First, Kevyn Aucoin's Making Faces, a beautiful, fun and brilliant book about doing makeup, including a section on creating vintage looks that is simply the best.
Then my very favorite cleaning product, Eucalan no rinse delicate wash, absolutely ideal for fine vintage sweaters...and the environment.
Next, a pair of Kleinert's dress shields in black with elastic bands so you can use them with any regular-sleeve garment. Kleinert's is a great old company (founded in 1869) still made in the US, and their dress shields are very good for saving your vintage wardrobe and saving on dry cleaning bills. I find dress shields tacked in vintage clothes now and then, and am always grateful for the good condition in which they've left the item!Last of all, one of my favorite red lipsticks, British Red by L'Oreal. What says vintage better than bright red lips?
Now it's your turn: What are your fave vintage tips, tricks or tools?
Comment on this blog for a chance to win my favorites. I will draw a name on November 30.
19 comments:
Yay :) I love blog giveaways, and this is one of the best. Thank you so much for the entry, fellow vintage gal. xoxo
My trickiest tip for vintage accessories is to mix them up! My favorite necklace at the moment is made of a blue rhinestone sweater gaurd & an old broken bracelet.
Thanks for doing such a great give-away!
p.s. I bought a purse from you quite a long time ago, and I've been carrying it ever since. It still makes me smile when I think about how perfect it is!
Good one...love repurposed broken jewelry!
I'm so glad you still like a purse you got from me; it's great to know it's lasted and you love it!
Tips for tips. Glad to share back. Because I don't push costume jewelry pins through vintage fabric, I find wearing them on necklaces a great way to show off my pretty pins. Sometimes a necklace is too long and it can be made into a choker using a pin; add some major sparkle to simple pearls to make them simply sparklicious. Always a pleasure to read your clever posts, M.
Greetings from Philadelphia,DD
What a great give-away, Maggie.
Let's see... my vintage collector's tool kit contains:
1. Needles and lots of vintage thread.
2. Muslin and acid free paper to protect fine old vintage while in storage.
3. Many, many old issues of Vogue, Bazaar and Glamour.
4. My clothes steamer.
5. The internet and its network of vintage enthusiasts!
My favorite tip is to mix vintage into your modern wardrobe. I love adding vintage necklaces or belts. They are simple and easy! And I'm in love with vintage rhinestones and crystals -> I love adding them to EVERYTHING I wear!
My best "tip" would be...Try it at least once. Color you don't think you could ever wear? Try it! Orange lipstick? Try it! Think red-heads can't wear pink or blondes can't wear grey? TRY IT! I didn't think I could wear red lipstick...but I tried it...and now I don't wear anything else...REALLY don't know unless you try! ;)
xxoo Bombshell Bettie
Oh count me in! I found your site through the VFG boards, it's a great blog!
Midwest Darling
I'm loving your ideas!
Thank you, and please keep them coming!
My tip is:
If you find a great dress or coat that the moths have ravaged, save the buttons! Vintage buttons are often incredibly well made and much more decorative than today's buttons.
I just discovered your blog & I love it. I've also taken a peek at your little bags.... mmmm - sooo sweet. Have never landed a freebie in blogworld yet:( Maybe this will be my lucky day.
Yay giveaways! It's like Christmas in November. :) Some of my fav vintage tips? I like to pair the old with the new, like a vintage dress with modern heels, or a vintage sweater with my dark blue Levi jeans. Of course, this especially goes for vintage jewelry with anything you could wear. I'm especially fond of big pins on sweater and I'm all for the idea of going back to using hankies in your purse instead of just plain paper tissues. Even if you don't wear a lot of vintage clothing, accents add a lot of color, like scarves, hats or gloves. :)
This is good advice! I may have to write a book, starting with your suggestions..."How to Get the Most Out of Wearing Vintage Clothing and Accessories" or something like that.
My favorite vintage items are jewelry, especially earrings, and buttons that I can craft with.
I make and sell a lot of bobby pin sets on Etsy with my finds, and it's a great way to reuse those old mateless earrings of Aunt Ida's that would otherwise end up in the trash. :-)
Hi Maggie, so sweet of you to do a giveaway. I've always wanted the Making Faces book but never bought it, it looks fab.
If you did ever write a book I'd definitely buy it! You could use all the pics you have modeled for and you look terrific in each and every outfit!
Although I collect mostly pre-1920s clothing, I try to wear at least one piece of vintage every day. . mixed with 'modern' clothing. Even a piece of jewelry, shoes, belt, jacket or coat can really transform an everyday outfit. I always get lots of compliments at work from people who can't believe the item is 'old'.
My other tip, is that I have been successful carefully hand washing many, many things that people thought couldn't be washed. It is trial and error, and there are some specific no-nos like chlorine bleach, but if a vintage garment is otherwise destined for the trash, I usually try washing it, and many times with great results!
Thank YOU Maggie, for your blog, and for rescuing so many fine vintage pieces and affording them another life! Sincerely, Laura
What a fine idea for a contest, and there are some great tips here!
My tip is using the product Retro Clean, to clean sturdy cottons, via a soak. I have had downright miraculous results, on household linens, and some vintage dresses and other garments, if suitable for the treatment.
I'm thrilled to read your ideas, and I'm taking notes. Thank you so much for sharing your suggestions!
A couple more days left before I pull a random name out of my vintage hat...the suspense is killing me!
I've bought a couple of items with glaring rust spots or such and have found a way to bedazzle the item or sew buttons over the spot (depending on the placement, of course!) I know I'm too late for the contest, but I see this is going to be one of my fave blogs! :-)
You know Tiffany, I believe that is a time-tested custom, and I love to find it used on older items. I remember finding a late 30s dress with beautiful flowers appliqued throughout. Several of the flowers hid holes, but the artistry of the placement just added charm to the dress.
Again, the vintage tips I got here far outweighed the vintage tools I gave!
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