Category: Fashion

War Rationing affected even the fashion industry!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn FashionLeave a comment

When World War II started, rationing started with petrol and it eventually covered items like sugar, meat, cooking oil, and even canned goods.  Every American was issued a series of ration books during this time, and the ration books contained removable stamps that you could use to get items that were being rationed.

If you didn’t have the necessary stamps, then you could not get what you need.

Rationing covered a lot of things, but did you know that it even covered items like leather?

That’s whats going on with this purse—instead of using leather, the manufacturer used vinyl instead of leather.  The interior of this remarkable find reads NON-LEATHER 1943 (the ration on leather ran from 1943 to 1945).

You can see this terrific find in my Etsy shop here.  Head on over and check it out.

What kinds of items like this have you run across?

You can relive the 1980’s with this great outfit!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Fashion, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Every once in a while, you can find an outfit that screams of a certain era.  Poodle skirts from the 1950’s and bell bottom jeans from the 1960’s are just two examples when you think of this.

Another item that screams of an era is this great top and skirt from the 1980’s.

kiss pattern dress

KR of NY produced this wonderful two piece outfit with a peplum top and a matching skirt.  What I like about it is the kiss (or even lip) pattern that is on both pieces.

kr of ny

The good thing is that the outfit can be worn to just about any occasion–a party, a night out on the town, or even to a wedding.  Just get yourself a great 1980’s purse and you are set!

You can see this great outfit in my Etsy shop here.  Head on over and check it out!

Terrific Dresses for the Prom!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Clothing ideas, eBay items, Fashion, Sale at Wisdom Lane Antiques!Leave a comment

Prom season is quickly coming upon us, and you will need a great dress for the big night.  Here’s a couple of ideas for you:

Here’s a head turning example labeled ZUM ZUM by Niki Livas.

ZUM ZUM

You can see this terrific dress in my Etsy shop here.  You can see a high fashion example with this highly beaded piece.

SCALA

This wonderful dress was made by SCALA and can be seen in my Etsy shop here.  A retro example would also be a fun way to go to the Prom, and you can do that wearing this example by LAURENCE KAZAR.

LAURENCE KAZAR

You can see this great item made out of silk in my Etsy shop here.  If you are looking for a full length dress for the Prom, this one by MORGAN & CO.

Morgan & Co

This dress would also be good if you are looking for a sleeveless dress as well.  You can see it in my eBay shop here.  If a strapless example is what you would love to wear, then this one labeled ABS By Allen Schwartz is perfect.ABSThis lightly worn dress is also different because it has a lace up back.  You can see it in my eBay shop here.  There is also a dress in my Etsy shop that still has the tags on it, and it’s by MIA BELLA.MIA BELLAThe heavily beaded dress is in perfect unworn condition and can be seen in my Etsy shop here.There are also some beautifully larger, bargain priced, knee length, and dresses with different colors in my Etsy shop that can be seen here.  You can also see some terrific ideas for the prom in my eBay shop here.What kinds of terrific finds have you run across for the Prom?

Dressing for New Year’s Eve

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Clothing ideas, eBay items, Fashion, gift ideas, HolidaysLeave a comment

December 31 is a night for parties, dances and meals at fancy restaurants.  All of which require that special outfit.  What you need is one that doesn’t break the bank but makes heads turn.

Wisdom Lane Antiques can dress you from head to toe—and even provide a terrific coat for a finishing touch.

nygard

A coat that you can wear is this NYGARD COLLECTION Red Ladies Dressy Knee Length Trench Coat.  It’s a Size 6 and would definitely add a splash of color to any outfit.  You can see it in my eBay shop here.

There are several dresses that you can find in my eBay shop, like this CHELSEA NITES dress.

chlesea

The great thing about this pink hombre full length evening dress is that it has beaded accents on it.  You can see it in my eBay shop here.  As a matter of fact, you can see more evening dresses in my eBay shop here.

Another item that you can wear are these CHARLOTTE RUSSE shoes.

charolette-russe

This pair of Kidman Style Black Patent Leather High Heel Pumps are a Size 8, and they have the original box with them.  You can see this terrific pair in my eBay shop here.  You can see more heels in my eBay shop here.

I hope that you have a Happy New Year and make a lot of heads turn!

Year round use for Halloween Costumes

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Clothing ideas, DIY, Fashion, HolidaysLeave a comment

October 31 is for the kids to dress up and become a worst nightmare or even a bright star.  Why should it be over on November 1?  Why not get a large tub or box and fill it with a variety of costumes—superheroes, fantasy beasts, favorite storybook or movie characters—even grown-up dress-up looks.

There are a ton of costumes that you can put in that tub.  It could be a wide variety of character, or they can mix and match pieces.  One of the great costumes that you can use is this great ladybug costume.

ladybug

The great thing about the costume is that the ladybug antenna and wings are not attached to the dress, making this great to mix and match.  You can see it in my eBay store here.  Another costume that you could get is this Iron Man costume.

iron-man

The jumpsuit and the mask are separate pieces so that you can create your own robotic hero or villain!  You can see the great costume in my eBay store here.

Let the kids in your life use them year round—let their imaginations fly.  Perhaps put on plays for the grown-up audience in the house.  Better yet, why not join in on the fun with this great STAR WARS Princess Leia costume.

leia

You can see this terrific STAR WARS costume in my eBay store here.  You can also see all of the costumes in  my ebay store here.

What a great way to let the imagination fly!

What a fun Camp Fire Girls CAMP WAKAHNI Child’s Vest with wooden beads!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Clothing ideas, DIY, Fashion, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

camp-wakhani

Not too long ago, I found this terrific handmade Camp Fire Girls CAMP WAKAHNI child’s vest at an estate sale.  The vest dates to about the 1950’s to the 1960’s, and was part of the uniform that you had when you were a Camp Fire Girl.

The great thing about the vest is that it has multi-colored wooden beads in flower shapes on it, and some patches on the back.  You earned the wooden beads for various accomplishments, and then you could sew them on the vest any way you liked.

camp-vest-back

Needless to say, the girl that had this vest was pretty talented!  You can see this great vest in my Etsy store here.

Have you ever run across a fun item like this?

Six out-of-the-box Christmas gifts to look for

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Clothing ideas, Fashion, Jewelry, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!1 Comment

six-out-of-the-boxchristmas-gifts

When it comes to buying presents for Christmas, there are several out-of-the-box ideas that you can consider:

#1 One idea is this 1960’s plastic polka dot rain cape for any fashionista.

#2 Halloween costumes—you can place costumes like these in a box for kids to play in year round—they are great imagination builders and just down right fun!

#3 Athletic jerseys—they are fun wear for men, women and even kids.  You can get a favorite team or even player’s jersey like these to give as a gift.

#4 Vintage board games are fun to play year round, especially something like THE UNGAME.

#5 Vintage ties—these can be unexpected addition for business suit or jacket for men and women.  Something like this RALPH LAUREN or even NICOLE MILLER tie would make a great gift.

#6 Jewelry like these CORO pieces can be a great look to add to just about any outfit.

5 ways to dress shop for a formal event

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Clothing ideas, DIY, Fashion, Jewelry, Sale at Wisdom Lane Antiques!Leave a comment

5-ways-to-dress-shop

Here’s some great ideas for when you go shopping for a formal event:

#1-Consider a vintage jumpsuit.  Jumpsuits can be found in just about any pattern so you can find one for just about any occasion.  You can find a great one by Westport LTD here.

#2-Don’t be afraid to go vintage.  Pairing a vintage little black dress with a knockout necklace and earrings that you might already have can make a knockout outfit.

You can even add a pair of cool pumps and a snazzy clutch to make that outfit even better.

#3-Choose an off the rack long evening gown—there are many ways that you could go without breaking the bank, like this one by BETSY & ADAM.  You can add a silk shawl to make the look your own.

#4-A jacket (like this one by CITY GUTMAN) or faux fur coat (like this one) can add just the right touch of elegance on cold nights.

#5-A tuxedo like this one or a dressy pantsuit in a bright color like this will turn heads.  A silk tie and blouse can complete the one-of-a-kind look.

You can find some great formal outfits in my Etsy store here.  You can even find some great jewelry items in my my Etsy store here, and me eBay store here.

What kinds of ideas have you come up with for a formal event?

Spotting fake items can be tricky

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Fashion, Purses, Tips for the beginnerLeave a comment

When you are out shopping, you will eventually run into a fake.  It could be a purse, a piece of clothing, or even a piece of glass or pottery.  There are plenty of fake items out on the market, and spotting a fake item sometimes can be rather difficult—especially when the fake is very well made.

I was at several garage sales here recently, and I found two purses that were cheap.  I went ahead and bought them just to learn more about them, and the first one that I ran across was marked PRADA.

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

As you can see from the pictures, it was pretty well made, and even marked on some of the hardware.  It turns out that the purse is fake—the material it’s made out of is not the quality PRADA would use, and the markings are also not quite right.

The next one that I found is a Louis Vuitton purse.  It almost looks like it could be something that you could put your tablet computer in.

SONY DSC

I quickly found out that this purse is fake by the way the way the purse is marked on the tag on the front.

I learned a valuable lesson from these purses—it always helps to have a good working knowledge of what a fake looks like.

Have you ever run across a good quality fake that could stump just about anyone?

Wearing and collecting Sarah Coventry Jewelry

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Fashion, Jewelry, Sale at Wisdom Lane Antiques!, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

From its inception in 1949, Sarah Coventry became the world’s largest direct seller of costume jewelry and an acknowledged fashion leader in contemporary jewelry during the 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s and even the 1980’s.

Sarah Coventry attained worldwide success by offering its well-designed jewelry through in-home fashion shows—also known as the party plan of direct selling.  The company nationally advertised its jewelry in magazines and on network TV.

In a 1978 company brochure, it was stated that “90% of the American population knows the name Sarah Coventry means quality jewelry sold in the home…”  In 1984, Sarah Coventry was purchased by a Canadian firm.

Today, Sarah Coventry jewelry remains a success on the collector’s market.  Right now, I currently am offering a wide array of Sarah Coventry pieces—beautiful and affordable to wear and enjoy—or to even give as a gift.

One of the pieces that I have in my shop is this wonderful bracelet.

1960s-sarah-coventry-carousel-pattern-silver-tone-bracelet-with-different-colored-stones

The pattern on this bracelet is called the CAROUSEL pattern, because it looks like it could be part of a carousel.  You can see the bracelet in my Etsy shop here.

Another great item that would be perfect for either the collector or to wear is this pair of rhinestone chandelier earrings.

1950s-sarah-coventry-rhinestone-chandelier-dressy-clip-on-earrings

The great thing about them is that they are clip on earrings.  You can see this wonderful pair of earrings in my Etsy shop here.  You can see all of the wonderful Sarah Coventry pieces in my Etsy shop here.

What kinds of Sarah Coventry designs have you run across?