Victorian Smoking Cap

As you've probably surmised, I have a thing for hats (and shoes and the list goes on...). This week at the Sunday Antique Market, I'll have this wonderful Victorian smoking cap: silk lined, embroidered velvet with a silk tassel. It's in good condition but there is some loss to the plush of the velvet. It's a (dare I say it? Why not?) a hair small on me which would probably make it a size 7. They're becoming very hard to find in wearable shape.

Smoking caps and jackets were, of course, used to prevent the stench of tobacco smoke from migrating to one's clothing and hair. Very sensible indeed.

Ceiling Fixture

Everything still aches after doing the Vintage Clothing Show, but I'm slowly, very slowly, starting to recover. One of the things that aided in this recovery was finding this great 1920s-'30s ceiling fixture. Cast iron, patinated, decorated and apparently rewired within the last ten years. I'm sure that there's a name for this particular style but have no idea what: almost like a transitional deco, but not really. The kind of fixture one would see in middle, middle class homes in the parlour, perhaps. Picturing dad in his chair, with pipe and paper, junior on the floor playing with his trains. The radio's on with Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy bantering and Mom, Mom's in the kitchen doorway wiping a dish gazing at the happy family.

It's movie moment. A Life magazine ad.

I'll have it for sale this Sunday at the Sunday Antique Market.

And the week is still young yet, who knows what else will turn up.

Reworked paisley

This short cape appears to date from the 1920s-'30 and was made from a much older paisley.

And it came with a matching bag. The bag's zipper was made by Waldes, an American company in Queen's, NY. Zipper dating info was gleaned from the Fedora Lounge Blog

This is one of the pieces that we sold at the Vintage Clothing Show.

Lilli Ann Suit

One of the great finds we're bringing to this Saturday's Vintage Clothing Show is this classic Lilli Ann suit; circa 1950s fitted wool with rhinestone detailing and with a Lincoln Road, Miami Beach vendor's label.

Vintage Smoking Jacket

Also for tomorrow at the Sunday Antique Market, this beautiful grey wool smoking jacket with shawl collar and red accented piping. Size 44 approx.

Boot Trees

I'm just putting stuff together to bring to this week's Sunday Antique Market and one of the items (actually three pairs ) will be these antique boot trees. We often have shoe trees as well as tall boot trees but these shorter one are increasingly difficult to find. Meant for Wellingtons or paddock boots they often end up just being used as pieces of sculpture or retrofitted by interior decorators as book ends or lamp bases.

Nevermind.

If you own shoes and care about them, trees of some sort are a must: they absorb perspiration and help keep your boots in the best condition.

Find o' the Day

Find o' the day: it's a sterling silver boutonnière. For those gentlemen not satisfied with merely popping a flower through the buttonhole, there is an alternative. Water goes in the well, stem goes in the well, hook goes through the button hole. Wear in front on the lapel or behind the lapel so that just the flower pokes through and shows in front. We've had a few of these before in different configurations but never one quite like this. Very nice indeed.

Bally Crocodile Shoes

We'll have these wonderful Bally men's shoes for sale tomorrow at the Sunday Antique Market. They're marked "genuine Caiman" model Dino III. Sadly, they're a little edge rubbed, which could be hidden with a generous application of polish, but we've left them just as we found them. The size is 7½. Priced to sell.

Manly Underwear

From the genuinevintage collection of period packaging.

Stanfield's became famous for supplying warm and comfortable longjohns to the gold miners during the Yukon gold rush of 1898.

This box dates from about 1939 and show strong manly graphics. Two handsome lads, wrestling in their underwear in a manly way. Love the shadows.

Stanfield's, a Canadian icon.

Jane Russell Tie

While cleaning out the old tie vaults, I came across this gem; I forgot that I had it tucked away.

An homage to Jane Russell? I suppose that it's the kind of thing once found in joke or novelty shops and worn to smokers or stags.

Res ipsa loquitor.

Screen printed on rayon, with fiberglass flocking on an applied high relief flexible rubber form.


Not for sale, back into the vaults it goes.