I am in love with this crappy little chair. It cost $4.

Oak, black leather that has one tiny little tear, and labels on the bottom from some 1970s furniture company in Chicago? Sold.

It doesn’t match my vanity, but it matches all the new black-brown Swedish furniture that just arrived at my house. And it’s the perfect height. And so comfy. The best place to judge chair qualities is sitting out in the parking lot at Value Village, right?

1920s: Straight Silhouette

Left: Glamour Daze. Right: Reem Acra Fall 2012. Robert Mitra, WWD.

1950s: Full Skirts

Left: VintageMode on Flickriver. Right: Barbara Tfank Fall 2012. Style.com.

1970s: Pant Suits and Plaid

Left: Rusty Zipper. Right: Ruffian Fall 2012. Alessandro Viero, Style.com.

1980s: Boxy Tops and Peplum

Left: houseofglasscards2005 on eBay. Right: Alice + Olivia Fall 2012. Style.com.

Best NYFW coat-checker ever! Of course this photo is ridiculous but I wanted an up-close shot of his DIY safety pin project. Check out Mr. Harrison T Crite to learn more about his inspiration.

Harrison also blogged about the gigantic safety pin as his “item of the week,” and I’m starting to think I’d like to integrate one into my own vintage and modern looks every now and then.

The models started out in some barely-there bodywear…

Then everyone got dressed. Well, in some tights. The new set of Cavallini tights feature seams, tattoo patterns, exaggerated fishnets, and “shredded” looks.

Then a dresser waiting in the wings (but, completely out in the open) helped the models get dressed in something they may or may not have actually been able to wear out in public without feeling a crisp breeze.

After a short video displayed all the new patterns at break-neck speed, the models returned, again relatively undressed. This time they wore bodywear, which meant there were tanks and tops that matched their tights. Like Superman, you too can wear your underwear on the outside.

One by one, they all got dressed again (with help), in ensembles that turned me off to the entire bodywear collection.

The bottom line: Leave the bodywear, take the tights. They were really beautiful and would be a fine finishing touch to a ton of vintage outfits. Contemporary outfits, too. All your outfits deserve these tights.

Want to read the rest of my NYFW coverage? It’s all on the DC Goodwill Fashionista blog!

What the heck is a pussy bow blouse? It’s a fancy name for a fancy blouse, is all. General consensus on the web is that they’re named after cats wearing bows, much like the one here:

Except most cats forget about the rest of the outfit and stick with a bow. Like this one:

Except, maybe just one bow. Oh, forget it, you try putting a bow on a cat. It’ll scratch your face off. Promise.

Anyway. Back to fashion.

These tied-up blouses, which might also be listed as “ascot blouses” or “secretary blouses,” cropped up in the late 40s and early 50s, and if you watch some old films you’ll notice that “bigger is better” was the general philosophy. The majority of bow blouses you’ll find in vintage shops today are from the 70s and early 80s, when these blouses made a major comeback. And surprise! Polyester all over the place.

The finest bow blouses, if I’m the one rustling through a box of them (and I recently have been), feel good. They might have a poly-cotton blend. I like blouses that are mostly cotton for the best bow-tying stability, but these aren’t all that frequent in my findings. So I take what looks and feels nice. Sort of like cats.

There are several ways to wear these blouses, mostly depending on how you like to tie your tie. If you dread tying your sneakers, you can loosely drape the tie in a messy knot that hangs down onto your chest. Leave a few top buttons undone to complete the sloppy-yet-ladylike look. My favorite method of tying the bow is to button up all the way, tie for a prominent knot, and skip all neck and ear accessories. They’re just not needed when you have a good bow.

Image via Vintage Fashion Library

Pussy bows are back at high and low price points, so keep an eye on the runways this week and next to see if you spot any. And remember that the vintage ones you find probably cost a lot less than the ones on the runway.

If you love vintage fashion, then do I have the evening for you! Quarter Life will be at Nana on February 29 for Modern Vintage: Shop & Social. Join us after the 5 o’clock whistle for light refreshments and mingling with other DC-area vintage lovers.

We’ll have winter Quarter Life vintage marked down, and you’ll get a sneak peek at my favorite vintage looks for spring. I find it fitting to say goodbye to winter—at least, mentally—with a Leap Day party!

Comb your closet and wear your favorite vintage pieces. We’ll be snapping your pic for our vintage appreciation photo album!

Ladies and gents are warmly welcome. Please RSVP!

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I think I know that guy.

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Nana's Handmade Valentine Mart, Feb. 11

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Every now and then, someone rifles through my rack of winter skirts and says, “How do you find so many plaid ones?”

The short answer is that I went to Catholic school, so something deep in my gut draws me toward pleated, plaid wool skirts similar to those I (begrudgingly) wore as a little girl.

But plaid skirts don’t usually come in singles. When I see closets of mothers and grandmothers, wool skirts usually come in threes and fours, and most of them are by Pendleton.

So you might think these skirts are a dime a dozen, but I disagree. They were an important part of women’s casual wear in the 1950s and onward, and have really held up over the years.

The Pendleton Mill in 1934. Photo from the Historic Photo Archive.

Pendleton has been around since 1889, when it first opened as a woolen mill in Oregon. Pendleton started to produce Indian blankets that became prized trading items in the west and southwest well before it was known for men’s clothing.

Women’s sportswear didn’t debut until 1949. Pendleton’s casual 49er jacket for women exploded…and so did the plaid wool skirts that often matched them.

A 1953 ad that features the 49er jacket. Via The Vintage Traveler.

In 1972, Pendleton expanded to produce non-wool sportswear for men and women, and the company is still around today. But its website doesn’t show any of those plaid skirts that I love so much. I’ll have to appreciate yesteryear’s skirts!

If you spot a wool skirt with a Pendleton tag inside, it’s probably from the 1950s or 60s when these skirts were so very popular. Pendleton’s Facebook page has a great history of the company’s tags over the years. Keep in mind that the examples shown there are for menswear, but it’s still helpful for pinpointing the time period.

I’m a fool for a great piece of luggage. On the left is an American Tourister bag that has a great pink quilted interior. It’s from Forrestina Vintage, one of my favorite Etsy shops. On the left is a similar bag that I grabbed from Black Eyed Susie.

I love my rolling suitcase, but I may have to start flying with these guys for weekend trips!

One of the beautiful pieces of jewelry at Mercedes Bien

A reader wrote in this week seeking help in preparation for her wedding. She wrote:

Would you know of a great stop, or strip, to find a rhinestone brooch for my wedding dress? I will wear it on my waist, on the side.

She noted that she’s already visited some of the “usual suspects” in the 14th Street area.

I responded:

If you’ve hit the 14th/U Street area, then you’ve probably already been to Legendary Beast, which would have been my first suggestion! A few others I would check out (or at least call to scope out what they have) are Mercedes Bien on 18th Street in Adams Morgan (only open on the weekends), Pretty People in Alexandria and Elinor Coleman’s Vintage Mirage, also in Alexandria. I haven’t visited the latter myself but I’ve peeked in the window and it seems like the kind of place that would have elegant jewelry from yesteryear.

Another thought that just came to be would be It’s Vintage, Darling on 14th just above Columbia Heights. They usually have great statement pieces when it comes to jewelry.

It’s definitely worth a couple of calls before you go to see if they have anything in the range of what you’re looking for. I know that I always have a backstock of items and so when I know a shopper is looking for something special, I can dig into “the reserves.”

Can you help our dear reader find something wonderful for her wedding day? What shops would you recommend?