I couldn't have said it better myslef...really!

My favorite shoe guru, Jonathan Walford of Kickshaw Productions, and author of several books on vintage, shoes, paper dresses and fashion history in general, has synopsized the decade in fashion. It really is hard to believe that a whole decade has past since the Y2K scare....where even the lamp at the gyno's office had to be checked and stamped as such (you know ladies...THE lamp). Now we are so wired in that those Y2K people look silly, and with any decade of fashion since the days of the fig leaf, we can look back and say we either did look silly, or we looked great!
So, grab a bottled water, a Starbucks, or some other silly 2K's beverage and have a read. I really couldn't have said it better than Jonathan.

Ralph Lauren thinks a size 4 is fat?

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Wow! If I actually bought any of Ralph Lauren's clothing, I'd boycott!
From what the Today Show is reporting, this model was fired for being too large.
As a graphic artist, I have to say that there is no way the person editing the photo of her, as shown in the video, didn't know exactly what they were doing.
I just don't get why this process has become so commonplace. Sure, fix the zit, maybe soften some deeper wrinkles a bit, zotz out that stray hair, but make a beautiful woman look like she just got out of Willy Wonka's taffy puller? It's just not right!

Two found treasures

I've been busy scraping wallpaper at our "new" building...soooo much wallpaper. With 13' high ceilings, and 100+ years of wallpapering and paint over wallpaper, you can imagine the thickness of what I'm removing. Many of the patterns have been so rich, so colorful, even after all these years. I'm trying my best to get a few pieces to keep, but most of it just falls apart once it's off the wall. I did find this treasure yesterday, though. It was found just as my spirits were a bit diminished by the sweaty, gritty work (it's in the 90s and SO humid here in central Missouri). This was wedged between two layers of paper, on an area that oddly enough was not sticking to the wall anymore. It has a chunk of paint on the back, and a glob on the front, and it did tear (that's my modern tape in the top corner), but for having a date of 1923 on it, it's in good shape.

We don't know what was in our building before the furniture store that occupied it from the post depression to the 80s. Could this label for embroidery floss be a clue? A dry goods shop? Was the wife of the shop owner doing some handywork while waiting for her husband? We may never know!
We also may never know who this fellow was:

This is on the base, bare, plaster layer of the wall. He's been under their for a long time...especially if the embroidery floss gives a clue, as that was on top of two layers of paper already.
Our fellow on the wall was a real surprise as I scraped along. He appears to be in an Edwardian coat and collar. I get an Elvis mixed with Abe Lincoln vibe from him...but then I've been working really hard in the heat.

I plan on putting in a few neat finds for the next folk, maybe some Obama clippings, a few local ads, a nice note. I just love finding treasures!

Who the hell does this lady think she is!?

I'm sorry, but I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to vintage. I'll be the first to say "chop the hem, raise the skirt" IF something had damage down there, and the only way to return it to wearable condition was to repair it. That's just peachy keen with me.
But this gal from Elle magazine has gone too far. She's whacked the bottom off a freakin' DIOR gown, and to add insult, has paired it with a tank top (A TANK TOP!!!!) to make a "dress to wear to a wedding". Now, she does warn against pairing such fine items with such a lowly fabric as cotton. No, she has used a silk and cashmere tank. Well, ok then. As long as you didn't pair it with cotton.

How to make an old evening dress new

A nifty post by a vintage friend

Since I'm so lame at posting blogs lately, I thought I'd pass on a wonderful post by Maggie of Denisebrain Vintage...enjoy!
VINTAGE DENISEBRAIN: Style ideas from my parents

My current project...

Yes, my blogging has been a bit sparse lately, but with good excuse!
When I'm not running Hatfeathers Vintage, I'm working on my other company, doing graphics, printing, and that sort of thing. We've decided to expand, and are renovating an old building downtown to house it.
What are we, nuts!? Yep.
If you'd like to watch the progress of the building renovations, I've made a Flickr set for the progress pics.
Hatfeathers will keep going, and will get more attention once the dust settles (literally). I'll concentrate more on stock than the extraneous stuff like blogs and social sites.
Now, if only I can figure out how to operate at 100% without sleep.

Items of the week...Doin' it Gunne Style

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and these dresses do just that-imitate. Gunne Sax by Jessica McClintock was an extremely popular line of dresses in the mid to late 70s. The style was imitated by other companies and by home seamstresses, as shown by these four dresses currently gracing our "Mid 70s to 80s" section. The hippie boho look is back...so get your Gunne on. Sort of.