Daisy Fairbanks Vintage

New Listings, January 2012

2012-01-20T10:30:27-08:00

We're working on stocking the website with
fresh merchandise for the new year.

Here are a few highlights.

Vintage Harlequin - Etsy Treasury

2012-01-06T09:00:00-08:00

Though it is named after the Italian acrobat character, in textile and design terms "harlequin" describes the elongated diamond check inspired by the harlequin's traditional costume.

Here are a few harlequin items we discovered on Etsy.

Yes, Deer - Vintage Ski Sweaters

2011-12-20T10:05:09-08:00

What's more fun than the "Ugly Christmas Sweater?"
Vintage ski sweaters, of course.
Look for genuine wool sweaters in traditional colors, with classic intarsia knit patterns of winter scenery.
Stay warm!

Available at www.daisyfairbanks.com. Click on photos for information.

Vintage Shoe Collection

2011-12-19T16:23:09-08:00

If you're an average shoe size like me, you probably have a hard time finding vintage shoes. Were people really so much smaller then? So it's rare to come across a colletion of shoes as nice as the ones we managed to find. All in modern size 8, we've just listed 5 pair of beauties from the late 30s to early 50s, in leather, suede, and our favorite, alligator.

Take a peeksy here, and click on the photos for details:

Vintage Swim Cap Fashion

2011-10-04T09:55:33-07:00

Via Jezebel we discovered an adorable presentation of 1950's swimming caps. Using the puppet stage of Punch & Judy, women in strapless suits peek up in variously decorated rubber caps. Remember, most women didn't really swim in the sense we know today. Instead, they bathed, mainly going for a dip up to the neck at most. The reason? It took a lot of effort to style & set the hair, and no woman wanted to end up with a limp, unstyled coif for the remainder of the day. So much has changed for the better, but I do find the swim caps cute!

The Coffee Bag Bag & The Cashmere Quilt

2011-10-03T12:51:02-07:00

Yes, it's been too long since I've checked in. Sorry. But the creativity bug has bit me once again, and I'd like to show you some of what I've been up to.

First, I made this yesterday afternoon:

Gigantic tote bag made from an up-cycled burlap coffee sack. I love this print! Fortunately I have a couple more sacks, some with the same farm woman print, so I will try to stay on the creative train and get them made up. The bag is seriously big - roomy enough for your groceries and your laptop and perhaps a small pet all at once!

Also, over the summer I took on a more labor intensive project. Being a consignment & vintage store owner, I come across loads of things that are not up to my selling standards, and I usually just say "no." But one thing I have been chronically unable to pass up is damaged cashmere sweaters. I just knew that one day I would have the time and inspiration to make something wonderful. And I finally did.

Behold, some rough photos of The Cashmere Quilt:

Of course, I fully intended to photograph my process, but that just didn't happen. So here's how it went:

I decided on the color palette of blue & gray, and selected sweaters that had varied color and knit texture. Then I got to work taking them apart at the seams. Yes, I could have simply cut them, but I have plans to harvest as much of the leftover yarn as I can for future projects so I wanted to keep as much of the integrity of the knit pieces as I could. The pattern I made was a simple 6.5 inch square. Lots of cutting to make the eventual 12 x 10 square quilt. Ten sweaters - 9 in the squares and one pale tan for the border. Once I had all the pieces sewn together, I decided that it looked too "neat" so I added little patch squares to break up the pattern. It just felt right. There's no batting because I wanted it to be lightweight, and I used a blue polished cotton bed sheet for the backing. It was really simple to sew. Straight stitch for all the piecing and straight lines for the minimal quilting. The perfect throw blanket, and a lovely birthday gift for an imortant friend (you know who you are.)

Kentucky Derby Fashion - It's All About Hats

2011-05-07T13:02:40-07:00

Not to be overshadowed by another event we may have heard something about recently (royal wedding, anyone) our own little Holiday of Hats here in the States, the Kentucky Derby, is taking place today.
Take a peek at the lovely hats on display as attendees wait for their favorite pony.

Lady MacBeth's Gown - A Costume Restoration

2011-03-28T16:18:33-07:00

How long can a theatrical costume survive? I'f you're ever worked in a costume shop, you know how hard the stage, lights, and actors are on their costumes. Most well made stage garments need constant cleaning and repair just to get them through the run of the show. Which is why the story of Ellen Terry's Lady MacBeth Costume is so remarkable. Covered in natural, shimmering beetle wing sequins, and famously immortalized by John Singer Sergeant, the dress is more than 120 years old, and has found a new life. Read more about it in the Daily Mail Online.

Ellen Terry as Lady MacBeth, by John Singer Sergeant

the dress, being restored

Share the Love - The Girl Can't Help It

2011-03-24T08:48:49-07:00

If you're like me and tend to respond to awkward situations with inappropriate humor, then you need to be made aware of The Girl Can't Help It, written by Kim at Fast Eddie's Retro Rags. Enjoy a glance at some of the oddest vintage and retro finds, with a side order of Kim's wicked wit. This week she's
featuring our baby hankie. Thanks, Kim, for keeping your finger on the pulse of the most mockable vintage items. Someone has to do it.

Farewell Elizabeth Taylor

2011-03-23T09:24:59-07:00

Screen legend Elizabeth Taylor has left us.

Here's a studio still from her screen debut at age 10,
in There's One Born Every Minute

Her breakout role in National Velvet came when she was just 12.

As a young woman, her classic beauty became its own standard, against which all other beauty was measured.

In Giant, 1956

In Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, 1958

In Suddenly Last Summer, 1959:

As Cleopatra, 1963:

by Richard Avedon, 1964:

Farewell, goddess. This is how we'll remember you.

Links for 2010-04-17 [Digg]

2010-04-18T00:00:00-07:00

Daisy Fairbanks Vintage: Photos from the San Francisco Vinta
Vintage Fashion Expo, San Francisco, March 2010

Links for 2009-07-17 [Digg]

2009-07-18T00:00:00-07:00

Daisy Fairbanks Vintage: Inspiration - Lillian Bassman
Photographer Lillian Bassman is one of those whose work stands out more as an artist than simply a technician. Damon Winter/New York Times The New York Times has published a sweet bio about Ms. Bassman in conjuction with an exhibit...

Links for 2009-07-14 [Digg]

2009-07-15T00:00:00-07:00

Daisy Fairbanks Vintage: Madeleine Vionnet at the Musee des
What I did is not fashion,it was designed to last forever. As if anyone needs a reason to fly to Paris, the Madeleine Vionnet, puriste de la mode exhibit is open at the museee des Arts decoratifs in...

Links for 2009-01-23 [Digg]

2009-01-24T00:00:00-08:00

Musical Fashion Interlude - The Hollies
fashion review of a live performance in 1966

Links for 2009-01-14 [Digg]

2009-01-15T00:00:00-08:00

Chair Porn
a selection of vintage chairs