Hand-me-downs

I used to love hand-me-downs when I was a kid. I don't have any sisters and I certainly didn't wear my brother's clothes (though there was that one Nike hoodie I stole in high school...), so I was never starved for new clothes. Still, I used to get a fair amount of clothing from family friends and neighbours whose daughters had outgrown their stuff. I thought I was so cool in all the latest 90s wear! Maybe it helped spark my love for second hand and vintage...

Fast forward a couple of decades, and I still love receiving hand-me-downs. These days though, they usually come from friends. However, a few weeks ago mum brought me a couple of things given to her by our next door neighbour to pass on to me. Some things never change!

Sadly, our neighbours' daughter had passed away this past year. M.R. knew that I was into vintage fashion, and while cleaning out some of her daughter's things, held on to a couple of pieces from the 70s she thought I might like. I was only too grateful to accept them!

Number one, a light, printed wrap-around maxi skirt:

And the other, a suede skirt from Turkey...

...which actually came with a matching jacket and belt. Not really my style, but I thought it was worth a photo anyways:

I don't think it's actually a head belt...

I only hope I can do them as much justice as their original owner.

THE DETAILS
Wrap skirt:
Era: 70s
Label: Daniel Hechter
Material:Rayon
Made in Canada

Matching jacket and skirt:
Era: 70s
Label: none
Material: Suede
Made in Turkey

One size does not fit all

One of the (very few) downsides to shopping vintage and second hand is finding your size. In my experience, a lot of shops don't put sizing information on the tags, so you're left to guessing if that shirt or dress is going to fit you. Label information isn't much help either, since sizing has never exactly been standardized and has changed significantly over time. A size 5 in the 1970s is not the same as a size 5 today. Some stores will write S/M/L on the tags, or sometimes waist size, but either way you're still going to have to try it on, since eyeballing it isn't exactly foolproof. Even if you think just by looking at a piece of clothing that it's going to fit perfectly, the change room often proves otherwise.

Such a dilemma presented itself last weekend when I went home to London for the weekend. I decided to check out the vintage scene in London for the first time, and went with mum to The Sentimentalist Vintage Clothing, a cute and quirky second-level shop right downtown. It didn't take long before mum's keen eye spotted a lovely creamy yellow pencil skirt from the 70s. 

Fortunately for this shop, they actually write the size on the tags. Unfortunately, the skirt had a 24" waist. Now, I can squeeze myself into some small stuff, but this was pushing it. And in a vintage shop, it's not like you can ask the clerk for the next size up. You're stuck with what you get. Being the stubborn determined individual I am, however, I went to the change room anyways to try my luck. 

After a fair amount of wiggling (you know the kind I'm talking about...the THIS-WILL-FIT-ME-IF-IT-KILLS-ME wiggle), I managed to squeeze into it and zip 'er up. Not gonna lie, it was tight. I don't wear corsets, but I can imagine that this is what they feel like. Not uncomfortable, but you don't really have full range of motion (or use of your lungs). But, I loved it. Beautifully made and just too perfect to pass up (and only $20). I just hope I don't pass out wearing it.

So here it is, my one-size-too-small skirt. Ain't she a gem?

Bending and sitting are kind of a challenge. But who doesn't love a challenge?! Mum actually had to move the button over to make it a little looser (so it wouldn't pop off and hit someone in the eye).

Oh, and I also picked up this adorable Parisian purse:

Note the penny farthing

 Just goes to show, you don't know until you try!

THE DETAILS
Skirt:
Era: 70s
Label: Braemar Petites by Jeremy Scott
Material: Polyester and viscose
Made in Canada

Purse:
Era: 60s
Label: La Marquise
Material: made of the finest Italian tapestry! (or so says the label)