Five and Diamond Vintage

Costume Season Wrap-up

2012-01-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

Let me purge the system of the last 3 months worth of costume fun, and then maybe I'll move back to the subject of vintage clothing.

First, in early October, during Artswalk, artist Melora Kuhn and Dina Palin hosted a Victorian Dinner in the shop window of Historical Materialism. It was dinner, costume, and photography all in one. I called it the Fishbowl Feast; this picture was taken by Melora from the sidewalk outside.

We should definitely do this more often.

Window Mannequin Izzy wore the still-high-in-google-rankings Morticia dress

while I got busy on my Halloween costume of an Earl dog.

If you don't know what an Earl dog (or cat) is, you don't live in Hudson, and are missing out on a wonderful local institution: the Earl painting. Earl is a local artist who sells his work on the street.

Cats, dogs, birds, celebrities, musicians are his favorite subject matter.

He also does commissions, and makes house calls.

Gretchen and I dressed up as an Earl cat and dog for Halloween.

On the night of the big party, there was freak blizzard here in Hudson, and I had to leave my bootie paws at home

but I so enjoyed being anonymous all night, and I'm quite sure I want to do another paper mache costume again next year.

My dog head even had a moving jaw and wagging tongue, held on with (hard to find!) paper fasteners.

For Halloween Day/Evening, I opted for a Tweed Ride around town dressed as Miss Elmira Gulch.

photo by Trixie Starr

(The zombie crawl thing I attempted in 2010 never caught on but I'm still game if anyone's interested in 2012)

I had a basket and a Toto, and might've freaked a few kids out, but it was fun, and I managed to keep the long skirt out of the spokes and chain somehow.

A few days later I got to revive some of my vintage Barbie costume at a Habitat for Humanity fashion show. According to stats, this Barbie is still the main reason anyone ever visits this crappy blog.

photo by Aaron Enfield

My last-minute Winter Walk costume was basically a recycle/rehash of my 2010 Gaga costume,

photo by Gretchen Kelly

with a long sparkly dress added, and silver crown, gloves and boots.

This costume was very popular with the hundreds (Thousands?) of children out that night, and I plan to do it again next year. I need to name it though. I got called everything: "Glinda" "Glenda", "Wanda" "the Fairy Godmother," "the Fairy Princess" and the "Wicked Witch of the West".(?)

Christmas came and went , and I forgot to wear this wonderful old red and green dirndl I bought over the summer.

I seem to have accumulated a nice assortment of vintage dirndls, and they are for sale---but you have to ask to see them. Hit me up, even if only to ponder

the amazing smocking on these things.

Lastly, New Year's Eve.

For the Red Dot Moulin Rouge party, Gretchen and I dressed up as can-can girls.

Before we went out, Gretchen did some quick paintings

which are for sale, and

can be seen better on her blog, Gretch Kelly Art.

Why did I buy this?

2011-12-31T07:51:00.000-08:00

So I spotted this hideous dress at Sal's the other day:

and was equally attracted to/repulsed by it all at once.

First, I've been obsessing about ruffles lately (more on this in a future post perhaps),

but more so, ugly as it is-- I thought it was a potential cheap/bad shimmery dress that I could turn over quickly for New Years this week.

What clinched the deal for me was actually the unique craftsmanship. The person who made this

dress did not have much in the way of sewing skills, and they did not have any ruffling attachments. Not only is much of this dress hand sewn (crude hand stitching with blue thread all over the place inside), the ruffles are finished with wire and electrical tape!

How craftastic is that?

Yards and yards of crude ruffles made this way! They laid wire down along the fabric's raw edge, and then crimped over the electrical tape as though it were a sticky-backed bias trim. (And let me tell you, it did not behave like bias, and did not stick well to the cheap metallic fabric at all. I spent about 90 minutes glueing, primping, shaping, fixing it.)

This amazing piece of unique modern folk art is now available for purchase, for a mere $30.

Happy New Year!

I'm baaaaack.

2011-12-06T06:16:00.001-08:00

I know. Really long blogging hiatus. Rest assured, I have only neglected the blog, not the shop or the never-ending search for treasures to put in it. In fact, I'll start purging the blog file with a brief show-and tell of items that I picked up this summer while out riding my bicycle (the major distraction this year that had me neglecting blog and millions of other things). I stumbled onto several random yard sales I wasn't even looking for.

Blue silk velvet 1930s bias-cut evening gown. Turned the bike around for a yard sale in Claverack that clearly had nothing at all for me, but I decided to ask the seller if she had any old clothes lying around. She went into the house and brought this out. The price was reasonable enough that I didn't mind finding out it had holes in it after I got it home; 'cuz it fits me and Izzy (window mannequin).

New (but old) leather sandals in original box --from Tom and Mary's sale in Taghanic.

I didn't have a bike rack yet and it took me EIGHT weeks to go back and pick them up after I asked them to hold them for me. "uh, Remember me?". Very sweet people.

Carpet bag purse. Route 9H estate sale. Very likely manufactured at the Pocketbook factory up the street here in Hudson.

Remnants, children's books, flower-power recipe file, awesome vintage novelty hankies:

(great Lakes, Palm-reading, and How-to speak spanish!)

And last but not least, vintage neckties, purchased at a Tuesday garage sale, on a back road in Ghent:

I know, the price is embarrassing, but what are you gonna do? I gave the lady a dollar and told her to keep the change. Still felt like a thief.

Red white and Blue

2011-07-21T05:40:00.000-07:00

The red one *Just* sold. The white and blue ones are still available (as well as several others). The air-conditioning is on.

Brimfield Bound!

2011-05-09T05:06:00.000-07:00

I'm making a major de-cluttering effort this week; headed to the Brimfield Flea Market in Massachusetts with a big van-load of draperies, tablecloths, dishtowels, tchotchkes, artwork, ephemera, odds, ends, etc etc etc. All the stuff I would love to be selling in my shop but simply don't have enough space for. Here's a tiny sampling of some of the stuff I've dug up from the hoard:

vintage knitting books and mags

vinyl Barbie cases

Vintage 70s Spider-Man sleeping bags

scads of yummy textiles

including an electric SHEET (?!)

and a Roadster bedspread:

Scads of antique lace trims (which I have lovingly measured and packaged)

A Remington Portable Typewriter

and a few pieces of choice clothing, including these amazing old lace up Renaissance-y boots.

If you're a Brimfielder, come stop by at the Meadows, along the west side fence. I'll be there hanging/selling with Meri of Sideshow, Tues-wed-Thursday. Weather's supposed to be gorgeous, and I'll be making my traditional Brimfield Penut-butter and Jelly sandwiches (BYOmilk).
Five and Diamond will be closed on Thursday and will re-open Friday the 13th. Seeya!

new Signage

2011-05-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

Though it still needs to be sealed/weatherproofed, I finished my new sidewalk sign this week.
This is the sign that sits out on Warren Street (Hudson's main drag) and brings foot traffic up one block to the shop at 5th and Diamond (aka Columbia) Street. A lot of people have told me they would have never known about my store without this sign.

Anyway here is side A

inspired by this 1927 Metropolis Poster:

And this is side B

a more direct rip-off of this wonderful sheet music graphic for Smoke Gets in Your Eyes:

Happy Spring!

2011-03-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

A tiny sampling of pictures taken in the shop in the last 3 weeks. (Most of these things are sold, but the the black velvet gown, green party dress, the yellow day dress, and chiffon dress with open balloon sleeves-- are all still available. I also have the white unform jacket in a larger size.). So much fresh merch---- so much ironing to do!

The peek-a-boo Abe shirt

2011-03-21T14:11:00.001-07:00

Often when I'm hunched over needle and thread behind the counter in the shop I'm really just goofing off with my own clothes. For example, this is the new Peek-a-Boo Abe shirt I've been playing around with lately

It was a plain button down shirt that I liked simply for its soft cotton lavender stripes (plus it was already sorta nicely beat up). I more or less rehashed it into a practical summer blouse with a bunch of one-of-a-kind details.

After cutting off the sleeves and mending a few holes

I (1) made exterior armhole facings in contrasting stripes

(2) derailed the stripes on one side of the collar for a sort of cubist mitered look,

(3) made a checkerboard-ish patch for the left pocket, and
(4) made an asymmetrical flap out of one of the leftover cuffs for the other pocket.

I opened up the top-stitching on the cuff/flap and inserted a 5 dollar bill, folded almost exactly to the size of the flap. I sewed it back together, opened up a little porthole for Abe's face, and finished it off with white bias tape. The idea here is to have a secure pocket that A) an ipod would not fall out of during a bike ride, and B) could hold a hard-to-get-at 5-spot to cover me in a flat tire or dehydration emergency. I'm pretty sure I've rigged it so the only way of getting at the bill is to open up the stitching or cut the cloth. We'll see.

Handmade Valentines

2011-02-15T07:15:00.000-08:00

I finished the shirt from the sew-along and I'm happy with it. Towards the end of construction I asked Alan to model it for me for the sew-along flickr group and not only did it fit him well, he really, really liked it.

Since we have a tradition of handmade-only Valentine Day gifts in this house, it became his Valentines gift.
The Valentines Alan makes for me are always made of wood. This year I dropped a hint back around Christmas time, when I was setting up my vintage miniature Christmas.
I've always wanted a miniature (1/12th scale) dress form, but would never tolerate a modern, cheezily manufactured one. So he carved me one out of wood.

It is 5 inches high and has sweet little cabriole-shape legs just like full-size ones in my shop. Perfect!

(The collage behind it is the Valentine Card I made for Alan. I didn't realize when I chose the central image that the man in the etching was holding a knife- oops--)

I joined a Sew-Along!

2011-02-04T07:40:00.000-08:00

My true passion is to hunt down, repair, and revive old clothing, but every once in a while I like to make a garment from scratch. For camraderie, inspiration, and disipline's sake, I joined this group at the wonderful Male Pattern Boldness blog. (click on pic to take you to the sew-along page)

Through the magic of the internet a whole bunch of sewing enthusiasts get together online and construct a casual man's shirt together. (Or did I mean a man's casual shirt?)
Anyway, here's my pattern and fabric:

It's going to be a lightweight short-sleeved shirt, made from a pair of x-tra large linen gaucho pants I picked up in a thrift. Yummy mixed stripes.
In the interest of not boring my blog readers (all both of you) I'll be posting all the fascinating details of my journey on my flickr page, where the Male Pattern Boldness Group page is. Should be fun.

I've already said "phooey" to the construction of a muslin practice piece (mistakes, ME?), and started cutting out my pattern today.

Quick Dye Note of Note

2011-01-05T05:54:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to camouflage a blood stain (ack!) at the bottom hem of an otherwise stunning 1930s champagne pink silk negligee (middle of photo), I did an experimental dye bath yesterday combining Scarlett with Cocoa Brown. I'm really excited about the kind of oxbloody results ---even though I ultimately decided to re-hem the piece and remove the stain entirely (the camouflage only works to a certain extent). With the extra hem fabric I was able to do some repairs on the straps. Now I need someone to come in a model it for me -it's totally divine.
Other random items that got tossed into the batch: Cotton mandarin dress with gold trim, 50s slip with lace insets, 30s rayon and lace camisole, and a satin and lace bed jacket, formerly powder blue (gag).

From Helen's closet to Kimberly's closet

2010-11-11T07:59:00.000-08:00

This is Helen P.

I purchased a nice carload of vintage clothing from Helen last May when she invited me to come over while she was cleaning out her family home across the river in Greene County.

inlcuding the yellow and blue silk ensemble she is holding in the photo at top.

Helen served as a nurse in the Vietnam War, and had the outfit custom made during a visit to Hong Kong.

Just like the good old days (and still common overseas) You'd walk into a tailors shop, get measured, pick out styles and fabric, and then the outfit would be constructed, personalized with embroidery, and delivered to your door in a sturdy cardboard suitcase.

The ensemble included a blue purse to match the blue coat, and yellow shoes to match the dress.

This is Kimberly.

Unlike many customers throughout the summer, Kimberly was interested in the entire ensemble as a whole, (while everyone else just wanted the coat, or just the dress). She got the whole shebang for $50.

If you know of anyone who would be interested in a ca 1970 wool Nurse's Uniform, I promised Helen I would find a good home for that too. It's about a size 12.

Happy Veteran's Day.

The Fairy Gaga Halloween Costume

2010-11-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

I started on my Halloween costume early this year, as I usually do---with one big difference-- I didn't really know what I was going to be. All I really knew was a) I wanted to wear a pleather dominatrix suit I'd picked up at Salvation Army last summer, and b) I wanted to try my hand at making a cage/hoop skirt from scratch. At some point Lady Gaga entered into the non-idea, as well as the fact that I was attending a "Witches' Ball", so I just kept improvising and struggling along with multiple concepts, hoping for the best.

ie. sleeve design fail

Hurdles included bad wigs, challenging sleeves, fabric shortages, and what felt like seven thousand trial-and-error measurements getting the hoop skirt to look right.

many, many glue sticks into the project....

Much as I adore hours and hours wielding a glue gun, my favorite moment in the whole costume process came when I spotted the plastic Princess tiaras at Ye Olde Dollar Store, which I envisioned as brilliant sparkling epaulets.

The stars for the wand were also from the Dollar Store:

I did not decide on the fairy wings until just hours before the party, when I saw them at Rite-Aid while buying candy. I bought them and changed the fabric and trim, using an old pair of silver pantyhose. The wings provided a nice backdrop for the puffy sleeves, but made a fairy princess silhouette, which conflicted conceptually with the witch's hat. Uh-ooh...whatever. With one more day I may have made a Glinda from Oz crown for the top instead, but --my time was up.
>

In the end, it all somehow came together.

(Thank You to Scott Baldinger and Gretchen Kelly for use of their photos here )

big red inverted pleats!

2010-09-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

Did you see that great dress Peggy was wearing on Mad Men last night? The blue one with the big red inverted pleats? Pretty fab.

Almost as fab as the one I sold a couple weeks ago here at Five and Diamond:

this has turned into bi-weekly ritual....

2010-08-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Today we used some new dye colors that had to be purchased off the RIT website: Fuscia, Kelly Green, and Purple.

We also did some royal blue, because all of that stuff has sold -- including the wonderful blue party dress from the madmen window.

I always indicate it on the price tag, but please remember to wash any hand dyed items separately in cold water...

clothesline candy

2010-07-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

Did a lot of dyeing this week (Nothing like sweating over a lobster pot of boiling clothes on a 85° day---). Some of this stuff will be showing up on the racks today... the blue dress in the middle is already in the madmen window....

Here's my post from a year ago which goes into more detail.

the mad men windows

2010-07-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

Last week, in anticipation of the Mad Men season premier, I hunkered down and put a little extra effort in the shop windows. (Generally speaking, I dread dressing the windows; I rarely have any good creative ideas to speak of, and I have to worry about the clothing getting ruined by the sun---so I have to change them often.)

For the 5th Street window I painted a big Don Draper silhouette onto a roll of paper,

cut it out, ironed it (it got rumply from the paint), and taped it to the inside of the glass. (I supposed I could have just painted the silhouette directly on the glass but I was in improvisation mode...)

For the Diamond Street window I made a giant stencil--

Drawn freehand (woopsie on that right leg--)

Cut out

spray-painted onto a white sheet,

and hung on a rod.

It was worth the extra effort -- more window compliments are rolling in than ever before (including props on my favorite local blog),

and all I have to do for the next several weeks is rotate some fun mid-60s dresses on the dress forms.

I'm guessing I won't have to answer one of the many questions I am getting tired of ... "Have you seen that show Mad Men?"

Atalandi, Come Back!

2010-07-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

I bought this dress last Wednesday at Brimfield. (Looked a mess, yes, but had absolutley nothing wrong with it- Just had been disassembled at the seams by a seamstress who was about to alter it.) On Thursday I put it back together, and on Friday I sold it to Atalandi:

Atalandi was/is visiting from London, had been in the store a couple of years ago, but had to google around to find me again. She found this blog.

Now I'm hoping she'll visit the blog again, because she left without the matching belt for the dress (paying cash and only telling me her first name). It's one of the tragedies of the vintage clothing business; self-matching belts getting separated from their dresses!

While I'm on the subject--Here's another woman I'm looking for:

She bought this 40's rayon skirt suit over two years ago---

and I'm still waiting for her to walk in again so I can present her with the matching belt.

NY Souvenir

2010-06-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

On Saturday a woman came into my shop looking for a souvenir scarf from the state of New York. I pulled out a couple dozen souvenir scarves I keep behind the counter, but none were of New York, (she ended up settling for Florida and Montreal.)
I was curious what a NY scarf would feature/highlight in its graphics, so
when I got home that night I did some googling, expecting to find pages and pages of NY souvenir scarf imagery harvested from vintage websites and ebay and etsy offerings.
I was surprised to come up with nothing. I did find some World's Fair items, and this etsy listing for a NY CITY scarf, -and a wonderful Tammis Keefe NYC silk scarf here, but NO state scarves. Whattup? I thought I had such great googling finesse?

The next morning, yesterday, I woke up and drove to a flea market.
Guess what I found.

Old, silk, New York, The Empire State souvenir scarf.

It's pretty great, except that the only serious damage on the map happens to be right in the mid-Hudson Valley, where I live.

I really enjoy perusing the graphics on these scarves (people on waterskis, factory towns, tourist attractions.....) and I have to wonder

A)why they don't seem to make them anymore...

B) If they made these scarves today, would Olana State Historic Site or The FASNY Museum of Firefighting be on the map?

If you know of any current or recent souvenir scarf resources out there that I'm completely overlooking, feel free to send me the heads up.

Hudson Pride Rainbow

2010-06-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

The first-ever Hudson Pride Parade and Rally were held here yesterday, and I figured out a cute way of getting Five and Diamond represented in the very well-attended parade. We were on TV and ev'rythang!

Big Thanks to my peeps Denise (red), John (yellow), Kari (green), Paula (blue), and Peter (purple) for rising to the occasion at the last minute and marching along with me. It was a blast!

Thank You Mrs. Poor!

2010-06-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend while I was away a woman came in and dropped off two old organza dresses as a donation. All I know is that her name was Mrs. Poor. She did not want money, and she did not leave a phone number. She just wanted to find a good home for some old dresses.
One dress was super-quaint/costumey, but quite dingy-- and to my surprise someone asked if they could buy it yesterday, before I could even remove it from its wire hanger and wash it.

The other one was this full length 1930s gown, with tiny white stars all over it.

It has a built-in taffeta slip, with a super-full trumpeted skirt with gathered flounce in back, plus the flouncy bib collar. I made several minor repairs and added the new/old celluloid buckle to the front sash. Usually dresses from this era are in tiny sizes, so naturally I was pretty delighted when I discovered this fit me. Flag Day is today and I want to wear it at least once before I move it along...

..some Happy Customers of late

2010-06-07T11:52:00.000-07:00

1930s bias cut floral nightie:

Early 70s Indian cotton dress with midriff cutouts:

Cotton Crocheted dress, ca 1970s?:

Yummy olive and pink 1960s madras shirt:

1930s chiffon polka dots:

Blue Liederhosen: (he bought a lot of stuff but put these back at the last minute---too small)

1940s rayon suit jacket

Kindred Spirits

2010-05-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

This morning I was on the check-out line paying for my groceries when the gentleman behind me took notice of my old tattered wallet (which I blogged about once here, when it turned 30).

"I've had it since 1978", I bragged. "Got it in Woodstock."

Meanwhile, he was pulling out his wallet to pay for his groceries, and totally trumped me.

"Poughkeepsie, 1964".

Thistle Stencil Project

2010-05-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

I've had this wonderful old Arts & Crafts era curtain panel hanging in my one dining room window for the last several years, but sunlight had faded it to the point of near invisibility. The design was a stylized vertical leaf and thistle border, and I decided the only way to salvage it was to reprint the entire thing using stencils.

Stencils get a bad rap 'cause they're always designed in queer apples and hearts and teddy bear motifs. In this case I just traced and cut the existing elements of my panel and then stippled away for two days (and that's mostly drying time in between courses).

It was all just an experiment for the most part---I used cheap craft paint and already had the acetate sheets and stippling brushes lying around. (The most important thing is having sharp exacto blades for cutting out the design).
Below I am using a tiny stippling brush to color in the thistle flower seeds.

Here is the finished product:

I really love this motif. I know I did a little bit of a wham-bam-thankyou-mam job on it, but I'm still happy with the results. It had been so faded for so long- that hanging

it back up felt like seeing an old friend again.

revamped dress form project

2010-04-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

You know those crappy vintage adjustable dress forms that turn up at yard sales and flea markets and you just can't stop yourself from buying them even though you know they're basically pieces of rusty wobbly shit that never do any garment justice?

Well I was about to throw one of mine through the window the other day when I had a pretty decent idea. I took it completely apart, ripped out all the bent rusty guts that never worked anyway, (marking each piece as I did so), ripped off the glued-on knit covering (Big Mess!), and then duct taped the whole thing (14 pieces in all) back together again.

They're made of a paper pulp material, nice and light, so I decided to paper mache' the whole things in 3 layers, to secure it well. This is the second layer,

done with grocery store circulars, and this is the final layer,

done in 1926 Albany newspaper (that a friend found under the linoleum he tore up in his old house up the street)

Here it is with a coat of varnish:

It is hollow and can still be modified with a stand, but I like its nice small size, great for counter top display of items like jewelry, scarves, and belts. It's fun to look at too, since it is also essentially a 3-D collage.

30 Dresses in 30 Days

2010-03-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

30 Dresses in 30 Days is an idea I've been toying with for a long time.

Pick a month, any old month,
and wear a dress or skirt every single day of that month.

So I've made the pledge and it all starts tomorrow.
Feel free to join in. Make it official by visiting the Five and Diamond
Facebook Event Page and clicking on "attend".
(You will need a facebook account...)

Should be fun!

sidetracked

2010-03-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I promised a "halfway decent" blog post in the near future; I haven't forgotten.

I am working on it.
Slowly but surely.

Step one is finally complete. (But I got sidetracked.)

I had to dig up some images I needed that were on an old disc I'd stored away.
(Uh, but first I had to find that disk...)

Then I had to comb through 2,184 picture files to find the three pics I needed for my story.

Talk about pissing away time.
It ended up being a rather long trip down ebay-memory lane, seeing all those hundreds and hundreds of things I sold on online once upon a time. Back in the olden days, when the listing fee was 15¢ and people sent you handwritten checks through the United States Postal Service, and you drove to the bank with a deposit list and 20-30 checks and then waited for them to clear your bank account before you packed and shipped.
Oh and let's not forget really early on (1998-2000) when I didn't have a digital camera to photograph my merchandise, so I'd take pictures with my SLR, drive 10 miles into Hudson to have film developed at WalMart, then would scan the photos into my computer. Oi vey... ebay was like a real job. A real job I don't miss one bit.

Anyway, I couldn't resist I plucking out a few images to share:

1950s Nudist Magazine, about $25-$30.....

Vintage Playtex Rubber girdle in original tubular box, $205.... (wonder if sales are still that strong in the rubber girdle world--)

"Parade of the States" Map scarf $? (want it back!)

Four *rare* bakelite clothes hangers (got $265 for the set!)

My Appalachia Mountain dulcimer I got for my 16th birthday in Greenwich Village...$85 (want it back!)

My baby grand piano I had for over 25 years! ($1200) (Want it back!)

Oh-- and here's the little "Thank You" jpeg I included at the end of all my ebay listings. Cute old photo I found in a junk store.

make it work

2010-03-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

How to turn a stale $10 sale-rack dress back into a $35 sure- seller:

Ruby Slippers in Five Minutes

2010-02-13T08:19:00.000-08:00

One pair High Heels
One paint brush
One bottle red glitter
Tacky Glue that dries clear
Newspaper work surface (reuse glitter that doesn't stick)

(Touch up will be necessary at each wearing, as I am doing today...)

blog clog vol IV

2010-01-22T04:19:00.000-08:00

OK, I think I've got a halfway decent blog post in the works for the near future---a good story about a treasure-trove yard sale purchase---- but in the meantime, I bring you another clumsy edition of 'blog clog'

to clean out some of the stuff in the drafts file.

1)
Let's start where I left off.
Tommy, from my last blog post, came in the other day with his silver dread locks all freshly chopped off, and needed something for his new look. I had just a week before picked up this midnight blue dinner jacket with skinny black satin lapels -- and bingo--
--it fit like it was tailor made for him.

Kinda Blues Bros....

(which reminds me--- Tommy's Blue Sun Trio is playing at Savoia tonight at 9 pm 214 Warren St.)

2) Seen on the street

Nothing pleases me more than seeing Five and Diamond merch out there in the world-- weeks, months, maybe years after I've sold it. Saturday I was an art opening and spotted Gretchen carrying this 1920s floral pocketbook from 5 and D

She was totally working it with her hat and those bauble necklaces. Love all those colors!

Then a few minutes later I walk across the street to another art opening and there's Dawn in one of the Koos van Den Akker dresses she bought a few weeks ago.

The next morning I was walking the alleys and saw Holly wearing her new-old Catskill varsity jacket, (drat I forgot to take a pic!) and
then on Tuesday I'm playing Bingo at PM Wine Bar, and in walks this gentleman wearing a corduroy blazer from 5 and D.

(I so love the ones like this with the belted waist in back:)

Four tags in four days!

3) Delmar Bootery.

I want to get in a plug for the Delmar Bootery in Albany. A couple of months ago I gathered up 6 pair of tattered boots from the back of my closet and took them to Delmar. All totally unwearable, but with which I still had serious attachment to.
It sort of felt like taking sick animals to the vet, and one pair even got rejected

"Sorry, there's nothing we can do...".

The five pair that they refurbished (Took only 10 days, BTW) came back beautiful

But I'm most excited about the really old Orange ones that I bought in a vintage store on Haight Street, SF in the early 80s , but wore 'til there was no heel left.

Here's a picture of me wearing them back then, marching outside the Museum of Modern Art in some labor dispute protest thing.

(This is pretty much how I survived those horrible 80s: mini skirts, turtlenecks, vintage men's jackets, Cowboy boots).

4) If the dress fits /Letting go again

Some dresses hang around the store for ages and only get ooohed and aaawed at. In the case of this border lace dress, only a very tall person could wear it, sinse it can not be hemmed. I asked this lovely 6 foot tall woman to model it for me,and when she came out of the dressing room told her she could have it for half price. Done.

Sorta similar story with this gorgeous Best and Co. velvet coat that was very, very tiny. In this case, way too many non-tiny people decided to try it on and button it up anyway, busting out the corner waist seams on it. Argggh. You cannot repair L-shaped corner seams, people.

So I let Ngonda have if for 75% off!

5) Resolving
One of my New Year's resolution ideas for this blog was: For every picture I post of something sold, to also post a picture of something I haven't sold yet. I doubt I can stick to it, but will try here with some winter cover-ups.
First, the SOLDs:

And now for the UNSOLDS:

6) Grrrr. I really, really REALLY REALLY REALLY hate google blogger today.
Really. nightmare. When are we forming a local Hudson bloggers support group?

Letting go

2010-01-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

This is Tommy Sharp, of the Hudson City Ramblers.

Tommy bought this amazing wool gabardine western shirt from me a couple months back. It was a rather expensive shirt, but I didn't make one penny on it.
I'd bought it for myself nearly 20 years ago, in a vintage clothing store on Bleeker Street named Chameleon, where I also worked for about 30 seconds, mending clothes in the basement/storeroom.
The shirt cost me $90, which trust me, was an extraordinary purchase for me at the time. I paid for it in installments.

Oddly enough, over all these years- I wore it only once--- maybe, MaaaaaaYbe twice,

1993ish

but in 5 years of having the shop I still haven't been able to bring myself to offer it for sale.

When Tommy came in looking for something special, I dug the shirt out of the back room, not really thinking he'd bite. I was wrong...but, I have no regrets. When I saw him sporting it on his facebook page a couple of weeks later I knew I'd waited for the right moment to part with it.

A Different Kind of Three Piece Suit

2009-12-30T07:38:00.000-08:00

You know how sometimes you see something you've never seen before and you go "Wow, I've never seen one of those before..."
and then of course the next day you see that same thing again somewhere else?

Over Thanksgiving (in a land far away) I found this ladies 3-piece suit in a thrift store. A basic ladies suit, but with a matching coat (in a slightly larger but identical tweed).

As it happened, though, I had bought only the coat, taken it to my car, fed the meter, and then instead of going to breakfast decided for some strange reason to go back into the store.
I guess it was one of those moments when the thrift Gods were saying
"Go Back, Go Back... you're not done... there's more in there for you..."

I always listen to those Thrift Gods.

I'd never seen a suit with a matching coat before, but when I went back in the store the skirt/jacket/belt, which had been hung up 7 aisles away from the coat, jumped out at me as extremely familiar.

Needless to say, it was very rewarding to reunite the suit with the coat and display it all together on a dress form, but it only lasted one day. This luck y customer snatched it up immediatly, and I snapped some pics.

As for seeing the same thing twice, the next day I was cutting up an old 1939 department store catalog to jazz up paper shopping bags with

and sure enough, there was the 3-piece "Wardrobe Suit Ensemble" for only $12.99.

Finding LoVe at the Salvation Army Thrift Store and

2009-12-24T06:17:00.000-08:00

a Merry Christmas to all!
Five and DIamond will be open today, Christmas Eve, until 5 PM.
(I generally don't encourage buying vintage for others, but Gift Certificates are available.)

still lucky

2009-11-21T07:23:00.000-08:00

Almost an entire year after being mentioned in Lucky Magazine

Five and Diamond Vintage

is still reaping the benefits.

These two women both drove a long way, and both had the clipping stashed in their purses...

Too cute! I love that's there's real paper five and diamond ephemera floating out there in this ever-s0-digital world. Thank You Lucky!

More than You want to know about the Cleo Costume

2009-11-08T06:14:00.001-08:00

but I'm putting it out there anyway

Halloween isn't officially over until I've crammed my costume into the costume closet and blogged about it.

In the 6 weeks leading up to Halloween this year, this scrappy little blog received over 3500 hits, from people checking out my Barbie and Morticia Addams costumes. People definitely appreciate the effort of a homemade costume, judging from my image-google ranking. (One woman even called the shop and pleaded with me to rent the Barbie costume to her -just name any rediculous price! --I declined).

For my Cleopatra costume, I did some image-googling myself, and made an inspiration file, from which I created a sketch that incorporated all my favorite elements : A headress, a collar, simple straight skirt and sash, and meshy cape.

This did not involved any dressmaking or fancy skills. I simply pulled together a bunch of parts that all fit together into a bigger picture. Ultimately, this costume is just a combination of circles, rectangles and triangles dressed up in gold, with some dollar-store spiders, snakes, and rubber cockroaches thrown in.

90% of the materials were recycled, (big thank you to Carol Lavender at The Second Show Thrift Shop for the shower curtain and mesh!)

The first thing I tackled was the headress, built from a vintage nurse's cap I found in my own archive of tattered junk.

Painted it gold

And then just kept adding adding adding.

using gold trims and hand-cut craft materials.

The collar was a disk, made from the shower curtain and reenforced with interfacing,

and attached to a cheap second hand snaky choker necklace, then adorned with

cake decorating leaves, plastic fan parts, and the cockroaches.

Anything that wasn't already gold was spray-painted gold.

The cummberbund is a rectangle of shower curtain fabric

rouched and gathered party-popper style, with a zipper added.

And underneath the cummerbund is a thrift store slip that has a rectangle of gold hanging from the front and back, basted on.

(all parts, including skirt, are jazzed up with hot-glued details. Here, more trim and painted doilies)

Then a tie-shaped sash is attached to the cummerbund, using hooks and eyes, Jazzed up with Egyptian symbols cut out from leftover scraps.

The deco shaped mesh cape was adorned with gold x-mas beading (also from Carol) and attached to arm bangles (paper lanterns) with hooks and eyes:

I sacrificed last year's Morticia wig so I wouldn't have to buy a new one.

Here's Gretchen chopping it off during the "dress rehearsal":

And here's the lovely portrait she painted that day:

which I have to admit looks way more elegant than the actual finished product:

But I had a blast nevertheless.

Fun to make,

Fun to wear!:

(photo by Walter Hill)

Halloween Costume Ingredients

2009-10-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

Vintage Nurse's Cap

Paper lanterns

SPray Paint, Cake decorating leaves, rubber cockroaches

Plastic Souvenir Fan from Florida

Gold shopping bag, bangles

Gold Decoupage Trims

more trim

Bead strands

Shower Curtain

The Corner of Fifth and Diamond

2009-10-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

I promise to get back to the subject of vintage clothing after Halloween next week. Meanwhile, some now-and-then pics of our freshly primed baby....

2001

2009

2001

2005

2009

New Bags!

2009-10-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

Behold ! the new Five and Diamond Shopping Bag:

Artist Laetitia Hussain helped me tweak the design, and then made the silkscreen. She screened 100 bags, and they are already selling. More importantly, I am no longer contributing to the plastic shopping bag crisis.

The flip side, literally, is Snoopy.

These bags are also already recycled; deadstock-promo give-aways originally issued by Met-life. I saved 1300 of them from landfill fate, for the same amount of money 1000 plastic bags would have cost me. Storing them takes up about fifty times the amount of space, but the good karma makes up for it.

The Five and Diamond bags start at $5 each. The price drops as you purchase goodies to go inside it. The Snoopy bags without the 5&D screening are still free with purchase.

blog clog volume iii

2009-09-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

Nothing in particular to blog about today

so in between stirrings of yet another dye bath

(virtually everything shown in my last blog post sold quickly, and it seems I've created a bit of a demand for chocolate, plumb, and eggplant clothing now)

I'm just going to unclog the accumulation of random shop-related tidbits show-and-tell style ---

1) You may notice a box at the right of this page, showing a Five and Diamond facebook link. If you're on facebook, I urge you to "Become a Fan". The statuses will update you on any special news or events, like the big sidewalk sale I usually have during Hudson Artswalk (Columbus Day Weekend), or, special open days/hours, secret passwords for secret discounts, etc etc. If you want to post pictures of your Five and Diamond purchases on the page (or here on the blog), we can arrange fun stuff like that too. Anyway, just join up; I promise it won't be too spammy.

The Twister™ window:

Big Hit. I found the circa 1970 numbers dress on a trip upstate a few weeks ago, the same day I took this picture of the Partridge Family School bus out on Rt 23.

I generally don't like primary colors (hate'm really),

but they were calling out to me from everywhere that day.

Even the bad paintings I bought that day (occupational hazard, and only $5 each)

were all about blue, red, yellow.

3) I visited the Adirondack Museum recently, and really enjoyed that they feature a fair amount of old, interesting clothing in their exhibits.

Check out these mittens made out of guess what--- Collies! Yikes.

And here's Teddy Roosevelt's overcoat,

which in fact was pretty damn boring except that I noticed that all the buttons had been moved over substantially at some point, making the front of the coat awkwardly asymetrical. I'm guessing Teddy must have lost some weight and was too frugal to buy a new one that fit...? Fascinating, right?...

I did love what they called a "camp dress":

and this corduroy blazer, (both ca. 1920).

(I highly recommend the Adirondack Museum if you're ever up that way.)

4. This is drummer, singer, songwriter, poet Simon.

Simon likes to call me at odd hours and make me open the shop on my days off.

Sinse he's a travelling, rambling musician on-the-go I always accommodate him.Then he picks out some stuff and haggles relentlessly (I love him anyway).

Recently I had to talk him out of this totally yummy leather jakcet

because I hadn't had a chance to put it on a mannequin and show it off yet. I talked him into this one instead, which was $100 cheaper:

He still wanted to haggle.

But I think 85 bucks for a beautifully worn in motorcycle jacket that fits like a glove is a total steal, so I stood firm.

5. Oh, yeah, guess what- the 80s are back.

"..for like the 80th time" (- Mike Al bo)

Exactly.

Enough already. I'm too old to appreciate the "vintageness" of the 80s (and those primary colors), but I did slip up a bit the other day when I bought this 80s cocktail dress, because it's a throwback to the 1940s. And is backless. And sideless. And has a cleavage keyhole.

I've got it priced at $35 so it doesn't take up precious space for too long. If it were really from the 40s I'd want almost three times that price. Come and get.

6) It's getting cold out. Here's a great old authentic US Navy P-coat I picked up at the Madison-Bouckville flea market in Auugust.

Check out that fat collar. I don't think they make them like that anymore.

Plus it's as wind-proof as an x-ray blanket.

It was 90 degrees the day I was there, and I didn't want to schlepp it around, so I tried my best not to buy it. just keep walking, just keep walking...

The seller started barking at me:

" It's the real deal, but it goes in the dumpster if nobody buys it", He said.

"Dirty Trick" I said.

Then he showed me the inside.

The lining had a whole hand-me-down provenance of all the sailors who wore the coat.DC = discharge.

VC =Very Cool.

The deal was sealed. What was also kind of sweet was how me and the seller simultaneously pulled out our identical pocket spiral notebooks, and jotted down our identical record:

"P-coat ... $5"

Last but not least, some recent happy customers

(who I forgot to say "Smile!" to:)

The dress that spawned/My new obsession

2009-08-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

It took like a year, but this super-tiny, silk cocktail dress finally sold yesterday.

Kind of a Cinderella story; no one could fit into it.

But everyone was just ga-ga about the yummy lavender-gray color, which was a complete accident/experiment with an already-used blue dye bath.

Now I've got a big cardboard box in my house labelled "To Dye", where all the dingy, faded, blemished, unsellable ugly ducklings go for re-hab.

Under my kitchen sink, I maintain a healthy supply of RIT dye.

This week's dye bath was "cocoa brown".

An assortment of nylon, linen, silk, and cotton items. You can see in this clothesline pic how the dye effects each fabric differently, which is part of the fun of dyeing clothes. (er...cue Forest Gump chocolate quote here.? )
Some things came out plumby here, some came out chocolaty. Either way, easily my favorite batch yet.

Last week's bath was navy blue. The rayon, silk organza, and linen here all took the dye very differently here too.

Caroline snatched up the 1940s lace/linen blouse before I could even hang it in the store.

This next batch was done in what I call a "ghost bath". That's when I use the dye bath a second time, just to see what happens. The green patio umbrella you see in the background was dyed in the same bath as the hanging clothes, but in the first bath. Big difference.

But I actually preferred the oatmeal color of the ghost bath over the green of the umbrella.

This batch here was done in wine a few months back.

Before and after of a linen dress in that bath:

(I liked it better in white, but the applique colors had bled and it looked terrible).

Anyway-- now I'm just rambling on, and I've got to get to work and open up.

Before I go, some random tips::

Pick garments that are otherwise unwearable, so you've got nothing to lose/ruin.
No shortcuts, Follow the directions on the package.

Get a huge pot, unless you're only dyeing one thing.
Do it on the stove, and stir often, if not constantly.(I would never put dye in my washing machine, but maybe that's just me.)

Get heavy duty rubber gloves. Wear a smock or clothes you can trash, you may splash the dye on yourself.

Rinse really well, and then wash any dyed garments separately by hand anyway.
Try the ghost bath out-- you never know what unusual but fabulous muted colors may come about.

Watnot Redux This Morning!

2009-07-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

Remember about a year and a half ago when I posted a big blog post about the Watnot Shop closing? Bestest junk store ever; I was pretty distraught at the time and I still haven't fully recovered...

Anyway, yesterday Mr. Tanner calls me on the phone and tells me he and Lois have been cleaning out their barn and have uncovered many more boxes of textiles and linens that haven't seen the light of day in decades---I should come check it out.

How cool is that?

They set up this morning at a barn sale out in the middle of apple farm country, a few miles out of town.

Complete with black cat and rusty old gas pump.

Check out my haul.

Beacon blankets and 1950s cowboy fabric:

Vintage buttons and spectacles:

Curtains and remnants galore:

and more curtains and remnants galore:

The only stuff that qualified as clothing for the shop were these hand tatted chemise tops:

But so what? I got a major junk fix, and am stockpiling a great collection for my week in Brimfield this September.

say cheese

2009-07-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry to be neglecting the blog so.
Hopefully I can find some time this week to pull some stuff together from the growing blog-clog file.
In the meantime, I did slop together this big fat video slide show the other day, from shop pictures taken over the last couple of years. (The music, a Michael Jackson In the Closet Remix, is one of my favorite MJ songs you never hear anywhere.)
Big Thank You to all the customers who let me take their picture! Enjoy...

Thanks, I'll stick with French Fries

2009-06-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

Summer is Officially Here! How do you look in your Bathing Suit?

Meet Chi-Chi

2009-06-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

There's nothing I love more than buying an old dress from its original owner.

This is Chi-Chi

Chi-Chi and her mid-50s black and red party dress with the 23 inch waist and the rhinestone buttons.

Chi-Chi called me out of the blue yesterday and invited me out to her family's (18th C) dairy farm in Hillsdale to look at a bunch of old clothes she wanted to get rid of. A customer at Chi-Chi's "Self Serve Tag Sale (Put the money in the Can Thank You)" told her about me and Chi-Chi acted on the tip.

(By the way, Chi-chi makes her own reinforced and grommeted tent flaps out of awning remnants and fabrics from the sale bin at Joanne's Fabrics--- Kudos!)

Anyway- Here are a just few more of Chi-chis (and her mother's) dresses that I will be ironing tomorrow when I open up. I promised to find them good homes.

Hippie Chick Fashion Report

2009-06-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

Just back from my annual weekend at Mountain Jam, best hippie-chick watching festival in the east.

Here's the quickie Fashion Wrap-up:

Best vintage, by default, ( it was the only I could find, Ack!!.):

Best Smile and Flowers in her hair:

Best Hat:

Best patchwork ad nauseum:

Best, worst and only mullet:

Best t-shirt:

Best Little Edie Beale "You-can-always-take-off-the-skirt-and-use-it-as-cape" ensemble:

Best dressed musician, Richie Havens (yes I was this close):

Best save of an otherwise totally boring outfit by adding red cowboys boots (you can never go wrong--)

Best cowboy boots, overshadowed by worst tie-dye:

Worst public display of teeth-flossing during a Michael Franti set:

(ok...I swear, this woman spent a minimum of three minutes flossing right in front of me, looking up at the mountain, oblivious to me taking her picture. I took several---praying to God she would notice me and stop !)

And the Grand Prize Bestest Hippie Chick outfit of the weekend:

Holy earth tone sweater in broad horizontal stripes, worn with gauzy pink/charteus maxi skirt and pink and black Converse high-tops. Purple nail polish completes this fabulous ensemble. Humble, stylish, not overstated, not understated. My Favorite.

Not-so-Secret Sources

2009-05-15T04:58:00.000-07:00

...Part one in a series where I actually divulge some of my secret vintage sources!...

As I think I've whined here before, customers regularly ask me:

"Where do you get all this great stuff?"

(as if I would grab a piece of paper and write down the secret location of a big wholesale warehouse full of yummy vintage for them...)

The simple answer is this:

Everywhere and anywhere I can.
I'm a born treasure hunter, and if there is vintage nearby I will sniff it out.
For example,
Check out this trove of vintage I discovered just last week:

Take a wild guess where it was. Go ahead, take a shot...

I'll pan out a bit:

--- look closely now---
...Here's another view...

Yup.
I was at the freakin' mall!

Right across from Radio Shack and Build-A-Bear...

Huge store, called Capital Costume, with vintage furnishings and costume supplies as well, all reasonably priced. Most of the really great dresses were out of my price range (for resale), but I did manage to buy some cheaper damaged things that I can repair, as well as these fab late-60s go-go boots

just in time for Trixie and Gio's You-can-Wear-White Party next week.

Next week, I'll tell you about the incredible house call I went on on Mother's Day...the 90-some year old pack-rat hadn't thrown away a stitch of clothing since 1949.

I need someone to model some of these clothes for me for the next blog...sizes 6 through 12 (she gained weight over those 60 years)...So come on in and play dress-up with me....

These are Your Bosom Friends

2009-05-07T05:44:00.001-07:00

... and no one will suspect...

(I wish they'd explain the lace doily bosom yarmulke thingies pictured lower right)(click to enlarge)

from a 1930's department store catalog

Pop Quiz!

2009-04-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

Fill in the blanks:

Here are your choices:

A. Pedal Pushers
B. Nassau Shorts
C. Toreadors
D. Slacks
E. Ranch Pants
F. Calf Skinners
G. Short Shorts
H. Slim Jims
I. Bermuda Shorts
J. Capri Pants
K. Clam Diggers
L. Jamaica Shorts

(Yes there is more than one answer for some).

Here's a hint --so you are sure to get at least one correct.

(Oh go ahead, it's only 14 seconds--)

Pernille in My Grey Garden

2009-04-17T05:03:00.000-07:00

Finally some warmer spring weather around here this week!
Not to mention all the building Grey Gardens anticipation...

Pernille, Buddah and I decided to do an Edie-Edie inspired fashion shoot.

(Turns out we didn't have to look any further than my own back yard for the perfect dingy, grey backdrop.)

The clothes are a combination of stuff I've had forever, stuff I just got last week in Vermont, and stuff I've hidden away upstairs because it's too fragile to hang in the shop, like this amazing chiffon and lace 1920s garden dress, in mint condition:

Check out the whole set of photos here.

And have a Great Weekend!

Blog Clog Volume II

2009-04-12T03:06:00.000-07:00

Blog Clog is, to quote myself, "when too many ho-hum blog post ideas pile up in the drafts folder-- and I decide to mush them all together into one big, easy, condensed, ho-hum blog post". Purging the system.

1) First Speaking of purging the system... People are taking advantage of the fact that I'm over-stocked and need to move stuff along already. Easter weekend has been extremely busy and isn't even over yet. The new $10-or-less rack is offering some great bargains---much of it selling at or below cost. Check out this wool ochre coat with original tags. Was $55, snatched up for ten bucks.So, if you score a real bargain on one thing, it takes the sting out of me holding my ground when I want $75 for a special piece like the victorian blouse this girl bought the other day:

2)Do you know this woman?
She left a very pretty scarf here- would love to get it back to her. It's just a coincidence I have a picture of her, because she modeled this 80s denim jacket for me, something I sort of detest but got in a big box lot once. Kind of Mildred Pierce meets Sherlock Homes meets Canal Jean?
Some of us who were already adults in the 80's can't really appreciate the younger generation's love of 80's fashion. I didn't wear it then, I don't want to see it now. It's kind of bugging me that 95% of the "Vintage" on etsy.com is from the 80s and 90s, but whadda you gonna do? We all draw the vintage line in a different place.

3) Pssst! Wanna get a Pucci dress at Goodwill prices?
Well guess what? Our local Goodwill Store has one!

It's authentic polyester and has an Emilio-Pucci-for-Blah-dee-Blah label inside.
Price.... $399.99. Wah-waaah, not much of a Goodwill price. Further developments to be announced; Five and Diamond has a team of special agents watching the dust gather on this very rare and precious piece...

4) Door to Door Darning

San Francisco artist Michael Swaine is my new Recycle/Repair hero. He created a portable ice-cream cart-style mending station, complete with umbrealla and pedal-powered sewing machine. Very cool... here's the vid-

5) Grey Gardens!

Who's having me over Saturday night for the HBO premiere of Grey Gardens? If PM Wine Bar doesn't pull through with a premier party, I'm going to need an invitation. This is one of those extremely rare situations where I cannot wait for the DVD. From what I saw in the trailer, Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore do an awesome job, not to mention the art direction and costuming.

6) Rest in Peace, Princess Mitzi

Sorry to end with sad news, but I must mention that our wonderful shop cat, Princess Mitzi, passed away 2 weeks ago.
Mitzi loved sleeping in the window

sleeping in the apron bin

and sleeping on any/all petticoats.

She was also extremely affectionate and silly, often goofing on customers by pretending she was a hat:

She is, and will be, sorely missed.

Spring Bonnets and Noses

2009-04-08T05:56:00.001-07:00

Spring Bonnets:

Noses:

Happy Spring!

2009-03-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

I was totally inspired today when my neighbor Ngonda stopped in to shop.
Ngonda's your classic girl-on-the-go, always trotting down 5th street with great style, hair, and purpose.....
Today I lucked out, and she had a little extra time to model some merch for me.....

>

Will the real Barbie please stand up?

2009-03-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

So today is Barbie's 50th birthday! Whoopdeedooo!
Perfect opp to show you my 2004 Barbie Halloween costume.

(Unfortunately I can't find any high-res pics. These will have to do.)
The costume was based on the original swimsuit Barbie from 1959, and was way more fun to make than it was to wear.
Not only did I have to crash diet all week and still cinch my waist to the smallest size I could bear/still breathe, I also had to DJ all night looking through tiny pinholes in the mask.
I'd made the mask out of one of those plastic wig form faces, so I could paint on Barbie's evil side-glancing eyes as accuratly as possible.
I made the bathing suit out of some tacky sweater-top thing, and wore it over a vintage bustier and the cincher I'd made out of canvas and skirt hooks. (Oi, Never try this; just get a white strapless bathing suit and paint the stripes on).
The 6-inch high lucite shoes were a $38 splurge, but have since come in handy for my Mermaid costume, Tina Turner costume, Morticia Addams costume, and Lady Gaga Costume. (I like to be tall on Halloween...)
Several finishing touches included pink coat (it was October after all) with oversized buttons and "B" monogram, oversized faux pearl earrings, pink hand mirror, chunky white sunglasses, and black patent leather purse with Barbie's ® name.

lost art of the hemmed patch

2009-03-04T14:46:00.000-08:00

This ca 1930 undershirt doesn't look like much in this picture: but it's made of extremely fine knit silk and has gusseted/ reinforced armholes. All in all, rather precious in its simplicity/antiquity, and,
I had a couple of people drooling over it already --but I didn't want to sell it until I could mend a bunch of small holes it had along the bottom hem.
Blogger wouldn't let me upload more than 5 pics, so you'll have to click on this composite to get the gist of it. The hemmed patch is basically a reverse applique, that is finished off so no raw edges are exposed. Tidy and loving, for a special garment you're not ready to throw in the rag bin.

Very recession chic.
Before: After:

Remember

2009-02-17T12:37:00.001-08:00

You can never be overdressed,
only underdressed.

Five and Diamond Vintage
Corner 5th & Columbia Sts.
Hudson, NY
Thurs-Sun 12-5 pm,
and by appointment.

Live report from Albany, NY : It's getting bad out there...

2009-02-11T10:15:00.000-08:00

Be afraid, be very afraid. .This is what I saw at the mall today.

I could not bring myself to go inside this store and price these things-- it's mind boggling enough they exist at any price, they're so ugly....

....And this is what I saw at Salvation Army today:

Yes, ugly 70s polyester shit shows up daily at Sal's, but if you take a good look at this pic you can see that they're priced at $19.99 each!.

whatta world, whatta world...

Painless Velcro Removal

2009-01-19T05:45:00.000-08:00

Have I ever mentioned that I provide a variety of minor clothing repair services?

January is a perfect time of year to go through your closets and drawers and take inventory of all the things you don't really wear anymore because they need a little help.

Maybe it's a broken zipper,

a fallen hem, open seam,

a missing button/hook/clasp,

a little moth hole...?

Keep in mind I've got thousands of buttons and notions and am pretty handy with a needle and thread.

Things not to bring me include wedding dress or suit alterations, shot-out linings, invisible zippers, and anything involving velcro installation.

Old Catalogs

2009-01-09T04:31:00.001-08:00

1929NtlBellasHess-19
Originally uploaded by Old Catalogs

Old catalogs are incredibly rich references for anyone who collects or deals in vintage items. This morning I was cleaning up some bookmarks and rediscovered the blog and flickr page of user "Old Catalogs". This person actually scans every page of the hundreds of various catalogs he has collected (A-Z, not just clothing), and then posts them on his flickr page. Talk about a labour of love--- hundreds and hundreds of pages of irresistible eye candy. Go AHead, click the pic above---but be prepared to spend an hour or two....

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T07:17:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone....
From my ass to yours!

I'm at my Mom's house, rummaging through old photo albums, scanning up a storm. (You have been warned.)

I grew up in the 60s and 70s, both great decades for wild and wonderful clothing.
The above is Xmas mid 70s.

Below is Xmas mid 60s.
"Oh Santa, didn't you get my letter? I didn't want to be a Mommy, I wanted the vinyl attache case full of Matchbox® cars!"

What's up with the collar on my blouse? One point has horizontal stripes while the other has vertical. My Aunt Roberta must have made this ensemble. She was ----

Aw shucks- I'm being called for dinner--- Gotta Go- You're spared 'til next week---

Have a Great Holiday!

A Very Barbie Christmas Tree

2008-12-21T13:53:00.000-08:00

I know, you didn't want to click on a link with the word "Barbie" in it, but isn't my shop Christmas tree pretty cute? (click on it for larger version)
All the ornaments are authentic vintage 60's Barbie clothes.
I was supposed to put them on ebay but have now changed my mind...

Slow Day Levi's Quiz

2008-12-20T12:25:00.000-08:00

Four pair of Levi's jeans. Match the jeans with the price they sold for on ebay.
One pair got no bids, One pair sold for $10, one pair for $600 (the ones I sold -yay!), and one pair for $4,000.

A)
B)C)
D)
Leave your guess as a comment. Winner gets nothing; it's too easy to cheat...

(and please don't everyone use the alias "anonymous")

All that Glitters

2008-12-18T14:25:00.000-08:00

Slow day today, so I'm playing dress-up with a small sampling of the great dresses I have here that would be fab for your New Years party.

Please forgive the poor photography, it's tough being both model and photographer, especially when half the dresses don't fit ...

This silver one is not the one I wore last Saturday night (that one had a jeweled neckline, remember? plus Everyone made me promise not to sell it)...
This off-white wiggle dress is very fitted with a rouched bustline and gold warp threads. Very shimmery, much better in person...
This green and black maxi dress has an empire waist:
This metallic glittery daisy dress is extra-large and has a matching coat with rhinestone buttons. The dress also has pockets, a feature those of us who hate to carry purses just love :
This one is x-tra-small and has a velvet bodice with bubbly skirt. So No Way for me but maybe you can pull it off:
...And More great glitter I was too lazy to model. The deco one on left below is a generous size and the sequined top is just one of many sequined items I have that are perfect for New Years.

Five and Diamond will be closed most of week next week for Christmas (Mon 22nd-Thursday 25th) but OPEN Fri, Sat, Sun. Have a Great Holiday!

My favorite Dress? Again?

2008-12-07T14:30:00.000-08:00

One of my all-time favorite vintage dresses is a faux bois knit wool sheath from the 60s that I got at the Salvation Army thrift store about five years ago.

Imagine my surprise when it showed up again the other day, in the exact same store.

Do I need another?

Of course not.

So do I sell it?

Of course not!

Why on God's good earth would I put an identical dress to my own out into circulation ---and thus invite the risk having someone else wear it on the same day I wear mine?

Oh the horror! The humiliation!

I'm most certainly keeping them both!

Blog Clog

2008-12-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

Too many ho-hum blog ideas piling up in my drafts folder...so I'm going to mush them all together into one big easy condensed ho-hum blog post this week. Here we go--

1) Bad Christmas Sweaters.

I was in this store in Chicago a couple weeks ago, and was quite alarmed to see these horrifically bad sweaters

priced in the $18 + range, while fairly-groovy nylon shirts in the same store were priced at only $5-$8. I am totally out of the kitsch loop or something. Maybe in Chicago there are hip crowds that have really fun bad sweater parties?
(Hmmm, I have a birthday coming up next week...maybe I'm onto something here-)

Then yesterday I get this email from Style Mob telling me I can win a $200 gift certificate for finding the best "deliciously ugly" Christmas sweater. Here's the link if you're inclined to enter. I've got more important things to do---like

2) Working on my new Hudson Winter Walk "costume".
It's a miniature, hopefully-wearable Hudson Opera House made out of foam core and cardboard. I've got 72 hours to figure out how to rig it with lights, music, and a harness so my hands will be free. Ack.

3) Fur is dead.

On Black Friday I sold my last fur coat. No big deal, no preaching, no drama .... just no more fur coats. I will still carry plenty of suede, leather, and the occasional fur-trimmed item.

4). Melissa

Melissa is the rising star curator at Carrie Haddad Photographs, the new gallery at 318 Warren Street. She wore this for the grand opening Saturday night. It is the most divine shade of acorn squash you have ever seen, and of course she bought it here at Five and Diamond Vintage....

Last but not least

5) Christmas shopping in Hudson

..... scads of really great, unique gift ideas under $100, all right here in town.

Scroll sideways for lots of eye candy.

See you at Winter Walk. Five and Diamond will be open until 7PM.

Behold the Fast Phat Ascot

2008-11-22T09:30:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I fire things out onto the internet just to be sure they're kept in a safe place where I can find them again. Such is the case with these easy-as-pie directions for a homemade ascot, which I've now had to make for more than one dandy Hudson antique dealer. Each time from scratch without plans.

It's so easy anyone could make it in under an hour. I should be churning out a bunch for Christmas ...

These plans are really just for me to jog my memory for next time, so if it doesn't make sense and you need better details just email me.

Start with two pieces of fabric 8" x 56". Silk or rayon. Have angles for pointed ends start at 3" from end (see top of my sketch below).

If you want more drama make that 4" (ascots aren't always tucked in, after all).

Draw in those angles and trim away excess. Sew right sides together all the way around leaving 6 inch opening to turn right side out. Press, keeping seam allowances at opening folded, and sew it closed.
Hold tie lengthwise and divide width of tie into 3 sections. Use a ruler and chalk, or wing it like I do. Then divide each third into thirds again. Think: three three-lane highways all along side each other (refer to my sketch again, bottom part).

Pleat each 1/3 section of tie into thirds and press. The two outer sections should be mirror image of each other, do them first. Then do center section and press it all down. Make sure the pleated sections lay along side each other and don't bulk up on each other.

Sew down at center, and again 6 inches from center on either side.
Viola, guess what, you're done.

From here on out you're on your own...see Wikipedia on how to tie the thing.

Helen Shaw: First Lady of Fly-Tying

2008-11-11T04:36:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty much a sucker for clothing with interesting provenance, and will usually gobble up any history I can get on the garments I find. These opportunities are sort of few and far between-but fun when they happen.

Last week I went on a house call here:

a little cottage in the woods by a stream, where Helen Shaw and her husband lived for some 35 years.
This is Helen in the left of this photo

Helen was known as the First Lady of Fly-Tying. Originally from Wisconsin,
she was an expert fly-tier. She and her husband Herman, who was a photographer and art director for Field and Stream Magazine, collaberated on a few popular, ground-breaking books on the fine art of fly-tying.

Herman died in 1993 and Helen died just last year at the age of 97.
A major auction house got all the fly-fishing stuff and sold it all on ebay last week;

I got access to the clothing in the closets.

Judging from their wardrobes alone, I would have liked to have known these two.
They were artsy Manhattanites who had moved to the country in the 70s. Down-to-earth sportsmen, but with fashionable good taste. Brooks Brothers, Abercrombie and Fitch, Saks Fifth Avenue. Labels with fishies jumping off of hooks and such---and all very wearable. And--- a big yummy necktie collection that Helen carefully stashed away with home-made sachets ...

This is one of Helen's fly -fishing ensembles, with all these gizmos on it for I-Don't-know-what:And this is one of her silk cocktail dresses:
An olive green suit: and a wool lounging gown with gold embroidered paisleys:
I like to think my customers are as interested in provenance as I am, so I decided to make some special price tags just for Helen's stuff. When someone buys one of Helen's pieces, they get a little herstory with it. A photo of a beautiful, talented woman, who once wore this...

I think it would be fun a hundred years from now to buy an old anglers jacket at a flea market, take it home, and find a picture of Helen in the pocket that says ---"this once belonged to Helen Shaw....the First Lady of Fly-Tying."

I've Been Discovered

2008-11-09T15:08:00.000-08:00

Five and Diamond Vintage, appearing now, in the December issue of LUCKY Magazine! THE magazine of Shopping and Style.

"Charmingly shabby....always freshly stocked..."

The people at Lucky were extremely nice and very thorough... they restyled half the store for interior photos, but didn't use them--- so you will just have to travel to Hudson and discover what's inside yourself. I am buried here under mountains of fresh merchandise... Here's a few new arrivals that are not sold yet.....

This week's model, Lucie, walked in on Friday and said she needed a dress to get married in. Not a wedding gown, a dress to get married in---the next day. Here's the dress (and boots) she bought for her ceremony at City Hall. Perfect....

and Congratulations!

Morticia, Gomez, and Thing..

2008-10-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

OK. The only thing I really want to mention about the Morticia Addams dress is the "Fun Stix". Fun Stix are just a Wal-Mart name for 12 inch pipe cleaners, sold in the craft department. I spliced them together and sewed several of them into the hem of the bottom of the dress to help the tails splay outwards (the fake rose doubles as a prop to keep the tails out, btw).
It was a good idea that worked, but went unnoticed--( just as I'd suspected). Everybody's eyes were on my best accessories, Gomez and Thing.

Alan created the "Thing" illusion entirely from scratch, using a fake hand to hold the box, and then rigging his real hand into the box through a hole in the suit, all the while supporting the box with a handmade belt rig.

Thing entertained all evening by lighting cigarettes and buying drinks.
Thank You Thing.

Good Times.

(more KW: Morticia Addams Halloween Costume, Gomez, Thing, home-made, how-to )

My Halloween Dress- Sneak Preview!

2008-10-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

This year I had a serious hankering to make a good Morticia Adams dress. I finished it yesterday, and today I modeled it for artist Gretchen Kelly.

Check her blog daily for wonderful watercolors and guaches...

Next week I'll post photos and way more than you want to know about the making of the dress. Meanwhile...
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Paisley for Brains*

2008-10-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've been neglecting the "vintage clothing" aspect of this vintage clothing blog for the last few weeks--- and since I'll probably be blabbing about Halloween costumes next week, I'm tapping out this quickie to let you know that I decided to go through my very precious, very personal, paisley shirt collection --- and chose a few to dispense into the shop inventory.

These hard-to-find colorful cotton shirts from the 60s are a huge favorite of mine, so consider this a major store event.

* "Paisley for Brains" is the name of a Musty Chiffon Show, and may be copyrighted. I don't know, but I'm sure Musty would loan me the phrase with her blessing...

The Carribano 502

2008-10-16T12:46:00.001-07:00

Did I ever tell you how my shop used to be a reggae bar?
Yup.

There was DJ booth, a mirrored barback, and a secret speakeasy-like lounge & kitchen in the basement, complete with posters of Jamaica hanging on the walls.

Where I sit behind the counter in my heap of projects is right where the dance floor used to be.

Around 2000 this neighborhood was so bad with drugs and crime the owners basically abandoned their business to save their sanity. A bullet hole on the Diamond Street side of the building remains as a reminder of Hudson's "Good Ol' Days".

When Alan bought the building in 2001, there were layers of bad panelling and linoleum, and a dropped ceiling. It all got peeled back to the original walls and floors.

Here are some before and after pictures of my shop. Looking west:

And looking east:

(I am really good at filling up space with stuff.)

My wallet turns 30 this week!

2008-10-08T05:14:00.000-07:00

Purchased new in Woodstock, NY, October 1978

Making it work

2008-10-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

Remember a few weeks ago when I got into the attic of that big mansion with all the really old clothes?
Well there was a garbage pile in the middle of the attic floor, where they had thrown all the tattered "beyond repair" mouse eaten clothes that they figured I wouldn't want.

I put a clause in my $$ offer that allowed me to rummage through the garbage pile and take whatever I wanted from it.
One of the (many bagfuls of) items I found was this adorable telephone print shirtwaist dress from the 50's-60s.
This is the after picture:

The dress had about 6 -7 bad mousechew holes in, including this big one on the back. It was a mess.

But the print was so cute, tiny old-style telephones everywhere
I was determined to save it, even if it meant turning it into a $12 apron.

But the good news was that there was a 3 inch deep hem in the dress; plenty to steal and use for patch repair, and re-hem without shortening the dress.

Here's the back of the dress after all the repairs, and ta-daa, there's even enough hem fabric leftover to make a matching belt. ( Or patch it a dozen more times in another 50-60 years).

Rachel gets her own blog entry!

2008-09-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

This is Rachel.

Rachel wins the shopper-of-the-month award.

She got a special little discount today because

a) She bought three dresses, including the salmon pink poet-sleeved number above and the tomato red sweater-dress mini below:

b) She has a 22 and a half inch waist , making her the only person within a 100 mile radius to fit into the tulip dress everybody's been drooling over:

and

c) She's the only customer who has ever admitted to reading this blog (Somehow she found the blog before she found the store--but, hey-- whatever!).

Thank You, Rachel!

Gallery of dubious trend ideas

2008-09-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

Remember a couple months ago when I mentioned starting a Paris garter trend? ...

From Five and Diamond Vintage

Yeah, never happened.

Today, as it rained outside I managed to piss away at least an hour dredging up lame fashion trend ideas out of my iphoto library.

Some more original than others, none worth persuing. Play along with me anyway...

1) Corset as outer garment:
(seen it, been there, done that)

2) Sleeves removed but cuffs saved and worn:
(I just loved the big mother-of pearl buttons)

3) Dog collars
(mine has a local dog-shaped tag, from 1911, a fantastic charm)

4) Similarly, cat collars, but worn on the ankle:
(the little bell keeps the birdies safe from harm)

5) Vintage sweater clasps worn between the lapels of an old scoop-neck vest:
(This one I think is quite viable actually)

And ...last but not least---
6) Hair Nets!:

My first attempt was very Donald Trump!

Back to School

2008-09-07T07:45:00.001-07:00

Back to School Window, 2005:
(Sure wish I could find more crazy pants-)

Back to School, 2008:

Alan has done a beautiful job building wooden shop windows from scratch, replacing the old metal one on the Diamond Street side, and the one that was boarded up on the Fifth Street side.

Flippin' Leather and Lace

2008-09-06T05:43:00.000-07:00

I'm stealing a moment on this rainy morning to post some pics while I do laundry.
Things have been crrrrraaazy lately -- I still haven't recovered from Labor Day weekend...

On Saturday I went on a house call here:
...a 3 million dollar estate on the Hudson that had a fantasy attic full of old stuff (not to mention a 25 foot ladder to the widows walk tower), including tons of very old clothing, lace, and sewing notions (yum). The owners had emptied out trunk after trunk of stuff onto the floor to let me pick through.
Too fun. I made a pile, and made an offer.

Back at the store later that day, I let this customer paw through one of the boxes that I hadn't even gone through yet.
She had her own little quiet treasure hunt going on on the floor, and dug up this stunning lace victorian dress I hadn't seen yet. I gave her a price and she bought it-I think to get married in.

The next day I sold this black lace flapper dress, also from the lot, about 2 hours after hanging it up behind the counter.It has a divine asymmetrical hemline.

On Monday I was exhausted and almost didn't open the shop. Pernille stopped in to say Hi and I asked to her model this new leather motorcycle pullover I'd just gotton on Thursday. Pretty hot, no?:
She ended up buying it.

We also had a rare celebrity appearance at Five and Diamond... Parker Posey--and three delightful friends
who seemed to have a great time time in the shop playing dress-up. Here's Parker in the 40s rayon dress she bought, zipping up her friend in the 70s maxi.
You can hardly seem them in the pic, but Parker also tried on the tap shoes and showed us her "untapped" tap-dance talents. Shucks I didn't get that picture.
Here they all are with Gracie the dog, sitting on the newly-painted stoop (Thank You Alan!)

All told (not really, this is the super-abridged synopsis), it was Five and Diamond's best weekend ever. Thank You everyone!

Just a Few Happy August Customers...

2008-08-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

Hold the skirt up...
Higher...

Exactly...
Perfect.

bridesmaid revisited

2008-08-15T12:07:00.000-07:00

I did a double-take when saw the cover of this book yesterday,
"You Can Wear it Again, A Celebration of Bridesmaids' Dresses",

for I was a bridesmaid in a tacky mauve-taffetta-pseudo-can-can dress once:

A small miracle I am smiling in above picture (click it for higher res); I was the most miserable, uncooperative, stingy bridesmaid ever.

The dress, hat, shoes cost well over $100, not to mention the necessary $20+ strapless brassiere (which I still have 26 years later thankyouverymuch).
I was already a seasoned thrift-shopper at age 21, so these were astronomical amounts of money to me.

To make matters worse, I caused a mini-scandal when I showed up at the wedding with all my thick, luscious, hippie-chick armpit hair, despite urgent pleas from everyone that I shave it off for the wedding.

So- I promised not raise my arms any higher than this:

Hideous as it was, I held onto that dress for more years than Heather and Les were married, clinging to some hope I'd figure out a way to use it again someday (yeah, Halloween...) but of course that day never came.

Finally a Bride

2008-08-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

I'm delighted to report that a dress from Five and Diamond Vintage finally made it onto a bride right here in Hudson, NY.
Congratulations Jeannie! White chiffon and lace really suit you---Thanks for sending the pic!

Did'ja Ever Wonder ?.....

2008-08-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

Did'ja ever wonder how a guy on stilts fits into a Port-O-Potty?

He takes off his hat, of course!

(I shot these yesterday at the All Points West Music Festival.)

Swimsuit Issue Volume II !

2008-08-03T08:41:00.000-07:00

Quickly, before I head over to open up shop--- Just a few more swimsuits from Five and Diamond that showed up at Trixie's fabulous swimsuit party last night.
First,
Jessie stole the show in this brown 50s bombshell one-piece. She won best costume for looking so damn hot! (Hello- I felt like a proud grandmother; I pulled that suit out of my personal collection and brought over to the shop just yesterday...)
Then there was the classic black wool suit from the 30's (how did this girl dance all night in that hot itchy thing?==extra kudos!)

And let's not forget Homer, who scored the only Borat thong I've ever let pass through my doors. (You gotta love this town.)

The Swimsuit Issue

2008-08-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for Trixie's Swimsuit party tomorrow night at Jason's?

All the details are at gayhudson.com.

Meanwhile.... Here are some real people looking really fabulous in vintage swimsuits from Five and Diamond.

Hudson, New York.

P.S. This 1960s cabana boy/beach ensemble is still available. Drawstring pants with very see-thru matching top to show off your pecs and guns.

Have a Great Weekend!

Some Girls

2008-07-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

We have a motto at Five and Diamond Vintage:

"Some girls you practically never find out what's the matter."

It's a line I plucked out of The Catcher in the Rye a couple of years ago and got sort of attached to for some reason.

If you don't get it, never mind.
(Hey, that would have made a good motto too--)

Or... just read the book again...

Anyway, I made a bunch of t-shirts and tanks bearing the quote, and wouldn'tcha know it, they actually got kind of popular this summer and sold out. (Maybe cuz I put them out where people could see them?)

If you missed out, don't despair. I made a new batch last week, in fun summer colors.
Each is one of a kind, only $7, and also bears the Five and Diamond logo.

Five and Diamond Vintage, Hudson NY.

No Shame

2008-07-22T07:52:00.001-07:00

Hardly a day goes by in my shop that someone doesn't ask
"Where do you find all this great stuff?"

Depending on how chatty I'm feeling, I either give them the long, whiny "it-ain't-easy-there's-no-secret-wholesale-vintage-warehouse" answer---

or, I just say

"Anywhere I can."

So guess where I found this fun houndstooth suit jacket yesterday?

In a dumspster about 5 houses up the street from me.

(Completely dry and odor-free, but yeah, I'll have it dry-cleaned..)

Other fun scores from this dumpster (sorry, it's gone already) included an "all I got was this stinkin' t-shirt" t-shirt, little boys' cowboy and indian PJ's and bermuda shorts

And a big old volume on homemaking/housewifery from 1928, which has already provided me with at least one full hour of fun summer reading.

Junk Buddies

2008-07-14T11:42:00.001-07:00

I had a nice surprise visit from my friend Mary Randolph Carter the other day.
I met Carter back in 1994 when her first JUNK book, American JUNK was published.
I had just moved up to the country, and was obsessed with yard sales, flea markets, and auctions. Within a year I was a full-fledged junk dealer myself, and Carter was one of my best customers, using a lot of my finds in her subsequent junk books Kitchen Junk, Garden Junk, and Big City Junk.

(click these links to buy her fabulous books!)

In this next pic a small film crew joins us at one of my colossal barn sales --to shoot a pilot for a tv series. (These were the olden days, before blogs and websites...)Do I miss all that chipped Pyrex & McCoy? Nah, not really...

And even though I've come a long way since my Fred Sanford days, I still manage to have a barn full of junk. In addition to the boyscout shirt she nabbed in the shop, Carter also went home with a pansy paint-by number, some toy garden tools, vintage wallpaper border, shell-encrusted salt and peppers, plaster Indian head, sailboat/shell ashtray, felt owl string holder, and home-made patchwork mushrooms (who could live without them?)

Fun Times in Hudson, NY

2008-07-07T06:03:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a crazy week it's been around here. And I can't even relax on my day off because I have to pack my truck today for Brimfield tomorrow...

This is this years quintessential Fourth of July Dress:
Slinky 40s rayon--- I pulled it out of my home closet and brought it over to the store just for the holiday week. It sold on Thursday. I miss it already.

...On Friday I got to wear my vintage Pake Muu to a fabulous 4th of July luau here in Hudson.
These are fitted Hawaiian dresses with bat-wing sleeves, made of wonderful colorful rayon prints. I got mine about 6 years ago and this was the first time I ever wore it. These dresses go for several hundred dollars apiece on ebay. I will keep mine as long as I can squeeze into it. And I mean squeeze.

Then on Saturday night there was a Pajama Party in town. At Five and Diamond we had a huge run on negligees

Petticoats

And Paris Garters (Holly and I are hoping to start a trend)...
(Suspenders, Hat, Vest, and DJ Gio's underwear also from Five and Diamond Vintage ...)

p-P-p0InTy bRa aNd BlAcK StoCkInGz

2008-07-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

This week I had the pleasure of posing for artist Gretchen Kelly.
#2

Sexyback

2008-06-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

Holly again.

With her never-ending torso and platinum blonde hair, Holly was the perfect model (again) for this 1930s Hollywood glam satin halter top.

Still available... $48.

Bowling Shirt Bonanza

2008-06-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

I hit the bowling shirt jackpot at a yard sale a couple weeks ago.
It was one of those "pinch-me-I-must-be-dreaming" moments, spread out on this woman's lawn at 8:30 in the morning, pawing through a pile of soft yummy gabardine....

They were not cheap, however. The seller knew their value, and I emptied my wallet buying ten of them. (Strike!)

Holly was nice enough to model these for me, and then promptly emptied her wallet to purchase two of them. (I let her buy the one I was planning to keep for myself!) I'm still ironing and mending many of them, but you can come see what's left on Thursday when I'm open again.

Five and Diamond Vintage, 502 Columbia Street, Hudson, NY

Wiggle Room

2008-06-21T05:40:00.000-07:00

Oh... Check out this cute little wiggle dress I picked up on Monday.

It has a matching double-breasted bolero.

I have spent the last 5 days trying every imaginable magic potion in Ye Olde Workshoppe to get an odd stain off the left ass cheek. The repeated treatments (of paint stripper!) are working and it should be in the window by next week.

More Great Stuff you may Have Missed.

2008-06-10T05:59:00.000-07:00

May '08 was my best month ever, yay! Here's just a teeny sampling of the stuff flying out the doors at Five and DIamond Vintage...
Tails for the Hawthorne Valley graduate:

50's Parisian novelty print circle Skirt:

Chiffon print lounging overdress ca 1940. It lasted only 2 days:

This customer couldn't decide between this dress
..and this dress:
...So she bought both.

I thought I priced these suede disco platforms high enough that they'd hang around for awhile:
Nope. They lasted exactly 2 hours.
Disco girl also bought the crazy owl skirt (Do not attempt to adjust your monitor--)
and this 1930s Housedress, which complimented her tattoos beautifully.

This next dress is one of my favorite all-time dresses; I only owned it a few days, and sadly it didn't fit me :( --but it was still hard to let go. It looks fabulous on Martina!

Finally, in case you're grumpy that I only post pictures of stuff that's already sold, here's an amazing dress that Martina modeled for me but did not buy.
Sequins. Chartreuse. Heaven.

Let's Talk About Sex and the City

2008-05-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

SATC movie opens today, whoopdeedoo. I'll probably catch it in a couple of years when it shows up on the WE channel or something.
Never had HBO, and the current TBS reruns really just don't cut it since they dub in phrases like "sex-Buddy" for "Fuck-Buddy".

I did have fun a couple years ago when Alana put me up to dressing as Sarah Jessica Parker for some Oscar party/filmFest-benefit shindig. Good costuming is all in the details. The final touches of this ensemble were the $695 price tag on the shoes and the big Milk-Dud mole on my chin.

Comparison Shopping

2008-05-22T07:35:00.001-07:00

White antique eyelet/lace underwear thingie, Ralph Lauren Blue Label, $650:

White antique eyelet/lace underwear thingie, Five and Diamond Vintage, $75: