Pussy-bow baby but no Iron Lady

I always enjoy playing the dating game with a vintage frock, but today’s Make Me Pretty Shop #fridaysfrock was somewhat of a conundrum.

Vintage dress by "Tony Ruocco" for Alper Schwarz

I picked this good-looking American up at a recent vintage clothing kilo sale, and after delving into its history I’ve pinned the production age down to late 60’s early 70’s.

Pussy-bow necklines were popular with American manufacturers in the 60’s. And, while they became synonymous in the UK with Britain’s first female Prime Minister, this darling is more American Beauty than Iron Lady.

Silhouette wise, the dress is not as figure hugging as later 70’s clothing. The shirt is loose fitting and the smart navy skirt is more A-line, flaring slightly at the hem.

A good quality garment, this dress is in excellent condition, complete with original fabric covered buttons on the cuff and belt loops, but unfortunately no belt.

Tags are a good starting point when dating vintage and this splendid girly fuchsia shirt with attached smart navy skirt has a number of them. The first says “Tony Ruocco for Alper-Schwarz”. 

Neither name features on the Vintage Fashion Guild Label Resource, but I did find a helpful blog post from Pin Tuck Style with some insight into the manufacturing company.

Alper Schwartz was manufacturing fashion by the early 50's in Philadelphia. Owner Samuel Alper later sold to Bernard Schwartz. By the mid 50’s the label was sold in the upper tier regional department stores to junior customers who wanted current fashion styles. 

There’s no record of designers, beyond the "Tony Ruocco" name which appears on some 60’s labels, but the general construction of this dress definitely shows quality craftsmanship. 

The seams have been ‘pinked’ with zig-zag edging to prevent fraying, a process that was typical before the late 60’s, but better dressmakers would have used a number of treatments. The dress also contains a plastic zip, a popular material of choice from the 60’s onwards. 

The second tag includes the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) name declaring the product is union and the inclusions of code ILGWU-AFL-CIO suggests the garment was produced between 1955 and 1995. A wide timeframe, but other tags hold more clues.

While a ‘dry clean only’ label remains, the remnants of a paper tag – typically removed after the item was worn - could have held further care instructions.

Care tags became a requirement in 1972 after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission passed a regulation for textile manufacturers to include them in their products.

Overall, this is a very versatile outfit that could be easily transformed from day to night. A truly a fabulous, but most importantly, wearable vintage gem. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Lisa x

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Resources: The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping by Melody Fortier, Pink Tuck Style on BlogSpot.

Bags of vintage, well kilos really...

What’s a Leamington girl supposed to do on a wet dreary day? Head to the Custard Factory in Birmingham her first Vintage Kilo Clothing Sale of course!

 After Make Me Pretty Shop’s first and highly successful stall at Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair in Leamington earlier this month, I was in desperate need of a re-stock.

The Vintage Clothing Kilo Sale is ran by Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair, in partnership with Europe’s biggest vintage wholesaler Glass Onion Vintage.

The event promised to bring over 5 TONNES of retro fashion and jewellery to Birmingham’s creative quarter, so earlier this week I excitedly applied for a traders pass.

Saturday arrived and with an impressive clear head the morning after Valentine’s Day, my boyfriend, baby and I headed north on the M40 prepared for a thrifty vintage haul.

We arrived in good time, parking was easy and the venue well signposted. Having signed-in I was quickly handed a large plastic sack and off I went hoorah!

There were rails rammed full of fashion from the 1970s and on, and bargain buckets of accessories, but I had come with a clear plan - to unearth wearable dresses.

I must say I wasn’t spoilt for choice, but then I did arrive 40 minutes into the traders’ session. However, if chunky knits are your thing you've been in woolly heaven.

 

With limited time – partner and baby already bored of waiting in the car – I did manage to bag some fab lovelies I’m sure my customers will adore.

I picked up 7 dresses in total, some quality homemades, two by Ms Chaus, a rather fetching Lady Carol from NY, and my favourite - a fuchsia pink and navy number by Tony Ruocco for Alper Schwartz.

The Tony Ruocco number includes a ‘union made’ label dating it between 1955-95. Given its style I’m led to believe it’s a 90’s creation, but the ‘pinked’ seam construction was typically seen in earlier pieces, so i’ll need to do some research and a proper inspection of my haul.

 All-in-all I’m satisfied with my purchases and enjoyed what was a well organised event and certainly a lot more fun than the cookie-cutter High Street.

It was great to shop in a quirky new location and meet the guys and gals from Glass Onion Vintage – Paul who sent me my traders pass kindly introduced himself.

 

I’ll be bringing some of my new finds back to the Custard Factory when I host the Make Me Pretty Shop stall at Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair on March the 8th.

Until then, keep respecting style, respecting vintage Birmingham!

Toodles

Lisa x

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Resources: The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping by Melody Fortier, thecustardfactory.co.uk, google images.

What a load of vintage!

Phew! I'm shattered, but buzzing after my first stall at Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair at the wonderful Assembly on Spencer Street in Leamington Spa yesterday.

I was a little nervous, as Judy’s is the largest of its kind, hailed by the press as a ‘shopping phenomenon’ and it didn't disappoint.

As a newbie trader I didn’t have anything to compare the spectacle to, but the whole thing from start to finish - in my opinion anyway - was marvellous.

Judy’s was extremely helpful when booking and setting up, and they were pretty hot on the social media side too, helping me to promote my attendance.

As a vintage fledgling, I offered the first 20 Make Me Pretty Shop Facebook fans a free pair of my handmade retro fabric button earrings if they popped by.

I was pleasantly surprised to be given a prime spot, smack bang in the doorway, so I knew I had a great opportunity to attract shoppers early.

Local ladies were called upon to hand out flyers for the event, in exchange for vintage makeovers by the talented Chez Titine in a dedicated makeover caravan!

Promotion certainly paid off, as when the doors flung open at 11am hoards of vintage enthusiasts and curious shoppers flooded the building.

People in and around Leamington must truly respect style, respect vintage, as the day’s footfall was estimated at an impressive 1,300!

I was glad I took a friend to help man my stall as we didn’t get a breather until well after 2pm, so no vintage bargain hunting for us, not that I am complaining.

Needless to say my freebie earrings were snapped up early and my ‘goodie bag’ prize draw also went down a treat, netting me 30 newsletter sign-ups.

It was great to meet lots of new people - traders and customers - and share our love for vintage, but I was most pleased and proud of my handmade jewellery sales.

Jewellery is very personal, so it was really heartening my gems were so well received, given the time and love that goes into creating each piece.

Bestsellers were my fabric button earrings, paper flower statement necklaces, tea-set pendants and Alice in Wonderland cameos which sold out – oh me oh my!

Clothing wise, my main rail with gorgeous dresses from the 70s to the 90s proved popular, with one rather chic lady purchasing all 3 quality labels she tried on.

The sale rail also attracted quite a bit of attention from fashion students looking for a bargain or clothing in need of slight repair for projects.

All-in-all I learnt a lot. While the day was a success I now have a better understanding of what my customers like as well as ideas for improving my stall.

At the end of what was a very enjoyable and profitable day, I am sold on getting out and doing more events, so you never know you may see me in your town soon!
 
I mustn’t forget to say a big thank you to Steve Cook from Swale Photography who popped by to take some photos of my stall, clothes and event – thank you.

If you weren't able to make the event you've still got a few days left to enter my vintage photography competition to win a £10 Make Me Pretty Shop Etsy coupon.

Ta ta for now,

Lisa x