The Face of Vintage

One aspect I enjoy the most about my job is the hidden views I get. If you go to an average sale, it's being held by the grandkids or a dealer. When I go in a week before the sale, I meet the woman who lived a life surrounded by the vintage beauty we all now adore. 

Here's one of my charming clients, Irma. She's 87. She lost her husband a year and a half ago. Now she's moving out of her house to be closer to her children and needs to pare down. She was referred to me via her friend who happens to be one of my clients. It's been so much fun to teach her about the values her items have. To see her face light up in surprise is such a blast. I love this part of my job.

Antique telephone exchange box! Click here to see more photos. 

What I find fascinating is what she has and how it relates to her personally. She has a wicked sense of humor, is very down to earth, I'm selling her memories, her life momentos and the vintage beauty she's always surrounded herself with. The piece above was a memento her husband always kept on his desk to remind him how times change. 

Sift-Chine Sifter, well loved. Click here to see more photos. 

This sifter is from her kitchen when she was first married. She met her husband during the war and they married while he was on a brief leave. She remembers keeping her bedside light on all night long for months, somehow hoping the light was keeping him safe from harm. 


He returned to her in early 1945. Imagine the fun she must have had sifting flour for bread, knowing she was going to be feeding her husband at last! I so admire the grace and patience these war wives had in waiting for their mates to return.

1920s silk crepe de chine Wedding dress. Click here for more photos. 

This was her Mothers wedding dress. Her mother, Dorothy, was married in 1922. What a blast to experience the fashions of the roaring 1920's! Her Mother came from a well to do family, thus this silk layered creation with giant roses on the hems. I'm hoping to find a picture of her Mom wearing this! 

Early 1900's Gibson Girl photograph. Click here for more photos. 

This is her Mother, Dorothy. I love that she's wearing the trendy Gibson girl hairstyle so popular in the early 1900s. In this photo she's 17. Just imagine the life she led. Married in 1922, gave birth to her first daughter in 1924, then twin boys in 1926, then another daughter in 1928. By the time World War II rolled around she was a grandmother living in rural New Jersey. 

1950s Ladies Fascinator Hat with Veil. Click here for more photos. 

Irma remembers this was her favorite hat. She says that when she wore it people would always duck down to look into her eyes. It made her feel mysterious when she wore it. I think hats go a long way to adding mystique & intrique into relationships-let's help Kate Middleton bring them back into fashion! 


Keep in mind that Irma isn't sad to let her items go. She's tickled pink that people think her things are worth having!!