my cold misery. 2 please!

Such a fun and colorful ad! I feel better already from just looking at it. Is that Abraham Lincoln handing out cough drops?

That is what I have been doing wrong! Oops 🙂

To end, lets listen to poor Miss Adelaide from Guys and Dolls talk about her cold, brought on by a certain someone not giving her a ring (I can totally see that happening lol).

Question: What do you do to fix up your colds my vintage friends?

Liz 🙂